'Tis The Life of the Army Wife

Few and Far Between

2011-10-03T21:38:00.000-07:00

That's how I feel about my posts recently.

Life. Is. Crazy!

The Hubby has officially been home for more than 30 days and I can honestly and happily say that the past few months have been the happiest in my entire life. I feel more complete, focused, happy, peaceful, and OMG Busy all at the same time!

And David has been incredible!

I don't know what I could have ever done or will ever do to deserve having this man as my Husband, but I can say that I will spend the rest of my life trying to be as good of a wife to him as he is a husband to me.

A few weeks ago, I was having a LONG day and I went out to my car at 4:30, after being in class since 8:30, ready to go home and finally have something to eat, and realized as I was unlocking the car that there was a rose in the steering wheel! And then, when I went to put my instrument in the back, there was a second rose on the back windshield and a third on the front! I was so surprised, and so then, I decided with David having a big test that night and us just having gotten our new car, that I would show him how well I could take care of Betty, and get him a little "snack" before his test. So, I went to fill up the tank in the car and wash her, and then I got David 2 of his favorite monster drinks and headed home... after about an hour.

When I pulled up to the house, I immediately realized I should have come home first thing because there were two more roses on our front door step. I quickly grabbed everything out of the car, picked up the roses and then walked in the door to find my incredible Hubby waiting on me with 6 more roses! WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS?!?!

THEN

He explained it all to me.

The 3 roses on my car are for the 3 EXTREMELY difficult things we have overcome in our relationship.

The 2 on the doorstep represent our 2 years of marriage.

The 6 in his hand stood for the 6 years that he and I have been one another's best friend.

And then he led me upstairs to our room where there was one more rose in the beautiful pink vase he bought for me years ago, and that rose was symbolic of the 1 that he and I have become in eachother and in our marriage.

I have tears in my eyes just thinking about it again. We have had some crazy ups and downs, but we've made it through everything that life has thrown at us, plus some!

Things should be harder with our contrasting school and work schedules, but we... or should I say, he.. makes the little times count. Like coming home to eat lunch together. Helping one another out at home. Going on errands with one another. Sitting in the same room while ONE OF US reads and does homework and the OTHER gets to play games because he's already done with all of his work.. not fair! ;)

There is an openness and a bond that has grown between us that is even stronger than the unbreakable bond we had before. I don't know how to explain it, and I definitely thought this was just the honeymoon phase of post deployment and at first, wasn't prepared for it to last longer than a week. I think we did so much fighting and were so miserable during the deployment that we got it all out of the way. I keep waiting for the ground to fall out from under us and for reality to set, but then I realize that this is our new reality! And it's definitely a life and a relationship that I thank the Lord we have the rest of our lives to enjoy! I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this beautiful "fall" weather. I'm ready for the real stuff to hit and the leaves to change! And I have a fireplace now that needs breaking in.. along with some pumpkins that the Honey and I need to carve! Woo Hoo! Have a great week ya'll!!

Ready for the weekend!!

2011-09-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

I am back on my feet, and just in time for the weekend! I didn't have my first two classes this morning, so I only had jazz band, Women in Literature, and my technique lesson! YAY!

This morning was just a mess and a half though. David and I slept in and then when we got up and about, we were scrambling to get things done, taking over for one task while the other began another.. toppling over one another in the bathroom (Oh for the days when our bathroom is large enough for both of us and the dogs!) and both not feeling completely 100%. It was definitely interesting.

I left for class knowing our place was a complete mess of papers, books, beds, stuff.. cups.. you name it, it was all over the place. School is definitely in full swing at our home. And Tristen and Jared are coming in tonight to spend the weekend with us, so I was mortified to tell her to have her expectations low and apologizing for the appearance of our home. I am a very neat and clean person. I can't stand when things are out of place (because everything has a place) and when there are books, cups, papers, things all over the place. I live in organization, not chaos. And people tell me that will change when I have kids. I want to laugh and ask if they know anything about me, or if they have had the pleasure of meeting my mother. I LOVE decorating and investing in the appearance of my home and even though there will be toys out and about someday and clothes/blankets all over the place, I'm like a Speed Cleaner! And it will all be picked up every night before I go to bed. I'll blog about it and you can hold me accountable with it in a few years! ;)

SO!!! Tristen, as adorable as she is, asks if I need her to clean when she gets here! No, Angel! You are my guest, that's fine.. but thank you! I go to class, get all that stuff taken care of and come home to..... a CLEAN and organized apartment thanks to my INCREDIBLE husband!! I was so excited! He did everything! Organized and cleaned up the upstairs, made the guest bed with the new mattress cover, made our bed, put everything away, VACCUUMED!!!, took all the cups and dishes downstairs, cleaned the kitchen, picked up the living room, swept the floors, took out the trash and even went into work early! WOW.

I was so excited I called him up, knowing he was working, just to leave a voicemail to let him know how very much I love him and how thankful I am for everything he did. I'm blown away!! So, now.. we both get to just enjoy the weekend and have fun with Tristen and Jared while they're here! I'll post pictures later! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

What A Week!!

2011-09-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

It's been one heck of a week! Ups and downs and back ups again! Goodness!

Well, let's start with the weekend, shall we? Since there was no real sense of where the week started off for us.... ok, for me. We both worked a lot on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and then decided to go down to David's family reunion/get together thing on Monday. I could have kicked myself because I had literally hundreds of pages of reading to do for all my classes this week and I didn't bring a single book. So unproductive. This was also really our first time going to see family together since he's been back. It was an interesting day.

Ok, I'm going there. I know there are those that immediately adjust into their spouses' family, and there are those who never adjust, and then still those who take some time adjusting. I am the last one. And David is the first one. It's all based on the family we've had and what we're used to, and the family we're coming into. It's just very different, and I forget how different it is every time. Different isn't bad, it's just learning how to find my place in the mix of it. I think that's been the biggest struggle is adapting to the differences of what I've grown up with and then also figuring out how I fit into it. I love David's family, they are my family also! And I don't doubt their love for me. I would do anything for any member of the Roark clan and I cannot even begin to explain to you HOW MUCH I love my nieces and nephews!! They are my pride and joy and I brag about them constantly! And I have plenty to brag about!

**Proud Aunt moment coming**

Josh is the oldest and he is so intelligent, as are all of my nieces and nephews! He has the most descriptive and incredible imagination of anyone I know! And goodness he could read in any setting. On Monday, at one point, he was reading while laying backwards on the couch with his head on the ground, feet in the air, and book upside down on the floor in front of him! So funny!

And then there's Andrew! He is such a loving and passionate boy and he gets so excited about everything he has to tell you! He's protective and caring of everyone around him and he is also a new believer in Jesus Christ! We had the joy and pleasure of watching him get baptized on Monday.

Jacob is next and it is hard to describe Jacob... he is just that! Goodness, he can be the biggest stinker and sweetheart all at the same time! I love my hugs from Jacob and how smart and perceptive he is, even for a four year old. I will never forget coming over to visit one day and Jacob told me about evaporation and cumulonimbus clouds... I felt like I needed to go back to elementary school!

Gabe is the next oldest and that boy just brightens my heart! I love when we pull up and he screams "AUNT BISCUIT!!!!" from across the yard and races to give hugs!! There is a happiness and joy that exudes from him that is so contagious!

Faith isn't much younger and probably the most interesting soon-to-be 4 year olds to have a conversation with! She is so carefree and spirited! This summer, we had Faithy/Aunt Ruffles dates and at one point, she rode with me to go to Oklahoma City to pick up Gabe. We talked the entire way there. She is intuitive and perceptive of even the smallest things and I feel like I can have a real conversation with her. She is also brilliant! She's very smart for her age and is quick to soak in any knowledge around her. We were stopped getting lunch one day and I had Stravinsky's Octet playing, I was conducting to it, and I looked in the mirror.. and she was conducting it almost perfectly as she watched me! I was a little jealous! ;)

Anna is the baby girl in the family, but not for long! She is definitely a princess, but she can hold her own! She is so sweet and innocent and says the cutest little things! And like all the other kids, she DEFINITELY loves her Uncle David! She is just darling, there's no other way to describe her!

Israel and Gideon are the current babies of the family, and they couldn't be more different! Izzy is a boy of few words, but you'll know what he wants when he wants something! He gives the funniest faces and plays like he doesn't understand what's going on. He also has a very carefree.. I do what I want attitude and I love that about him! On Monday, we all sat down to watch Tangled and Izzy climbed up and snuggled with me multiple times! It was so precious! Gideon is not talkative, but he's vocal! And he gives the best faces too. At lunch on Monday he kept screaming NOOO and I was trying to tell him to stop. He'd do it again, and then just give me this look of "I know what I'm doing, and I want your attention!!" So snarky! I loved it!

They are all so different, but I love them with every part of me! My favorite times are when Uncle David and I walk through the door and can't get through the entry way because all of the kids have gathered there. And they are all growing up so quickly, I don't want to miss a single thing.

So, Monday was adventurous, as always. I felt bad because after lots of working and not a lot of sleeping, I just crashed at Sarah and Jeff's house. It wasn't for long, but still. After a little while, David and I headed out to go Car Shopping! He'd brought up leaving a little early to go look at some places, and so we did! We'd been looking at Muranos since before he left for Afghanistan last year and then we also started looking at Rogues a few weeks ago. We had already decided to go and get our car at a dealership in Tulsa, so today was about getting a good feel for the vehicles and deciding which one would be best for us.

We looked at the Rogue, and it was nice.. but I couldn't justify buying one because it wasn't much different from my current Taurus. We went to look at an older blue model that happened to be next to A WHITE MURANO!!! :D I looked at David and said "Can't you see me driving this?" He just smiled and said "I definitely can, but I wanted to give you options and for you to pick!" We took the Murano for a test drive and then there was no question! It is an older model, slightly used, but it is in wonderful and exactly what we were looking for. We thought about it and we've been praying for months to find the right car.. and so after discussing all the details and talking with both our Dad's, we decided to go for it!! AHHH!!! So, we bought our first car!!

I know, I know... kind of crazy!! But, we were excited!

David had class on Tuesday, and I had studio, but not really class, and then it went downhill. Tuesday night, after staying up until after 1:00 AM doing homework and reading for class, my throat began to swell up and it was so sore, even when I wasn't swallowing. As the night progressed, I tried to sleep but just kept tossing and turning.. my head felt like a balloon that had been blown to capacity and could pop at any moment. David said I snored louder than he's ever heard me snore! And I'm a weenie when it comes to pain, so I decided to go to the doctor first thing Wednesday morning. David wanted me to wait for him and go after noon so he could be there, but there was no way. I was uncomfortable and I wanted to get it taken care of ASAP!!

My doctor checked everything over and said she's pretty sure it's just a sinus infection and a head cold. I hate when they say "It's just this.." when I am absolutely miserable! But that's ok. They also gave me two shots in the hip to get the medicine in my system quicker, and I handle those needles like a champ!! :) I've determined if I want to have children, I'm eventually going to have to get over my fear of needles.

I came home, and bless David's heart, I've been sleeping, snoring, trying to do reading for homework, and sipping down Sprite ever since. He's been so helpful and always makes me feel better, but I have to get back to 100% soon in case he gets sick, and with Tristen and Jared coming to stay with us this weekend! Craziness!!! I hope everyone has had a great week!

GAMEDAY!!

2011-09-03T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's GAMEDAY in Oklahoma!!! And we're working! Haha! Week 2 of school is finally over! I finished with a pretty awesome lesson yesterday and then right before I was about to head to work, I got a call saying they didn't need me! :D So, David and I had another date night last night!! It was great! We drove around Stillwater, went shopping a little! He bought me two super cute OSU shirts, so now I have no excuse to not sport our colors! We also went to Best Buy and even though we would LOVE to get a camera, we're going to wait until we're ready to start having children so we can get the newer model! He gave a pretty good case for getting a new flat screen TV... even to the point of telling me how we could rearrange the living room, but I just had to say one word. "Car." :) That will be our next purchase! So, we're excited to start looking! And we need one, goodness, there are only so many things Hubby can do with his motorcycle! But we didn't leave Best Buy empty handed! We got a few Blu-Rays to add to our collection and David pre-bought The Lion King for me!!!! OMG October 4th cannot come quick enough!! FAVORITE DISNEY MOVIE OF ALL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So, I'm just a little excited! David started feeling sick, or hungry, he wasn't sure. LOL, so we picked up some dinner and headed home to watch Something Borrowed! And went to bed early!!! YAY!!! I'm making us some Chinese Beef and Broccoli tonight and then we're going to our friend's birthday party after the game, I need to make some yellow cake with chocolate frosting too! Hope everyone has a great weekend! Go Cowboys and Go Sooners!! (I know, I have a problem)

Reintegration

2011-09-01T19:34:00.000-07:00

Can I just start this off by saying that I'd prepared for the worst?! I have a wonderful Sister who, thank you Lord, has gone through a very similar situation with her husband in their first deployment. Now, David and I went through a deployment together in 2009 when he deployed to Iraq, but we were engaged then, and as hard as that was, it was nothing compared to this past deployment and being married!

I would tell Aimee things about what was going on with David and she would get so frustrated because she had dealt with the same things in her husband, which made me feel better to have an opinion of what to and not to do.. what to expect. It was nice to be able to vent to someone who not only understood, but wasn't going to take sides over one or the other! It's not about sides, but goodness if my Momma believes David could never do any wrong! Gosh that was so frustrating!

Looking back, it's hard to think of where we were just a few months ago. It brings tears to my eyes and puts a knot in my throat when I think about how we were towards one another and who we were as individuals. I can't believe such a tremendous change occurred in just a few months. Shorter than that actually.. it was instantaneous from the moment he got off the plane and his leave started.

It wasn't so much the reuniting that made the change, I think the understanding that a change in me personally needed to be made had been coming for a long time, it was just bringing all the pieces together to make that change click. Once I was in his arms, I felt complete, but it was a complete that I finally realized was accentuated by David, but not necessary. That I could reach my full potential without being entirely dependent on him. Is it better with him around? NO QUESTION!!! But from the moment we met back in HS, David has always silently encouraged me to be a better version of me. The summer was more positive with that understanding. But, there was also a shift in our relationship when leave started. I can't explain it, because I can't explain where we were before. Our first few months of being married, we were dealing with severe changes and the aftermath of David's first deployment. We also didn't know what we were doing and things weren't bad, but they weren't good either.

Being apart during the first 10 months of this deployment DID NOT HELP! Imagine that?! Haha! Things happened between us that I never thought would occur and I had never really been able to stay mad at David or him at me, but we sure learned how to over this past year. And when we hit rock bottom over and over and continued with the fights, I was sure it couldn't get any worse. I know that we have a large effect on the other individual. If David would call, I would get so excited, but the second I would hear the negativity in his voice, my excitement dropped and we pulled one another down from there. Not healthy, obviously. But being together over leave, we knew we needed our time, that we needed to just enjoy those few weeks and enjoy one another's company and not mess with anything else.

As coming home got closer, I feared that we would face the nasty post-effects of deployment once again. I have a problem of setting my expectations too high and I worked not to have any expectations with David coming home, which was hard. To have complete blind faith and walk in not knowing what to expect or what will be thrown at you? No fun. But it's what happened. The second we were reunited, it was just perfect. Perfect. Our time with family, together, apart.. it's all been great.

We've been much more communicative than in the past and we've also made an effort to do things together, even if it's David playing his games downstairs while I'm reading for class (How does he get away with not having homework?!) or checking in constantly. We're working together on everything too, just helping one another out with things.

Since school started, our schedules haven't completely mashed up. I have Tuesday and Thursday off with classes on Monday Wednesday and Friday and he has classes on Tuesday and Thursday and is off on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But it's still worked out wonderfully. And I mean, there are the little things, like when I'm trying to read or concentrate on something and he chooses those moments to be all chatty! Haha! I'm thankful for him wanting to talk, but it also is irritating!

We bought a new bed (mattress, pillows, and all) since he's been home! Believe me, I've had that bed and mattress since I was 10 years old and we NEEDED a new bed! I know we were both sick of rolling into the middle. But with this new and incredible bed, I guess I do things in my deep sleep that I haven't done before. I may accidentally kick him or hit him, or talk to him in my sleep? Poor guy. The first night we had it, he kept waking me up, telling me I was pushing him or that I was snoring, or I was talking in my sleep. The next night, we established a rule that if I do those things, just ignore me and roll over, because I'm probably deep in sleep and it won't help to wake me up! :) So, things have been good. Very routine. He goes to work, I stay home and read... a lot. I go to class and then to work or to rehearsal and he stays home and does stuff around the house or works on homework. It's just been a wonderful transition. We're in the full swing of school now with both of us working over 20 hours a week too. So, it's busy, but we make it work! Here's to the next year of hard work, classes, and LOTS of love and time with my Honey!!

St. Louis!!!

2011-08-31T14:28:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't aware, David and I took a little getaway trip to St. Louis after the welcome home ceremony and before we both started back to school! It was a surprise, kind of! I knew where we were going, but my Dear Hubby did all the research and planning on the trip! We stayed at the incredible Union Station Marriot, which was extrememly cool with all the history there!

We had a lot of fun on the roadtrip up there and that night, against David's better judgement, we had some pretty gross Chinese food and thankfully didn't have a repeat of our honeymoon and spend the whole trip sick. The next day, we got up and went to the Arch! According to David, the Arch was only a few blocks away... I should have known better since he said the exact same thing about the Sears Tower when we went to Chicago. Thank goodness we found a Subway on the way and got to eat and hydrate, and FINALLY we made it to the Arch!!

We went through part of the museum and then headed up in the elevator. I was not a fan, but David said it was because I sat in the center and was feeling it shift directly the entire time. So, we entertained ourselves with pictures during the 4 minute ride up.

We had a lot of fun, decided to go through the City Garden on the way back to our hotel and also found the Soldier's Museum. It was interesting, and definitely an exhausting afternoon! We went to this incredible Italian restaurant that night and drove around afterwards.

Friday, we went to the zoo.. after a LONG drive around trying to figure out where it was. And man was it hot!! If you know anything about me, you know I am such a weenie when it comes to heat. We decided to do some indoor things first and got to pet and feed sting rays and sharks! It was SO cool!! I failed at feeding them, I got worried whenever the sting ray came up and basically lifted the sting ray out of the water... oops! David, however, was an absolute pro at it! We even got a cute little sting ray stuffed animal to go with our baluga whale stuffed animals! We got pretty worn out with the heat and the entire zoo is basically outdoors, so after we went to see the Penguin exhibit (that David insisted upon) we drove over to the Art Museum. And then that was enough for the afternoon! For dinner, we went to Hard Rock Cafe, which David had surprisingly never eaten at!

And then afterwards, we went across the street from our hotel to see the fountain over there! It was absolutely beautiful!!

We had a wonderful rest of the trip, just relaxing and enjoying one another's company! I don't think I could have asked for a better homecoming! And our trip was just what we needed! Hope eveyone is having a wonderful week! :) I'll update tomorrow on what's been going on since our trip!

Catch Up! Welcome Home Ceremony!

2011-08-30T09:47:00.000-07:00

Goodness, it's hard to believe it's only been three weeks since I've had my Hubby home! But it's hard to believe it's already been 3 weeks too! We have done soo much in the past few weeks, and things are going well! It took a little bit of a bumpy road to get there, but we made it! When I last updated, I was relaxing after working my tushy off at work and at home trying to get everything ready for him to come back. I spent the next day just relaxing, watched some Bachelor Pad (I didn't get to finish all of it) and I was just about to finish last minute touches around the house and getting ready when I got a message from one of our family members wanting to come to the Homecoming Ceremony. Looking back at it now, and even at the time, I knew it was fine and it wasn't a problem, but there were other things to consider.

Background here, my hubby had deployed to Iraq from 2008-2009 and then left again last year after not even being home for a year to go on a 12-month deployment to Afghanistan. Many people, including our immediate family, do not know the severity of the toll the Iraq deployment took on him, and being a newly married couple and a new Army wife, I didn't know what to do. But there were a few incidents of things that happened that we felt should be kept private. However, when Hubby came home this time, things were not as bad in some ways and worse in others. I have known and loved him for the past 7 years and there were qualities that he showed upon this homecoming that I have never seen. I'm not going to sugar coat this, because I know other military wives read this and I want to be honest. And he and I have talked about this and already worked through this situation. But when he first got back into the country and while he was at demobilization, he was very possessive, controlling, and would get mad at me over the tiniest things. Of the two of us, I am definitely the more emotional, but that wasn't the case. His emotions were all over the place and for a few days, even before he came home, I was literally afraid to talk to him or Skype with him because I felt like I was walking on eggshells. I'd never encountered David like that and I didn't know what to do. Add to all of that the mix of demobilization stress? It just wasn't a good couple of days leading up to the homecoming. We had decided to be 100% honest in the evaluations and doctors check ups and because of that, we weren't sure if he was going to be able to come home, or if we were going to have to drive back to post (which is in a different state) to finish up meeting with doctors. Because of the two deployments being back to back and the stress that came with the past 3 years, it is no surprise that my Hubby has mild PTSD, and most wives know the cautions you have with that diagnosis. So, back to the day of his homecoming.

Just about 30 minutes before I was planning on leaving, I got a message asking to surprise my Hubby at his homecoming. More info, at this point, he didn't want anyone there. He wanted me to pick him up and us to head straight home, but we decided it would be important to have our immediate families there prior to this. So, the word "surprise" sparked a protective nerve and I wasn't what to do and how my Hubby would react. One thing that most people know about me is that I don't like last minute changes. If something is planned, especially just a few hours before the event, I cannot stand lack of organization, communication, and changes being thrown into the mix. It literally sends my head spinning. Another thing that has always been frustrating is when I need to make a decision and I get NO feedback whatsoever from the Hubby.... not cool. All of the emotions of the week, plus the ending of the deployment.... it wouldn't have mattered what happened, I was a ticking time bomb of emotions waiting to explode.

I had done a fairly decent job of holding it all together and taking care of everything. We had a BUNCH of lows and dark times over the year and points where I really didn't know what was going to happen. Thank you Lord, our leave was marvelous and we were able to completely enjoy one another. There was a change in our relationship over those two weeks, but anyone who has gone through a year without their spouse can tell you that eventually you have to face the nasty things and deal with the damage that your relationship has taken. Welcome Home's are joyous for families, but they are also terrifying for wives. You don't know what is going to happen and how this reintegration process is going to change. And even though you're scared and wanting to make it as easy of a transition for your spouse, you are also so excited and relieved at the deployment being over and them being home and safe... it's a very strange mix of emotions. As my incredible sister said "I think wives have PTSD too!! We go through so much while they are away and being alone... it makes us a little crazy".

Well, I went crazy. It wasn't the what, it wasn't the who... it was the when.

A massive breakdown just overwhelmed me and I couldn't do anything! I know that sounds silly now, but that's the only way I can explain it. I couldn't talk, I couldn't move, couldn't get ready... it was enough to just cry! Oh was it an ugly cry. And my INCREDIBLE Hubby stepped in and saved the day. He was so loving and comforting. And he knew just what to do, even though we were still hours apart. He told me to turn on a specific playlist, to listen to that and get ready and to not call, text, answer anything from anyone except for him. Just be in my own little bubble of a world for a little bit. And it was perfect. I was about 45 minutes behind schedule, but in a way, I needed that breakdown to just let things go, and he needed to take charge of the situation and make sure everything was ok. I ended up leaving way behind schedule and speeding to get to the city in time... during rush hour traffic.

My sweet sister and her boyfriend were about to leave too. Jared, her boyfriend, had called in the middle of the fiasco and asked me to remember to bring some kitchen canisters for Tristen. I tried to hide my voice from sounding like I'd been sobbing for the past 30 minutes, but he knew something was off and asked if I was sleeping. Haha! Thank goodness Tristen hadn't called then or I may have lost it on her, but she called while I was driving to the city and as I told her everything that was going on, she was just so understanding. She didn't really understand, but she was sympathetic to the entire thing and that's all I needed. I had texted my other sister earlier and she called while I was still driving, and as I told her what happened, she had the exact same reaction I had! It made me feel so much better for someone to REALLY understand. Because even if it's your best friend, your son, your brother, whatever relation... unless you are the spouse, you don't really understand.

It's been a saving grace having Aimee this year. David and I are almost exactly where Ben and Aimee were 2 years ago, and so as I'll tell her things, she just gets so frustrated because she wishes she had videotaped their deployment so she could show me and maybe we wouldn't be going through the same things! Brothers will be brothers though, and Ben and David are scary alike. As I got farther into the city, traffic got worse and it was about 20 minutes before the ceremony began. Can you say Stress?! I was panicking, trying to get through stand still traffic, praying that I would get there in time. The thought of missing the ceremony was just unimaginable. I had people telling me where to go and how to get there the fastest.. and I wanted to scream. I used to live around this area, I know my way around there better than I do our current hometown. Aimee kept me calm and we laughed and joked as I worked my way through side streets to get to the Armory. Thankfully, because of the massive accident and the traffic, the ceremony was delayed for about 20 minutes.

I ran in so fast I forgot my camera and the cute sign I had made in my car. When I walked in, both my Dads were standing in the lobby alone while everyone else was praying in the ceremony. I immediately started to break down, fearing that I had missed it. My Dad went into full football coach mode then and told me to cut it out, suck it up and to get in there when I pulled it all together. I followed them to our family and was SO relieved that the guys hadn't come in yet. I didn't miss anything! I went straight to my Mom, I don't remember seeing anyone other than her and she just loved on me during the ceremony while we anxiously stood there, seeing David but not able to go to him yet. My sister got there right as they were coming in and stayed at the back, but LOVINGLY brought me a huge Diet Coke! Gosh, what would I do without her! As soon as I could, I ran into David's arms and at that moment, nothing else mattered.

I have a lot of other photos, but these are some of my favorites!! It was just perfect! After lots of laughter and tears, hugs and pictures, we went to dinner at BJ's and then I finally got to take my Hubby home for good!!

I'm sorry it was such a long post, there was a lot that happened. I'll update on our trip and the last few weeks tomorrow or Thursday, but I hope you all enjoy and have a wonderful rest of the week!

Tomorrow!!!

2011-08-15T17:26:00.000-07:00

Well! UPDATE! I can now say that my Hubby is home and on American soil as he is almost done with his demobilization and in less than 24 hours, will be with me!!! YAY!!!! I'm so excited, but and there is SO MUCH TO DO!!! I did a lot today.. went to work first thing this morning (And I'm now done for the rest of the week!!), got our parking permits, went to do a check up at the doctor before school started, paid bills, GOT JIMMY JOHN'S FOR LUNCH, and then after lunch decided to take a nap!

Now, I need to kick it into high gear and clean, clean-clean, and do the laundry before tomorrow! I want to be able to just get up, go get a mani/pedi, get ready, relax in the city with friends and family, and that be that!! But, it all depends on what I can get done tonight! I also made it a goal that by tomorrow morning, I will have everything done with for the next week so all I have to do is pack and spend some good, much needed time with my man!!

We're going on a trip to ________________??? I'll tell everyone all about it when we get back! There's a lot to do this week, but my hope and prayer is that I not stress about everything and just relax and enjoy, especially as we go into school and start our routine back up! My goals for this next year are pretty big, but I have a quote from one of my youth girls that was pretty inspiring!

Dream and give yourself permission to envision a you that you choose to be..

Well I'm choosing to be a me that doesn't just sit back and let life pass me by! I'm a hard worker and I will get the best grades I can possibly get by fully devoting myself to my studies. I won't lower my standards and accept "help" from other students who just cruise through college.. no. I will learn the material my own way and be the best teacher because of it. I will not involve myself in silly and petty drama. If it doesn't involve me, there's a reason. I want to just be happy with life and with where things are.. to enjoy this time, because when I'm done with college, then I REALLY have to grow up! ;) I want to devote my time to being the best musician I can be. Being a music major turns into a competition within your section, and that's just silly. It's not about how well I do in comparison to others, it's about me doing the best FOR ME and the best that I can give. I want to improve as a wife, to be there and support my husband in finances, responsibilities, and in everything. I feel like every marriage is different, and it isn't for others to judge. Our goal is to be equal partners in all that we do. I don't want to stand behind my Hubby or in front of him.. I want to be right at his side holding his hand as we continue facing the blessings and challenges of this life! I also want to take a Zumba class and a spin class during the year! I think that would be OH SO MUCH FUN!!! And I want to be more healthy. Plus, I think the regular activity will help keep my level of stress down and keep my energy up!! So, this next year is almost here.. and I can't believe the past one just zoomed by. It was long and hard, but well worth the lessons God taught me. So, I'll update on our Homecoming Ceremony and on our little getaway trip when we get home!! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Feeling Weak

2011-08-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

Today was a rough day. I haven't been sleeping well, and normally, I would just sleep in and get plenty of rest, but I don't want to become a night owl and I have too much to do during the day. Last night, I woke up every few minutes and just tossed and turned until about 7 this morning. I got up and took care of some stuff and then headed to my hometown to go get my hair done. The hubby had a specific request and after thinking about it (I don't believe that one should wear their hair or do a specific thing only because their husband requests that. It's my hair that I wear on my head.. he looks at it, but I have to fix it and be ok with it. I was taught not to let a man control what you do appearance wise) I decided I might like the change! So, I got my hair done and it's a pretty different look.. so it's taking some time to adjust. Then I ran around trying to get things done before work.. and I didn't realize until tonight that I had half of a Mazzio's buffet salad for lunch.. and that's all I'd eaten since yesterday afternoon. I didn't get everything done that I needed to do today, work went well, but when I got home.. I found that someone had taken our furniture off of our back patio.. who does that? Add that to no sleep, very little food, this heat, the craziness of being back at work and a hairstyle that I don't feel too good about PLUS missing the time to talk to the Hubby... probably the last time we'll be able to talk until after our anniversary ( Our 2nd anniversary... and the 2nd anniversary we've spent apart. Not even in the same state or country. I get so aggravated when people complain about not going out with their spouse for their anniversary or being sick during their anniversary... at least you got the chance to see and be with or even hear from your spouse on that day!) It's just been a rough day. Work in the morning, and then my sister and Jar-Bear are coming up to spend the weekend with me and I get some much needed time with the best girl I know and some retail therapy! We may even throw in a little spa trip, who knows? I just feel extremely beaten down and drained.

Busy Busy!!

2011-07-27T23:29:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been Go! Go! Go! in my life! And I'm alright with it, but at the same time, it's a little overwhelming!

Yesterday, I had my workout, practiced, did my Bible study.. all while dealing with NASTY cramps and an upset stomach! And then, I got called in for a second interview.. second one in two days! I felt pretty good about it and should get an answer on things by Monday! So, *fingers crossed *

I clocked in my Skype hours yesterday, lemme tell ya! I got to Skype with the Hubby, which is always nice! So, he got to see what I wore to my interview and then I got to tell him all about it afterwards! And then after he went to work, I got to Skype with a friend of mine, and we ended up videoing until 5 this morning! It was crazy, but so much fun!!

So, I got up after having some decent sleep for the first night in a few nights, got around, did my workout, practiced some, I read an entire book this afternoon and then cleaned my apartment and started the never ending cycle of laundry! I know it gets worse when you have kids, but I think it also gets worse in the summer time. My Mama Carty says it perfectly. I don't do well with heat. I would rather be freezing cold with buckos of cardigans and sweaters and long sleeve shirts.. than be nice and warm with tanks and shorts. Yuck! I don't like riding with other people in the summer because some don't have an air conditioner in their cars.. how can you survive in this 108 degree weather?.. and some take FOREVER to start the car/ turn on the air conditioning and I'm just sitting there thinking.. "It's REALLY HOT!" My hair is also a VERY dark brown naturally and the second I step outside, it's like a furnace on my head. All that to say, I don't like being hot and this Summer heat is killing me! And in my house, the upstairs is about 20 degrees hotter than the downstairs and with my workouts.. I change a lot.

So, yeah! My little summer rant there! LOL! OH! My Mama Carty and Papa Jim (Mom's parents/my grandparents) called me tonight at around 11:00 PM... yeah! They just wanted to let me know they're coming into town to see me tomorrow. They don't know what time, they'll just get here when they get here! HAHAHA!! I LOVE my grandparents!! They are absolutely incredible and my inspiration for what I hope to be when I have kids and grandkids!! They have ALWAYS supported everything that David (since he's been a part of the family), my brother, sister, and I have done. Mama Carty joins my Papa Jim in turning 75 on Friday. I am baffled. For me, (random weird fact) my parents and grandparents stopped aging 10 years ago. So, my parents are stuck at 40, not 50 (which my Mom happens to love) and my Mama Carty and Papa Jim will forever be 65 in my eyes. My cousins will also always be 5 and 10.. I just don't get it. But that's how I am! I think it's part of the knowledge that they're getting older. I've been immensely blessed to have all my grandparents and known 4 of my 8 great grandparents (2 of which are still alive and working in the garden at 92 and 96) as well as my parents and all my other distant relatives. I can count on one hand the number of family members that I have lost. So, when I have to face the loss of a member of my family that has had such an impact on my life.. I just want to take advantage of every precious moment I have with them because I know so many don't get that opportunity!

So, tomorrow will be fun! I'm looking forward to seeing them and showing off my new house to them! :) It'll be a good time! Hope everyone has had a wonderful week!

An Off Day

2011-07-25T15:26:00.000-07:00

Today started off like any normal day! I got up, got ready (Thank you Lord for the good hair day despite the much needed rain and humidity) and went to my job interview! It went really well and we'll see what happens now, but I'm happy with how it went! I came home and watched Beastly while eating lunch, I really like the movie, by the way! The "Beast" is played by the same actor in I Am Number Four and I felt like the story was very well adapted! :)

After that.. everything just settled in. My attitude shifted, for no reason whatsoever and I immediately just felt overwhelmed with everything going on and all that needs to be done! I haven't had an off day or a stressful day really since before the Hubby came home on leave. I did some zumba and that helped me physically, but I just couldn't control my emotions. The Hubby was online and so we talked a little, but I mean, he's kind of busy working! ;) Things just continued piling up and finally it was enough. I will not go back to feeling this way. I don't like it and I don't want that lifestyle anymore. So, I prayed and I did my Bible study! Instant peace and faith! I may not know exactly what's going to happen or have a scheduled routine set up right now, but I know that He is in control and that it's all going to get done and will all be fine. What a comfort! My friend Amanda said that God gives us challenges and rough patches so that we can appreciate the good. I believe that, but I also think that God gives us the rough patches so that we continue to lean and depend on Him in the good times and bad as we daily seek to be more in His image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 really just brought peace to me today through my devotional! What a blessed Monday! I look forward to seeing what else He has in store for this week!

Good Sunday!!

2011-07-24T14:21:00.000-07:00

Tut Tut, Looks Like Rain! Thank you Lord! Today has been a wonderful day so far! Starting with the potential for rain, which we desperately need, and then a few blessed phone calls!

I got a call today from a special someone offering to assist us in paying for this last semester of school so that I can enroll! What a blessing and a weight lifted off our shoulders! I am so very thankful that my family has been and always will be supportive of David's and my education!

Well, that call was followed up by a call from Pier 1 asking me to come in for a job interview tomorrow!! I'm so excited! I would be happy to work for any of the places I applied to, otherwise, why would I have applied? But Pier 1 was one of my top places if I could be picky! So, we'll see how tomorrow goes! I'm so excited!! Now bring on the rain!! I should go get Chinese food with how stormy they say it's going to get!

A Day Off

2011-07-23T19:48:00.000-07:00

The other day I shared that at one point a few years ago, I saw that my life could go one of two ways. And for the record so that no one gets the wrong idea.. I am beyond happy and blessed with how my life is going and where my Hubby and I are. Well, I woke up this morning and was reminded of where it could have been had God not intervened in David's and my life. It was just a bitter tasting memory of where I was, and thankfully, where I am now. Just a little hiccup. That and I am starting to have stomach cramps and I think we all know what that means. So, since I've been working all week, I decided it would be nice to have a day off, to just relax.

I started off the day with a lovely conversation with my Hubby and since my brain wouldn't turn off until around 4 this morning and my body decided to be wide awake at 5:30, I decided a little nap would have been nice! So, I got my sleep and then went and rented a few newer movies and grabbed some ingredients for dinner. It's been a pretty good day/evening! Got another free 44 at Sonic and had a nice catch-up convo with a good friend! I've missed her! Then I watched Just Go With It and Red Riding Hood while making Beef and Broccoli! Perfection! And a little strawberry ice cream was just the peak of a nice day off, just me and the pups! What has everyone else been up to this weekend?

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!

2011-07-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

SHUT THE FRONT DOOR, SHUT THE BACK DOOR, SHUT THE GARAGE, SHUT THE WINDOWS BECAUSE OOOOH MYYY GOODNESS!!!!!

I am an extreme IKEA fan, OK? Love it! Never been there, sadly, but that's ok. I will go someday and that's all that matters. Anywho.. I'm on the search for the perfect stuff to decorate and organize my office, right? Yeah? Following me? OK! My mission? This..

Only with the Shelves in a dark brown and with brown, khaki, plum, and purple storage boxes. Now that you have seen my inspiration... you can sympathize with me that I have searched COUNTLESS websites and stores to find the vision that is stuck in my head. I am sadly one of those people that just CANNOT let something go once I've thought about it. Well, I found my shelves that I'd like!!

Only problem is that the finish I like seems to be out EVERYWHERE!!! Now, I could wait to get it or I could get the white or black brown and paint it the color I want (too much work, not enough time or space).

So, now that I know what I'll be storing our books in, I can look for what to fill the cubicles with!!

ENTER THE CONTAINER STORE!!!

How I never knew about this, I will never know. But my mind was so over the top blown by everything! I found all the things I have been imagining to fill these cubicles and it was just perfect!! OOH Dallas shopping trip needs to happen soon because this is just incredible!! So, yeah. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!!!! I now have to decide where I want to go with our office. Right now, we're stuck because our office is shared with our guest bedroom. So, I googled some images for home offices and literally cannot choose between the white and dark brown wood.. or a combination? HELP!!!

What to do.. what to do! Obviously, I like that open and light feel to the office.. So, I guess I'll just need to chew on it a bit longer. What do you all think?

Peace

2011-07-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

I had wanted a Brighton bracelet for awhile! My Mom had one filled with charms that represented all her babies, including David because he is now her baby too! For Christmas this past year, my Mom gave me the bracelet with one charm on it. I may start crying just thinking about it because it was all so perfect! The first charm my Momma picked for me was an angel that said "Peace" on it.

It makes so much sense because for years now, I feel like I've been at war with myself. There are people who are such close friends of mine that have never seen the real me because I've constantly been on the fence. I may play it well, but those who really know me, who have been around for years know that I haven't been myself and have, thankfully, stuck with me along the way as I search for that peace. I've lost friends along the way, but those that matter have stayed by my side.

I've thought about this a lot over the past several weeks. Seeing my Hubby really showed me just how far off course I had gotten. I didn't notice when he came home on leave from Iraq, because that's when everything happened with my Momma and I was thrown into a different kind of chaos. But I think this friction started back when I started college, maybe even before.

Right before my senior year, I got mono. Don't ask me how.. I promise it wasn't because I was kissing anyone. David was away at basic/AIT which makes it so much worse, but through all the camps, there's no telling how many drinks I shared with people. It disgusts me now. Anyway, before marching band started, I was diagnosed with mono and because band is one of the most important things to me, I set aside my health and refused to miss my last year of marching. The memories from that season will remain with me for a lifetime, but the toll it took on my body was destructive and I was out of church for months, using Sunday's as my day to recuperate. By that point in the week, after classes, work, marching rehearsals, football games and competitions, I could hardly muster up the strength to open my eyes on Sunday morning. Being out of church for that long took a toll on my relationship with Christ, on my service to others, and on my fellowship with my church family. I didn't realize how drastic of a toll it had taken until I left home and went out on my own at OBU.

It baffles me how wonderful God is. I could have easily gone to OU, OSU, U of A, any public school around, but for reasons only He knew, the doors to each school closed the second I stepped onto OBU's campus. It was a smooth adjustment from on social bubble to the next. I was surrounded by those who were good, strong, Christian influences, and even though I rebelled, it was not nearly as bad as I fear it would have been had I gone to a public university first. My rebellion escalated and with each act to prove my independence came multiple steps away from my walk with God. I pretended and made myself think I was tricking others around me, but as always, everyone saw through my facade, and thank goodness. One of my last acts of rebellion was transferring to OU.

I don't regret my time at OU. I learned so much about myself and about the world, but the more I learned, the more I wanted to be in control of my own life and "live in the moment". One day, I woke up and realized that I had shattered my own bubble and was no longer surrounded by those strong Christian influences that I so naively took advantage of. I began to see my life in two ways. Where I could go if I continued on this path of rebellion and "finding myself", or where I would be if I sought His will. An intervention was made, and it just so happened that it occurred in my life as well as my husband's. For him, it was the opportunity to mature and grow up as he was called up for a deployment, a wake up call to put his life together and stop living for himself at that moment. For me, it was a hope and an opportunity to live the life that I not only wanted, but needed. The chance to turn away from the negative I had surrounded myself in and be where God had purposed me to be.

As my Hubby left for Iraq, I continued on at OU without much change at all. David's absence was one of the most difficult things I've had to endure. I got to such a depressing point going weeks without hearing from him and not knowing how he was doing. I isolated myself from almost everyone and everything except those things that brought me joy; Band and Kappa Kappa Psi. I would miss class in the mornings hoping for a chance to talk to him or sleeping so the time would pass faster. Needless to say, I didn't make it through the semester and after the bowl game, I knew something had to change. I don't remember praying much through that period, just how numb I was towards everyone and everything. By the time school started back up for the Spring semester, I had decided not to return to OU and that a break and time with family would be good. I can't even imagine what would have happened had I returned to OU. I definitely wouldn't have made it through another semester and I surely wouldn't have continued on in music. In fact, when I moved back home, I put away my saxophone and had closed the book in my musical career. I don't know if I was burned out, or if the passion had just died.

The thought of God's impeccable timing is such a wonder to me! David came home earlier than expected for R&R since I was home and not bound by classes. I said earlier I didn't have a chance to notice the nasty changes in my life when David came home from Iraq. I may have and just not remembered, but the happenings of that evening have been a blessing and a curse. I have never really dealt with death. I've lost 2 of my great grandparents, but I still am blessed to be surrounded by 2 other great grandparents, 4 grandparents, and all my aunts/uncles and cousins. I'm sure I've written about this before, but it helps to talk about it more each time, to release some of the confusion that I still deal with.

David and I had just gotten to the park when my brother called and said my Mom had fallen and I needed to get home. As we got closer to my house, the panic slowly filled me. As I pulled up, the blue and red lights of the ambulance met my rearview mirror and I saw my sister standing in the doorway, with my Mom laying behind her in the entryway and my Dad performing CPR. My world crumbled in that instant. I can still see the our broken-hearted fear plastered on my Dad's face as he so bravely tried to take care of my Mom and see that we were taken care of as well.Between each breath of CPR, he was quoting scripture and praying, not even aware of what he was subconsciously doing! Goodness, if that's not an incredible man, I don't know what is. I shielded my brother and sister from the view of our Mom being pulled our on a stretcher with a yellow tube rising and falling over her chest, breathing for her. As they closed the doors to the ambulance, I honestly did not know if I would ever see her again on this earth. David, Alex, Tristen, and I all went inside to grab essentials and hurry to the hospital. While my brother and sister gathered some things, I stood in the living room in desperate need to fall apart. David held me, made me look him in the eyes and told me I had to be strong for Alex and Tristen. So, into Mommy mode I went. I coped in that moment by taking care of my brother and sister, watching over my Dad, meeting the needs that my Mom would usually meet, and realized I was not capable to fill her shoes. For a few days we didn't know if she would make it, if her brain and memory would be damaged because of the amount of time without oxygen. By God's hand, our family made it through in one piece, and even though we still deal with the trauma from that night, every day gets easier.

My Mom lost several months of her memory, only remembering specific things because of pictures and stories. The trauma, the memory loss, the change of lifestyle changed who she was; it changed all of us. David was my rock through that time and I know I wouldn't have made it through if he had not been there to encourage and support me. That he would come home the day this all happened is a complete example of God's perfect timing, along with my decision to be home that semester and my availability to help my family during that time. You would think that would be enough of a wake up call, but spiritually, nothing changed.

David came home, we planned the last details of our wedding and were married! Literally, the happiest day of my life. And to have been surrounded by all of our family and friends was the biggest blessing. The transition into married life was NOT easy, to say the least. Neither of us made an effort to set the proper foundation for our marriage by making our relationships with God and our investment into a church a priority. We were both brought up in church and did not continue that tradition. Within a few months, the haunting of another deployment loomed and we started to brace ourselves for the possibility of another year apart. By our 9th month of marriage, David was gone at trainings and schools, preparing for his deployment to Afghanistan. I was at Baylor when I found out for sure, surrounded by brothers at our fraternity's convention. Time stood still as he told me when they would leave and the lack of preparation for this next stage of our life was overwhelming. As the reality of his absence got closer, I began to shut myself off from things again.

When David left for mobilization, I could feel the depression starting up again, but I tried with everything I had to be myself. A friend approached me one day and told me she couldn't be around me because of how negative and depressing I had become, and that others were starting to notice as well. It was such a losing battle, of course I can't handle this deployment on my own. And still nothing changed. I was just embarrassed that others had noticed my inner struggle, how public it had become and that I had been unable to take care of it.

The months of the deployment passed and it got closer to R&R, but the closer to R&R, the worse things got. Those several weeks before David came home were the darkest, lowest, and hardest times for both of us. We feed off of one another's energies, and that can have both a positive and a negative reaction. When David would call, I would start off so excited and then as I heard the lack of excitement in his voice, my mood would plummet. The fighting escalated and there were points we didn't know if he would even come home. Add to that the stress we put on ourselves with other responsibilities during R&R and you have a pretty toxic situation. It's hard to be on the same page when you're on opposite sides of the world, but every day felt like we not only weren't in the same book, but that we were in completely different libraries.

The anxiety of him coming home melted away the second I saw him. I felt the change, felt how far off base I had gotten, how far from who I am... the weights I'd been carrying went away and in that instant, I felt pure peace as I stood in my husband's arms. To have all that stress lifted away was everything. Sure, things were still a little stressful during some points of R&R, but we made it through those times together. Having him home was so relaxing and comforting for both of us.. it was like a year in the spa for our hearts and souls to be mended of all the damage we had caused or allowed. Peace.

Since R&R has ended, that peace that I thought was only temporary because of David's presence has remained. To me, it's something just so simple and almost unnoticeable because I feel like myself.. no weight, no drama, no battle or stress, just me. But others have noticed this change and it makes me happy that this could be permanent. I don't want to be who I've been the last few years.. I don't want to feel that way or live life without a purpose. I have a purpose, my Savior and my King who sent His Son to die on the cross for me and for you so that we don't have to carry this burden of life! These struggles are not mine alone because I place them at the foot of the cross and my Lord takes care of me and guides me through. I don't have to live my life for me because I serve a Greater Purpose and His plans for me far outweigh any dream I could ever have for my life. I am so thankful for my friends and family who have helped guide me and support me through this past several weeks as I grow in my relationship with Christ and strive to make permanent and lasting changes in my life to be a better wife, puppy mommy, daughter, sister, aunt, student, musician and most of all servant to the Lord. I have passion back in my life.. purpose. It's been a long year. One I don't really care to repeat, but I will happily revisit it to remind myself where I am without Him and where I am when I'm in His loving and caring arms, allowing Him to guide me through this path of life.

If you made it through this whole blog, my goodness you deserve an award! Thank you for reading about my journey and I hope that it is a blessing and a comfort to you. And for those who have aided in this journey, you will never know how much you truly mean to me and how much of a blessing God has allowed you to be in my life! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Much love and God bless!!

Office To-Do's!

2011-07-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

OK! Now that I'm done with practicing, I can blog and not feel guilty! :) I've decided to focus on my office and bedroom for decorating! I am IN LOVE with my downstairs... at least I'm mostly done decorating it. I could still use some cute patterned plates for the dining room like these..

Or these...

With a cute centerpiece like this..

And then of course I'd LOVE to put a screen behind my TV, and this is the best one I've found so far.. but not exactly what I had in mind.

Other than that, so touch ups in the downstairs bathroom (still not happy with that one) and some little knick knacks here and there, I am pleased with the downstairs!!

BUT the upstairs can still use a lot of work! So, we'll start with my office! We have TONS to store in our office and I'd like to stick with the Dark purple, lavender, tans, browns and white scheme for now. We'll change the main color whenever we get a separate office and guest bedroom. But, for now.. I'd like to do a shelf against the wall with lots of storage containers in various colors, maybe some books too, since we have tons of those!

With different colors obviously.. And then some new office accessories. I'm trying to decide between the silver and the white desk accessories.. like this...

or these...

I'm still not sure.. And then there's the decision of white or silver stapler/tape dispensers! So many decisions! But overall, my inspiration for this new project is this!

So, we'll see how it goes! I feel a road trip to Dallas coming on! Thank goodness my sisters and I are all planning a getaway trip soon to go to IKEA!!! AHH I've ALWAYS wanted to go there!! So, yeah! As if there's not enough on my plate already, let's add this! And after this is done, I can focus on making our Master Bedroom into a relaxing, beautiful getaway for the Hubby and I (starting with our new mattress)!!! It'll come in handy when we have those cute little babies someday!!

Get ready! :)

2011-07-20T15:10:00.000-07:00

It's coming!! Every day it gets closer and closer! The joy of the Hubby being home and the anxiety of school starting up again! I've been back home for almost a week now, and busy busy trying to get everything ready for all the changes that are about to occur! Yesterday, I was out all afternoon paying bills, running errands, and applying for jobs.. hopefully some open up! :D I also got the New Women's Devotional Bible and I'm super stoked about it!!

Today, I've been cleaning and tidying everything up around the house! I'm trying to get the puppies and I into a routine of getting up, making the bed and putting everything away upstairs before heading downstairs to go outside! It's worked pretty well so far! So, we've been tidying up.. gearing up for a full spotless cleaning of the house this weekend. But I need to organize before then! Haha! Taco and Belle had their mani/pedi today! I'm so jealous.. I am DEFINITELY getting one before my Hubby comes in. Gotta look super cute for the guy! ;) And then I've been filling out applications and applying for loans, trying to get ready for this next school year. I also need to practice for my audition next month! *fingers crossed* Lots to do and so little time.. it's a miracle I'm getting any sound sleep. Hope everyone's week is going well! :)

Update! :D

2011-07-16T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm a mix of emotions right now!! Uncertain, excited, anxious, slightly overwhelmed and peaceful! I know.. weird.

I feel like I've lost some things in the past several weeks, but I've gained more and that's what is most valuable and important. We only have a couple of years left in this town before we go and move on to the next chapter of our lives. I'm so excited to see where the Hubby and I will end up! No matter what we do or where we are, I know we'll be fine because we've faced and overcome so much already!

We have just about a month to go until it's time for him to come home! I couldn't be more excited! As if my anniversary gift wasn't enough, my Hubby is surprising me with a completely planned out trip/getaway for us after he gets home and before school starts back up! I couldn't be more excited! And the best part is, it's a secret... to most people! Only my best friend knows, and that's just because I told her about it before I was told to keep it hush hush! But I'm excited! Add this to our Up North roadtrip next year and our annual Colorado vacation.. MAN I cannot wait for him to get home!!

But, before he comes back, I have SO much stuff to take care of! Between preparing for auditions, school, work, getting the house all beautified, and doctor's appointments as well as family responsibilities and weekly dates with Amanda and Derek... the next month is going to fly by in a jiffy! I'm also getting to spend my anniversary with my Mom as my Dad will be in Japan doing Disaster Relief (I love my Daddy more than anything and he truly is one of the most incredible men I know.. the other few are members of my family as well) and my Hubby (THE most incredible man) will still be gone. But it'll be fun! And then I get a weekend with the women on David's side of the family as we go... SHOPPING!!! Roadtripping with my sisters? Yep, it's going to be a blast!!

The past 2 months have been wonderful. All I can say is that the second I was reunited with my husband, an overwhelming sense of peace returned that I have been living without for YEARS, not just months! I've done a lot of intense soul searching and questioned multiple things in my life since my Hubby went back, but the peace has remained! It's kind of perfect because "Peace" is the charm my Mom gave me of what to focus on this past year, what she prayed for me to find, and I'm so thankful and blessed for that! It's crazy to look back on this year and have almost made it through, to separate the people who have and haven't been through it all in the long hall, to see how we have both grown- individually and in one another. It's been an incredible journey, and as hard as it's been at times, I wouldn't change it for anything! :)

Awaken My Heart!

2011-07-02T21:14:00.000-07:00

There is so much to update on BUT I AM EXHAUSTED!!! This week was phenomenal!! I went to Falls Creek with my family and as much as I was there to minister to others and to the girls in my family group, they ministered to me! God taught me so much this past week and it was a definite wake up call! If you're curious, please check out skopos.org, and/or look up Tony Nolan and the Stephen Miller band! AMAZING!!!!!! Things in my life have changed so much in the past few days and I'm ready to fully implement those changes in my day-to-day life! It won't be easy, but He never said it would be easy. I was so blessed with the most amazing, yet totally bratty and obnoxious, 11th grade girls! I love the girls in my group and those in my room more than anything and thank God that I was able to have them this week! You all have left such a precious handprint on my heart and are an absolute blessing and a joy! I'm excited for this next week! Family time, niece/nephew dates, and lunches/movie nights with my girlies!! Just a few more weeks until my Honey is home!! Have a wonderful Holiday weekend everyone! Happy 4th of July!

Thankful!

2011-06-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you Lord for family! And thank you for the individuals in my family! Blessed is the only word that comes to mind when I consider our family. Now, everyone has their issues, and when you come together, the issues sometimes pan out to others, but at the end of the day, we are a family and we love eachother!

Take, for instance, my sister! I love Tristen with all of my heart! But OH MY GOODNESS can we go at it! Over the silliest things usually! And sometimes we hurt one another's feelings and have to talk about it and hash it out.. other times, one of us just makes a joke and we move on as if she didn't just pop me with a hairbrush and I didn't shove her into the bathroom cabinet (Long time ago)!

Now, my Momma and I are completely different in how we handle things! Partially because we are almost exactly alike! It's pretty scary sometimes. But when WE fight,.. yuck! Usually it's over the phone and someone hangs up on the other and then we go a few days without talking. But then we're fine. And it changes constantly!

The way everything is handled is changed based on the individual you are coming in contact with, what they've been through and what you've been through, where you both are spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally in your life at that point. It's different with every person.. even those you've lived with your entire life. Take that, and add being married into a new family that is 4x the size of your own family! Good golly, it's different! But it's just like coming into your family again and relearning who everyone is, how everyone works together and individually! I am immensely blessed with wonderful family on both sides and I thank God for their impact they all have on both the Hubby and I! :) Just some stuff that's been on my mind.. I know it isn't groundbreaking or anything, but I thought I'd share! Have a wonderful day!

Changes..

2011-06-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

WOW the past few weeks have gone by quickly! The hubby was home for R&R and we had a wonderful time just being together, cooking, watching movies, lounging around.. we even attempted taking the dogs to the lake for a picnic! I don't think we'll be doing that again.. or we'll leave the pups at home! It was beautiful and we had fun, but too much excitement for the puppies! It was so easy getting back into the swing of being together! We went to our hometown the weekend before his leave ended to spend time with family. It was nice! I got my hair dyed back, so I'm a brunette for the first time in 8 months! We got to go on a date night and spent Friday night just hanging out with my family! I think it's adorable to see how similar my Hubby, Daddy, Bubby, and my sister's future hubby, Jar-Bear are! They're all into gaming and action movies and bikes! It's cute to watch them all bond! The night together with everyone was just so much fun and so relaxing! Saturday, we had a bbq at David's parents house. We got to play and love on all our nieces and nephews all day, and then Sunday we had lunch with them after church before heading back to our home for a few days! I'm so thankful for all of the time we had! And I'm even more thankful that we didn't think about or talk about the leave ending until he was just about to get on the plane!

So, he boarded the plane and I was trying my hardest just to hold the emotion in and wait until I was alone to cry. I waited until the plane took off and then headed out to my car.. and thus continued my morning of craziness! David had gotten the parking meter tag when we pulled into the parking lot. When I got out to the car, I couldn't FOR THE LIFE OF ME find where it could possibly be! I checked the sides, cupholders, dashboard, glove compartment.. nowhere to be found. I was crying hysterically by this point. So, I pulled up to the gate to pay and explained that my husband had just left and when exactly we pulled into the parking lot, what flight and time and gate he had departed from, and that I had no idea where our tag could be. The lady was just like, "I'm sorry, it'll be $20." Peachy.

I made it back to my Mom's house, crying most of the drive, and she talked to me for a little bit, then wanted to take me out to breakfast! :) I love my Momma! Well, my crap phone that I got and was about to change was acting up. So, I turned it off and turned it back on. When I first got it, I tried adding the passcode like on the iphone and it didn't work, so I didn't mess with it. Well, when it turned back on, it asked me the passcode and I couldn't figure it out! Insert breakdown. I couldn't even receive calls, so when the Hubby called... argh! So, we took the phone to AT&T and they couldn't do anything. After lots of frustration, I finally picked out a new phone, returned the old one, and literally started from scratch with NO ONES numbers!!! For someone who lives with my phone in my hand, it was rough..but at least I'm a big fan of this new phone. I had all my contacts on my iPhone, so I just had to switch them over. Well.. the iPhone was dead and when I charged it... I forgot the passcode to THAT phone. It had been about 3 weeks since I'd turned it on. OMG! How did I lock myself out of 2 PHONES?!?! I now have about 100 contacts of the literally 400 that I had before. But I have all the important ones... I think! ;)

After being with my family all Tuesday and Wednesday, and knowing that I'd be going with them to Sr. High church camp for our church, and that my Dad's 50th is coming up along with the 4th of July, I just decided it would be best to stay here for a little bit. It won't do any good being alone at home.. at least this way I can be with my family and focus on the things I need to focus on! :) I'm excited! It's been a nice week and I'm thankful for the support and love they give me.

I'm dealing with a lot of things right now.. trying to work some stuff out. It stinks when some of the stuff needing to be worked out involves others aside from myself. I don't like conflict. I really don't! I don't like being in a dispute with others and not being able to have the opportunity to work through it, especially when I go out of my comfort zone to take care of the scenario and I get shut down. It's difficult. I'd love to just let things go and move on and not carry this burden and this baggage, but sometimes it takes all parties to handle something. So, even though I have no control over THAT.. I DO have control over other aspects of my life. I'm trying to be calm and accepting, to be open to change and prepared to be outside of my bubble of a comfort zone. It's a daily challenge. All that matters is that I am trying and no one can say different. The summer is almost halfway over and I'm ready to see what's going to happen through the last few months of both summer and this deployment! Ready to get back into the crazy swing of things in August! Between school, ROTC, band, and work... I'll be surprised if we have time together! LOL! But, we'll make it work, because in the end.. it's just us! God bless my incredible Husband! :) I love him so much!

And Happy Father's Day to all the Dad's out there, especially my Daddy!! You are an INCREDIBLE Christian man and live your life as an example not just for our family, but for our church family and for all those who see you and come into contact with you. I LOVE watching you worship and getting up early in the morning to see you studying your Bible in the office. I'm thankful for the sacrifices you have made for our family and to allow Alex, Tristen and I to all pursue our dreams. You have always been so supportive and will continue to be! I cannot wait for the day that I get to give you and Momma a grandbaby. It warms my heart with pride when I see you both playing with younger kids, because as incredible as you have BOTH been as parents, I know you will be even better as grandparents to David's and my children! I love you so much and thank God for giving me a Daddy like you!! Have a wonderful week everyone!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In/ Thursday "Date" Night

2011-06-10T10:42:00.000-07:00

1. When you vacation, what type of vacation do you like to take (beach, historic, adventurous, food oriented, etc.)?

I like to go somewhere calm and relaxing, but where I can still connect with the outside world. I want to see something historic and marvel at the architecture and the culture of the place I'm vacationing. I like to change it up and go various places.. I have way too many "OMG I Wanna go THERE"s! I want to be able to go and see everything, but on my and Hubby's time and schedule. I like to sleep in and just go our own pace based on how we feel that day, whether it's seeing 3 museums and walking halfway across the city or staying in bed watching movies and just enjoying the company of one another. So, I like beach vacations, historic, adventurous, multi-cultural... all of the above!

2. What is your best memory associated with a song (you know we all have tons!)?

I have SO many best memories when it comes to music!! Partly because I surround myself with it, but my top three that I can pinpoint right now would be Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman, Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Only Time by Enya.

Cinderella- My Daddy and I danced to this song during our Father/Daughter dance at our wedding. We didn't practice dancing until the night before, partly because he just was having a hard time dealing with the fact that his little girl was growing up.. but our dance was perfect! I will NEVER forget his face as we danced together and he tried desperately to hold everything together and not cry. It probably mirrored my face. But it was absolutely perfect and I loved every second of dancing with him!

Freebird- My senior year in HS, our marching show was a compilation of Freebird by Lynyrd Skynyrd and Firebird Suite by Igor Stravinsky. In my opinion, it was absolutely GENIUS!! The final movement was the most epic part of all and every time I hear the song, I think about that show,.. the year we had and how we grew as musicians and as a band to overcome our weaknesses and make it into the night show of BOA Grand National Finals! One of the best nights of my life!

Only Time- I'm not necessarily a die hard fan of her work, but my best friend Matt arranged this particular piece to be played as my other best friend, Leslie, walked down the aisle of her wedding. No one except the quartet (which included my incredible Little) heard the piece until it was go-time! All I can say is breathtaking! It was just breathtaking! The music combined with the scenery and everything of that day and that led us to that point was expressed in the arrangement of the piece.. and I balled like a baby as I watched my best friend walk down the aisle to become a Mrs.!!

3. If you had 6 months with no obligations or financial constraints, what would you do with your time?

OH BOY what we would do!! I'm sure the Hubby and I would spend a few days shopping for our dream houses and dream cars/bikes ;) and I'd spend some time decorating them to perfection!! And then we would travel!! I'd LOVE to take my family to Italy so we could meet members of our family we've never been able to meet, and to see where my Grandpa Tony came from.. man, it would be incredible to take him with us! He may be over 90 years old, but he is strong and healthy still!! (So blessed to have 2 of my great-grandparents and all 4 of my grandparents still with us) But a tour of Italy.. seeing Venice, Rome, Sicily, Verona, Milan, Florence!!! OMG!! And add all the historic places, buildings, museums, fountains to the incredible FOOD! We'd need at least a month in Italy! Maybe more!

We would also want to visit Hawaii, go on an Alaskan cruise, spend some time in Washington D.C, visit all of Europe, see Korea and where the Hubby was born, the Southern point of South Africa, Mayan ruins in Mexico, some time on the beaches in Cancun... is this too much for 6 months?! Haha!

4. What is one thing about you that people do NOT typically notice at first that you wish they would?

That I am an incredibly sensitive person! I wear my heart and my emotions on my sleeve. I always have, I always will, and I don't think it's wrong, nor do I think it is a trait that needs to be changed permanently. We all have to learn and adapt ourselves to those around us.. it's all part of life, meeting people where they are and accepting them for who they are and what they've gone through in their life. I think me being sensitive to things makes up a large part of who I am and how I handle things, but it also gives me other traits that are useful and helpful in my teaching and in my friendships and relationships.

5. It's a summer of sequels, and if you had to live in one of each of the following "worlds" (there are three total) which would you choose and why?

- Xmen: Be a mutant, what would your power be? I would be able to teleport anywhere in the present time and carry all the people and luggage I could possibly need! Deployments would be MUCH easier! ;)
- Harry Potter: Be a Witch or Muggle? I think a Muggle.. It could be advantageous to be part regular human and part witch..
- Twilight: Be a Vampire or Werewolf? My FAVORITE world to be in!! I would want to be a vampire, but still have my friends who are werewolves!

So, David and I went to visit our families yesterday! We have the weekend pretty much planned out, and decided last night would be our date night! We haven't had one since he's been home.. imagine that?! It was nice to go out, but not the most incredible date night either of us has ever been on. We got all dressed up and the Sweetheart color coordinated to match me :) and we headed to Olive Garden! Dinner was good, the service wasn't the best.. but that was alright. After dinner, we went to Best Buy for a little bit, and then headed over to visit with our parents for a little bit. Pretty non-eventful. Just circumstances that occurred yesterday that neither of us was expecting and that kind of threw us both for a loop... but, in the end, he made it all great! It's just us! Just David and I! No one else matters.. it's not about them, let them do what they want to do, because at the end of the day, it's just me and you! :) I have an incredible Hubby!! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I'm off to spend the last few days with my Boy before he heads out again! Family Game Night tonight! I'm so excited that we will all be under the same roof!! I cannot wait!!!

My Best Friend's Wedding :)

2011-06-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

MY HUBBY IS HOME ON LEAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG I AM SO EXCITED!!! So, that's why I've been inactive online this week... that and as the title of this post says, we've had our best friends' wedding! So, it's been a wonderful week!

It took FOREVER for the Hubby to get home!! We waited an extra day and THEN continued waiting as the hours of that day ticked by. It seems like he couldn't catch a break. I mean, he was laid over in one airport and then missed the flight to the next airport by 6 minutes, resulting in another 4 hour wait! But he finally made it home!! I was on pins and needles all day, anxiously awaiting the time when I could get in the car and pick him up!! He made it in, we spent a little time over at my parents' house and they gave him his late Christmas/early birthday gifts! He got an amazing jacket for his bike, a new cover lense for his helmet, an all-weather cover and a new black shield for his bike! They also got him some pegs for both sides that help keep him and the bike safe if he were to ever side it, and those will be installed next week! He was soo excited and ready to ride his bike!! We relaxed for a few days as he got over his jet lag and we adapted to being together again! And then it was full force into the wedding planning!

Leslie and I went shopping on Tuesday and then while Adam and David were at Adam's bachelor party Wednesday night, we packed for her honeymoon, sorted for the wedding stuff we needed to take to Norman, and wrote the wedding ceremony! It was so much fun!!

Thursday... Oh Thursday! It started off as a normal day, and then Dave and I went out to buy him a nice pair of khakis and some shoes to wear for the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We were just about to pass the AT&T store when David suggested we go in so that we can LOOK AT phones for when we downgrade from our iPhones. Ok. I can do that. But then he picked a phone and was ready to switch them over RIGHT THEN!!! Excuse me?!? I have a wedding in 2 days and everyone is communicating with me about every detail of it.. no way. I was deer-in-headlights for about 2 hours. I picked a phone, but I was panicked the entire time. And then I had a slight breakdown when I couldn't figure out how to use any aspect of the new phone... THEN we realized the lady who switched my phone over did so without activating the internet or allowing text messages, voicemails.. anything. And they were closed by the time we figured it all out. So, we just had to wait until the next day.

Friday was a new day!! Friday morning, we headed out to begin the wedding festivities!! Dave and I went to OKC early to get my nails filled in and then raced to an AT&T store to fix my phone before we had to meet Adam, Leslie and the other groomsmen. Everyone was running late and I couldn't figure out how to use the map on my phone for the life of me!! Plus, no one had eaten anything.. Needless to say, we were all on edge. Leslie and I ran to grab the tablecloths for the reception while the boys all tried on and got their tuxes. Then we made a quick stop by Panda Express before going to the hotel. Another speedbump.. Our suites weren't ready and the lady who checked us in wasn't the most knowledgable and she preceeded to charge us twice... at check in. Really. After a 20 minute check-in, we all had about 3 minutes to get ready for the rehearsal, which we were slightly late for, BUT considering everything.. it was JUST fine! :) The rehearsal went well and we had time to regroup and calm down some before the rehearsal dinner at Rudy's BBQ!

The food was delicious and it was WONDERFUL to just be able to sit back and relax with friends and Leslie & Adam's family. Amanda had her little boy, Derek, with her.. and we are known as Uncle David and Aunt Sarah to Little DerBear! David loved getting to play with him, and I can't say that I denied a single opportunity to play with him!! He's such a cutie!

When we got done with dinner, we headed back to the hotel to finish up the last of the wedding projects! We put the programs together, made harnesses for Paco and Zoe (Leslie and Adam's puppies) to walk down the aisle, tested out the sand for the ceremony, and put together all the flowers and bouquets!! Gosh they were beautiful!! The boys were kind enough to run errands for us throughout the night! And we were able to get plenty of sleep before the WEDDING DAY ARRIVED!!!!

We got up and around on wedding day and while Leslie was getting her hair fixed, Amanda and Caitlin went to get their makeup done! We dealt with a few minor issues on the day of the wedding, but other than that, everything was nice and relaxing! We had the most epic Bridal Meal, if I do say so myself, complete with a Chick-Fil-A lunch, fruit, chocolate covered strawberries, cheese, meat and crackers and topped off with the most amazing mimosas!!

Perfection! Plus, I got to hang out with this little cutie all day!! :)

Gosh, I adore him!! We all got done fixing up our hair and makeup, checked out of the hotel, loaded up the cars, and headed to the chapel!! Our dressing room was incredible!! It was a wonderful place of relaxation that was an escape from the chaos and wedding prep occuring on the other side of the door!

OH! And Leslie designed our jewelry that we wore during the wedding!! She designed these beautiful necklaces and earrings that were personalized for each of us and matched our dresses perfectly!! They are incredible!!

We got Leslie all dressed and ready, finished setting up the decorations for the ceremony and reception and had her ready and waiting in the chapel to see her soon-to-be Husband!!

And then WE, the bridesmaids, got ready to join her for pictures!!

Oh my goodness did she look beautiful!!! And I'm SUPER impressed that we got pictures done as quickly as we did!!

Oh.. and here are our cute shoes!! I love this shot! :)

The wedding was wonderful! Before walking down the aisle, we hit a few hiccups.. BOTH the dogs harnesses came undone and quickly had to be put back on, there was a confusion on whether or not to say "I do" or "I will" for the vows, and a slight question of how to walk down the aisle. But it all got worked out! The puppies coming down the aisle were SO precious and once they finished walking down the aisle, I don't remember them even being there because Leslie was so breathtaking! I was literally sobbing as she walked down the aisle and Matt's arrangement of Only Time by Enya played! It was all so incredible!! The ceremony was amazing and absolutely perfect! WHEW!!! We got the license signed, pictures taken and the dress all bustled up and headed into the reception!!

Leslie and Adam had a father/daughter dance...

A mother/son dance...

and then Leslie sang "In My Daughter's Eyes" to her Mom. It was beautiful!

Then we had an anniversary dance that David and I got to dance to and then we all boogied for the rest of the reception!

I got to see my SISTER, which I was soo pumped about!! And she and David were able to hang out and chat while I ran around doing MOH duties!!

David and I were supposed to give a toast when Leslie and Adam cut the cake, but he backed out on his public speaking opportunity at the last minute.. GOSH!! BUT, regardless, it was good! :) And thankfully, I got my own photo with the blushing bride before she had to change and head out the door!

The reception was incredible and SO much fun! It was over before we realized it and we were taking Leslie out of her dress, throwing all of her things into her bags and trying to clean up the Bridal Suite to head her out the door and on to the honeymoon!

It didn't take long to get her and Adam ready and into their very nicely decorated vehicle! ;) For the record, I had NO part in decorating it. Apparently, it would have been too obvious to Leslie if I was gone during the reception.... so, I did NOT paint the car. But I know who did! ;) They ran through rows of sparklers and headed off to their dream vacation!! We quickly cleaned up and left the chapel, all ready to be home and get some much needed sleep after a beautiful wedding and a busy weekend!

Seriously, David and I slept until Sunday afternoon. We were both SO tired, but the work was worth it! He said I snored on Saturday night, which means I'm in pretty deep sleep.. but he loves when I snore. Imagine that! LOL We've just been kind of spending the past few days at home and relaxing! The plan tomorrow is to take the dogs out to the lake and have a fun day outdoors with a picnic! It'll be nice!! I'm excited to just be able to be with him and to spend time with him! It makes everything perfect having him home, even if it's just for a little bit!! So, I'm off to enjoy time with my Hubby! Have a good rest of the week!!

The Silent Salute

2011-05-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

I was recently blessed to receive the Silent Salute Award from Momma Can and was charged with passing this award on to another. I can't express my gratitude for being selected for this award and it puts a different purpose into why I blog and share the intimate details of my life. I started this blog as a way to get my thoughts out so that I could better sort through them. Sometimes it's such a jumble in my head! But to know that what I've shared has touched others means the world to me.

Just some background for those that don't know or are new readers.. My wonderful Husband and I met when we were in HS through choir! We fell in love while singing next to one another and immediately went into a spiraling relationship that is common when in the military. We dated through basic and AIT and had our ups and downs as we were together and then just friends... over and over! We dated through the distance and multiple drills and ATs. We continued with the off and on, but got back on for good a month before David was to deploy to Iraq. We were engaged two months later and then he was gone for a year, making it back home 2 months before we were to get married. I moved and transferred schools to make the adjustment easier and we spent the first 9 months of our marriage together... the longest we had been together through the entire six years we had been on and off. Less than a year after returning home, David left again for trainings and a one year deployment to Afghanistan, which we are about to complete. It's been a challenge to spend almost our entire relationship apart, but I know God wouldn't challenge us with the distance if we were not able to overcome the challenge and utilize it as a testimony to Him!

On to the duties of the award!

1. My family and David's are filled with members that have served in branches of the U.S. Military! David and his brother, Ben, have both served in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past 3 years and our brother-in-law, Caleb (Esther's husband), served with them in Iraq. Ben is a Captain in the U.S. Army and has served for over 9 years. David is coming up on his 7th year of serving in the National Guard and Caleb has served for 5 years. My sister's future husband, Jared, is a MP and is in his 2nd year of service. We also have multiple other members on both sides of our families including, but not limited to, David's Grandad, David's Papa, and my Papa Jim. We are beyond proud of the legacy that we have in both of our family lines and look forward to the continuation of it.

2. Along with husbands and sons who serve, the wives and mothers of the men listed above have dedicated countless time away from their spouses and children; missing family functions and the growing of their own children. These wives and mothers have valiently served at home and have supported their soldiers, along with other soldiers, by sending care packages, being involved in the FRG and volunteering with Blue Star Moms and other organizations. My sister-in-law, Aimee, is currently serving as the head of the FRG for Ben's unit and was recently awarded the Fort Drum Hero of the Month in May! :) Along with serving their soldiers, they have also been a huge support system and have helped to nurture me into the Army Life and assisted as I adapt into this lifestyle!

3. I haven't done this as much as I would like to, but I hope to be more charitable in this. I thank soldiers for their service when I see them and I seek out new military wives and girlfriends, especially still being a new military wife and knowing how little support is given to the girlfriends/fiances of soldiers. Like I said, I'm not as good at this as I would like to be, and am excited for future opportunities to thank and support our military soldiers and their families.

I am passing this award on to a military wife that I feel is a hero to her soldier and to her family as she diligently holds down the fort at home, supports her soldier and assists in giving knowledge so that others may learn to do the same. This award goes to This Fabulous Army Wife! Congratulations! :)

The Rules for this Award:

1. You must pass this award on to ONE person

and

2. You must tell the world of three ways you and your members silently salute our troops!

Have a Happy Memorial Weekend!!!

members that serve

sisters who serve and support/ care packages

thank fellow soldiers/support their families and wives

Patiently Waiting!!

2011-05-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Let's just start with saying that the past few days have been CRAZY!!!

Tuesday: MASSIVE storms ripped across Oklahoma. I went to my parents' house while they were out of town and was thankful to be with my brother, my sister and her boyfriend as well as our 4 dogs. We cleaned out the downstairs closet and set up the ultimate tornado shelter in case anything were to happen. While watching the weather, we heard about a tornado that wasn't far from my apartment. I panicked a little, but all was fine. The weather did get nasty and the storms were pretty bad, but thankfully it wasn't too bad and we didn't need to utilize our shelter. However, many people lost loved ones and all of their possessions in the tornados that devastated Joplin and parts of Oklahoma in the beginning of the week. Please continue to keep those families in your thoughts and prayers.

Wednesday: I was able to spend Wednesday with my sister and had a nice lunch with our wonderful grandparents at McAlister's. I just want to take a second and say that I recognize all families are different, but I am SO thankful for the undeniably close relationship my brother, sister, and I share with my Mama Carty and Papa Jim. I probably talk to them more than I talk to my parents. They have been a constant in my life and have supported me in every audition, solo, concert, marching contest.. anything and everything Tristen, Alex, and I have ever been involved in. They have always been like my second parents and I treasure the wisdom they have given us and am blessed to have the relationship we have with them. I know not all grandparents are like that. After lunch, Tristen and I went shopping (Gosh, she wore me out) and then I dropped her off for her night out with Jared (My future brother-in-law). **They are not engaged YET** But soon** After sister time, I went over to continue family time by spending a few hours with my sister-in-law Rachel and my adorable niece and nephew, Faith and Izzy. We got to talk and play and watch a cartoon.. it was just good to spend time together! :)

Thursday: Yesterday was a bittersweet day. I said goodbye to two of my best friends while patiently waiting to hear when I would say hello to my absolute best friend. My sister, Tristen, and my best friend, Matt left for the summer. My sister-in-law, Aimee, has been an INCREDIBLE support for me during this deployment. She has offered a closed ear with no judgement and has been available at all times to listen, offer words of encouragement and words of wisdom. I would literally go crazy if it wasn't for her. But, Tristen and Matt have been my other support systems during this past year. Matt has dealt with personal issues as well and we have grown individually and continue pushing eachother to improve, both in our personal lives as well as academically and musically. I am thankful for a colleague in Matt and look forward to the years of work we have ahead of us. I'm so proud of him and this incredible opportunity to do drum corps (that literally just fell in his lap). He's going to do a wonderful job this summer! I can't wait to come watch some shows! :) Tristen! My baby sister and yet, in so many ways she shows that she has years of wisdom and expertise over me. I feel like I should be the one supporting her and helping her, but I feel as though I am always leaning on her for her constant advice and knowledge. She has grown SO much in the past year and a half and I cannot wait to see how God utilizes her, not only this summer, but throughout the rest of her shining life. She is going to be a worker at Falls Creek and she will not only be changed, but will surely enlighten and nurture all who come into contact with her. I will miss her so much!

So, saying goodbye to them was hard.. why not treat myself with a day at the salon? Just kidding! I already had the hair appointment booked so my hair would look good for when David comes home. He likes how it smells after I color it! :) So, I put a little blonde and red in it.. it looks a little more edgy, but it's slightly darker. We'll see what he thinks! I don't really think it will matter! Gosh, I can't wait to see him!!!

Thursday Continued: Sounds like a pretty busy day already, right? NO WAY!! After all that, I decided Alex and I should go on a brother/sister date to see Pirates of the Carribean 4! I've been itching to see it. SO, we headed out to go watch it. MIDWAY through the movie, both my parents are calling us. My sister's lovely pooch, Lucy, had somehow gotten out of the house and was 3-4 blocks away. So, we raced out of the theater to go get her! I wonder how the rest of the movie was.. We pick her up, and thankfully someone found the little thing (seriously, she's only a few pounds), and then we start to wonder how she got out. We scurry home and as Alex is going inside to check things out, he thinks he hears someone upstairs.. OMG! I called my sister's boyfriend. No answer. This is what we need husbands for. I called my Dad, but he was 2 states away and couldn't really do anything. He told me to get back in the car and lock the doors and that he'd call me back in less than a minute. So, I called my trusty brother-in-law, Ryan. I was in a panic. He headed over and my Dad instructed me to call 911. Ryan also called David's Dad to come over with him. So, within 5 minutes, I've got Alex, Ryan and Do as well as 5 police officers searching every nook of our house. No intruders. THANK GOODNESS!!! I locked the door of my room last night. GOSH it was just an exciting day. An exciting day of not hearing from David and not really knowing where he was.

I finally headed to bed and tossed and turned with strange dreams.. this has been my average night for the past several weeks. Maybe I'll sleep normal once David gets home. I woke up to the sweetest noice this morning as my Hubby called to let me know where he was and his ETA! AHHH I cannot wait!! I feel like the next few days are just going to glaze by as I try to busy myself and keep my mind off of the time and the hours remaining. I also will only have about a half hour or so to get ready before I have to go pick him up. So, I'll basically need to be ready to get ready at all times. But it's sooo worth it! Any day now! If you don't hear from me... you'll know why! ;) Have a wonderful Memorial Weekend everyone! Thank a soldier/veteran for the service they have given for this country!

A Day to Ponder

2011-05-23T21:50:00.000-07:00

Today has been quite gloomy with the weather and all the rain, thunder and lightning.. for those who don't know, I am not a fan of thunderstorms. I never have been. The earliest memory I have of storms is when I was three. My Dad was bringing me home from something, so we were in Betsy, his amazingly epic puke-y green pickup truck! It was so dark I couldn't see anything except when lightning brightened the sky. It was hailing and as we were pulling into our driveway, the sirens started going off. I was terrified and my Dad was wonderful and kept pointing out things to make the whole storm seem less scary. He'd say the thunder was God telling me how to pose and the lightning was Him taking a picture! (I was a little bit of a ham) He also told me that the hail was a result of the angels practicing golf and hitting all the golf balls at once. It helped.. and I think it's adorable, but I'm still afraid of storms. Haha! Taco and Belle are also afraid of them, and I think it's good practice. When I become a Mommy someday, I'm going to need to be calm and strong for my children, even in scary situations. Gosh I love my puppies! They are so absolutely precious!!

So, as the storms rolled in, I continued thinking about things. The main thing on my mind, of course, is the Hubby's R&R! I have been looking forward to this for almost 300 days. I'm a mix of emotions when it comes to R&R. Excited, anxious, nervous, stressed.. I'm excited to see Dave and to just be with him! I cannot wait to be reunited, if only for a little bit. I'm anxious about reuniting too. I want everything to be perfect and all set up and ready for him; for him to be able to do everything that he wants/needs to do over R&R. I'm nervous about meeting everyone's requirements. There are a lot of expectations while the Hubby is home and I just hope they all go over well.. And I'm stressed trying to get everything done, please all those around me, and still sort out everything personally. This time together will be good for us. It's complicated because this leave is about David and him getting to do all the things that he has wanted to do and not been able to do since he's been deployed. I understand that he's been without a lot and has sacrificed so much to serve our country. While he's been without almost every aspect of his day-to-day life, I've been without him. So, for R&R, I am solely focused on seeing him and spending time with him and doing things for him.. I see this time as a time for us to enjoy one another and be together..so it's difficult to try and handle both sides. Neither is wrong, they're both right, it's just complicated. And it's difficult to describe.. gosh! Just a few more days until we're with one another again. That's all that matters! I have a few more things to get done around the house, I get to go pick up my gorgeous dresses tomorrow (I'll post pictures later) and then head home for some good quality time with family as I await the arrival of my dear Hubby!! OMG I CAN'T WAIT!!!

Bachelorette Party!!!

2011-05-21T17:38:00.001-07:00

So, a quick update before a recap of the weekend! Things with the Hubby and I have been going really well! Thank you Lord! We've been able to talk more and are both so excited about finally getting to see eachother in just a few days!!! We know we need to work on some things, but what marriage is perfect and doesn't have their issues? Ours just happen to be heightened because we're on opposite sides of the world. But it's almost over and he is almost home! Thank you for those of you who have kept us in your thoughts and prayers!

And now for the WEEKEND!! Let's start with Thursday! I went with Leslie to get her lumineers put on and then we both did some shopping for some things for me to wear for David for his leave and an outfit for her bachelorette party! When we got home, we were exhausted, but we continued on doing some wedding plans! Things are definitely coming along and 2 weeks from today, she and Adam will be on their way to their honeymoon and this wedding will be over!!

Friday, I woke up and it was POURING!! (Which doesn't mix well with plans to walk around Bricktown) I called Melissa, my fabulous hairdresser, and asked her how I should style my hair and she just told me to coat it in mousse and hairspray so and give it tight curls so it wouldn't fall throughout the day. IT WAS HUGE!!! I ALMOST used more hairspray than the day of my wedding. Almost. But I got my errands run and dropped off the dogs so I could head to the city to set up the hotel room for our party!!

We had sashes and pins along with bedazzled stick-on tattoos and these massive pink light-up rings to wear! And Leslie had a veil and tiara! Our friend, Chris, who is making both the cakes for the wedding made our cake! It was the most adorable Victoria's Secret bag!

Leslie showed up right as we had finished decorating and was all ready to get her hair done! So, while I curled her hair, Chris helped her with her nails and lashes!

We all got ready and headed to the Melting Pot for dinner!! We had cheddar and spinach artichoke fondues and they were absolutely delicious! I had never been and honestly wasn't sure at how yummy it sounded, but I could hardly get enough! I'm definitely taking David while he's home!!

After we got done with dinner, we headed back to the room and played games (I feel so vulgar, but I got a bachelorette version of Pin the tail on the Donkey). So, we played Pin the Junk on the Hunk, How well do you know the bachelorette? and an animated game of I Never!

After the games, we had cake, got ready and headed out to Club Albee! With the weather predictions, I decided to book a private room and we got a limo ride thrown in with it! So, I had everything planned out and under control, regardless of the scenario! When we walked out of dinner, there was a black stretch limo waiting and Leslie asked if it was for her.. I told her "no", I didn't think to do that. I knew she was kidding. On the way out the door, she was trying to think of ways to get to and from the hotel. "Amanda could drop us off and Chris can come back and pick us up if we need it.." I turned around to our friends and mouthed "She's gunna drive me CRAZY!!" I'd been holding my plans in and been around her the whole time.. it was so hard not to just tell her everything! So, when we went downstairs and a white stretch limo was waiting, she said "Is this my limo?" I turned around and told her yes, and she started walking away, she didn't believe me! But when she figured it out she was so excited!!

We got to the club and had our own private room! We had a good time hanging out, just us girls and dancing the night away! We were even able to meet the guest DJ! He DJ's at the Playboy Mansion!

We had a great night and after all the planning, I was definitely ready to crash! The next morning, I went and got a mani/pedi and a facial!

So, it was a good weekend, but I'm glad it's about over! I definitely could have used a massage this weekend, but with all the stress over the wedding and David's leave, I may as well wait until one of them is over and then David and I can have a couple's spa getaway together. It will be nice to get away from everything and everyone and have no stress or pressure. I feel like there are so many people to see and please and so much to do during his leave. It may not be a spoken "You need to do this", but it's understood. It's frustrating because I just want people to respect that we need our time alone and to be together. But I don't think that's how it's going to go.. so, we'll just see.

I cleaned the downstairs of the house today to get ready for David to come home! I thought I'd head to Owasso tomorrow, but I still have to pick up my dresses, and the store that I got them altered at doesn't open until Tuesday, so I can stay home and continue cleaning/doing laundry in prep for my Hubby coming home! I am so excited!! Just a few more days!

Out of the Heat of the Moment

2011-05-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

I guess I would like to start this blog off by saying how thankful and blesses I am for those who shared words of encouragement in the last post, and for those family and friends who offer unsolicited advice and love. I am so appreciative and cannot express that enough.

My post yesterday was written in the midst of everything. Dave and I were talking and things had been good for a few days and then quickly spiraled out of control. One problem is the channel we are using to communicate. I'm thankful for Facebook chat and very thankful that technology is the way that it is so that he and I have the ability to talk and see one another. I know previous veterans and wives have not been so blessed and I thank God for the ability to communicate with David through multiple resources. However, Facebook chat gives NO source of emotion and it's difficult to communicate that way.. and that being our main way of talking, it just stinks sometimes. So, as we were talking on chat, things got crazy and I felt like there was nowhere to "vomit" up how I was feeling. I sat in my living room for a few hours just trying desperately to gather my thoughts, a complete mix of emotions that probably has to do with how close R&R is, me about to start my period, and just everything going right now. I have worked not to exploit things to others. Our family and friends are aware of us dealing with difficult times and are praying for us, but we have tried not to share details of what exactly is going on. I wrote the post yesterday thinking that no family and friends followed/read my blog, so I was expecting to be talking to a wall and just releasing some thoughts in hopes that things would make more sense. It helped immensely to let some things out and hear encouragement from others.

Now that I'm not a ball of feelings and emotions, I want to clarify some things. I love my husband more than anything! He is my best friend and my other half. It has been the biggest struggle to balance life without him and to try to go on with us being so far away for so long. I YEARN desperately to be with him again and to go back to that sense of completeness when we are together. David has always and will always make me into a better person. He sees me for who I am and he loves me and encourages me despite my faults and many mistakes. He is an INCREDIBLE man and more than I could have ever thought to ask for in a husband. He fights for this country and serves with unswerving loyalty as a dedicated Christian, husband, son, brother, uncle, friend, worker, student, soldier and citizen. There are few people I know that have the heart of the many I will forever be most blessed to be married to. I love him and would do anything and everything for him, as I know he loves me and works to provide for our family and be the best spiritual leader of our home that he can be. We both may feel at times that we don't know why we are at this point or why we got here and feel like we have little fight left in us, but we will never give up on the most incredible gift God has given us.

Every relationship comes with highs and lows. God has challenged us both in multiple ways throughout our relationship. For me, it's been a challenge of patience and the understanding that I don't have to know everything. I'm being taught about balance in all aspects of life and that lesson, along with the lesson of patience, will continue on for the rest of my life. I'm being taught to love unconditionally as well as the changes that come from molding two households into one. So many changes in such little time and so many lessons being taught. I thank God for this opportunity He has given us to learn and to grow together and individually and look forward to not only what we learn through this, but what He will use us for in our growth and in our lives. I know it isn't going to be easy. No one ever said marriage is easy. We have a lot of work and a lot of growing to continue to do and that will continue on long after this deployment is over. But we have what it takes to push through this challenge and this hard time and will be better in our marriage as a result of it.

No Light At The End of the Tunnel

2011-05-17T22:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since my last post, and I'll probably catch up on life later, but for now, I just need to type. WARNING: This blog post comes full of feelings and opinions that have been forming for months and months. I just need to lay it out there, more for my sake than anything else.

I am beyond anxious for my husband to come home for R&R. I don't know what's going to happen at this point. Apparently, the few weeks leading up to homecomings are stressful and low points for most relationships, but I had never experienced this. The past few months have been TERRIBLE. I don't know where we are or why and I don't know how to get out of this sinkhole that we are in. When did things get to this point? There's no communication and everything, regardless of how we try, turns into an argument. I feel like our marriage has been a roller coaster of emotions, ups and downs multiple times every day, and personally, I'm tired of it all and don't know how much more I can take of it. There have been points where we honestly didn't think he would come home for leave, just because things are getting that bad. We have no communication and therefore, nothing to talk about. And we've only been married for a year and a half.. I just don't know what to do. I'm tired of being preached at that everything will be fine when he gets home. I'm honestly more nervous about picking him up at the airport than I am excited to see him. I have no idea what's going to happen and no clue where we need to go from here. I feel like I don't have any fight left in me..

What To Know During Deployments..

2011-03-26T23:06:00.000-07:00

..Or better yet.. Things I've Learned During THIS Deployment!!!! 1. Learn who to talk to 2. Be prepared for those around you to not understand 2.5 Be prepared for your situation to be taken advantage of 3. Have your way of "relieving stress" 4. Be like a duck.. and when you can't quack, turn into a happy mime 5. Be realistic about your situation There are so many things I would love to do. And my number 1 thing to do right now if I could would be to delete my facebook or combine it with David's so that people can communicate with me if they want, but I don't have to mess with it. I think there would be so much more time and so much less drama. And things would just be easier. So.. a more in depth perspective of my top 5 things to know during a deployment.. NUMBER 1- Know who to talk to There will be very few people who will actually UNDERSTAND what you are going through. Part of relationships is knowing what person you can go to about what thing and what you're going to learn from that conversation. Most of my friends are unmarried. The ones who are have been married for a short time and it sometimes makes me chuckle when they panic at being apart for a day or two. Get real please. I am blessed to have 3 sisters whose significant others are involved in the military, and having gone through a deployment while dating/being engaged and now going through one as a spouse, I can be sympathetic and understanding to all of my sisters, especially when two of us are facing deployments at the same time. Other members of my family deal with the effects of having the soldiers gone, but it's different. One relationship that I can point out is my Mom. I love my Momma to death and if I ever heard any negativity about her I would smackdown with someone. But, I can also be upset about certain things. In my opinion, I would think one could go to their mother, especially at my age, and have an adult conversation with her and it be on both a mother/daughter and a friend level. If I'm having a difficult day, I sometimes just want to call my Mom and complain and her tell me it will be ok and sympathize with me. And I normally get the "This is the life you chose" or "You're just going to have to suck it up". Yeah... easier said than done Momma... and I'd like to see YOU suck it up if you were going through this!!! There's also her reasoning of "I'm not going to help you any if I just let you complain and don't tell you what you need to hear". Well no, actually that would be helpful in some circumstances. ARGH!!! It's difficult to limit who you talk to about what.. I am NOT a filter person. I like to be open with everyone involved in my life, but sometimes you have to guard what individuals know, even if they're your family. So, there's Challenge #1. #2-I kind of touched up on this with #1.. oops! Hey, two birds one stone, right? NUMBER 2.5- Be prepared for your situation to be taken advantage of.. This ties in with people not understanding. I'd say 98% of the time, people ask how Hubby is doing and what he's doing overseas, when he'll be home.. comment on how hard that is and how thankful they are for his service... and that's appreciated. It's nice to know others are thinking about him and praying about him. But darnit it is SO frustrating that most individuals think NOTHING of what happens right in front of them and in their own neighborhoods with the spouses, children, and family that stay behind. I could probably count on less than a hand how many times I have heard people discuss what the Wives deal with at home. And worse yet, I think, is because I am a spouse without children, being told that those with children have it much harder than I or other spouses without children. NOW- I will give it up for the men and women who stay at home and battle being away from their spouse AS WELL AS taking care of the children, the emotions, the confusion, bridging the gap and being both parents at the same time.... but I will say that there are pros and cons to both scenarios. While I may not have others to be responsible for, I come home to an empty house every night and spend the majority of my time alone. No, I don't have to worry about the safety of my children, my hubby, and myself, but I am completely alone if anything WERE to happen. And I don't have the companionship and affection that comes with having a child. I love my fur babies, and Taco can give his fair share of kisses, but he can't hug and he can't tell me he loves me. So.. just thank a military spouse next time you ask about a soldier. Chances are if you ask us how we're doing, we're not going to pour everything out, but it will mean LOADS to be considered. NUMBER 3- Have your way of "relieving stress" Whether it's working out, scrapbooking, shopping (I don't totally recommend that), picking up a new hobby, having a different "theme" for every day, or cursing like a sailor...eveyone needs their THING that works in letting some steam off every now and then. I personally will 'fess up that I love to shop, scrapbook when I feel like I have the time, watch Disney movies and musicals, sing songs to the top of my lungs,...and say the occasional curse word! I don't have children either, so I don't feel TOO bad about that last one. I'll have to pick up something else in the future when we have children and deal with deployments at the same time. Oh JOY! NUMBER 4- Be like a duck and when you can't "quack" turn into a "Happy Mime" Ever heard the saying "Let it roll off your back" or "Be like a duck"? During deployments, either because of the change or because of all of the added stress, every emotion is heightened.. From what I've been told, it's what I personally would imagine pregnancy being like. Everything is a bigger deal than it seems. Things can be said that would normally NOT effect you, but it just happens to hit a nerve. And when it's that time of the month... Oh my, you better look out! ;) It's easier to just develop a "hard shell" and let matters roll off your back and not bother you. And when there are those moments that get under your skin (And there will DEFINITELY be those moments) just "SMILE AND NOD" as my Hubby Dearest says! I've gotten plenty of practice with the "SMILE AND NOD" in the last year. AND... LAST BUT NOTTT LEAST!!! NUMBER 5- Be realistic about your situation This can be helpful or hurtful, just depending on who you are and how you handle things. I live life in a bubble and to get through everything happening with the Hubby, I envision him working a job in another country so I don't think about the safety or what he's ACTUALLY doing. If I thought about it constantly, I'd go crazy. BUT.. when I have to zap to reality, ... let's just say it would be easier for me to view things realistically and in its entirety of where he is and what he's doing. And instead of lying to myself, having faith that he is being taken care of, that he has been appropriately trained for this mission and that whatever happens is in God's control. His location doesn't matter, because anything could happen anywhere at any time and I have no control of that. But this is definitely the most recent realization and the thing I'm working on the most at this point. And just so you know, this is in NO WAY a 5 step thing to make deployments easier for anyone. If it helps, great!! These are just the realizations I have personally made and developed over the past few years and deployments. Every person is different and as military spouses, we ALL know that EVERY deployment is different and just because you've gone through one or two or four.. doesn't mean they get any easier. If I ever remember who told me they get easier, I'll have a few choice words to say to that individual! More than anything, this was just a necessary ventfest! *Sigh* And now on to bed! Have a great weekend everyone!

No MORE Excuses

2011-02-28T21:10:00.000-08:00

Ok, so quick question. Being a military wife, is there ever a point where you feel like your circumstances are unfair or that it makes things more difficult in your day to day life? I've felt that way for awhile. It's been a stressful week, what with midterms and all, and it's about to get more stressful, but today I had my first of many breakTHROUGHS!! I say that because I may have cried and questioned a lot, been a bit emotional, and it started to look like a breakdown, but then I realized something. This is MY life! Everyone has their life and this is one part of mine. ONE part.. And I've been allowing everything with the deployments and the drastic changes that have occurred in the past 3 years to be excuses and to overcome who I am as a person and how I live my life. I realized that I haven't truly been able to show who I am and what I am capable of AT ALL since I've been at OSU. Get ready people!!

I have less than a year of school left before I graduate. LESS THAN A YEAR!!! *Cue Hallelujah Chorus* I know I haven't shown what my full potential is and what I can do when I truly apply myself to everything that I'm doing. Gosh, I feel like I've been behaving as another individual and having this realization of what I can do to get out of this rut makes me feel like I've gained a part of me back! It's so liberating and encouraging! But, I finally had the nerve to say that it doesn't matter what I'm going through because that doesn't make me who I am as a person. How I REACT to what happens around me based on what personal things are going on in my life shows my character and who I am as an individual. I also realized that I deserve this! I deserve the right to be a better person, student, musician, wife, daughter, sister, friend.. all of it! I am the biggest obstacle keeping myself from achieving greatness and I refuse to let that be a barrier any longer. I owe myself the ability to be the very best that I can be, and not for anyone else's benefit.. but for myself! I have fight left in me and I'm ready to stand up and fight for what I want in life and what I am meant to do! :) It's been a good night! Now, on to practicing for conducting tomorrow!! :D

Less Than 100!!!

2011-02-21T20:39:00.000-08:00

I literally have tears in my eyes as I write this blog.. I've been waiting for the double digit countdown to start since my Hubby left! It's been rough watching everyone else come home and enjoy that time knowing he is the last one to have leave (granted, we did want it that way), but soon it will be our turn to be together!! I cannot wait! It really is so encouraging to be so close! It makes me want to work harder to get everything done, from saving to working out to school to practice.. all of the above! I want to have everything at 150% when he gets home!! I made a countdown for every day between now and then and I'm anxious to slowly rip off one sheet day by day until it's finally here!! I'm so excited I can't wait! And I plan to make the most of each day, or at least try to.. until he comes home!! :)

Just a few more hours...And this "Holiday" will be over!!

2011-02-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

So, brief update: The past few weeks of my life have been psycho with thing after thing occurring... OMG! We've had ridiculous weather with the snow, I fell last week and knocked my head on the concrete step outside my apartment giving myself a concussion, I woke up from a nap a few days later to 3 inches of icy cold water covering half my living room and dining room and my entire kitchen and utility room.. so I've been staying with some friends since Thursday while my apartment is under maintenance. Gah!

Valentine's Day is finally here and over the past few weeks as it's creeped up, I've been fine! I've actually been excited... until today. I didn't think it would be this big of a deal, not having the Hubby here.. not even celebrating it at all. But, as those of you who are without your significant others must know, it is rough seeing all the love and stuff all over Facebook and all over everything. It's just depressing. I'm ready for today to be over though. There was even this obnoxious "friend" of mine on Facebook that posted her status as "...seeing all you SINGLE LONELY people WHINE on facebook about tomorrow being VALENTINE'S DAY just makes me want to obnoxiously BRAG about having the MOST AWESOME BOYFRIEND/VALENTINE EVER!!!" .. Seriously, I wanted to vomit and then tell her exactly what I felt about her mushy love being plastered all over the internet.. but I didn't. Things will be fine when he comes home, but until then, today is just a slap in the face of the reality we deal with everyday! Blah!

Snow Days and Girls Weekend!!

2011-02-05T21:23:00.000-08:00

Yay for more snow... I don't know how we can handle more snow after the record breaking blizzard we had last week, but apparently we can! We had school on Friday and OMG was it scary! We shouldn't have had school with how bad the roads were.. I feared for my life and the life of my car at some points during the long drive to the school! But I made it there and after all the snow and ice we had already gotten all week.. it started snowing AGAIN right before my class.

So, a few of my friends and I decided to be snowed in alone NO LONGER!! We got all of our stuff and headed to my apartment in preparation of getting snowed in... or iced in with the roads still being really bad! It's been a fun weekend!! We've watched chick flicks and done yoga, vegged out and gone to parties, and of course.. all the homework! LOL

So, yeah,... minus the minimal drama and who-gives-a-crap stuff.. it's been a wonderful weekend! Gearing up for Snowpocalypse Part 2 on Wednesday!! AHHHH!!!

Oh, and I realized today that I get to see my Hubby in a little over 3 months!! I'm so excited!! I hate that we've had to wait this long for him to come home, but I know it's necessary for certain things and it'll be easier to see him and then have him home for good shortly after! So, I'm super excited and looking forward to that! Belle and I have been doing yoga and ab workouts gearing for Daddy's homecoming! Mommy has to look smoking hot since Daddy's buffing up while he's overseas!! So excited!! Stay warm everyone!!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

2011-02-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Hey all! It's that time of the week and boy am I happy to have something to be blogging about with all this snow! Head on over to Wife of a Sailor to join in! :)

1. Since most of the country has had nasty weather, what has your weather been like this week?

Umm.. blizzard, snow, ice, and snow... along with single digit weather! It's been a fun week inside!!

2. What is/are your best money saving tip(s)?

Having my husband in charge of the finances... otherwise, I'm too tempted to shop! lol!

3. What was your favorite vehicle you've ever owned?

My current vehicle, my 2002 Ford Taurus is my favorite vehicle! I'm looking forward to our crossover SUV when David gets home!

4. What is a question you'd like to see asked in a future Fill-In?

"How did you and your Soldier meet?"

5. Fill in the blank: You might be a MilSpouse if....

You insist on doing things yourself, just because you've already had to learn to change all your own lightbulbs, load the extremely heavy suitcases into the car,.. If you have seperate recipe boxes for family meals when the Hubby is home and for meals when he is away... If you can go days, weeks, or months without speaking to your spouse and not freak out...

Not a fan of this time of the year..

2011-01-31T23:09:00.000-08:00

It's SNOWING!!! More like icing actually, but it's got some snow mixed into it and we are now under a blizzard warning. So, no school tomorrow and I get to stay up late watching movies and "relaxing"... but I can't get my brain to stop running.

I'm not a fan of cold weather, but it isn't that bad! It could be worse. I am definitely NOT a fan of the fact that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Especially with the Hubby being deployed. It's all fine and dandy when he's here.. but it stinks to see everyone else all Lovey-Dovey when my Love is on the other side of the planet. And, may I just point out that Snow Days STINK when he's not here... It's just hard to watch and listen to people talk about and go do special things with their significant others. We've spent more time apart in our marriage and in our entire relationship than we have together and I'm very ready to just spend time with my husband and have a settled marriage where we spend time together. I think it's just been a long and stressful past couple of months.. I'm ready for him to be home and move on with our lives and I'm just uber frustrated and beat down on where we are right now...

Sorry for being a Debbie Downer tonight, I'm just feeling down right now..

Everyone enjoy the snow and stay safe!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-IN and MORE!!

2011-01-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

Hey all! It's MilSpouse Friday Fill-In! I love these days!! YAY! :) Join in on the fun over at Wife of a Sailor

1. If you were a movie star, what types of movies would you star in?
I would star in fun and romantic comedies and voice in Disney movies!! :)

2. What is a vacation you would like to take if money was no option?
If money was NO option, I would love to go to Italy and explore EVERY aspect of Rome, Sicilly and the country around there, maybe ever rent a house out by a vineyard and explore all the natural beauties like a true Italian!!

3. Did you have pets growing up?
Of COURSE!! We are a dog family, and I have had 3 family dogs, and now own my own 2 puppies!!!

4. What do you do for exercise?
I love cardio! I like to bike, but I also enjoy doing dance and cardio classes! I work on my abs with my ab balls and I also do Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred and her Yoga video! :)

5. What is the best piece of advise you've ever received as a MilSpouse?
STAY AWAY FROM THE CRAZIES!! You know those wives that go and give the whole "Woe is me" speech to the press and talk about how difficult things are, exploiting their family and lifestyle to everyone and opening the media a door to making our soldiers look bad? Yeah! Those people. And don't let other soldiers or spouses into your marriage. It only causes friction.

So, today was good! I got to talk to the Hubby today and he's doing alright, just ready to come home. I went shopping with a friend and after hanging out all afternoon, we went to our friends apartment and joined in on a fun and relaxing party! It was nice to just kick back and relax with friends in an almost drama-free environment!

I know I'm being cliche about this next part, but I am uber-frustrated about it and want to share! And since it's my blog.. :) I try to be open and pleasant with all those who I come into contact with. There are some relationships that are just strained and some things happen that you just can't take back... but it doesn't mean we have to go searching for trouble. My friend and I showed up at the party tonight and one of the attendee's updated their twitter (Which I have an account to, but hardly check because of time) and they said "Also, she's a B^*@& and I'm uncomfortable, but I'll be happy so I'm not the B(&#*" I was made aware of it by someone showing me and quickly found out that the tweet was directed towards me?! I was totally shocked and I HATE when people stoop to updating twitters or facebook like that! The worst part was that I had carried on a few conversations with this individual previous to the tweet and nothing seemed to be wrong, nor could anything have been taken as b&%$*y... but whatever. It just really offended and aggravated me and I don't even know what I did.

BUT!! Round 2 comes tomorrow and I'm excited to enjoy the night with good friends and fun games, regardless of what other things may come into play! I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!!

Blizzard Blog Hop

2011-01-27T15:07:00.000-08:00

Hey All! It's time for Blizzard Blog Hop! Head over to Household 6 Diva to participate and join in on the fun! Let's spend the weekend getting to know one another! So, here goes..

My name is Sarah and I blog on 'Tis the Life of the Army Wife! I chose the name because whenever I'm talking to my Mom about life and the military things, she always sighs and says " 'Tis the life Baby Girl!" :) Thanks Mom!

I am a music education major and I play the saxophone, along with many other instruments. I am studying to be a band director! In my opinion, it is the most rewarding thing I can do with my life! I love children and I love music, so why not combine the two? I'm also a wife to a wonderful Hubby, a fur mommy to two beautiful Chihuahua Basenji puppies, a daughter and sister, a proud aunt to 8, almost 9 children... I wear a lot of hats, but I plan on adding to my hat rack as life goes on!

I met my Hubby dear when we were in HS! Yes, we are HS Sweethearts! :) We met in choir, my junior year and his senior year, and according to friends, he was flirting with me, but I had no clue! So, it all started when I asked HIM to prom as friends! One thing led to another and through the excitement and the planning, we became best friends and fell in love!

We dated through basic and AIT and spent the rest of the next 3 years in and on again-off again relationship, but we remained best friends throughout all of it!

In the Spring of 2008, I got a call from David and he told me he was going to be deploying in a month. I was freaked out and afraid for him. We weren't together at the time, but the reality of the deployment shook us and we realized that we didn't want to live another day without one another. We got engaged right before he left for Iraq and tried our best to plan a wedding while we were half a world apart.

David's leave was rough. A few hours after he got home, my Mom had a cardiac arrest in our entry way and spent his entire leave in ICU. It was scary and nerve-racking and David held me and my family together through all of it. I would have married him right then if I could have. It was a blessing and a curse to have him home during that time, but looking back, I don't know what I would do without him there.

David got home a few months later and my Mom is thankfully doing better! She was able to be there to watch my Sister graduate HS, help me finish planning the wedding and be there throughout the entire day and she's still pushing through! I am so very proud of her. We finished the wedding plans and enjoyed the summer together.

On August 7, 2009, I became an official Army wife and married my very best friend and the love of my life! We adjusted to married life and worked towards finishing school! We also adopted our precious puppies, Taco and Belle!

About 9 months after we had been married, we found out that David was being deployed again. He spent the summer travelling around at trainings and taking classes, and he deployed in the beginning of the fall! He should be home on leave in a few months and I can't wait to have him home for more than a year! :)

I look forward to reading everyones Blizzard Blogs and I hope you all have a fun weekend! Happy Blogging!!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In and More

2011-01-21T22:25:00.000-08:00

So, technically it's after Friday... but WHO CARES!!! I'm going to do my MilSpouse Friday Fill-In Darnit! ;) So, here goes! Head over to Wife of a Sailor to participate!

1. What do you usually want to know about someone when meeting them for the first time?
Well, their name is usually a good starting point, but I also want to know where they live, what they do for a living.. just fun and basic information! :)

2. Would you rather know everything about your spouse, or be regularly surprised?
I like knowing the things that matter, but it's nice to learn new things about him! He definitely keeps me on my toes!

3. If you could live in one city for the rest of your life, where would you live?
Hmmm, I really like Tulsa. I know it's lame, since I was born and raised there, but the majority of our friends and family are from the area and it would be nice to be close... PLUS, there are some pretty great band programs in the Tulsa area!

4. When you go out of town, what one material thing do you ALWAYS take?
My iPod. I have all sorts of different styles of songs and music on there and multiple Road Trip playlists to keep the trip entertaining!

5. Using no more than 10 nouns, and ONLY nouns, describe yourself.
Wife, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Puppy Mommy, Musician, Educator, Cook, Decorator, Shopaholic! Woo!!

So, this week has been short. We had our music educators conference this weekend and minus not being able to go yesterday due to snow, it was wonderful! I was able to see a lot of collegiate music educators that I have met over the years and reconnect with multiple directors and music teachers from around the state. It just reinforces my goals to graduate and finally be able to do what I want to do for the rest of my life!

On that note, I've been thinking a lot today. There were a lot of people at the conference that are new teachers and it just reminds me that I should be done with school by now. I know I transferred twice, got engaged, went through a deployment with the Hubby, took off a semester and helped my Mom recover from her cardiac arrest, plan a wedding, move and change majors, change BACK to music ed, and now go through another deployment with the Hubby. All in just 2.5 years.. Still though, I should be done by now. I know that I am probably the biggest obstacle keeping myself from doing the things I want to do. Why not get the grades I know I can get? Why not be the musician I know I can be? Why not drop the weight I know I continue to gain?

I've been thinking about making more of a routine schedule for myself with workouts, meal plans, cleaning schedules, study sessions, and a set bed time so I can get all the sleep I need. But, I've also been thinking about maybe taking on a part time job.. I don't know. But I'm sick of feeling like I'm standing in my own way of accomplishing what I want in life. So, we'll see what this next week brings. But I will no longer push for an easy goal. I will set my standards high and attain what I know I can with hard work, motivation, and determination! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and stays warm and safe in this cold winter weather!!

Lazy day..

2011-01-15T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yay for long weekends!! I went out with my friends last night and we picked out our bridesmaids dresses for my friend Leslie's wedding coming up in June! So exciting!! We also went out to eat and just had a good time, since it was the first time all the bridesmaids have been together!

I stayed up late last night, partly because I couldn't sleep and partly because I didn't need to. I don't know what happened but I had the most vivid nightmares and woke myself up twice throughout the night because I was screaming. It was weird and creepy.. I don't really know what to make of it. So, needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night. I've been lounging around today and crashing every now and then because of it. But I've also just been watching movies and catching up on blogs that I've missed reading. Gosh, I've missed blogging!!

I also miss my Hubby! I haven't gotten to talk to him since Monday morning and it's been almost a week,... I know that's normal for some, but with this deployment, we've been blessed to talk every day if not every other day. So, it's been rough. I know he's been busy, but it's hard not to get frustrated, especially when I have no control over the communication or the situation. Gosh it sucks. Hopefully we'll get to talk soon. But, dinner is ready and the Prince of Persia is calling me! I haven't seen it yet so, I hope it's good! Everyone have a good and safe night!

MilSpouse Friday Fill In

2011-01-14T21:41:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the week and I didn't miss it! MilSpouse Friday Fill-In!! Head over to Wife of a Sailor to participate! So, here we go!

1. What are you looking forward to most in 2011?

I am most looking forward to seeing my amazing hubby and having him home for good and celebrating our friends, Adam and Leslie's wedding while he is home on leave! Just a few more months!!

2. What is something random you do on a boring night when your significant other is away?

I watch Glee episodes.. over and over! I can't get enough! LOL

3. What has been your greatest adventure as a MilSpouse?

My greatest adventure has been to be able to be as supportive of my Hubby as I possibly can be and to learn to hold down the home front and be the "man of the house".

4. What is the ugliest fashion trend you ever bought into (I'd like to make fun of you, so can you please provide a picture as well)?

I don't have pictures.. thankfully. But, the biggest fashion trend I bought into was the colored jeans, the overalls and overall shorts and the massive bows and hugely teased bangs to match. Thanks Momma!

5. What was the high point of last month?

Aside from being able to spend the holidays with my family and friends and being blessed enough to talk to my Hubby around Christmas, I'd say the high point was our bowl game trip and the exciting time I had with the band! It helped that our team won! Go Pokes!! Best season EVER!!!

The most adorable "Single Lady"

2011-01-13T20:35:00.000-08:00

Today was a light day and it was nice to relax! I got almost the whole place cleaned, had all my classes and even took a short nap! I'm feeling better, minus a slight stomach ache, but I blame some awesome Taco Soup on that.. so no complaints from me! I got to talk to my sister on the phone today and we had an absolute blast! As some of you may know, my husband is adopted from South Korea and it still fathoms me how we were born in completely different cultures and on different sides of the world, yet we grew up right down the street from one another! It just reminds me daily that God had a plan when he was adopted and I am so thankful for David's family and the love that they have brought into my life through their son. David's sisters would also like to adopt from Korea and China and it is definitely something we have discussed ourselves. Of course, I would love to have my own children, but my husband was given an amazing opportunity when he was adopted and we would love to give that blessing and love to another child. Anyway, the link! Esther was telling me about this hilarious Single Ladies video that a blogging couple posted of their children and their son was adopted from South Korea! Following me? Well I finally found it on YouTube and it literally is the most precious and sad thing I've ever seen! You have to watch for yourselves! Let me know what you think! Everyone have a wonderful night and stay warm! :D

A New Day, A New Semester!

2011-01-12T14:20:00.000-08:00

The Spring semester has begun! It started off rough though.. After going out with some friends Saturday night, I woke up extremely sick on Sunday and literally did not eat more than a few crackers, broth, and clear fluids from Sunday until 3:00 today! Gosh it's been awful and I missed my first few days of school, but I'm ready to hit the ground running with school and life, take the bull by the horns and excel at anything and everything I do! :D I'm excited to see what the semester holds, anxious to push myself to be the student and worker that I know I can be and so ready for the end to get here so I can see my Hubby and have my best friend's wedding!! I'm looking into working with a personal trainer at the gym so I think that will be good! I'm off to hit the books and play "wedding planner"! Hope everyone has a fantastic day!!

Thank Goodness for Online Shopping

2010-12-21T21:42:00.000-08:00

So, yes! I have become that person! I am the girl who waits until 4, almost 3 days before Christmas to START shopping! I somehow managed to buy gifts for 8 of the 16 people I need to buy for tonight though, so that's a good start, right?

Anyway, today was ROUGH! I hate cramping! I know it differs for everyone, but with me, I have a sleepless night and wake up absolutely nauseaus unable to eat anything and try as hard as I can to get medicine in me before things get too bad. Today, I didn't get enough medicine and it felt like someone was clawing my insides out and that my back was compressing.. nothing was helping and I literally laid there with all my muscles clenched and yelling! It sucked. So, I've determined that we better have an AMAZING labor with some beautiful babies if I have to go through this every month! ;) I'm going to see someone about BC soon. Needless to say, there was no working out this morning, but I ate pretty healthy today!

Tomorrow will be better! My brother and I are going Christmas shopping in the AM and then my sister and I are going to work out and I'm getting a haircut from my FABULOUS hair stylist later tomorrow afternoon! It'll be a great day, well deserving of Christmas break!

Making Changes

2010-12-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

People learn a lot as they go into new stages of their life. It varies with every individual, depending on what situation they are currently involved in, the scenarios they have been faced with in the past, etc. The personality of the individual plays a role in the changes we all adapt to as we grow up. No one ever said life was easy. I knew coming into this 2nd deployment that it would be difficult, but I think I've surprised others and myself with the strength and independence I have been blessed with to help get through this difficult time. I've also been blessed with a wonderful and amazing husband! I am so thankful for him and the sacrifice he is making for us and for this wonderful country!

The Hubby has been through a lot the past few months! He has worked day after day to do his best at his job and then to improve himself physically, mentally, and most important, spiritually. It took a little while to accept this change and understand why it was happening, although it has been a WONDERFUL change! He is much more positive and encouraging and he has a very different outlook on life and a new approach to situations. But, I recognize that even that in marriage, when one changes, the other adapts and vice versa. He told me that he wants to be a better husband and best friend, and if he can do better than the amazing job he is already doing, I want to push myself to be better for him AND for me! We both deserve that!

I think music is a lot like life. As a musician, there are always ways that you can improve a piece or techniques; a different method you can use to learn something and master that aspect of the instrument in a new way. Everything can always be improved upon. You are constantly growing and changing and with that growth comes a new understanding and a new outlook on what you can continue to grow on. I think that's how people are too. We can constantly grow and improve ourselves! I will be the first to admit that my life is not where I know it should be. I don't do my daily Bible studies, I don't regularly attend church, I get involved with things I shouldn't be involved in, I'm lazy and therefore procrastinate when I know I could just set my mind to something and fulfill the task to my best efforts if I didn't wait until the last possible minute. I don't take care of myself or respect myself and my body in the way that I should either.

I'm saying all of this because I want to improve. And I know self-improvement is great, but eventually, you need others to help you and inspire you as you continue on in your journey for a better "you". When I fall, I want people to keep me accountable and to help me stand up and keep on truckin'. And I would hope to be able to do the same for others. So, I here now set these goals that I have for my life. No more excuses, there's no reason why I can't do what needs to be done! If my Hubby can do it overseas, then I can certainly do it here!

I want to have a daily Bible study, even if it's reading a Psalm or Proverbs a day and meditating on that, it is time with the Creator of this Universe and there is no better way for me to devote my time.
I want to attend a church weekly. I need to have the courage to go alone or with others and make church a priority for myself and for my family.
I want to have a daily work out, if even just a walk around the pond with the dogs, some form of exercise will be done daily.
I want to take better care of my body by being more selective of the foods I choose to put in it. I will watch what I eat and minimize the amount of meals I eat out. I will take the time to fix healthy meals, even after long and tiring days.
I want to practice my instrument daily. It is my gift and the thing I love most and feel is most important. I will strive to improve my personal musicianship and not hold myself in comparison to those around me, but push myself individually to be the best musician I can be.
I will do all my readings and homework assignments once assigned and push for an A in every class I enroll in from now on. I am a smart individual and should have enough pride to push myself to do the best on every paper, homework assignment and reading. I may have to work harder than others, but it is worth the hard work and effort when I have a diploma and am able to teach the most wonderful subject to students someday!
I will work diligently in maintaining our finances so that Hubby and I may have the life the we dream of when he returns! It is because of his hard work that we are able to do anything and I want to contribute to that in any way that I can.
I will be a better person, Christian, wife, daughter, sister, fur-mommy, friend, student, colleague and citizen and apply myself fully to all aspects of life and to those around me.

I will also work to blog daily my victories and struggles. I ask that all of you that are able keep me accountable to these standards I wish to hold myself to and accept the changes that I want and need to make in my life! Starting now. :) Have a wonderful week everyone!

RIDICULOUS!!!

2010-11-20T18:21:00.000-08:00

This basically sums up my life ATM... ridiculous. It's ridiculous that I haven't updated my blog at all in WELL over a month. (my bad..) It's also ridiculous that I have a mountain of classwork sitting on my desk and after a super productive day, it looks like it hasn't shrunk at all. It's ridiculous that Thanksgiving and therefore Christmas are just around the corner...when did that happen! It's ridiculous having 3 dogs (one bigger than my two combined) in this tiny little apartment... LIFE in GENERAL is .... ridiculous.

A LOT has happened in the past month or so. David is doing well! We're working through this deployment and doing a pretty good job of it thus far, minus the hiccups and speed bumps that come along! I've been staying UBER busy.. almost too busy to get everything done that I need to do! There's always something and with marching band going on right now, it makes the work load that much more. But, we're having a pretty good football season and I'm excited about that! It makes all the long hours and bitter cold rehearsals worth it! School is going well! 17 more days and then I have a winter session before going back for a LONG spring of classes... it'll all be worth it in the end though when I get to hear my name called and walk across an orange stage to grab my degree and receive my certificate.

I am so ready to have my degree! Not just so that college will be done with, but so I can move on to that next chapter of my life and forever be able to say that I accomplished something with my life for ME, not for anyone else! I also can't wait to just start teaching. Working in the field and observing just warms my heart and brings to mind all the things I will be able to do in such a short time! I know I had talked about having babies when I get done with school.. and as ready as I am to have kids, I want to wait! I feel like so many people rush in to having children or don't get the opportunity to spend that time really getting to know their spouse and relish that one on one time with one another before adding to the mix. David and I have gone through A LOT in the past 3 years... more than most couples will ever go through in their first years of marriage, and I think I'm allowed to be selfish and just want some "us" time before we have kids. Besides, I'm busting my tush right now to get done with school and I'm not doing it just to get done and have babies. I have time and I choose to spend this time with my husband while I can! OH!!! And I took my first teaching examination today! I'm super pumped about it.. I should know in about 3 weeks how I did, but I feel pretty good. *Fingers crossed*

So, school is going well! Life is going pretty well! I get to talk to David so much more than I did while he was in Iraq and it is wonderful! I feel reenergized after he and I have talked and I am prepared to take on the next day or two after one of our conversations! I am so very thankful and blessed that we are able to have the communication that we do! I am also extremely thankful for my family and friends! I love the long talks I'm able to have with my Mom, Seester and Mama Carty and I'm thankful for friends who deal with my moods and moments and help to make life fun and entertaining! I don't know where I would be without you all!

Just a few more days and then I can sleep in (kind of)... We'll see. I'm just ready for a slight break, although I doubt it'll be much of a break. It's looking more like a prolonged weekend to get all the homework and studying done that I need to do! I'm also ready to see and spend time with family! My Mom, Dad, Bubby, and Seester all know just what I need when I get home and I can't even begin to EXPRESS how nice it is! I'm looking forward to spending a few days with them and getting to see my extended family and cousins that I haven't seen in awhile. It'll be good! I'm also, surprisingly, looking forward to NOT having to do anything with Christmas decorating this year... *WHAT A RELIEF* I just think it's too much of a hassle to try to do alone and with our massive tree and all the decorations at the bottom of our POC... I don't think so. Besides, I get to go home and my Mom will have the house all "dressed" for Christmas and Papa Jim will have so many lights on his house you'll be able to see it from outer space I'm sure! It's just unnecessary work for such a short Christmas break. So, yeah! I think that's about all I can think of for now!

Holy Cow.. Catch Up Time!!!

2010-10-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

I fail. BIG TIME!! Gosh, I don't even remember the last time I blogged. Things have just been so crazy busy, I haven't had time to even get on and check my blogger. But here's an update on life and I really will try and do better as far as blogging goes.

David is in country now. He's been there for a few days and has the internet, so thankfully, we're able to talk every morning and every night! I love it and I'm so thankful for the technology and ability we have to communicate like this! Our last deployment was not like this at all. So, that's been nice! He's doing good so far, staying busy and working hard! I am so very proud of him!

School is in full force and literally just about all that I do! I hardly feel like I have time to do anything outside of it, especially with marching band and football games, but when I get a week off, I love getting to go watch marching shows and competitions! It's like my release and my escape from real life! I know... band nerd alert, right here! But who cares! It's what I want to do with my life! I cannot WAIT to have my own band program!!! Plus, watching all the bands and marching shows has helped to enforce what it is I want out of my future band program, which is always a good thing! :) Anywho..

School is going well. Form and Analysis is kicking my butt, but I'm getting ready to finish my hardcore studying on that. Hopefully I can get through tomorrow. Every week is filled with ".. If I can just get through the next few days" and every weekend is filled with hundreds of things that need to get done and not enough time to do everything. I FINALLY cleaned my kitchen and bathroom after too long. Gross, I know. But, I think that it helped me to feel less overwhelmed to see something clean and taken care of!

So, other than that, I think that's the gist of everything! I'm working hard to deal with everyday life and to keep those around me happy, but I'm also quickly learning who around me to go to and who not to go to. It's sad, but it's a part of life I guess. All that matters is that I have an amazing family and support system of friends that I know I can always go to, no matter what, and this is making my relationship with my husband, my family, and my friends stronger than ever! I hope all is well with all of you! Have a beautiful Sunday morning!!

Back On Track

2010-09-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Golly gee, a lot has happened since I last blogged! So, I'll do my best to catch up! :)

2 weeks ago.. man, it was not pretty. I thought I'd been doing a good job of getting through things and such. Apparently not. I'm in 17 hours right now, with marching band and 2 other ensembles plus lessons and practice time. I also had an office in my chapter of Kappa Kappa Psi and it wasn't the easiest job, but I loved it. Add to all of that that I'm dealing with this deployment and trying to keep my house clean and laundry done.. oh, and eat, that's important too... and you've got a pretty scatter-brained little Army wife/student/friend/person. Well, I had someone come up to me and tell me I was stressing all those around me out and that they didn't want to have anything to do with it. Why not just push me over that emotional cliff, huh?

I don't know what was expected of me, but it was the last straw. I've known for weeks that my plate was too full and that I needed to take a step back from something, but I had it in my head that I couldn't. Well, I made a sacrifice and I stepped back from my fraternity. I stepped down from my office that I've worked hours upon hours on and that I have been looking forward to for months, and in the process, I called the frat out on it's smelly stuff. I said how things were, told the black and white of life and then stepped down. I know I would not have had another opportunity to share my thoughts and feelings, so I took advantage of the time. Then, later on, others decided to take advantage of their time and share their feelings about how my letter made them feel.. basically, I got attacked in a situation where I was unable to defend myself. One of my biggest loves has turned sour and stale over the past few weeks, and it's my love for the purposes of the overall fraternity and the knowledge and understanding of some form of brotherhood that keeps me going. So, needless to say, that was rough. I took my tests, did my homework and got ready to go see my hubby!!

My friends, Adam and Leslie, came over the night before I was planning to leave and made me shrimp lo mein for dinner and brought cookie mix for dessert and for us to take cookies to David! Then, while I studied, Leslie gave me an amazing mani/pedi to get me all glitzed up for seeing David! It was an amazing night!!

I was packing the next morning, and for months, I've asked David if he needs any civilian clothes, and he's been telling me "no". Well, I texted him Tuesday morning and asked again and he said he had NO civi's whatsoever....

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!"

Just to rehash.. I have no dryer. And doing laundry takes forever, especially when I hardly have the time to do it in my own apartment. I brought one of his suitcases home in August, but I just shoved it in the top of the closet and decided to deal with it later. Guess where all of David's civis were? And were they clean?! Of COURSE not! So, I changed my plans, packed quickly, dropped off Taco and Belle at Auntie Leslie's and headed to OKC to see my sister-in-law, Sarah, play with my niece and nephews, and do a whole heck of a ton of laundry! Thanks honey! :)

I don't know how we got it done, but we did! :D Angie and I met up at around 8:45 on Tuesday night and headed down to post to see our boys! We stopped about an hour out and stayed the night at a hotel there. I was out as soon as my head hit the pillow and ready to go, bright and early the next morning! I cannot TELL you how exciting it was to see David!!! It had only been a month, but man, I missed my Hubby!! We stopped for some lunch and had some drinks and then went on down to San Antonio! :)

Thursday, we went to the San Antonio Zoo and then walked around the River Walk that night!

I got to help feed the hippos during feeding time at the zoo and we went to a fabulous Mexican restaurant at the River Walk! It was a great day!

Well, then on Friday, we decided just to all hang out and take things easy! We printed off some pictures, did some shopping and relaxing, and went to the mall for dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant called La Lucianno's. It was delicious!!

We went to Sea World on Saturday and it was pretty fun! I got to pet and feed some dolphins, which was amazing, but it was rainy the entire day!!

Yesterday had to have been the most relaxing day though! We got up and had an amazing 1-hour couples massage and then David and I went next door and got pedicures before heading back to post! AH-MAZING!! Massages are a new part of my routine! If you haven't had one before... INVEST IN ONE!!! ESPECIALLY if you're going through a deployment, or about to go through one!! It's amazing!!

We had dinner at Olive Garden and then stopped by the lake for some sunset pictures.. and we got some pretty amazing ones!

It was a fabulous week and I am so thankful for the time we were able to spend with one another! It was hard saying goodbye, but I think we both are at peace with where we are in life and have accepted the challenge that is being placed before us! I cried the minute before I got in the car, and even then, I didn't cry for long because I know that God is in control and that He has put David and I in this situation for a reason! The drive home was nice... long, but still nice and I was SOO excited to see Taco and Belle last night and anxious to sleep in my own bed.

I started feeling yucky late Saturday night, and thankfully it held off some yesterday until after we dropped the boys off, but I have swollen lymph nodes, swollen tonsils, a sore throat and a nasty cough and A TON of congestion! I went to the doctor when I woke up this morning and I have strep throat. I'm also dealing with cramps, but at least this happened on the day I'm excused from class and the day after David and I were together, so it didn't put a damper on our time with one another! So, now, it's just about getting better, doing laundry, cleaning and unpacking, and catching up on homework and readings! It'll be a busy week, and I'm excited for the weekend! I hope you all have had an amazing past few weeks! Sorry this is so long and I'm sorry I haven't updated lately, but I'll work on doing better with the blogs! Have a wonderful day!

UPDATE!!! Where is my brain?!?

2010-08-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Hey all! I'm sorry I haven't been able to update in awhile! I can't even explain how crazy life has been since David left on the 15th. Marching band started and left hardly any time to unpack or do laundry, and then school started and then Taco and Belle got sick.. and life has been a lot of running around and playing catch up for the past 2 weeks. I need a break!

Just so everyone knows, I have almost gotten a complete go-ahead to go see David during his 4-day pass! I have a scheduled music history test on the 20th of this month and I'm not sure exactly when I'll be back from seeing David, so we're trying to work out what we can do with the test and how I can take it. My professor is an interim teacher and filling in for the normal music history professor while he's in Poland writing a book and teaching for a year. In the syllabus, it states that a student may not miss any exam because of preference or vacation. My professor understands that this situation falls under neither of those categories, but he is still wanting to check with the higher-ups just to make sure that it's alright if I take the test before or after. So, hopefully I'll hear about that soon. He has no doubt that it will all work out and is in complete support of what David and I are going through, as are most of the faculty and staff here.

So, classes have been crazy. Life in general has been crazy. I don't feel like I've really had a second to breath and I've hardly gotten everything done that I need to do. I just feel like my brain is everywhere. How do people run entire households on their own? I just feel like I'm going to lose it at any second! I like to plan and enjoy and the past few weeks have been living minute by minute with no time to look ahead to the future, even if it's a few minutes into the future. I just feel overwhelmed and I need my "second brain", aka Hubby to help with all of this. I know he's going through his own stuff too in preparing for this deployment and taking classes, so I'm not about to burden him with my lack of ability to focus. I've spent the evening working out my budget and calendars for the month and hopefully that will help me keep on top of things. I can't believe September is just a few hours away.. that's just crazy to me! I'm definitely ready for the cooler weather and I am so ready to see my man and spend a few days relaxing together! Hope you all have a wonderful week and I'll try to update more! :)

Overcoming Life's Obstacles

2010-08-21T11:34:00.000-07:00

Band camp is almost officially over! We have our preview performance in about an hour and then I will have survived my first band camp week in the CMB! :) It's been a tough week, but I have learned so much in the past few days and I'm thankful for my wonderful family and friends for the lessons they have helped me learn.

I posted the other day about my challenges with my band directors and them not being supportive of me going to see my husband during his 4-day pass. After a lot of questions and even thoughts of changing my major, I've come to a huge conclusion! Being a band director is what I want to do with my life! I love band, the people in it, the experiences it gives, and the feeling of passion and fulfillment that it gives. I've known for years that teaching music is what I want to do with my life, whether I teach toddlers, elementary or high school.. as long as I'm giving students the same joy of music and band that I was given, my purpose in life will be fulfilled. I cam to the realization that some people may think they are in control of my future, but they are mistaken. God controls my future and He alone! Nothing worth fighting for is easy, and the challenges and obstacles that have been put before me will only make me into a stronger musician and a better music teacher. I have an AMAZING family and they will support me in any way that I can and make sure that nothing keeps me from my dream and from the purpose that God has given me. I will not change my major if the answer to go see David happens to be no. And nothing could keep me from being with him those last few days before he leaves. If I have to endure some form of punishment for putting my husband and my family before music and before band, then so be it. But it will be SO worth it because nothing means more to me in this world! So, hopefully today I will get an answer. No matter what the answer may be, I know that everything will work out just fine because He is in control of my future!

A Rough Week...

2010-08-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

I started band camp this week and man, is it kicking my butt!! It's been a physically trying week as well as an emotionally difficult week.

At the end of the semester last Spring, as we were learning more of David's deployment details, I met with both my band directors and discussed the future and David's deployment. They were both understanding and told me they would work with our schedules. Well, the other night, David found out the dates for his leave. I immediately emailed both directors, as I had promised, letting them know the possible dates and asking if it would be possible for me to be excused from the activities during those days. The response from both was less than expected. It was disappointing to not have that support that I had been so thankful for and relied on. It's not looking like I will be excused to go say goodbye to my husband. It's hard, to say the least. My head director is obviously upset with my request to be excused and hasn't looked at me or talked to me since he sent his less-than-friendly email. When he left a few days ago, I held back and didn't really say goodbye because I figured I'd see him in a few weeks and would save it for then. David doesn't know about any of this, and he doesn't need to.. not until I get a straight "yes" or "no" from my directors. He needs to focus on his training and not worry about this. It's a burden that I will carry, one that is quickly breaking my heart. I just can't understand the fact that some people can be so cold and not understand the severity of this situation and what David and I have been through. We started dating right before his mobilization in Summer of 2008, got engaged in August and he left for Iraq a few days later. He was in Iraq for a year with minimal communication and I planned the whole wedding and we were married about a month after his return to the states. Then, we were able to spend 9 months of our first year of marriage together. He's been training and mobilized all summer, so we haven't spent most of the past 3 months together, and now, he's getting ready to leave for a year. This is my HUSBAND!!! It's not my Dad, not my cousin, not my boyfriend... it's the man that I have pledged my life to. He's my best friend, my second half, and with him, I feel like I can be the person I was meant to be, he makes me a better person! If anything were to happen to him during this deployment and I was told I couldn't go down to see him before he left, I would be devastated. Nothing.. NOTHING is keeping me from spending those days with my husband, I don't care what it is that I may have to endure or give up. It's been a few days and I still have gotten no official answer as to what my directors are going to let me do. My fingers are crossed, and I'm just hoping that it all gets figured out soon.

Going Going Going...

2010-08-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like the energizer bunny? Well, my life has been running on Energizer batteries since Sunday morning!! The deployment ceremony went well.. as well as a deployment ceremony can go I guess. I was thankful to have a lot of our family there. It was much harder than I thought it would be. We both stayed up all night Saturday tossing and turning with "sick stomachs". You know that combination of feeling like you're going to throw up and like you can't breathe? ... that was what we both had. We tried to remain positive though! Although there were a ton of pictures taken that day, these are just a few of my favorites!

It was hard to watch him leave, but I know everything will be ok! Our families went to his sister's house right after David left and we all had lunch together. It was nice to be surrounded by everyone! I went to pick up Taco and Belle from Bri's and then hurried back home. I literally jumped out of the car, put Taco and Belle inside the apartment, changed, and headed up to the school to start paining the fields, meet with the new band director, do "rookie" orientation, and then get my band uniform. I was there from 3 until around 11 and then I had to go get groceries... L-O-N-G night!

Yesterday was the start of Band Camp! OMG do I hurt! I have NEVER worked this hard at anything! It's been wonderful so far.. but we'll see how I feel at the end of the week. I promise to have legs, abs, and arms of steel by the time band camp is over! We've been going all day and it's helped some, but I also haven't been able to emotionally deal with David being gone. I'm sure that it's a good thing, but I sort of need that ugly cry moment, you know? I'm trying to stay busy and positive though. Tonight is literally the first time I've sat down and had some "me" time since Sunday morning. I treated myself by ordering BOGO pants from NY& Co. :) It's been Go! GO! GO!! And with band camp going all day, I am struggling to find the time to prepare for school, clean the house, unpack, do laundry, ...practice. OMG it's been crazy. Hopefully things will settle down soon as school starts and my brain will refocus on classes and everything else that needs to be done! I found out David's 4-day pass dates today. Very bittersweet. Thank goodness for wonderful family and friends. I love you all and am so blessed to have you in my life!! Now for bed, another long day tomorrow!!

Day #3- A Relaxing Day Spent Together

2010-08-14T15:52:00.001-07:00

HEY WORLD!!! Let it be know that my husband and I went and got mani/pedis together today! :) I LOVE getting my nails done and think it's the most relaxing thing.. David, like a lot of men, has never had a mani/pedi and he LOVED the pedicure! He'll probably start getting pedicures every now and then after he gets back home! :)

So, David went and took care of some stuff this morning and after lunch, we headed off to the mall for our mani/pedis! We also went ahead and got him new tennis shoes that he can workout and do PT in! He was so excited! After that, we went to Lowe's and picked out the washer and dryer we're getting in the next few months. We ALSO went through Lowe's and started picking out and talking about what things we would like in our "Dream Home" someday. It probably won't be for 20 years, and we'll probably need to start saving up now... but it's our goal for our future. My big thing is WOOD FLOORS!!! If we can have wood floors, I'll be one happy girl! And if I can convince my husband that wood floors are better than carpet (easy to clean, no stains from spit up and doggie accidents, nice looking.. I could go on and on) then I'll be one successful and happy girl!! :)

We had a little time to burn, so we headed over to Best Buy to continue in our "dream"! haha! David is big in electronics... what man isn't! So, we looked at TV's (his college graduation gift to himself) and then... we went to the Apple section *Insert scary music HERE* When David got back from Iraq last year, he "treated" himself to a new 24" iMac. Note to others* it does NOT fit under the desk... and is freaking huge. BUT, he loves it and he worked hard and deserves it! So, we're now talking about selling the iMac, buying a new MacBook Pro and getting rid of one and a half of our desks (we have matching desks and they each have a "top" section for shelving). We'd have a lot more room in our office/guest bedroom. And then when David gets back, he can get a new computer! We'll see how it works. There will be a lot to do financially while he's gone! But it will all be worth it!

So, tonight we're going out to eat with some friends and David's parents are joining us. It'll be a nice evening and a good break before coming back to the hotel and re-packing EVERYTHING!!! Tomorrow's the big day! Hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!!

ARGHH!!!!

2010-08-13T15:26:00.001-07:00

So, I was talking to a friend today! We were discussing David's deployment and that he's been home for only a year and now he's leaving again for another tour and will be gone... another year.

The girl actually told me "That's not that bad! It could be worse! :)"

Are you KIDDING ME?!?! Do you have a husband/fiance in the military who has deployed? Nope.

I just couldn't believe she told me it wasn't that bad and that it could be worse. I mean, I know it sucks, and that's fine! Life sucks sometimes. But, I also know that God is in complete control and that He has a plan! He has been preparing David and I for this throughout our entire relationship and over the next year, we will be faced with blessings and challenges and will come out stronger as individuals and as a couple! I have faith that everything will be fine and I am so thankful for the support system of family and friends that I have been surrounded with! :) It just irks me that people say silly things like that when they have no idea what they're talking about!! Sorry for the brief vent.

David's almost done for the day and he's having a "Man Night" tonight while I get to hang out with my BFF Darko!!! I cannot wait! :) Hope you all are having a wonderful start to your weekend! :)

Day #1 and MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

2010-08-13T05:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday started our Title 10 orders and so we are now officially on our way with this deployment! The past week has been wonderful! Scrapbooking with my sisters was just what I needed to get through the weekend and David surprised me with flowers for our anniversary! It was hard not being together, but I think overall, the day was good! Daddy and I went on our Daddy/Daughter Date and had a good time and I was so excited to pick David up on Monday! We had a good time with family, but I have been sick since then, so that hasn't been much fun... but we've still enjoyed our time together!

1. What is ONE thing you’d like civilians to understand about being a military family?

I would like civilians to understand what really goes on in a deployment! Understand what it's like having your better half on the other side of the world with minimal communication and not off on a "business trip", but fighting and in a war. I wish civilians understood the emotions that come with being a military family and the added challenges that it brings to everyday life.

2. What is your favorite mistake?

Getting Taco and Belle! We'd only been married about a month and a half when we got them and by the first night, I was having a breakdown,... but I couldn't give them back and I can't resist their sweet faces and I love them more than anything!!

3. What indulgence could you give up for a year?

Pop! I'm working on it right now! I think it's been 3 months since I've had any pop! :)

4. If you could be a winged animal, what would you be?

I'd be a Dove! They mate for life and David would be the other dove!!

5. What is one question you’d like to see asked in a future MFF?

What is your favorite vacation spot and why?

The Final Countdown..

2010-08-03T19:51:00.000-07:00

... I know, cheesy title. Sorry.

But, it's true! At some point in the next few days, I'm off to my hometown and I'm meeting up with all the women in David's family and we're having a girls scrapbook weekend! I'm really excited!! That, and my Dad and I are going on our Daddy/Daughter Date on the 7th to celebrate my wedding anniversary! It should be great! I've been running around all day doing laundry, ironing, packing, getting ready to be gone for 12 days (thank goodness that Brenna will be staying here) and getting things together that David will want/need before he officially starts active duty.

I've made a few gifts and also got our anniversary present today. I got a gorgeous clock (the traditional 1-year anniversary gift) and it will be wound yearly on our anniversary! But when he comes in to town, we're going to celebrate! I'm taking him for a picnic at the church where we got married and then we're going to our special place, the Rose Garden, and THEN we're going to dinner, probably at Olive Garden, where he'll get his anniversary present and then we'll have cupcakes and sparkling wine for dessert! I think it'll be great!

For the night before he leaves, I've planned a few things! I figured we'll probably go to BJ's for dinner and have one of their amazing pazookies and some sparkling wine. I made David a book on Snapfish that tells our Love Story, so I'll give him that along with the journals we write in during deployments and his box for pictures and letters. THEN, comes the Big surprise! For my birthday while David was in Iraq, he sent me an iTouch. It was amazing and I'm so thankful that he sent me something to organize the wedding plans with and be able to be in constant communication with him through. Well, I've been working on the iTouch all day and I restored it. I also uploaded pictures, contacts, dates and birthdays, movies, our wedding video, apps, and songs for him. Hopefully he'll be able to use it while he's in country, at least on the way there! I'm super excited about it!

So, yeah! Busy busy couple of weeks ahead! I'm sure I'll fill you all in with lots of pictures when I get back!! Have a wonderful rest of the week!

It's August?

2010-08-02T15:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe school starts back up in a couple of weeks. I just finished last Thursday and this weekend was wonderful and full of NO sleep. I always hear people talking about how they've been up for 30 hours with no sleep whatsoever and I have a hard time believing them, because I would never be able to do that. Well... here's my weekend.

Thursday after my exam, my dear friend Brenna came in to town and we shopped for t-shirts, had our traditional lunch at Qdoba before her section leader meeting with our new band director, and then we went with the drum majors to McAllister's for their Free Tea Day!! It was so good! We practiced for a few hours and then went home and had Arby's for dinner, watched some movies and worked on some stuff for Kappa Kappa Psi. Poor B was exhausted and fell asleep mid-sentence! We went to bed and while I slept in until 9:30... Brenna was up and awake at 6:30. Gosh did I feel like a bad host. We had these Yoplait Blends Smoothies for breakfast and they were gross.. then we got ready and went to eat lunch before going and practicing some more. She had to go do a pep gig Friday evening, so I headed home and was preparing to go to bed at like 5:00 PM... I had to get up and be ready to leave by 3:30 AM to meet Brenna at her home so we could drive to Texas for our Chapter Leadership Conference with Kappa Kappa Psi. Well... I started ordering pictures for scrapbooking weekend and decided to use the offer for 50 free Snapfish pictures by making David a book about our life together for the deployment. I started at 5 and ended after midnight.. so, no sleep for me. I pulled an all-nighter and thankfully, my friend, Leslie, stayed up with me while I drove the 2.5 hours to Brenna's house. It took A LOT to find her place in the middle of freaking nowhere and in the process, she almost ran me over trying to find me in her new Camero. Not cool. After stopping and getting donuts, we were on our way to Texas!! The conference was amazing! I saw some of my favorite people and learned a lot! All the people from Alpha went to McAllister's after the conference and talked about all our hopes and goals for the coming year! So, we left Texas at around 7:30? On the way home. We hadn't even driven 30 minutes before we both had the sleepy giggles and stopped to get some frapps with a shot of espresso. Didn't help too much and combined with lots of sweet tea, there were a lot of stops. We also ended up getting lost, so rather than getting back at around 11,.. we pulled in to her driveway at about 12:30. And then I still had to drive back. I don't even know how I did it, I was so exhausted. I know it's not safe, and I promise not to ever pull another all-nighter. This is not a chick who can function after 40+ hours of "Go Go Go!" and no sleep.

So, yesterday was spent recuperating. And it's AUGUST!! My anniversary is this weekend and I'm still pretty emotional about everything. I'll probably head home in the next few days and get ready for an amazing scrapbooking weekend with my sisters and the women in David's family! I'm really looking forward to Girl Time! Daddy and I have our date on the 7th to celebrate my anniversary. David's not taking it well that we can't be together,... I just keep trying to tell myself that it's not a big deal, but it is! It's our VERY FIRST wedding anniversary and we only freaking get one! We only get one of all of them, but I think the 1st, the 5th, the 10th, the 25th and the 50th are the big ones that should be celebrated big time. I've already determined where we are going next year to celebrate! It'll be like a second honeymoon and I'm excited to surprise him with it when he gets home. But for now, along with missing that special time together, I have no clue when his block leave begins. People keep asking what the plan is and what we're going to do.. I still have to reserve our hotel for where we're staying... it's all just really emotional right now. So, I baked a yellow cake with chocolate icing and my plan is to have some yummy Homemade Mac and Cheese for dinner, watch me some Real Housewives of New Jersey Drama and indulge in some delicious cake before hitting the pillow! I hope you all have a wonderful night!!

A Productive Day

2010-07-28T17:32:00.000-07:00

OMG I feel like this is the first time I've sat down to relax a little since Sunday... maybe because it is! My days are all starting to blur together and I honestly can't tell you off the top of my head what happened last week, although I'm sure something exciting happened.... maybe not. I don't know. Monday, I went to McAllister's for some sweet tea and good talk with a friend! We ended up staying there for 6 HOURS!?! But it was so much fun and I made it home in time to watch Real Housewives of New Jersey! Love that show! :) Yesterday, I had class and I also had my final in my lab.. it wasn't multiple choice like they normally are, so I had a harder time with it because I wasn't prepared for the format of the exam. Oh, well. We went over everything in class yesterday, so we didn't have class this morning.. which is great because I haven't been able to sleep well and I finally clonk out around 3-4 AM... no bueno. I got up and SO FAR today... I have done 7 loads of laundry, cleaned the entire apartment, and taken care of a lot of logistical stuff for Kappa Kappa Psi!! :) OH!!! And my stuff I ordered for my saxophone came in!!! I can't wait to practice... I've only missed a few days, but I really need to get back into daily workouts and practice sessions. Yup! I'm about to do the ironing and finish up studying for tomorrow's final (gosh, I'm so ready for a break from classes).. So yeah! I'm happy with what I got done today and I'm ready for the weekend! :) It's going to be filled with some of my favorite people!

First Thunderstorm Without The Hubby

2010-07-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Man, has today been a lazy Sunday!! I decided not to go workout and not to go practice today (Although I ordered my new mouthpiece, ligature, saxophone harness, and tuner/metronome last night and it was shipped this MORNING!!!), so I have had a lazy day! And I've loved it. I was freezing in the apartment and decided to go lay down while watching Bravo! and I heard my upstairs neighbors AGAIN!! They are CONSTANTLY moving stuff around or doing something up there... they're just really loud.WHAT CAN THEY BE DOING?!?

Well, I opened my eyes and it was DARK! I looked up the weather on my phone and realized a storm was rolling in, so I jumped out of bed and took Taco and Belle outside so they could go potty before the storm hit. As soon as we got outside, there was the LARGEST crash of thunder and lightning.. and they bolted. So, I chased them down and took them inside.. and now we're watching the heavy rainfall and listening to the crazy wind/thunder and lightning. For those of you who don't know, I HATE storms! And this is the first one since David's been gone... so, I tend to stress a little.

When a tornado came through our town in May, of course like all men, David was outside watching it... where was I? I was running around inside putting water, snacks, pillows and blankets in the bathroom, removing any important picture or item that we had out and placing it in a "safe" place and just losing it! I started to make dinner and David almost went to the store to get me a Diet Coke to freakin' calm me down! Gosh I hate storms!

BUT... I happen to have some chinese frozen dinners and my FAVORITE thing when it's nasty and rainy outside is to have some Chinese!! So BRING IT STORM!!! ... not really, but I'm going to try and take it easy while having Chinese food and watching more Bravo! Oh, and it's hailing now...

One Month!!

2010-07-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

A lot of things will happen in this next month! David goes to a new post tomorrow and they will continue their training. He has been crazy busy, we have only talked for a few minutes every day before he crashes. I guess it's a good thing since it helps me get ready for those short conversations when he goes overseas. After next Thursday, my summer classes will officially be over and for the first time since January, I will have 2 1/2 weeks of NO SCHOOL!!! Gotta use that to get ready for the fall semester!

Next Friday, one of my great friends is coming to town to visit and we get to hang out. And next Saturday, my family is coming in to town to visit! So, it'll be nice to have people around! :) Then I'll have a few days to do laundry, take care of bills, CLEAN THE APARTMENT and continue practicing and working out before heading back to my hometown! We're having a scrapbooking weekend with the women in David's family... gosh I need to order pictures on Snapfish.. and then our First Anniversary!

I'm going to be a Debbie Downer for a second. I know that being in the military, you don't spend every anniversary together, but I at least wanted to spend our first one with each other. I haven't really gotten upset about it until now, but with it being close and the emotions... I don't know. My Dad is taking me on a Daddy/Daughter Date that night though! :) So, I think it will still be special. And David and I can eat our cupcakes a few days later. No big deal, right?

Then, at some point, David will hopefully have a few days off and I've been looking for a good place to stay around our hometown (since we're not staying at either of our parents' houses) and for fun things that we can do that are "tradition" for us, or that we haven't been able to do before! So, we can celebrate our anniversary then! We'll also need to pick out a new washer and dryer so we can have those installed after he leaves. His deployment ceremony is on the 15th. Gosh, I can't believe it's so close. He's going out of state to another fort where they will finish up their training, and he should get some time off while he's there, but I don't know how I'm going to be on the 15th... with all of our family there, watching him get on another bus and leave...

That night, marching band kicks in! And I am a rookie again... woot. So, we have a meeting and then start rehearsal all day from Monday through Saturday. We have an audition and we have to have all this music memorized for marching band. Sunday, the 22nd, will be my last day off for awhile. School starts the next day, and with that comes wind ensemble auditions! Bring it!

I've been working out every day this week, and practicing an hour a day too. I want to be ready for marching band and I want to be ready to jump back in to the music department and do what I love to do! :) Tomorrow is my first weigh-in day. I've really tried eating healthy and drinking water, and I've been having some kick-butt workouts... so, we'll see how it goes! On to practicing and working out! :) Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Friday Fill-In and Some Family News

2010-07-23T08:14:00.000-07:00

Before I start my Friday Fill-In, I want to ask that you all keep my grandpa, my Papa Jim in your prayers. He was taken by ambulance to the hospital last night for blood pressure issues and is believed to have fluid around his lungs. He has also had heart problems since long before I was born.

He's in the heart hospital now and the medicine is making him a cranky pot, and he doesn't want to see or talk to anyone.. including my Mom and my grandma, Mama Carty! I know I have been extremely blessed in life. I still have all four of my grandparents and they are all still married. I also still have 2 great-grandparents that are still married and was able to know 2 other great-grandparents before they passed away when I was young. They were also married. We have had only had one divorce in my family, and it was my aunt and uncle on my Dad's side. Other than that, on both sides dated back to the 1700's, there has been no divorce and for that, I am completely grateful!!

So, I've never dealt with death close by. We came close last year with my Mom, but she pulled through. More on that another time. And I also cling to the men in my family! We just have an extra special bond, Papa Jim being my closest! I know they are getting old and I worry what will happen when they aren't here anymore. I just don't think I would be able to handle it. Especially with how supportive and encouraging my Papa Jim has been throughout my whole life. I know he sounds like a grouch, but he has been a youth minister/senior adult minister since my Mom was 9. He is loved by many and loves unconditionally! He's always happy and positive except when he gets a bad migraine. So, he's in the hospital for today and they are running some tests and will keep a close eye on him. Thankfully, I have nothing going on this weekend, so I'm available to jump up and go if I need to. So, please keep him and my family in your prayers as the doctors try to figure out what it wrong.

Also, David's cousins Joe and Sarah have 2 adorable little boys, Creed and Luke! Luke is 4 and is the cutest thing. He had been acting strangely and long story short, they found a tumor in his brain. It has all happened so fast with them trying to figure out what kind of tumor it is and what can be done about it, how fast it's growing. It started affecting his eye sight the other day and they took him in for an EEG and a spinal tap. After he got home last night, he started screaming and crying that he was in pain, and so they are back in the hospital observing him today and running more tests. Please keep their family in your prayers! And go by Trouble In Spots But Saved By God's Grace to read about Lukie and leave an encouraging note please, I can't imagine how hard this has been for the family.

And NOW!!! On to the Friday Fill-In!!! Thank you to Wife Of A Sailor for putting together the Fill-In! :)

1.Besides the horizontal mambo, what do you miss most when your spouse is deployed?

Just his presence! I love being able to reach over and him be there or if there's a loud thud outside, knowing that it'll all be fine because he's right there.

2.What do you miss least?
Laundry, dishes, and cleanup! It's SO much easier when it's just me and the laundry loads are SOO much smaller too! I also miss cooking for more than one person, it's been a challenge trying to learn how to cook for one.

3.You only get three crayons to finish your picture… which three do you choose and why?
The traditional green, red, and yellow! You can make just about any color with those combinations, and they are the standard colors given in restaurants, so they must work! :)

4.If you could have your own fragrance, what would it be called?
Hmm, On The Run, because I always seem to be running late and trying to get out the door, but I still make time to put on my perfume before I leave!

5.If the shoes make the man (or woman), what do your shoes say about you right now?
My shoes (usually flip-flops) say that I like to be open and just enjoy getting out and not being cooped up! I like to have space and I like to be able to just throw on my shoes and go!

It's Hump Day!!!

2010-07-21T17:32:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy busy day! I got up and had class this morning, then ran around campus taking care of everything from officially changing my major to changing my name from my maiden to my married name. Then I went and practiced for an hour! It felt pretty good! I'm excited to get a new mouthpiece, neck strap, and new reeds and hoping things will sound better after that!

I came home for lunch and discovered that I can watch SO You Think You Can Dance (My all-time favorite show) on Hulu!! OMG Words cannot express how pumped I was to not have to wait until the middle of August to watch the rest of the season!! So, after lunch, I started doing all the other stuff I have to do. Can you say, full plate? I love that there are so many military bloggers! It helps you know you're not alone!

But BOY am I short on patience and sympathy lately? Have you ever had someone start talking to you randomly, who you haven't talked to in MONTHS and they're just complaining about how hard their life is and how it sucks,.. the summer sucks, I haven't talked to anyone, I can't come back to school, we're having $$ issues.... OH MY GOSH!!! I can't handle these types of people right now! I just want to shout from the rooftops that EVERYONE'S LIFE SUCKS and that everyone finds a way to deal with it and move on! :) I mean, venting is TOTALLY fine and definitely a necessity, but to think that you have it worse than anyone else around you... No no! I'm a firm believer in the "When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade" quote! I think we all just have to take the hand we are given, look at the problem square in the face and say "Screw you" and make what we want out of it! And I also believe that one's personality and attitude doesn't change just because they're going through a rough time. It's no excuse.. you are who you are and. yes, you can learn and grow from situations, but I don't think you completely change. Any who... there's my vent!

After doing some stuff, I finally got up and went to work out! Gosh I'm sore, but I'm hoping when I weigh in on Sunday, that it'll be all worth it! I also joined Weight Watchers and am hoping to get some good "single person" recipes and to have some foundation on what I need to be doing to lose weight! Any tips from you all?

I decided today that I am going to go to Montana!!! I have been doing school and deployment stuff ALL summer and have LITERALLY not had a single break.. so this trip to see Jennifer, Jordan, and my future niece/nephew will be my Summer and my relaxation before the chaos of life and school return! I'm really excited!! I have to find a way to make my saxophone in to my carry-on... cuz there's NO way I'm letting it get thrown around with luggage, but other than that... I should be heading out in about a week!!! So excited!!

We'll see how things go, but I'm thinking they're going to go pretty good! Can't wait to talk to the Hubby tonight! :)

The Mrs. Giveaway!!

2010-07-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

The Mrs. at Trying Our Best is having an adorable giveaway of the cutest zip up bags EVER!!! Love Love Love the pink one!! Everyone should go check it out and look at BlueBird Crafting while you're at it! :)

A Slow Day...NOT!!!

2010-07-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get that overwhelming feeling, that one day where you just feel alone... like anything could happen and no one would know for awhile?! The deployment is sinking in, and all the happenings and concerns over the past few months are becoming a reality. The training is getting more intense, the hours he's working are getting longer and longer... and with it, my days seem to get longer and my motivation seems to dwindle.

It's not that I don't know that people love me and care about me, I have an amazing family support system! My sister-in-law even texted me today asking how I was doing. I know there are tons of people I can call and talk to about things, but at the same time, I just don't want to push my problems off on others and I don't even know what I would say. I just want someone to reach out to me. I'm constantly trying to keep busy and to get things done, and aside from seeing Bri and David this weekend, that was really the only personal interaction I've had with anyone. Being alone sucks. I'm going to go work out and rent a comedy to just bump out of this mood. I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday!!

Edit Post: I went to workout and practice my saxophone and I was gone for maybe 2 hours. Well, background here. Taco eats EVERYTHING!!! They get kenneled when we leave and they can no longer have a pillow because they'll destroy it, nor can they have a patch of carpet, cuz they'll eat it in 3.5 seconds... just like the rest of the carpet in our apartment. We are SOO not getting our deposit back! Well, for awhile, I thought that Taco would eat Belle's collar off of her. We got her 3 different collars, each one thicker than the one before, and still... they got chewed off. I finally bought a nice expensive leather one and was assured by the employee that it was the strongest collar out there without going to chokers. I really don't want to put a choker on my sweet Belle Belle! That and it would fall off since chokers are meant to help when walking them. Well, we got it and a few weeks later, she was sitting at my feet while I was studying and I heard this gnawing sound. I looked down, and she was actually choking with the collar in her mouth!!! She had somehow gotten the bottom part of her mouth under the collar and SHE was chewing it off!!! OMG!!! The damage was done though. So, after a few months of not having a collar and feeling guilty that no one would know her if she ran away, I went in and got her a new collar, explaining to the guy her past "issues" with collars. He picked out a spiked pink collar. Spiked! For my chihuahua!! :( Oh well, I told him we'd try it and we both figured that since the collar had spikes and other stuff on it as well as being leather, she wouldn't bite through it because it would hurt her. We made it a little tight, just in case! Yesterday, I discovered that she had chewed off the extra bit that overlapped. And today when I got home, got ready to take them out and tried putting her leash on,... her collard was GONE!! I went to the kennel and there was a small piece of the collar left. Meaning, Belle chewed it off and one of them, if not both.. ate it. WITH THE SPIKES!! And those things are sharp!! When they went outside, I realized Taco had eaten some, if not all, of the collar. I just don't know what I'm going to do with them... ARGH!!!! Other than that, my workout was good, the practicing was ehh,... it'll get better! I'm doing yoga tonight after my cold shower and dinner and then watching So You Think You Can Dance ONLINE!!! I FINALLY found a way to watch episodes of my FAVORITE TV SHOW!!! So, yeah! Have a lovely night everyone!!

Question For All You Fabulous Bloggers

2010-07-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

How do you add pages to the top of a blog? I want to have a section about the Hubby and I, and tell our story, pictures, deployment stuff, but all on tabs that people can click on. I'm not sure how to do it. Can anyone help me out please? :)

Weekend Going Into Another Week

2010-07-19T12:44:00.001-07:00

This weekend was amazing!!!! I had SOO much fun getting to spend time with the Hubby! Dinner was amazing, and as I predicted, we went to the Warren Theater and watched Eclipse! It may have been even better the second time! :) We were able to go have drinks in the mezzanine before the movie started! And David loved the movie! The motel that the Army has him in isn't the fanciest place in the world, but it was just nice to be able to spend a night with my Hubby!!! :) He didn't have to report until 0900 either, so we got to sleep in a little before he had to go. The puppies had a good time at Auntie Bri's with Sadie! Bri and I had a FABULOUS lunch on Sunday afternoon and watched ABC Family's Sandra Bullock movie marathon for a little bit! I got back early last night and was able to work out and unpack before dinner... and then I went to bed at 8:55. I don't remember the last time I went to bed that early!!! It was AMAZING!!!!

I woke up at midnight, though, because Taco got sick. I hate that, poor puppy! He was fine after a few minutes. And then David called and after that, getting back to sleep was a little harder, but it happened! :) Waking up this morning was easy! I had class and then a WONDERFUL 2 hour cardio workout! I'll probably do yoga and practice my saxophone this afternoon! Just relax! I'm also making a new dinner tonight. Chicken and brown rice with tomatoes and spinach!! I'm excited to try it out, snuggle up in my blanket, and watch the Real Housewives of New Jersey!! :) YAY Team Fabulous!! Haha!! Happy Monday everyone!!

DATE NIGHT!!!!

2010-07-17T12:03:00.000-07:00

Hubby is without a roommate tonight, which means I can go visit him and I have somewhere to stay! AND he gets off at 4... the earliest they've gotten off so far! So, Taco and Belle get to go play at Auntie Bri's with their buddy Sadie, and Mommy and Daddy get to go out to eat!! It's been SOO long since David's called me up and said,.. "Here's the plan!" :) Usually, it's a "I don't care, what do you want to do?" conversation, but tonight, he's taking me to BJ's Restaurant and then we're going to go see a movie (hopefully Eclipse, but anything will do :D)!! So, minus me dropping an entire glass of ice water on my phone and now needing to keep it in rice, I'm PRETTY FREAKING EXCITED!!!!!! I hope everyone has a lovely weekend and I'll try to post pics when I get home tomorrow!!!

Gosh It's Been FOREVER!!!

2010-07-16T12:25:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost a week since my last post... fail on my part. Sunday with the Hubby was AMAZING!!!! My air conditioning in my car broke on the trip down, but it was SO good to see him and just sit by him through all those Yellow Ribbon briefings (and in the cool air conditioning)! :) Our plan was to leave our puppies at a friend's house and stay with his sister and her family on Sunday night. Welp, The Hubby missed his motorcycle that he'd left at my parents house.... so CHANGE OF PLANS we headed to get the dogs and go to our hometown after the conference. We rode with the windows down, since we had no air conditioning, and MAN was it fun combing my hair that night! We stayed with his parents though, took care of all the legal things no one wants to talk about and then he crashed while I watched Army Wives with my dear sister-in-law, Esther. GOSH it was a tear-jerker!! But I'm glad she and I got to spend that time together. We spent all of Monday with our families and he and my Dad fixed my air conditioning (kind of.. enough for the ride home to be pleasant)! And David got his motorcycle back! OH!! I also got to have my first ride on a motorcycle!! With my Hubby of coarse!! It was kind of scary, but I got the hang of it. I made it harder for him cuz I'd put my head to one side or the other so I could see what was going on... but other than that, it was fun! :)

We went our separate ways on Monday night and I headed home for school the next morning while he headed back to the Big City for training. I'm so thankful for the time we were able to spend together!! So, back to school for the week and things have been CRAZY busy!!

Tuesday, I ran all sorts of errands, had class and lab, met with the Membership Educator for Kappa Kappa Psi's Sister Chapter, Tau Beta Sigma, and we went over a lot of things for this next school year, and then my dear friend, Amanda, came in to town and we went to our band director, Dr. Snow's, going away cookout party. It was fabulous and so nice to spend time with close friends! Then, Amanda and I went shopping for my single person eating healthy food! It was wonderful! I'm super set on making things work without the Hubby here and I even picked out some yoga equipment and a video to workout with and focus on my breathing! I think it'll be great!!

Wednesday was also crazy busy, again, full of running around doing errands and Taco and Belle spent the afternoon getting groomed and then we got Belle a new collar and got Taco some raw hides! He's eaten 2 of the 6 already!

Yesterday, more class and lab and a TEST (which hopefully I did ok on). And then I came home and had a HUGE desire to clean. So, I cleaned the kitchen, the laundry room, the living room, the dining room and the hallway.. and then I got to the bedrooms and bathrooms. From there, I just wanted to organize everything! And so I did and I LOVE IT!!! So much easier to do things now!! I've got the school supplies all in the office and ready for use and the closet is all cleaned and neat... just need to do laundry! After that, my back started hurting and I realized it was because of cramps.. YUCK!! So, I sat down and relaxed for the first time in awhile. It was so nice! :)

Today... I didn't really sleep in, but I slept well last night! I had a doctor's appointment that went well and then I was able to come home and sneak in a few more zzzzzz's before getting up and getting around. I'm still trying to figure out what to do this weekend in not knowing the Hubby's schedule, whether he'll have a roommate or not, what to do with the dogs... all that. I want to go see him... so we'll see how it goes. Maybe tomorrow! :) I missed all of you and can't wait to catch up on how everyone's doing! Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Yellow Ribbon Conference

2010-07-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

I GET TO SEE MY HUBBY TOMORROW!!!

I'm just a little excited!! :) Still trying to pack, but it'll get there! Tomorrow is the yellow ribbon conference and so we'll be sitting in an ice cold room all day doing that while Taco and Belle go to Auntie Bri's house and play with Sadie until Monday afternoon!!! I'm excited! And David and I will either stay at a hotel, or stay with a family member! It'll be good, can't wait to just spend time with him!!

Today was a busy day. I didn't go to bed until 0400 (...I was reading Breaking Dawn) and so I woke up at around 1100. I did some laundry and then did A TON of ironing... until around 6:00! Then, it was definitely time for dinner! My Mom and I had been talking about food and how to cook for just one person and she gave me the great idea of cooking a few meals a week and then freezing them in portions so all I have to do is thaw them out when I want to eat them, and then I heat it up in the microwave!! It'll be AMAZING when school goes in to full swing! I know it may be silly that I didn't think about it, but I'm excited! I froze my first leftovers tonight! :) That and then just drinking lots of water and eating when I'm hungry and not just because it's "time to eat". I think it'll be good! Taco, Belle and I went on another walk today and they discovered their shadows!! They were SOOO excited and just kept jumping and playing! It was adorable! Definitely the funniest moment of my day! Anywho,... gotta get to packing and then hit the pillow!! Lots of driving tomorrow! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!!

MilSpouse Friday Fill-In

2010-07-09T11:20:00.001-07:00

1. What is your favorite household chore?

I love ironing!! My great-grandmother was a professional seamstress and so I've grown up with the mentality that you iron every piece of clothing that is visible, including t-shirts! I know there are a lot of people who don't do this, but I LOVE to do it and find it super relaxing!!

2. What is your favorite childhood memory?

I can't pick just one! I have been very blessed to have such a close family on both sides! So, my childhood is filled with memories of love and laughter and I'm extremely thankful for that!!

3. What is your most embarrassing moment?

Umm, I've had a lot! I'm a huge clutz and very accident prone! David's favorite words are "Really, Sarah?!" My most recent would have to be me breaking my toe though! My sister opened the back door to let her mini chihuahua outside and her dog BOLTED after a rabbit. I was sitting on the bar stool yelling at her to go grab her dog and realized that Taco was waiting to run out the door too. So I jumped off the chair, took one step (still yelling of course) and then SLAMMED my foot in to my parents end table. I fell to the ground and didn't know whether to laugh or cry I was so humiliated and sure that it looked pretty freaking hilarious!! I tried standing and couldn't, and then looked at my foot and said, "That doesn't look right,... right?!" It looked like Spock's "Live Long and Prosper". My Dad and David rushed me to the hospital, cracking jokes the whole time about my toe and being in the emergency room when David gets home becoming a tradition! And then we watched Star Trek in honor of my broken toe! :) Gotta love my family!

4. What uniform of your spouse’s is your favorite?

I LOVE him in his ACU's!! I think he looks super hott in them! They're definitely my favorite!!

5. What canceled TV show do you miss the most?

I would have to say Friends and Boy Meets World. I ABSOLUTELY LOVED those shows and they hardly ever air Friends anymore... That and Cosby! I think The Cosby show is one of the most hilarious shows I've ever seen!!!

OVERWHELMING!!!

2010-07-08T21:14:00.000-07:00

I feel like my head is about to explode!!! Not only are we dealing with the emotions of David having left today for mobilization, but then there's finances and bills, and school and loans and payment plans, and we need a new dryer, so we might as well try for a washer too... trying to plan a trip for his leave, taking care of things with our landlord and continuing water problems, and then Taco and belle need their nails done, new collars, and their medicine for the month as well as scholarship forms needing to be filled out, I need to start practicing for school since I haven't played my instrument in #% days.... and then I forgot today was Thursday and that I was supposed to go back to our hometown for my nieces birthday party, and I forgot my sister's anniversary, my Dad's birthday is in a few days, so thankfully I didn't forget that YET.... AHHHHH!!!!! Like I said, I feel like my head is going to explode.. Anyone have a brain they want to lend me? I took a day off today to just kind of take it all in. No more days like today for awhile... I have much to much to get done and not enough time to do it! I just am being hit with a reality check that HELLO!?!?!?! It's HERE!!!! Unbelievable! But you know what, there's really no way to completely plan for a deployment. You can plan logistically, financially, and mentally, but it's the emotions that get ya! I know without a doubt that we are going to make it through this and it'll all be ok! I changed 2 very high light bulbs today (A BIG accomplishment for my 5' 1.5" self) and smacked at a spider without any fear!! But, it ran behind the bookcase AGAIN! 2nd day in a row... fast little bugger! I'll get it eventually! So, now that I have all that out I feel a little better... sorry for the brief meltdown ya'll! Thanks for reading and I hope you all have a wonderful rest of the night!!

Definitely Needing This Fabulous Five Thursday

2010-07-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

Ok! So, this is my first time trying this, and I'm not going to lie. LITERALLY 5 seconds ago, I was being a Debbie Downer and all zombie like with David leaving this morning at 0400. BUT (And I'm embarrassed it took me this long to find this, JUST found the button that is actually meant to be used for your posts, with the font options, size, color, all that... I KNOW!!! If David were here he would say "Really, Sarah?" YUP! Really!!! :) So, on to my Fabulous Five Thursday!!

Happy- I am happy that I was able to spend all of the past few days with David and that he LOVINGLY volunteered to help out with cooking, cleaning, and asked to come with me to get the laundry, to buy groceries, and to help him do things too!

Giddy- I am giddy because one of my dear friends from high school and her wonderful husband are having a baby! And David and I are the Aunt and Uncle of that baby! BUT!!! They went in to hear the heartbeat and found out that there's a possibility they could have TWINS!!! DOUBLE THE LOVING!!!! Can't wait to fly up to Montana, spend time with my best friend, and love & spoil those precious babies!!

Joyful- I am joyful that I have Taco and Belle and that they have been on their best behavior today!! It's so nice just to love and them and I'm glad that we made the decision to make them a part of our family!!

Excited- I am EXCITED for this weekend!!! We have our yellow ribbon conference for the pre-deployment and I get to spend all of Sunday with David!! I'm super excited just to see him and be with him as much as I can!!!

Appreciative- And FINALLY! Last but CERTAINLY not least, I am overly appreciative of the amazing family and friends that God has blessed me with that are our support system ALWAYS! In good times and in hard times!! You all are my rock and I can't imagine getting through most days without you! Thank you!!!

Well, That was fun! I'm definitely going to have to make a tradition of doing that on Thursdays! I really do feel SOO much better and have a little energy!! I hope you all have a FABULOUS Thursday!!!

11 Months!!

2010-07-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

As some may notice, I changed the blog around a little! Hope you all like it! :) Things have been pretty crazy around here today. David leaves at 0400 tomorrow for his four day drill that goes right into mobilization. So, we've been packing all day and loading his car up. I started making the dough for homemade pizza tonight.. still need to go to the store and get some cheese and cookie dough ice cream, as well as a movie and tonight's At-Home Date Night will be ready to go! I also need to finish up a few loads of laundry so David can pack up all his civilian clothes. I am just in shock that we are already here! He called me in the middle of April to tell me that his deployment had been moved up, but that feels like yesterday! Now, here we are getting ready to go through this all again after only a year of him being home! I know beyond all things that God is in control and that He will watch over us and care for us as we face this next challenge.
Our 11 month anniversary is today! 11 MONTHS!!! CRAZY!! Part of me can't believe it's almost been a year and part of me feels like we've been together forever! I know we won't be able to spend our one year anniversary together, but I'm excited to spend this day together! And we'll have some time during his 4-day pass to get away and celebrate our anniversary! So, I'm definitely looking forward to spending that time together, getting away, and eating our wedding cake (Although I plan to have a backup made just in case)! So yeah! Not too much today! Hope you all are having a wonderful Hump Day!

Fourth of July Weekend!!!

2010-07-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

First off, as we celebrate our country's birthday, I would like to say a huge thank you to the men and women who have served and fought for our country and made it possible for us to have what we do! We live with the FREE because of the BRAVE and I am so blessed to know just a few of you all who give your life and sacrifice for the USA!! Let us remember what this day is about!
That being said, it was so exciting to spend the 4th of July with David! We have some wonderful memories of the Fourth of July! 2 years ago, we were preparing for his deployment to Iraq. He was mobilized at Ft. Sill and so we were able to watch an amazing fireworks show and spend that time together before he left! Last year, we went with his family to Colorado. It's a yearly trip for them and has been since he was really young, but it was my first time to go. We stay at Wilderness Ranch and it is just SO peaceful! But, there are no fireworks, so we improvised and had all the little kids play with an entire big box of poppers! They LOVED it!

Colorado Vacation 2009

So, this year, knowing for sure we won't be spending the Fourth of July together next year, we decided to spend it with our families! We went "home" on Friday and watched our town's fireworks show in the front yard with my Mom and Dad and my sister!

Dad, Tristen, and Momma before the show started

It was also Taco and Belle's first experience with fireworks, so we weren't sure how they'd do... but I think it went alright! :)

David and I watching the fireworks

On Saturday, the boys (Dave, my Dad and my brother) went to help move a friend in and were out the door by 6AM. Tristen and I got up and around and went to the mall to pick up my wedding ring (I left it with the jeweler when I went up for Kayla's wedding and was having it soldered) and to do a little shopping before David's Belated Birthday Party. We barely made it on time, but we made it!

Tristen and I before the party

Mom made ribs and all of David's favorite foods with them, plus tons of dessert and both sets of my grandparents were able to come, so it was a nice visit

We just kind of hung out the rest of the night! OH! I almost forgot! Mom and Dad also got a new bed... therefore WE got a new bed!! In the guest bedroom of their house, that is! We've been sleeping on an air up mattress and when we roll over at 3 in the morning, everyone can hear it. So now, we have a nice bed to sleep on when we visit! Church was the next morning and we didn't get up in time to go. It's a fight for the shower at my parent's house and I did not win. David was ready and went ahead to the service. But it was only after church ended that I realized it was David's last Sunday to go to church until after the deployment. I was so upset! I can't believe we're already here! ARGH!!
So, we went over to his parent's for lunch and it was amazing! Kind of crazy with 14 adults (almost all parents) and 11 children all under the age of 7. OMG!!! Again, ... CRAZY!! But we got to go pick out the fireworks with my oldest two nephews and then I played golf in the front yard with my brother in law, Ryan, while all the other guys taped rockets and other fireworks to an old unused door! Very creative! It was so cute to see the kids all sitting anxiously as they waited for our fireworks show to begin!

My dear nieces and nephews waiting to watch our fireworks show!!

It was wonderful to spend time with family, especially knowing that this will be one of the last times we are both home together! And he had a wonderful time, which is all that matters!!
Monday- My family got up and we all went to eat at IHOP so we could all hangout before we had to leave! It was amazing, as always! I love spending time with my family!! I am so thankful and blessed for them! David went to golf with his Dad after breakfast, so my brother and sister took me (the most unfashionable of the whole family) out to go shopping! New York & Company is my ALL TIME FAVORITE store!!! So, we went there, and Alex and Tristen enjoyed filling my arms with clothes that they picked out and I got to buy! They were having a SALE, so we ended up getting some great deals!! After a LONG afternoon of shopping, we went home and David and I got ready for dinner at Delta Cafe with both of our parents and my nephew, Jacob!!! It was, again, so much fun and we all had a lovely dinner with some wonderful conversation!
We packed up and headed home after that! It was late and we hit some rainfall while we were on the road. We got to talk through a lot of things though, so that was good!
I had class this morning and David was able to sleep in. He was super sore after golfing yesterday.. so I'm glad he was able to get some sleep! We've just been hanging out today, doing laundry and playing with Taco and Belle. David helped me make dinner tonight (we had Picante Chicken with Spanish Rice) and it was delicious!!
So, yeah! I cannot believe that we only have 2 days left before he starts mobilization! It's absolutely ridiculous that this deployment has come up so quickly! So, we'll see how the next few days go! I kind of feel like I'm on autopilot and unable to control anything going on around me. I'll just buckle up and get ready for the ride! Here we go!

Eclipse Premiere!!

2010-06-30T14:09:00.000-07:00

Last night I went to the midnight premiere of Twilight with my friends, Amanda and Melodie, and our little sisters! Tristen came up from Tulsa and it was wonderful having her here to watch the premiere with and just spend time with her! She really is the most hilarious person I know!! So, we went to Qdoba for dinner, got some snacks for the movie at Dollar Tree and then went to wait in line! We got there at around 8:30 PM and were pretty close up! It was so exciting!

We ate dinner, talked, and played Phase 10 to pass the time and it was an absolute blast!! Tristen got there at about 10:45 and then at 11:00, we all started standing up! They let us in MUCH earlier this time than they did at the New Moon premiere, which was great! So, at around 11:30, they opened the doors! :)
Tristen and I before going inside!

Amanda, her sister Kristy, Me, Tristen, Melodie, and her sister Christina

The movie was absolutely amazing! :) It was well worth the wait!! I can't wait to go back and see it again! David said something about us going to see it next week! :D So, I can't wait!!! Tristen got to spend the night and that was fun!

I felt bad because David had spent all day working (He has 2 days left of working at Lowe's) and then when he went home, Taco and Belle had gotten sick in their kennel and were all dirty, so he had to clean them and give them baths and then clean the kennel and he did laundry for us last night and to top it all off... our upstairs neighbors' hot water heater pipe burst and there is water flowing down the wall of our hallway with bubbles forming under the paint! :) We didn't get to bed until about 3 and they came this morning and started working on the pipe at 8... we were glad it was getting taken care of but COME ON!!! Good news- they're coming to clean the wall and repaint the entire wall... meaning our dining room wall gets taken care of! YAY!!! :) Excited for the fourth! I'm 2 classes and 2 exams away from a wonderful 4-day weekend filled with fun and family!!

In Honor Of Andrew Looney

2010-06-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Today, a dear man I had the honor of graduating with was remembered in my hometown!

Andrew Looney was 22 years old and graduated in the Spring of 2006. He joined the Army shortly after graduation and was deployed for his first tour in Iraq. During his tour, Andrew was injured and lost part of his foot. He recovered quickly and finished his tour, never drawing attention to the loss he suffered as he fought for his country. He then returned to Afghanistan for his second tour. On Monday, June 21st, Andrew, along with another soldier, were injured by a suicide bomber igniting his vest near them. Andrew died the next morning due to the injuries he sustained from the bomb.

Andrew received multiple awards, including the Purple Heart, for his ultimate sacrifice that he made for his country! He will be buried in the Arlington National Cemetery. His memorial is tonight in our hometown. It's amazing how a town can come together after a tragedy!

The Westboro Baptist "Church" has groups that travel around the country to Fallen Soldier's Memorials and they picket the funeral. It's disgusting and disturbing that one human being would do that to another. I can't imagine having to deal with the death of your son and then having a group of men, women, and children there to protest what your son died for. I understand that there is freedom of speech, but there is a line there that is inhumane to cross! THANKFULLY, there is a wonderful group known as Patriot Guards.

They travel to the funerals of Fallen Soldiers and show their support for the friends and family. When there are protestors, they strategically place themselves in front of them to block the family, loved ones, and media from seeing the negative signs and from hearing the nasty words. Thank goodness for these Patriot Guards! They allow us to focus on those who have given all they can for this country!
So, as we remember Andrew Looney and the wonderful life he shared with us, let's also remember the ULTIMATE Sacrifice that was made as Jesus gave his life for all of us! We all sin and without Him, we fall short! All of us! But God loved us and sent His Son so that we may be saved! Thank goodness for that! And Thank you Andrew Looney for your sacrifice! You are my hero and will always be loved and remembered! God bless you and your family and God bless America!

A Lovely Weekend

2010-06-27T13:32:00.000-07:00

After a few weeks of being sick, breaking toes, and dealing with other things, it was nice to just have a good weekend with nothing breaking or falling apart!! We spent Friday night just relaxing! Saturday, we got to sleep in before getting ready and going to Tulsa with Bri! David dropped us off at Liberty Church for our friends, Kayla and Adam Zachary's wedding! Kayla and I met at Liberty when we were babies and my family went to church there until I was 8 and we moved to Georgia. So, it was cool to go back to the church I grew up in after 15 years! It was great having Mom there to help me with names and faces! Kayla was breathtaking and the happiest most giddy bride I've ever seen! I cried throughout the ceremony, but that's normal! Haha! The reception was gorgeous too and it was wonderful to catch up with old friends and see everyone! Bri, Kayla, Lindsay and I were all on the same floor of WMU our freshman year and we suited together in Taylor our sophomore year! In the last year, Kayla, Lindsay and I have had our weddings and at each wedding, we take our Suitey picture! Lindsay was in Texas being a bridesmaid in another friend's wedding, so she wasn't able to be there, but Adam stepped in and took her place in our Suite picture!

Kayla's Wedding in June

Lindsay's Wedding in May

Our Wedding in August

We went to Owasso and spent some time hanging out with my family before going back to Tulsa to the mall. We dropped off my wedding ring to FINALLY get it soldered and then hit up the Semi Annual Sale at Victoria's Secret and getting rose salve and wall scents from Bath and Body! It was a ton of fun and I had a blast getting to spend the day with Bri! Today, I cleaned up the apartment and David had work. Esther and Caleb, David's sister and brother-in-law were out at Lake Carl Blackwell for their Army Family Day with his unit and were able to stop by and see our apartment and hang out for a little while! It was nice to have them here and we had a good time just talking and playing with Gabriel while Gideon ate and slept! A new week has started and after the last 2 weeks, I'm determined to make this one a successful one! Ready for the 4th of July!! Woo Hoo!!!

A Rough Day...

2010-06-24T11:44:00.000-07:00

I woke up from a terrible nightmare to a phone call. My Mom was quieter than normal when she asked if I knew Andrew Looney. Specialist Looney, who graduated from high school with me, was killed Tuesday from a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. He was 22 years old. Today has just been rough. Having known someone who gave their life and then preparing to send my husband over there in a few short weeks is just overwhelming. I can't even imagine what Andrew's family is going through at this moment. But, I lift them up in my thoughts and prayers and ask that anyone reading this does the same. God bless you Andrew Looney and thank you so much for the sacrifice you have made for this country!

An Entertaining Welcome Home Weekend!!

2010-06-21T22:58:00.000-07:00

David finished his HazMat class this Friday, so Taco, Belle, and I left for our "home" on Thursday afternoon to get some things done before David met up with us and we began the weekend festivities with our families! We went and picked up our wedding album and it is GORGEOUS!!! I couldn't be more excited with it! As we walked in the door of my parent's house, we were hit with instant chaos! Taco and Belle were all excited and I was struggling to get them in the door with my hands full, Mom was getting ready for us to go get food and decorations with David's Mom and then we noticed Goldie, our family Golden Retriever's tail was bleeding. Mom called Dad and I went to help Alex, my little brother, unload the dog's kennel from my car. He was banging on the back door and we couldn't get it opened. Come to find out he had broken the handle on the way out and he had to walk all the way around the house to bring in the kennel. Mom was trying to get ahold of the vet and then David's Mom showed up... all this happened within about 5 minutes. It was CRAZY!!! Liz, David's Mom (Lovingly referred to as Mo- which I like to think stands for Mother Other for my other mother :D ) and I went ahead to Wal Mart to get the food while Mom dropped Goldie off at the vet. Then we got a call that Goldie had flees, so Mom and Dad went ahead and bought Taco and Belle some medicine. We all met up at Hobby Lobby and finished the shopping before going back home. I spent the rest of the evening with my family watching Glee, So You Think You Can Dance, and the Real Housewives of New York City reunion show while eating chicken and rice! It was a wonderful day!

FRIDAY!! I went to eat lunch with my dear friend, Meagan Monroe! David got into town from his class and met us at Panera! We spent the afternoon just hanging out and then got ready to eat dinner with my family in celebration for Father's Day. As some of you know, just a little background, when David came home for R&R from Iraq, that evening, my Mom went in to cardiac arrest and was sent to Bailey Medical and then life flighted to another hospital and spent about a week in ICU. We joked later that we really just didn't want David to have to deal with the attention of being home. He doesn't like to be in the spotlight AT ALL! Well, before dinner, Tristen let her little Lucy out to go to the bathroom and Lucy BOLTED. I yelled for Tristen to go get her and lunged from the bar stool I was sitting on to grab Taco and keep him from going outside too. I took one step and nailed my left foot into my parent's end table. I dropped to the ground and started laughing and crying, I couldn't figure out which I wanted to do more. My family laughed,... my tripping and falling is no new thing to them, I'm a clumsy girl. But, when I tried to stand up, I couldn't. I looked at my left foot and said,."That doesn't look right,... right?" Sure enough,.. my two feet looked pretty different and my Dad and David carried me to the van and rushed me to the emergency room with the rest of my family following behind.

They were both cracking jokes the whole way to Bailey Medical and when we got their, they grabbed a wheel chair and checked me in. So, I iced my foot and waited while David and Daddy kept making fun of me for what had happened!

They called me in and put me in a room for x-rays and an hour later, discovered I had indeed broken my fourth toe. My foot looked like Spock's "Live Long and Prosper"! When they told me I had broken my toe, I was ok at first and then it settled in. David had his party the next day, he had JUST gotten back and has 2 weeks until he officially starts training for the deployment.. I have to be on crutches for 3 weeks... the timing just stunk along with the fact that I had been out sick all week with a sinus infection and an inner ear infection. They wrapped up my foot in a post-op boot and told me how to care for my broken bone and then sent me home with my own pair of crutches. Yippee! Thankfully, we were already planning to stay at David's parents 1-story house rather than upstairs in my old room at my parent's house. We went home, had our lasagna dinner and watched Star Trek, in honor of my foot. :(

After dinner, we went to David's parents house and clonked out, we were so exhausted! David got up and changed the oil in our cars while I tried to get around, making cupcakes and preparing for the party that afternoon. I was really sore and couldn't do much, although I could put some weight on my foot. Mo helped a lot with the preparations and David, his Dad (Do) and his brother, Ben helped set up the tent, tables, and chairs in the front yard! I finished my patriotic cupcakes and then took a nap before really getting ready for the party!

My family came over and helped finish decorating before the party started.

Tristen hanging the decorations in the tent.

And I was under strict orders to rest and ice my foot before the party started...

People started showing up and the party was underway! It was a gorgeous afternoon/evening with a light breeze and the tent was perfectly placed in the shade! There weren't any mosquito issues or anything, just a nice relaxing cookout with friends and family! My sister-in-laws, Aimee and Esther are both Army Wives as well and all three of us went through the last deployment together. During the party, they had a presentation and gave me a dozen gorgeous roses, the Army Wife Flower, and a beautiful Army Wife Poem that was framed.

Do read the poem out loud for everyone, since none of us would have been able to read it without crying.

The party continued on and after being on my foot for almost the entire day, I was glad to be off of it and just crash! It started to bruise pretty bad too.

We went to IHOP for breakfast the next morning to celebrate Father's Day with my family! It was a nice breakfast and it was good to spend some time with my Daddy. I am so thankful and blessed to have him and treasure the relationship we have! We went to church after breakfast and because I had been on my foot too much the day before, I had to be on my crutches all Sunday. :( Mo and Do made a presentation in their Sunday School class about their mission trip to Cambodia and it was wonderful to be there to listen to the experiences that God has allowed them to take part of. It really makes you think about what things you have that you can live without so that others can live with. The worship service was wonderful as well. It was as if God had this message just for David and I and what we're going through right now! Through the service, I got to thinking about things and the past year or so. We've gone through a lot, but on a personal level, I have acted at times in ways that I know re inappropriate and I felt convicted during the service to right those wrongs. I'm still needing to address things, but I feel like a self inflicting burden has been lifted from my shoulders.

Lunch with David's family was great and we were able to spend the afternoon with both of our families and have some time with Ben and Aimee before they leave for New York! It was definitely a crazy weekend, but it was a wonderful weekend! I feel like the past two weeks, I've tried more than anything to be independent and to just make it through my day-to-day life without anyone else's help. This weekend, with David being home for about 2 more weeks, I feel like God showed me I can't be completely independent. I am always dependent on HIM and I need to stop pretending that I am in control when I know He always is! That, and no matter how far away David may be or how long he is gone, I will always be dependent on him. Being off my foot and having to let others help me and do things for me this weekend has been a humbling experience and I'm sure I will continue to learn and be humbled over the next few weeks, but I am so thankful for life lessons and for the ways that God shows us that He is still in control.

Keep Moving Forward!

2010-06-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

David was able to come home this weekend and we had a great time just relaxing at home and enjoying the little things in everyday life! :) Taco and Belle were so excited to see him and last night I made a Lemon Chicken Tarragon with rice and veggies along with some cookies for dessert and he had 3-4 helpings! I've never had him eat that much in one sitting, so that was a good thing! He went back to AR this morning for his HazMat class and I went to Lexington (Oklahoma, not Kentucky) for the FRG meeting! It's amazing how things can change drastically in such a short time. A month ago as I was driving to our first meeting, it had just hit me what was getting ready to happen and the fact of the deployment had started to sink in. I can't even describe the array of emotions that ran through me. Everything from anger to fear to just not wanting to be in this situation again. A lot has happened in the past month to prepare both of us for what's about to take place and all of it, as well as situations not directly correlated to the deployment, has helped us to accept what is going to happen.

I think it's so easy when given a difficult situation to doubt and have concern about what's going to happen. We don't know why things happen or why people have to go through certain situations or why outcomes are they way they are. But, we are all faced with challenges in our own lives. For me, my challenge is directly associated with who I am! I am an Army wife! My husband is an American Soldier and I am BEYOND proud for the things he does and the sacrifices he makes. We did not ask or volunteer to be going through what we are. But, the fact is that we are going through this and no amount of sadness or anger or frustration will change that! This is the life that I live and I chose to do so when I said "Yes!" to the man that I love. So, I can choose to make this experience a positive one and to benefit and learn from it, or I can be upset and sad about being away from my best friend for about a year and a half. Of course, I'm not happy about him being gone, but it is my job and duty to ensure that my soldier is encouraged and prepared to take on his mission, do so safely, and return home! I know it's not the best of situations, but it's what we have and I want to make the most of every day I have, both with my soldier and without him! I came home tonight and after multiple encouraging calls from family and friends, I watched Meet the Robertson's! I may choose to be happy about things, but it doesn't mean I'm not emotional! If you know anything about me, you know that emotion is my middle name... (figuratively speaking) so as this movie came to an end, of course I was crying! But the movie ended with this wonderful quote that I wanted to share!

“Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things… and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”
–Walt Disney

Have a wonderful week everyone!

David's Coming Home!!!

2010-06-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

Last night, I had the pleasure of going to my friend Leslie's house for dinner! She made pasta and tilapia and it was delicious! While dinner cooked, we watched the first episode of Glee! (Oh my gosh, if you haven't seen it yet, you're missing out!! It's amazing) and we watched So You Think You Can Dance! It was nice after a long week to just have some girl time! Well, David texted me and told me he was going to be coming back to Stillwater for the weekend! He had his 2nd test today in his class and then he didn't have anything to do until Monday morning at 7:30, so he's coming home!!!! Granted, he got stuck in Little Rock's rush hour traffic and went 12 miles in one hour... but EVENTUALLY he'll get here! I'm so excited! It's only been a few days, but when your man is gone, you miss him! It doesn't matter how long he's been away! So, I'm off to bake my Daddy's famous chocolate peanut butter oatmeal cookies for dessert and I already have spaghetti and meatballs made and ready for him to eat when he walks in the door! I'm so excited and thankful for this weekend and the extra time I get to spend with my Hubby!

Psychology- DONE! Now on to the rest of Summer School...

2010-06-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

So, after what seemed like days and days of checking the computer for my psychology grade, I finally received it! I made an A in my psychology class and have a 4.0 for my May session!!! I am so unbelievably excited! I worked hard for that A and finally feel like I know what it takes to be the student that I can be. I've been taking my geology, lab, and college algebra classes this week and it's been rough, but that A was the encouragement I needed to strive even higher for the next several weeks and continue to attain a 4.0 GPA every semester! :) David also had Part 1 of his first test in his HazMAT training and he got a 44/50 on that! I'm so proud of him! His Part 2 is on Friday and they have 2 whole tests next week as well before he finishes the class and gets to come home.

I received my first email from the FRG (Family Readiness Group) yesterday and our first official meeting will be this Sunday. I know I'm young to be an Army wife and I'm definitely the youngest of all the wives in the FRG, but I am so thankful and blessed to be able to have a strong group of women who will be going through near the same experience as David and I over this next year. I'm anxious to get involved and to get to know these women! I think it will be a blessing to play an active role in the FRG! So, that's coming up along with David's party! I've never planned a party before,... so I'm a little concerned. I have all the invitations sent out and now I guess we just have to work on the decorations and food. Any fun patriotic ideas for a cookout party? Let me know if you have them!

Things are getting a little easier with David being gone. I cannot believe how close this deployment is. Less than 3 weeks now until he starts his training and is mobilized. I know that we are going through this for a reason and God is in complete control! I pray for this next year and that David and I will grow as individuals in the Lord as well as in our marriage! I have no doubts that this next year will strengthen us more than anything! It's amazing to look back at our relationship and see how God has used David's basic training and AIT and his first deployment to prepare us mentally, emotionally and spiritually for what we are about to face! I am so thankful for the strong support system of family and friends that I have for they're the ones that have kept me positive over the past few months! Thank you all so much and enjoy this crazy gorgeous weather we're having! :)

Rough Start to the Week

2010-06-07T20:53:00.000-07:00

Last night was the first night of David being gone for his HasMat training. And let me just say, it was one ROUGH night!Taco had a boy issue that was very disturbing for me, I'm so not ready for him to grow up! We finally went to sleep at around 4 AM, I just couldn't sleep for the life of me and Cosby was extremely entertaining! At 4:30, we heard this huge BAM BAM BAM!!!! Taco woke up and started barking and I was shaking, it sounded like someone was trying to break in! I didn't figure out until I was about to leave this morning that our closet door in our guest bedroom had fallen over. Goodness! So, we finally went back to sleep and wouldn't you know it, at 6:00 a huge storm came through and I was awake until around the time I had to get up for class!

So, today was David's first day of his class and it was also my first day of my geology and college algebra classes! Boy was it exhausting! I've got a lot of work to do in the next 8 weeks to ensure that I pull off a 4.0 for both terms this summer. That is my academic goal from now on, to achieve nothing less than the very best and finish every semester with a 4.0 until I graduate! It's attainable and I shouldn't expect any less than my best from myself! So, here's to the next two months of summer class and the next two weeks of David's class! I hope both are exciting, successful, and go by real quick!

What A Weekend!!!

2010-06-06T10:06:00.000-07:00

WOW has it been a busy past couple of days! Life has just been a roller coaster lately! I had my psychology final on Friday! We got our study guide on Wednesday night and when I got to class Thursday, my professor didn't show up and we had 3 chapters we were supposed to be lectured on! I spent all of Thursday studying for psych, writing extra credit papers, doing my study guide and then trying to do laundry, cook and get the house ready for my in-laws. So, by the time class came Friday morning, I was super nervous! Up until Thursday evening, I thought I would be able to pull off an A in the course! Well! My professor was there Friday and the review was wonderful as well as the final! I feel like I gave it my all for that class and we'll see in a few days, but I'm pretty sure I've got an A headin' my way!!!

So, after class, I came home, did some cleaning, did some grocery shopping and took a nap until we got a call from Mo and Do (David's parents) that they were on their way! David and I were able to make my Grandmother's recipe of Blueberry Ice Box Pie together! He did a fabulous job making the crust! :) I am so proud! When his parents got here, his Mom called me, giving me fair warning that they had brought David's birthday present with them. For as long as he can remember, David has DREAMED of having a GIANT Pooh Bear!! Mo and Do recently returned from their mission trip to Cambodia and they found the Pooh Bear David had wanted for years!! So, we now have the largest Pooh Bear EVER sitting on top of David's desk next to my heffalump. We're definitely going to have to have a Winnie the Pooh nursery now... only for when we have a boy though. When we have a little girl, I want to deck her room out in PINK!!!! :D We enjoyed chatting with Mo and Do, had some nice dinner at Red Lobster (YUM!) and then on the way home, Do stopped by WalMart and bought us Madagascar (David had never seen it) and we watched that and ate dessert! Before we went to bed, Mo and Do were able to show us their slide show of Cambodia and tell us all about their trip this past month! I am so blessed to have such wonderful and God-loving in-laws! We had a delicious breakfast casserole the next morning, followed by some one-on-one time with me and Mo while David and Do went to get coffee! It was lovely to just have a nice sit down chat and to be able to discuss the near future with the deployment and everything.
Mo and Do had to leave to go to our cousin's wedding in Texas, and so David and I spent the rest of our Saturday just enjoying one another's company! We decided to make homemade pizza and invited our friends Leslie and Adam over for dinner and a movie! We love having couple friends that we can spend time with! The pizza was delicious and the movie, The Tooth Fairy, was absolutely amazing!!! I would love to own it someday! After they left, David and I finished packing and preparing for his class he has over the next two weeks. He left this morning and so starts this road to deployment. This next two weeks will be a good tester for us to prepare us for this next year! I start my summer classes tomorrow in College Algebra, Geology with a lab and am even thinking about adding an internet course in Government. We'll see! So, class coupled with fulfilling duties of my office in Kappa Kappa Psi and getting David's going away party planned will definitely keep me busy and keep my mind off of him being gone! It'll be a good two weeks! Hope you all have had just as wonderful of a weekend! God bless!

Happy Memorial Day!!

2010-05-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

On this day in history that honors the men and women who have served our county and continue to serve our country to ensure our freedom and safety, I thought what better topic than to write on these brave soldiers who so rarely are given the respect and credit they are due! I am blessed to be in a military family! My husband of almost 10 months has been home for a little less than a year since his 12 month tour in Iraq and is getting ready to leave in the next few weeks for his next 12 month tour in Afghanistan. His brother, Ben, is a Captain in the Army and has also been deployed for a 15 month tour in Iraq. He is currently being moved with his wife, Aimee, my absolutely amazing sister-in-law to Fort Drum in New York. My other brother-in-law, Caleb, has also been home for a little less than a year. He was on the same tour to Iraq as my husband.

There are many soldiers who are currently deployed to other countries. There are also the soldiers who serve daily in active duty at the multiple posts and stations across the country and across the world. But along with the soldiers come the families. The Moms and Dads, the grandparents, the husbands and wives, the children... they all serve, each and every one of them. I'm not saying this because of my role by any means. If anything, being a military wife has shown me how much work goes on behind the scenes on the home front and how much the families sacrifice in order for the soldiers to complete their missions. So, thank you to the men and women who serve our country, and to the families that support them! God bless you all and everyone have a wonderful Memorial Day!!

Midnight Talks and Broken Washers..

2010-05-29T11:42:00.000-07:00

David and I had a fun night at home last night! He just traded in his Wii and Xbox 360 for a PS3! He was so excited about using the Blu Ray player that it has, so last night, we watched The Blind Side and Couple's Retreat on Blu Ray. The Blind Side was absolutely amazing and Couple's Retreat was pretty funny! David and I picked the couple we are most like, or are most likely to be like in the future! :) It was fun! There was this weird dripping noise in the utility room and we weren't sure what was going on, but checked it out and there was no leaking anywhere. So, we just went to bed.

At around 4 this morning, Dave woke up and needed to talk about the upcoming deployment. We're just not sure how to really feel about the deployment and how to emotionally and mentally approach it. I don't think there's really a way to TRULY prepare for a deployment, even having been through one already. Every tour is different and has different challenges and obstacles. We are both in a completely different stage of our lives than 2 years ago when he was getting ready to leave for Iraq. Regardless, I am beyond proud of my Soldier and the service he gives to this country! It's never going to be easy, but we are a military family and this is how things go. We can get through this next year and a half and we will be stronger for it!

So, we eventually got everything talked out and we felt much better about things. We still have a lot to do to get ready, but it'll get there. David got up to get ready for work and noticed that the closet smelled funny, and the closet is backed up to the washer... uh oh! So, we called our landlord and they were sending maintenance over. I walked into the closet to put something away, and realized the carpet was soaking wet! We called the landlord back and they're working on what we need to do to take care of all of this. We had a couple move in above us yesterday, so we're wondering if that has anything to do with it. So, we'll see how it goes! The dryer broke a few weeks ago. My AC in my car started to fail. And now all of this with the washer and the moldy closet... gross. I'm just glad that David is still here while all of this is going on. I can't imagine having everything around us malfunction with him being gone! So, maybe we're just getting all the breakdowns for the next year! That would be nice! Haha!! Enjoy your long weekend everyone! :)