6.30.2011

{Re}Adjusting

No doubt about it, homecoming was amazing. It's what comes next that proves to be a bit of a challenge. I enjoy having my husband home and not being alone 24/7, but....adjusting to changes overnight can be difficult. I went from 24/7 of me, me, me to this:



Not only did I get my husband home, I got all of his stuff too. =P And let me tell you, he has lots of stuff. As soon as we walked in the door all of his Army gear landed in the middle of my kitchen. As I told him, it looked like the Army threw up in our kitchen. Haha! Since I knew he was tired and didn't want to deal with it, I took a deep breath and dealt with the fact that all of that crap was staying in my kitchen. It's taken that same level of control to not freak out when clothes are all over the bedroom floor and dishes cover the kitchen.

Fortunately, having him home also means lots of hanging out and laughing. This takes my mind off of the "oh my gosh my house is a disaster" thoughts running through my mind. =)

Chillin' at the beach.

Joe checking out a sea turtle. =)

There are times that I think I'm going to go crazy trying to readjust to having him home. After being alone for a year, it's definitely not easy. I keep thinking that "they really weren't kidding about this reintegration stuff." It ain't easy. But it's definitely worth it. =) I'd much rather be dealing with figuring our "new normal" out with him than doing things my way all the time. 

And, like they say, nothing worth doing {or having} is ever easy. So here's to reintegration, figuring things out and being together. =)

6.29.2011

{Not} Home Alone

Today I come with homecoming photos!!!! I seriously can't believe it's been a whole week!! I also can't believe I haven't blogged for a whole week either! It's weird, but good weird. I have someone else to talk to so I guess I don't feel like I need to blog to get everything out. I hope that made sense. =P

Homecoming was a very awesome experience. I was so unbelievably anxious/nervous/excited that day. I could barely sit still! The time for the ceremony got pushed back, which was a little unfortunate considering I had already given myself things to do to keep busy before the ceremony. So basically, I finished my list of chores and wandered around the house finding things to do afterward. If someone else had been here, I bet it would have been comical. Finally I was able to get ready and head to the ceremony an hour early. I wanted to get a good seat...even though it really didn't matter in the end.

Jennifer {my photographer for the afternoon} got there before me and kept me company while I very impatiently waited for the ceremony to start. We chatted and took a couple of pictures to pass the time:

With the Blue Star Card poster.

The sign I made. =)

Right at 5:15, the doors opened and all the guys walked in!!! Everyone was screaming and clapping. And of course, I sat on the wrong side. =P I was on the left side and he was on the right side. Lucky for me I can recognize my husband's head! Haha!! They did the Star Spangled Banner, the Army song, prayed somewhere in there...and I was fully expecting a speech from someone... But, all of a sudden, he yelled: DISMISSED!!!!! People started running and all I could think was "oh my gosh, oh my gosh, I have to get to him!!!" I intended on ditching my sign and running to him, but....I kind of forgot. Let me tell you, it was pretty awkward running through 200ish people wish a sign. =P Eventually I found him...and it didn't really matter...

Best. Moment. Ever.

All of a sudden all the fear, the worry, the anxiety from the past year melted away and I realized that he's home. Safe. 

I call this "Sigh of Relief." And it's my favorite. =)

I lei'd him. Hehe. ;-)

Happiness.

This is one of my favorites.

Love.

I think it goes without saying that I'm enjoying finally having my husband home. Even with all of the, um, reintegration adjustments. =) 

I promise I'll be back with more updates soon!!

6.22.2011

361

It's been 361 days since I lived with my husband. Since we shared a bed, shared a meal, shared lives. For the last 361 days it's been all girl - all me - all the time. 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not all of those days were bad, but they were very lonely. Despite the friends I made and how I spent my days...I always had to come home to an almost-empty house. Goodness knows what I would have done without my Jasper during this deployment. {Sidenote: go check out my sweet boy at Tails to Tell today! =D}

These 361 days have taught me a lot. Mainly that I'm still the independent girl I was before I met my husband. As co-dependent as I became after we met, I suppose it's good to know. It also taught me that relying on God is the only way I'll ever be able to do anything successfully, especially something as hard as a deployment. Over the last year so many people have asked the same question, if in different ways.


How do you do it? 


I always answer with something along the lines of "I don't know," or "because I have to" or "it's not me - it's God." All of those answers are true, especially the last one. I've had a lot of ups and downs...and a lot of times where - quite honestly - I didn't want to talk to God. Most of those were during the first few months of deployment. And then they came around again when I felt like I had a good handle on things. You know, the whole "I got this" attitude. What's funny - in an ironic way - is that's always when God shows you that you really don't "got this." =)


It's been a long, hard year and I'm so happy that it's finally  over. For at least a little while, I don't have to sleep alone, eat breakfast or dinner alone, I don't have to kill bugs {!!!!!}, I don't have to take out the trash, or do any other of the "man stuff" around the house. Hanging up this sign on Sunday really made it sink in. 






He's coming home. He's really, truly coming home. For the last couple of days I've gone back and forth believing this. It doesn't feel like he's coming home. But he is. And by the time you read this, he'll be home. And for the first time in a year, I don't have to worry about him or wonder when I'll be able to talk to him next. He'll be right beside me or just in the next room. 


I want to laugh. I want to cry. Mostly, though, I just want to thank God for getting us through this and bringing my husband home safely.


P.S. Please excuse my absence for the next few days. Don't worry, I will definitely be posting homecoming photos as soon as I can tear myself away from my hubby.


P.P.S. Thanks to all of you who have been with me during this journey, and have supported and lifted me up when I needed it. Y'all are the best!!!

6.20.2011

Final Countdown

This deployment is really almost over. I swear it is. I wish it felt like it was though!! Maybe I'm too overwhelmed by all of the ups and downs of the last few days to relish in the reality that my husband is actually coming home. 


Friday night I got word that they pushed back his flights and homecoming ceremony by about 24 hours. Of course there was a glitch. Of course! Because nothing I want to do ever works out.


Oh, you want to spend Christmas with your husband? Sorry, he's coming home 2 weeks early. Oh, you want your deployment sister to take fabulous photos at your homecoming ceremony? Well, how about we just postpone his ceremony to the same day and time her parents get in. How does that sound?


Friday night and Saturday morning I hated the Army. And everyone - including my own husband - thought it'd be appropriate to say something along the lines of "what did you expect from the Army?" Not okay, people. Why? I'll tell you why. Because for once I wanted to do something nice for myself and my husband. I wanted to have more pictures of us, considering we've had zero for the last YEAR. I wanted to do something special to welcome him home. So, no, it's not okay to tell me "that's the way it is" or "things like this happen" or "that's the Army for you." {End rant}


After several phone calls on Saturday, I finally started to feel a little better. Then, Annie decided to ask our mutual friend, Jennifer, to take photos. And guess what?! She agreed!!! =D So I still get to have photos taken. Whew. Big weight off of my shoulders. The only thing I'm concerned about now is the time of the ceremony. There's another one not too long before his....and I'm worried about when I should get there, parking, seating, etc. I'm really hoping they'll get combined because it's a little ridiculous.


Today was a busy day, which is good because it left little time for me to think...or worry. =P I went to church this morning as usual...made Father's Day calls before and after church...and came home to chilll for a while. Annie came over this afternoon to help me hang up my sign, a star banner for the door and a vinyl sign for my living room. I meant to take pictures of the homecoming decorations but forgot before the sun went down. I'll try to share them tomorrow. Sadly, you can't see the vinyl sign. It has our last name on it...which I don't put on the blog. However, it does look pretty awesome. I'm hoping that with these projects I can convince my super-awesome hubby to buy me a Silhouette. ;-) 


Tomorrow I am going to clean aaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllll day. Yay me! {sarcasm} There's not really that much to do, but given my laziness and the distraction that the TV {and Drop Dead Diva} provides it might actually take that long. 


I promise you'll get a homecoming post soon. =) Believe me, I'm more anxious about it than all of you!

6.17.2011

Few of My Favorite Things

Cue Music for "My Favorite Things" from The Sound of Music.


Now that all of you are singing that song in your head, I'll proceed. =)

I needed a bit of a pick-me-up this evening, so I've been watching my favorite new show non-stop on Netflix:


Drop Dead Diva!!! I'd seen previews and things for it all over the place for a while and wondered about it. And for the past few weeks, they've been showing previews for the new season on Lifetime before and during Army Wives. I figured I had to see what all the fuss was about!! After finding it on Netflix Instant...there was nothing stopping me. =) I am in love! It's a really, really cute show. If you haven't seen it, add it to your queue! And now you know what I'll be doing this weekend...other than prepping for homecoming, of course.


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Another one of my favorite shows is this little program. =)




Love, love, love!! It definitely rivals my love for American Idol. The talent that they have had on the show just amazes me. And, for the record, I am totally Team Adam. Some are obvious reasons.... ;-) 



Source: flickr.com via Katie on Pinterest

*ahem*

And others are because I seriously love his picks. Of course, I'm sure that stems from my love of his music and {good} pop music in general. 


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Up next is a product that has saved my life. Sort of. And I might just be the last woman on the planet to know about it/purchase it.




Eye primer. Best. Purchase. Ever. Say goodbye to creased eyeshadow 2 hours after you put it on! Even better, it lasts about 10 hours. =) Love, love, love. I don't know what in the world took me so long!


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This is something I purchased when I got my hair cut last week. Hawaii brings out the frizz in my hair, and I wanted something to correct it. The stylist recommended this:




And I love it. It was only $7 for the bottle and it'll probably last me forever. You just use a tiny bit, run it through your hair {careful to stay away from your scalp!} and that's that. Say goodbye to frizz and hello to pretty hair. AND it makes my hair softer! Always a bonus. Oh, and it smells good too. =)


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Y'all know that I'm addicted to my iPhone, right? If not, you should. This clearly states how addicted I am.


Source: imgfave.com via Sarah on Pinterest


As if I needed something else to attach myself to my phone, I downloaded another game... Called Hanging with Friends. It's basically hangman. But I guess that name wasn't PC, so they called it hanging with friends. Haha!


Download, and you too will find yourself attached to your phone. Swearsies.

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Last, but definitely not least, I am loving the good 'ole Donut. =)




He's coming home sooooooooooooooooon!! Never soon enough though. I had what I hope will be my last deployment break down this evening....before I got a phone call. =) Come on, homecoming!


*Disclaimer: All photos without named credits are thanks to Google images.*

6.16.2011

Operation: Pretty House: Complete!

Well, as complete as it can be at the moment. =) After mentioning all the goodies I got in the mail yesterday, I thought I should share what the house is looking like these days.

Before I started on the house stuff, I had a few errands to run. The most important of these being a "pedicure" for Jasper. =P His nails were really long and I decided it'd be a nice thing to do before Joe got home. Plus, I have a scrape on my shin from his long nails. I realized today that I don't notice his nails are long until they're really long and needing to be cut. Oh well. Anyway, the poor guy was traumatized. =( When the girl took him back to get his nails clipped, you would have thought she was dragging him off to prison. He "put on the brakes" and didn't want to go anywhere. It didn't really help that she was pulling on the leash and he doesn't respond well to that. After seeing that, my heart was already broken. When she retrieved him for me about 15 minutes later, I was told that he got really nervous {shocker} and secreted his anal glands? Um, ok... I'm actually surprised he didn't pee everywhere. When he came out and saw me, I could almost hear him say, "Oh, thank goodness you're here!" =) I really didn't mean for that to be a traumatizing experience... I think both of us are glad it's over.

After all my errands, I came home and put the finishing touches on the living room. Really all I did was hang a couple pictures and adjust things. You guys haven't seen it in a while, so I'm sure it will look different to you.


I am really loving everything I got and the way it just fell together. Annie was kind enough to let me go through her collection of Americana things that she didn't want anymore. And I was happy to take some of it home with me! From her I got pictures that I hung over the couch, the plate on the ledge {by the "America" sign} and the basket on the bottom shelf of the bookshelf. Everything else {other than the pillow cases and coasters} is from Etsy and Hobby Lobby. =) Oh, and the top left picture is of the new things I put up in the kitchen. They're so cute I just had to share!

The only thing I'll change - at some point - is the color of the frames over the couch. They don't really match, but it'll do for now. Other than that, I'm really pleased with everything. It feels so nice to be done with it. Also, the Americana theme feels very cozy and homey - to me, anyway. I would say that I really hope Joe likes it, but I have a feeling he's going to. Besides, what's he going to tell me to do - take it all down?! Suuuure. ;-)


So what do y'all think?!

6.15.2011

Bad Day Gone Good

Say what?!

Yes, that's how my day went. It started off a crazy freaking-out mess, and turned out awesome! I so love it when that happens. =)

Hubby told me a few days ago that he was going to ask for certain if his block leave dates got approved, and that he would try to get back to me within 28 hours. {Yes, 28. That's my hubby. =P} He also told me that if I didn't hear from him, I should go ahead and purchase our flights with trip insurance. So, I started looking up flights and trying to figure dates and times and everything. It sounds less crazy than it really is. His side of the family is going to be at the beach in NC in a certain window of time. We had talked about staying later, but never made concrete plans. And I'm supposed to buy tickets without his help!? Right. After two calls to my mom and a call to my MIL, I finally just decided what times. The days weren't so easy, but after about 20 or 30 minutes I settled on a return date. 


Then I tried to book the flights. Over. And over. And over again. I can't tell you how many times I put in my credit card information. I know there's nothing wrong with it because I just used it yesterday!!!! At one point, I flung myself on the couch crying because I was just so tired of dealing with it and I couldn't understand what the problem was. I called my mom again. She suggested I call the airline.... So I did. It's a good thing too or I would have spent the rest of the day in tears. The woman I spoke with told me to call my bank... She said that she'd had that problem with several people - that their spending limit wasn't enough to purchase flights. So, I put her on hold and called the bank. Turns out, we do have a spending limit. And our tickets were just $140 over that. I had them extend it just for today, and I was able to purchase the tickets. 


But guess what? I forgot to add trip insurance. Insert panic attack here. I was seriously freaking out. I finally just grabbed some lunch and sat down to calm down. Then my bestie got online. =) We skyped and she reminded me that sometimes you just have to have blind faith. I told her that was a lot of blind faith. =P I was feelin' frisky. Haha!! But she was right. =) While we were talking, I  put up this lovely vinyl sign that I made at Annie's the other night. You really just have to have a second opinion when putting artwork up on the walls. 


I stinkin' love it! =D


After our 2 hour long chat, I finally got up and mowed my grass!! Although my arms were killing me {and will most definitely be sore in the morning}, it felt great to get it done. Not to mention my back yard no longer looks like a jungle. It definitely doesn't look professional, but the weeds are trimmed. And if Joe doesn't like the way it looks when he gets back, he can take care of it himself! LOL!


After all that work {and a shower}, I walked Jasper out to the mailbox and found some very happy mail!! =D I may have mentioned that my bestie went shopping at Hobby Lobby for me last week. She bought some Americana decorations for my living room. And, she included a little something that I've been dying to have for...well, for a little while. =P It's my early {really early} birthday present, but I love it!

All the goodies. 

This is my present. =)
{The K is for my last name. Probably because there were no S's available. =)}

And in the absolute best news of the day, I got to Skype with my hubby!!!!! =D If you haven't noticed, I haven't Skyped with him in at least a month. Considering the communication we've had in this deployment, that's a very long time to go without seeing his face. It was so nice. =) Plus, he gave me the best news possible. His leave was approved!!!! Which means that it's totally okay that I didn't purchase trip insurance!!! Yaaay!! Actually, that was how he prefaced the news. 


Joe: Did you buy trip insurance?


Me: No... I'm sorry! I completely forgot! =(


Joe: No, it's okay because my leave was approved!!


Me: Yaaaaaaaay! Oh my gosh, that is so awesome! I was sooo worried!! 


Great, great news. =) Oh, and then he told me it had been approved like 3-4 weeks ago but no one had told them. FAIL. Sometimes I really wonder... Anyway. I got to talk to him for a whole hour!!! Again, I haven't talked to him like that in a really long time. It was unbelievable. Even better, I'll be able to talk to him in person soon. I can't tell you how excited I am about that. 


I can't wait!!! 

6.14.2011

Almost There...

I have never been more excited about anything in my life! I'm so ready for him to be here! Though I can't tell you when he will be here {nor am I even 100% sure}, I can show you this:




Vertically challenged... Yes, I'll take that!! =D As you can clearly see, homecoming is close. I spent the better portion of my weekend prepping the house and other things for his return. Friday I did a lot of cleaning. I also made a run to the PX and ended up getting a bunch of groceries from the commissary. When I went in, the place was overrun with people so I decided to get what I could think of while I was there. And of course, 2 days later I have another big list of things to get. It also doesn't help that tomorrow is payday! I may wait a couple of days before I brave the commissary again... It was a nightmare last time. Anyway! Saturday I woke up angry because of stupid dreams I had. It's really not fun dreaming that your husband is home...and then that you're pregnant...and then waking up and realizing none of that happened. *sigh* I turned my anger into productivity though and made myself a clutch!!






I am SO loving it!! I bought the fabric last month while I was home and just fell in love with it. Good thing too because it was $15 a yard!! But, it's a bigger yard because it's that decorator {thicker, durable comes in larger bolts} fabric. LOVE. And since I made the clutch a lot bigger than the wallet I made last week, I have room for 3 card slots. This is just perfect!! I have room for my keys, phone, sunglasses and a mirror! Love, love, love. =)


Yesterday after church, I headed over to Annie's house. She has had a Silhouette for like ever and hadn't figured out how to use it yet. I was all too willing to help because I am literally dying to own one. I can't tell you how many times I've entered giveaways on craft blogs for one. Still waiting on that big WIN to happen. Anyway, we had a great time even though I spent 9 bazillion years on her computer downloading fonts...




And it took us over an hour to get dinner!!! We were both mega-hungry by the time we could pick up our pizza. Once we got food in us and watched the season finale of Army Wives, we were both much happier. 



Someone was very excited about her Bradley Cooper Hangover 2 cup from 7-11. Haha!!! 


Today was a seriously productive day as well. As a result, I feel more like an actual wife than I have in a year. Joe needed new uniforms, so I got to go to MCSS {clothing and sales} to get them. =) Then, I bought stuff to make signs for the house... I also found the perfect pair of shoes to wear to homecoming!!! Annie can tell you that I've been searching for them for a while. I knew if I held out for the right pair, they'd show up!! I got what I wanted for almost exactly the price I wanted to pay. And, no, you can't see them. =P My homecoming outfit is a surprise! 


After all of the errand running, Annie was kind enough to let me use her Silhouette again to work on the sign I'm taking to homecoming. =) It looks so great!! I want one even more after playing with hers for the past two days. Not so good news for the hubby, haha!

I'm so ready for him to be home. It's so close, I can almost feel his arms around me. =) I got a phone call from him last night while I was at Annie's. He was so incredibly excited, which just makes me even more excited. It's so nice to hear him be so relaxed. He's been "on" for the last year. And now he can chill out and revel in the fact that he'll be home soon. I don't think we've had that relaxed of a conversation in quite a while. I can't wait to talk to him face to face...and just hang out with him.

For now, though, I need to work on the rest of that list...

And if I'm not really around for the rest of the week, that's why. =)

6.10.2011

Random Days are Here Again

I've been meaning to post about a whole bunch of things, so it just makes sense to do a post about all of them! Aren't you excited?! ;-)

First, I think I almost completely forgot to mention my little sewing party with Annie and Miranda this past Monday. We had a great time and got a lot accomplished...despite Jasper's attempts to beg for food and attention. I ended up taking him with me to Annie's because he got so excited while I was loading the car. He knew I was going somewhere, and somehow had gotten the impression he was supposed to go too. It's a good thing my friends like him!! Haha!



Annie worked on an apron, Miranda worked on a burp rag and diaper holder...thing...and I made a wallet! I found a great tutorial a while back, but could never find the right fabric. Lucky for me my bestie had some fabric lying around that she didn't want! =D So, I took it and turned it into a super cute wallet {though it definitely has its imperfections}!


Front
Inside
Back

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Let's see... What else is there? Oh yes. I got my hair cut yesterday! Annie and I went together, and also ran a whole bunch of errands. Anyway, I wanted to get it trimmed and layered before Joe comes home. I've been growing it out for a while, and it got to the point where it was almost unmanageable and just really annoying. I'm not 100% in love with the new cut just yet, but it's growing on me. Literally. LOL!


I think my main issue with it is that the top layers are shorter than I'd like. Apparently I wasn't clear when I said "I'd like to keep as much of the length as possible." It is relatively the same length on the bottom layers... I also didn't like the way she fixed it. She curled the ends under...which would have been fine if she had curled them toward my face instead of away from it. It totally looked like an 80s cut. *sigh* Anyway, it's looking better today... And the important thing is that I can still pull it back. =)

So, what do you think of my new haircut?

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In homecoming news, I decided that today was my last day at the museum....for a while. I need to focus on getting the house and other things ready for Joe to come home. I feel so relieved knowing that my only responsibilities right now are my husband, our home and Jasper. =)

I also got a bunch of flags for the driveway yesterday. Actually, I stole the idea from Annie but I don't think she minds. We hit up the NEX and BX {after she found the the PX was out} trying to find flags in the size we wanted. Not to mention we'd looked at WalMart and Target. It took all those stores to be able to find flags. And apparently no stores in Hawaii think it's time to put out their July 4th decorations. It's less than a month a way and there are like zero flags/decorations to be found. Seriously. *sigh*

Anyway. I got Joe's banner from BuildASign a couple months ago, so I don't have to worry about that! Now all I have to do is make some sort of pennant/banner to put around the back door and a sign to take to homecoming. =) I won't give you my list of household chores and errands. And because the commissary is being raided like every other day, I decided to start stocking up on Joe's favorite things while I was there. It was torture. I hate the commissary when it's busy. All those people make me feel anxious.

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Also while we were out an about yesterday, Annie and I got to see the ship that "buried" Osama bin Laden's body at sea!!! We tried to get some up close pictures, but we got yelled at by some Navy MPs. Woops. ;-)


So, we walked back to the car and drove around to get some better pictures. =) We won't be denied!! And honestly, I don't understand how it's okay for the local news crew to come in and film, but it's not okay for us to take pictures. Seriously?! I also don't understand how milspouses aren't allowed to divulge any deployment information, but the local news broadcasts deployment dates, locations, minimal mission information and redeployment dates. But that's another post for a different day.

Pretty cool right?!

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Well, I guess that's about all for today!! Make sure you check out Chantal at A Blog A Day While You're Away for the Milspouse Roundup this week!

Happy Friday!

6.09.2011

Best Friends Day

Apparently, tomorrow {or today for those of you reading this a few hours from now} is Best Friends Day. Who knew there was a day dedicated to that?! Obviously not me. So today, I dedicate this post to my closest friends. =)

First up, is the hubby. I know...it's sort of corny to say that he's my best friend, but it's the absolute truth. I would rather spend time with him than anyone else and he knows pretty much everything there is to know about me. I like it that way. =) Plus, I can be an absolute dork around him and never even think twice about it. I love that!


circa 2007

See? We're a big 'ole pair of dorks. =) I feel sorry for our kids already, ha!!

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Next up is my bestie. =) We haven't always been best friends {we've had our moments} but I've known her since I was 11 years old. We've been through a lot in almost 14 years!! Middle school, high school, boys, college, marriage and now babies. {Well, a baby. She had one...I haven't yet. Obviously. =P}


circa 2004

circa 2004

2009
2010

Not only does this girl know pretty much everything about me, she also knows the way I think. I can call her up at {almost} any time and I know she's there to listen to me vent. And if when I need it, she's always there to speak God's truth into my life. She's also taught me how to sew {via Skype}, given me tons of books, and gone shopping at Hobby Lobby for me a few times. =) Oh, and we can't forget that she traveled about 7,000 miles last year to spend my birthday with me because Joe deployed. Seriously, I have the best bestie ever! 

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Little did I know when I got married that I'd also gain another best friend. My SIL, Anna, {whose name frequents the blog} is definitely one of my best friends. =)

2010

Our personalities clicked almost immediately. Fortunately, Joe and I lived about a mile away from her when we lived in NC. Joe and I spent quite a bit of time with her and her husband while we lived there. And when he went off to basic, I was able to spend lots of time with her. Of course, it helped that she was pregnant with my niece and wasn't allowed to do much. =P We don't get to talk too often because she's busy raising my niece and nephew...and she has some sort of aversion to the phone. =P Haha! That's ok, though. I love her anyway!! I can't wait to spend some time with her at the beach {in NC} this summer!!! Oh, and since I know you're reading this, Anna, we need a new picture of us!!

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Next up are my island besties. =) I've met quite a few people since moving here and only a few of them have stuck with me. First is the girlie I wish I'd met earlier in this deployment - Annie. We've been having a blast together lately! I can only imagine how much her company would have helped in the beginning of this deployment.


Then there's Miranda...because you just can't help but love her!! Oh, and she has the cutest little boy ever and is due to have what's sure to be a very cute little girl in October!


Then there's Mrs. C who helped me unpack the rest of my house after Joe deployed, and helped me find a church. Not to mention she kept me company in the beginning of the deployment and watched Jasper for me when I visited family over Christmas. =)


And then.... ;-) There's Chantal who introduced me to several great girls along with the spouses' club on post!! Oh, and we also went to the Daughtry concert together and the end of a surfing competition. =)


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And I can't forget about my blogging bestie, JG. =) We've never met, but we've shared a ton of text messages - mainly about OU football games - and many conversations on Twitter. I'm determined that one day we will meet! =)

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What can I say? I've been blessed with friends, even if I don't get to see or talk to them every day! I'm lucky that I met and married my very best friend... I'm lucky that I met my bestie when we were young and that we were able to work through all of our junk. I think it only made us better friends now. =) I'm lucky that I've met so many great friends since moving to Hawaii, mostly thanks to blog land. Blogging has allowed me to "meet" so many great friends even if we never meet in real life.

Happy Best Friends Day!!

6.08.2011

Happy Day

I really thought that today was going to be the hardest day of this deployment. You know, celebrating our anniversary solo for the first time ever. I must have had a bunch of people praying for me because it turned out to be an amazing day! 

I went to bed last night feeling all sad about our anniversary and really missing my husband. I think it had more to do with the fact that it was night time {when I'm always the loneliest} and that I'd just seen some Army related stuff on TV. 

I was woken up by my sweet hubby {via the cell phone, of course} at 0200. =) I was soooo happy to be getting a phone call! I'd hoped he would call but I had sort of given up on it. It wasn't a very long call, but it was so nice to hear his voice. He's been very busy trying to get everything done there and hasn't been able to call or email me for 3 days. On top of that, the poor guy has a cold. =( I repeat, he has a cold. In 130+ degree weather. I wish I could give him a hug. Colds in the summer suck enough as it is without adding in the extreme heat of the sandbox and, well, the sand. Not to mention he has to be awake for probably 2 days straight. My poor hubby. But the good side of this is that he's coming home when we thought he would!!! No more guessing!! Well, as much as is possible with the Army. =P Talking to him made me feel so much better about celebrating our anniversary apart. 

This evening my deployment sister, Annie, took me out! I told her that I was sort of sad about our anniversary a few weeks ago and she offered to go to dinner with me. =) How awesome is that?! So tonight, she picked me up and we went to Cholo's on the North Shore for some yummy Mexican food! Mmmmm! 


After dinner, she decided that she wanted to show me one of her favorite beaches here. Since I still don't know where all of the best ones are, I thought it'd be a great idea. But of course, we couldn't get through Haleiwa without stopping for shave ice!!! Unfortunately Matsumoto's was closed, but we found a place that was open. =)


I big, pink, puffy heart shave ice. I have no idea what in the world I'm going to do when we PCS. I've been spoiled and shaved ice from the mainland just is not the same. *sigh* After a quick stop we got back in the car and spent the rest of the evening here:


It. was. beautiful. It's been a while since I've seen the sunset on the beach. Add in a ton of sea turtles {aka honu} and I'm a very happy girl. =) There's really nothing like being at the beach. Even if there's a bunch of people around, it's still very peaceful.


And I really can't get enough of these guys!!! How cute are they?! I may have to get a honu tattoo before we leave here... Hmmm... ;-) We also did an impromptu sunset photo shoot. I'm a little excited that I have a photographer {professional or not!} for a friend. LOL!


It was a really gorgeous sunset. And I had a fantastic evening with a great friend. I'm so thankful she took the time to hang out with me and make sure I had an awesome day instead of a sad one. The only way this day could have been better is if I'd been able to spend it with Joe. Until then, I'll take more awesome days with great friends. =)