A Little R&R

Chris was able to come home for 2 weeks to visit last month.  He had been deployed for 9 months before he got his R&R.  That was not our original intention, but that is how it worked out.  The army is moving from 12 month deployments with a 2-week R&R to a 9 month deployment with no R&R.  I think that is a good thing.  When Chris left the first time, it was hard of course.  But this second time was absolutely killer.  Mostly for my daughter.  She is still struggling from the aftermath (3 weeks since he left I think).  She thought he was back for good I suppose.  We tried to explain it to her, but she's only two!  Plus, this time she knew he would be gone for a long time (because we told her) so she was terribly upset.  She is experiencing these big (as in BIG) emotions, but is not able to maturely process them and gain closure.  Of course, children are resilient and I don't believe she will be affected long-term, but it's hard right now.  


But, we did have fun while he was here!  Chris....

was greeted with fun signs...

was able to (finally) meet his son...

celebrated Autumn's 2nd birthday...

snuggled with his dog... 

and his babies...

celebrated Easter...

and spent time with his wifey!

We also took at a trip to visit his parents in WV, but didn't get a picture of them!  We went to the Gatlinburg Aquarium, but didn't get any pictures there either.  I think taking pictures everywhere you go is really hard to do!  I'm always too busy wrangling a child or two ;)

Overall, we were most certainly blessed by his visit and if the aftermath has been *ahem* challenging, it just emphasizes how much we love and need our husband/daddy around.

In other news, my baby boy is sick.  He has a double ear infection.  Currently, he is on his second round of antibiotics and getting worse.  Yes, worse.  He was on amoxicillian and is now taking Omnicef.  We're going on two weeks now.  Guess we'll go back to the doctor again tomorrow.  Poor little baby! He's only 5 months old.  Breaks my heart.  He cries and cries and won't go to sleep very easily and wants to be held all the time, which is making Autumn insecure and clingy.  I feel bad for both of them.  None of us are getting enough sleep!  We leave for Germany in 5 weeks so I really hope everyone is well and happy by then or that is going to be one miserable plane ride.   

Anyway, here's a pic of my cuties:

LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM SO MUCH!

BC Days 4 & 5

I am smashing days together now because I fear I am already slacking on this 30 day blog challenge. 

Day 4: Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

Well, of course, I don't have just one best friend.  And, of course, my husband is my ultimate best friend.  But since I already have 4 besties, I am going to leave him out this time.  But my official stance is that Hubby is the BEST best friend I could ever ask for. 

 Ok, onto my besties (who will be listed alphabetically by their 1st names which you don't know) :)

Teacher Bestie:

This is my most favorite picture of Teacher Bestie...so far.  I am planning on being BFF's with her, well, for forever so a different picture might surpass it later.  It is actually tied for 1st with another picture of us where we are holding our babies, but 4's a crowd.  Anyway, in this picture we are on a train in Europe.  Every time we took a train ride (and we took a lot!) we always tried to sit next to each other.  Like, we would actually scheme how to do it without hurting anyone else's feelings. Some of the best (and hardest) years of my life have been spent with this girl and I MISS her SO much!

Red Bestie and Fancy Bestie:

These girls have been my best friends since 2001!  But, actually, if feels like we've been sisters all our life.  They are AWESOME.  This picture was obviously taken on my wedding day (February 2008).  It is in a series of pictures I took with them and I love all of them so much.  It was so hard to decide which one to pick.  I love this picture for so many reasons.  I know you don't know them, but this picture emulates them so so well.  Fancy is actually fancy, which is why I call her that.  You can guess which one she is now that I've told you she is fancy, right?  And Red does have red hair in this picture which I know you can't see.  I tried to revert the picture back to color, but Snapfish keeps giving me an error message. Anyway, her short funky 'do is totally her personality and she is always changing her hair!  I also love this picture because I'm all glammed up :)  (I mean, I am a girl after all albeit a low maintenance one!) If I have "rocks" in my life, these girls definitely qualify! 
 
Mama Bestie:
   

 
Yep, my mom's my best friend.  I'm lucky, I know :)  I hope one day my Baby Girl will say the same thing about me!  This picture was taken in California a couple of years ago.  My mom is my biggest fan and I have never ever doubted she loves me and would do anything to help me.  She is also one the funniest people I know (her and Teacher Bestie both love an audience for telling hilarious stories)! Oh my gosh, that woman can get me giggling in no time flat!  Sometimes, we make fun of my dad (to his face-I promise we just tease him, we aren't actually being mean!) and I just cannot get a hold of myself.  I am laughing right now just thinking about it!  I love her!  
 
 
Blog Challenge Day 5: A photo of yourself two years ago.
 

 
I cheated because it's my blog and I can do that!  In this picture, you not only see an old photo of me, you can see a picture of my ultimate Best Friend...my husband!  He is perfect...for me that is :)  He is everything I'm not-patient, self-sacrificing, unafraid, and emotionally calm.  If my best friends are my rocks, then he is my boulder.  LOVE HIM!!! 

Blog Challenge found at: http://ciaobellablog13.blogspot.com/2010/11/30-days.html 

Smile!

I am doing pretty good today. I suppose that my emotional state will ebb & flow as long as I have all these pregnancy hormones swishing around inside of me!

I got through the first weekend without hubby without too much damage to my heart.

AND, hubby found a place for us to live! It is going to stretch our budget a bit, but not throw us into debt or anything...we are just going to get creative :)  It's a 3-BR house with a back yard in a good neighborhood, close to Walmart, and close to Mexican food.  Give me Walmart, give me Mexican & I'm pretty happy.  I can't wait to see it in person! Hubby has sent me pictures & I think it looks perfect for us & the babies!

AND, I have plans every single weekend till Baby Girl comes! Yay!

I hope hubby is doing ok without us.  At least by tomorrow, he will be out of the hotel.  Hopefully, time will go by fast for both of us.  I miss him so much!  I can picture him in the doorway or sitting on the couch with me.  Today I even pictured him at the Dr. with me!  I hope I don't sound too crazy...:)

So, SMILE because life is ok, but God is great!

Gone

Gone. My love is gone.  Truth be told yesterday was way worse than today.  I did really good yesterday at lunch & loading up the car.  Then before dinner, I went to snuggle with my baby cat who also went with my love & I told him (the cat) that it wasn't forever & I. Lost. It.  The tears absolutely would not stop for a long time.  Hubby went outside to pick up doggie dung & I sat on the porch and just cried and cried and cried.  Then when I sort of stopped, we went to eat at the Herd Cafe-one last Marshall meal :)  I wasn't bawling or anything, just consistent leakage.  Poor hubby-I don't know how he puts up with me. When your pregnant, everything just seems so much harder than normal. Finally, when we laid down to go to bed, I stopped.  I gave him a Benadryl so he would get some sleep before his 16-hour drive today. 
I woke up at 3:30 to give our kitty a sedative...which bless his heart made him woozy snoozy.  He couldn't walk in a straight line!  If I didn't feel so bad for him, I would have taken pictures.  But I just couldn't make fun of the poor guy.  His second set of eyelids came up & he really looked drunk or something.  I still feel bad for him!  He's my baby!  But, truth be told, we did have a good laugh ;-)
Then we woke up for real around 4am & did last minute stuff (snuggle with our babies one last time...me with Phoenix, Hubby with Bella) & then he left a bit before 5.  I, of course, called him at 5:15 to check on him & Phoenix & then I called him again when I went back to sleep around 6ish, & again at 8:30 when I woke up & again at 10 when I woke up again.  And I've talked to him pretty consistently since then.  At least every hour or so. So, the hardest part is over for me.  Now, hubby's hard part is going to be the drive (as I type this 8 hours later he is only halfway there!) & finding us an apartment.  And, the hardest is yet to come after the birth of our daughter when we must separate once again.  But, for today, I am ok :) And so is hubby :)

On another note, my sis is coming to visit me today with a friend & 2 dogs! They drove all the way from Colorado to visit East Coast family and such.  I am glad Bella will have some friends tonight because she is acting so weird.  She keeps whining.  Hubby normally works all day so either she just knows something is wrong or she misses the cat...??  Poor girl-I will never provide the fun & excitement that hubby does.  He gets on the floor with her & rolls around & plays tug-of-war with her.  I try, but I am kind of allergic to her & she is way stronger than me, so tug-of-war is no fun.  She's a sweet dog.  I tried to take her on a walk, but it was sprinkling so we pretty much just walked to the end of the block and back.  Another thing hubby would do is take her for a walk in the rain.  I wish she wasn't stuck with me, but I would be way more lonely without her. 

I am still trying to compile my Top 10 list for Huntington, so suggestions are still welcome :)  

ba-zillion and ba-zillon details in my head

wow. who would have thought that getting pregnant, moving your husband across the country 3 weeks before you have a baby, & then moving yourself & that baby 2 weeks after she is born would be so stressful? :)

yes, I stay stressed. You know that feeling when you have too much to do in too little time? I have that feeling 24/7. THIS is very unusual for me. I am quite skilled at escaping reality most of the time. Not getting things done is kinda my thing...I just always figured life was worth more than worrying about everything & anything. But, I'm quickly realizing to seize responsibility or my life will be a wreck come April.

My husband leaves town for Oklahoma the end of March. When he leaves, he is taking just about everything we own with him. I will have a TV, a couch, a pot, a pan, the dog, & that's about it. Maybe I'll get to keep the microwave too...we'll have to see about that one. Baby Girl will hopefully be born on April 16th & Hubby will get a 4-day leave April 15-18th. I will stay in Hton for 2 weeks & then I'm off to Oklahoma myself. That's enough to stress anyone out right? Well, add working full-time, figuring out the best travel system, the best high chair, the best baby moniter, etc, spending time with everyone we love in a 300 mile radius, Hubby trying to write a Master's thesis, & having a big fat heavy belly making my back hurt & waking me up with heart burn 3 nights a week or so. OK, I'll stop. :)

But you see my point. I stay stressed. In church this morning there was that song that I love by Matt Redman that came from the book of Job. There is a part that goes "You give & take away, my heart will choose to say 'Blessed be the name of the Lord' ". So I feel like God is about to take all this stuff I love away. Stuff like family, stuff like my awesome amazing Bible study that I could not have stayed true to the Lord without, stuff like our wonderful apartment, & my great job. He gave it all to me & now He's going to take it away. So I have to CHOOSE to continue to praise Him & to say "Blessed be the name of the Lord". I want to. Not sure that I can, but I do want to. Of course, what God takes away I hope He will replace. Like, I am going to have a daughter. A beautiful daughter. Hubby & I are finally financially stable (thank you U.S. Army!). My husband is not being deployed...not yet at least. But for now, he's mine & he is staying with me. I may be leaving people I love, but I will still be loved. That is certainly a blessing.

So God is good in times of plenty & times of want. In times of sunshine & in times of pain. I won't act like I want to go to Oklahoma because I don't. But I do have hope that God will go with me. He will meet my needs & He will provide abundantly as He always has if I let Him. & I AM going to try to let Him :)

My Soldier!

My honey is now an official soldier! I am so proud of him!!

What a cutie!

A Letter

I got a letter from my honey! It was so lovely to receive. I got it yesterday & I've read it mostly all day... :)

It was a single solitary letter but oh so special.
yay for hand-written notes of love.

Just Another Manic Monday

wow, monday again. they just keep on coming...

worked again-busy day. on my way to work, i saw a cute little bunny. so sweet. you can try to see it in the picture below, but it's pretty itty bitty.

after work i went to kroger & there was this guy in a white t-shirt that looked a little bit like my honey, but nowhere near as hot.

at kroger i bought some stuff for strawberry shortcake for a bridal shower i'm going to tomorrow night & some new dog toys!! yay for dog toys!

the hedgehog on the right is bella's favorite. we can say "go get your hedgehog" & she actually will!! she's so smart. she's already destroyed 2 of them.
watched 2 more episodes of army wives, ate leftovers & was also super productive according to meg standards. not only did i empty 3 of our garbage cans, i vacuumed & then proceeded to rinse out the filter. oh yes, i am so learning how to clean :)

bella is still pacing waiting for hubby to get home. i just do not satisfy. she keeps looking out the window :) poor girl.

then dawnage called me. here's my favorite pic of her:

& here's a better one:

:)

Dawnage is so great. i miss her.

my baby just called. hey baby :) today is the last day he will have use of his cell phone. so sad, but so true.

went outside with bella to try to wear her butt out. a very hard task indeed. aunt betty gave her more treats & informed me that tomorrow is her birthday so i suppose i need to think of a treat to give her...

came back inside. called sweet linda & talked to her while i did dishes (more productiveness points!) & then i noticed a pile of wet soggy aparagus on the floor. i almost took a picture but didn't so really, you ought to feel lucky. upon observation (lucky for bella i observed before i yelled) i discovered it was not asparagus but grass. still gross. it's still lying there...

no, i'm kidding! i promise i cleaned it up :)

next up...books!!! i've been productive enough for some reading time, right? here are my lovely books. dont tell ashley, but pendragon is way better :)

love you baby. wish you were here so i could tell you about my books cuz they are way cool.

by the way, i'm so tired of kate plus eight or whatever that i could practically vomit at the checkout line. are we really so pathetic that we must obsess over their lives? if people are so interested in infidelity they ought to look around because it's happening everywhere.

for Hubby

SO, Hubby left today. it was bright & early this morning & in my sleepy state, i told him that i would keep my blog updated...prolly not daily, but that's a nice goal to shoot for. he wants to stay involved. i missed him quite a lot today.

here goes

post airport, i drove to work crying (just a bit honey, i wasn't being a hazardous driver, i promise!). nothing much happened at work, pretty slow day. i came home on my lunch break to find destruction in my home, courtesy of bella. see below:





so i yelled at her. then i forgave her. then i went back to work. it was during this time that i especially missed hubby as i dont do as well as him with destruction of our home.

after work, i came home, checked my email & read a bit of a book called "Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife". i also drank a cherry coke (thanks babe).



then bella & i went outside to play chase while i picked up her piles of excrement. again, missing hubby as picking up waste typically falls under his realm of duties. next, we went on an uneventful, but very hot walk.



came home, made dinner "fettucine with vegetables & proscuitto". see below:




again, missed hubby because i wanted to show him that the word proscuitto does in fact exist. the man at wal-mart said he'd never heard of it before! can you believe it?? come on people. well, dinner was alright-i give it a 7. i wanted to ask hubby if he thought that the asparagus was rotten, but of course he wasn't there & of course i used it anyway & of course it was gross & so of course i had to hand-pick out every single piece.


now, i'm watching season one, episode two of army wives. interesting...very interesting...& prolly not at all realistic.
once again, missing hubby.


aw man, bella wants to play again. that's hubby's job :)
play we did. back outside to play chase some more (the more worn out she is, the better quality of sleep i get) & to talk to "aunt betty". whilst talking to aunt betty, i was gifted two mosquito bites. & i'm pretty sure bella got one too.

henceforth, the rest of this post will be pure speculation.
so after playing with bella outside, i brushed my teeth, climbed into bed with another book "Pendragon: Book 1" (because as much as i love darcy & elizabeth, i can only take so much-you did notice whilst & henceforth, right?) & finally fell asleep lonely.


miss you baby

i miss hubby

oh yeah, missing that man alright.

i actually wasn't missing him until he texted me last night saying he wasn't coming home today after all. now, all of a sudden, i'm lonely. at least i have my kitty kat man here with me. apparantly, georgia has been experincing bad weather so they couldn't get their 5th jump in as planned. no airborne graduation without 5 jumps. sad.

i am expecting him home on sunday. i'm not holding my breath.
but, thankfully, he has no broken bones so far. he doesn't love jumping out of airplanes, but it's gotta be better than waiting tables...

i had wonderful intentions of scrapbooking or something while he was gone, but of course i've done nothing but read. really, to meet me you wouldn't think i was such a dork! at least i hope not. i just can't help myself. i fall into books and i cant get back out.

at work today, dr. rushton showed me like 30 pictures of very pregnant bellies that he photographed and displayed at java joint coffee shop. i mean big ole bellies! (the women were covered up except for their bellies...they were very appropriate on that score). all i got to say is brave souls abound.

ok, now i'm just babbling.
just wanted everyone to know that i miss hubby.

1/2 marathon

Did anyone know that Hubby could run? Cuz I didn't know that! Apparantly, the boy's got some stamina. At least 13 miles worth. I, on the other hand, got out of breath just watching him. I am proud of him. He finished in 1 hour, 50 minutes. Good job, Hubby.

Here's a pic of my hunk all sweaty and about to drop.

and a few more...

with his mama and papa

We miss you Ben!!

And, I just had to include this picture of Phoenix...it is laugh out loud hilarious!

If that picture does not make you love him, you are hopeless ;)

you know school is really bad when...

when you go to your old blog that you haven't written on for a year & start writing.

i am trying to compose an annotated bibliography for one class and a topic proposal for another & i have about one hour till i have to leave the library.
so why am i blogging?
confident? not so much...
foolish? getting closer...
apathetic? home run.

i'm tired, this is hard, and i dont like thinking.

i have been considering about picking this blog back up anyway. i know very few people read it, but it's kinda fun to write about life.
not that i have much to update anyone one.
i'm married now & that's cool. my cat is on a diet (i hate to say good-bye to that perfect round belly of his, but health is more important than vanity so i hear). yeah, that's about it.

happy november

wow! i remember how to type

forgetting how to type was an awful experience. truly sorry for the delay in postings, but i couldn't expect to dictate my blog to a transcriptionist, could i?!? but now that my typing memory has been restored, all is well.



i guess i could do a top 5 of my events in my life lately since i happen to love top anything lists. i've also been into rating things. i give my hair today a 1 & my pajamas a 9.



5.) Being a oncology unit clerk. i was just thinking recently that since i like it so much, what's the point in going back to get my masters in english? it sounds like i'm kidding, but i'm not! i love being a secretary! gosh, i'm a dork.



4.) Knowing that I still miss Slovakia so much some days it hurts. It's sounds like a not-so-fun one & it isn't so fun, but at least I know I haven't cut that part of heart out or moved on. I still get so jealous of people who get to go back...A.K.A. people with more money than me! (well, that's just about everyone...KIDDING! :)

3.) ummm, my hair is getting really long which means soon I'll be able to chop it for 'Locks For Love'.

2.) Getting engaged on 9/13/07 rocked the house! it was great & the red hat ladies even bought our dinner.

1.) The number one event in my life as of late would have to be since i'm gettting married soon, then soon there will be no more planning a wedding! jeejj! i can't wait to not have to plan a wedding EVER AGAIN!

wow, that was great. really invigorating. i'm going to try to stay more up to date on my blogging, but we'll see. i hear old married ladies don't have all that much free time. :( sad, i love free time. my favorite subject.