Friday night my dad called and said my great grandmother is doing better. She's still not out of the woods, but she's at least able to sit up in bed now.. which is a big improvement from how she was doing. {Thanks for your prayers by the way!} I'm still hoping I will be able to see her soon.

Yesterday afternoon I attended my first homecoming committee meeting. It went great. I'm glad I signed up for it because I was able to meet four new [super nice] ladies. Towards the end of the meeting we all vented about this deployment/extension and I think it made all of us feel better! It really helps to be around other people that know EXACTLY what you're going through.

{Oh! If you can think of any cute quotes/sayings that we can put on welcome home signs let me know! We're going with a Spring theme..}

On the 22nd my niece (who we call "Cissy") turned 16, and last night was her big party. She had a Twil!ght party--complete with Edward/Robert P@ttinson on her cake. I wish I had pictures but I forgot my camera at home. :( I can't believe she is already 16 though. It's crazy! On her actual birthday I gave her the movie Sixteen C@ndles.. she had never seen it before! That made me feel SO old! haha

Today I've been super lazy. My nephew stayed the night and we've been playing Sonic on the PS2 all day. I'm not very good at it and he usually yells at me for it. haha I'm going to miss special moments like this when I move. :(

Bittersweet News

J called this morning and was excited to tell me that he received orders! I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders now that we finally know where his next duty station will be and when he is suppose to report for duty. Everyone has told us that we will love it there, and from all the pictures I've seen I think we will. This move will be very bittersweet for me though... I'm excited about it (mostly because J & I will finally be able to live like a normal married couple, and he hopefully won't have to deploy for three years), but at the same time I'm sad that I have to leave my family & friends. I've never been away from home for my than two weeks so I'm expecting myself to be homesick.. I just hope I can handle it. I also hope J will love his new unit and we will be able to make a few great new friends.. I think that will make things easier.

This & That = Random

• On Monday morning I found out that my great grandmother is not doing too well. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping my dad will take me to see her this weekend. (She lives a few hours away.) I'm a little torn about it though.. I want to see her but at the same time I don't want to see her that way.. you know what I mean? +She doesn't remember much these days, and I'm worried she wouldn't know who I was. I haven't seen her in two years (since my wedding) and even then I'm not really sure she knew who I was.. although they say she still talks about my wedding sometimes. J told me I should try to see her, but.. I just don't know..
• Monday night I attended an FRG meeting. I almost talked myself out of going because of the stupid drama, but I went and held my head up high. In the end I'm glad I went. I signed up to help with the homecoming committee.. I figure it will give me something to do and it might be an easy way to find out the homecoming dates. Then again they probably won't tell me since I'm just a nobody and they like to keep everything "top secret," but it's worth a shot right? [Oh, and just for the record--I will not discuss homecoming dates or times on this blog. Sorry to disappoint you, but it's for safety reasons.]
• Have you heard about the new movie Dear John? I saw the trailer on TV a few weeks ago and immediately marked my calendar for the date it will be in theaters.. &When I realized it was based on a Nicholas Sparks book I rushed to a store and bought it. I read it in two days! It was that good! I'm so excited to see the movie now!
• The Seabee Ball is coming up and a few wives were talking about getting a group together and going. I think it would be fun to get dressed up but I'm worried I will feel awkward/emotional being there without J. Mil wives - would you go to a ball while your husband is deployed?
• Yesterday I decided to try a self-tanning lotion.. I was super nervous about it but it actually turned out alright. I'm kicking myself now for not taking a before & after picture! I used it again tonight, but this time I put it on my face (I avoided using it on my face yesterday since I wasn't sure how it would turn out) and I'm crossing my fingers that I won't have splotchy face later. If I do.. well.. I guess I won't be leaving the house until it fades! haha
• I'm lovin' the new show Life Unexpected! Have you seen it? If not, you should!

Save The Drama For Your Mama!

If only I had listened to that voice in my head... You know, that voice that screams "RUN! RUN FAST!" when you first hang out with someone and they spend half the day talking crap about someone else.. Yeah, that voice. Unfortunately I completely ignored it and it came back to bite me in the butt.

I don't know for sure that anything has been said about me but hello, I wasn't born yesterday.. and my mama always taught me that if a "friend" talks to you about someone behind their back, then there is a 99.9% chance they will do the same to you when you're not around.

. . .

The worst part is when you stop talking to them (basically letting them know you are no longer friends) but you still have to face them at FRG meetings.

Laisse Le Bon Temps Rouler

or, LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL!

THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!

Half my family and all of my friends are Saints fans.. in fact, most of the people in our area are huge Saints fans and if you ever go out on a game day you will see EVERYONE (even babies and little old ladies) wearing black & gold to support their boys. When they lose a game it's best to not mention it.. but when they win a game, oh my goodness, they celebrate for days!

Tonight the Saints beat the Vikings which means they will be heading to the Super Bowl for the very first time EVER!! My dad called me from Bourbon Street and I could barely hear him because people were cheering so loud. He said as soon as the Saints won the game, people ran into the street and were going crazy--crazier than they would act during Mardi Gras! I can't imagine how everyone will act if when they actually win the SB!! (I was told that I'm not allowed to use the word "if" if that last sentence! haha)

New Subject

Let's talk about something new, shall we? Something other than the horrible beast (aka, deployment).

{Warning, this post may be a little random.}

On the 8th I attended my cousin's high school graduation. She attended a small Christian high school, and there were seriously only ten students in the graduating class. It was the best graduation ceremony I've ever attended.. mainly because it was only 30 minutes long. Ha!

I was so proud of her!

On Friday I went to the movie theater with one of my best friends, Alicia. We saw the movie Leap Ye@r, and I loved it! Most of the movie takes place in Ireland, which is absolutely beautiful in case you didn't already know!! & No, I'm not just saying that because I'm Irish. hehe :) I've always dreamed of going to Ireland.. in fact it's one of the top things on my bucket list.. I just have to conquer my fear of flying first.. =\

Yesterday I spent the day shopping with my friend Anna. I normally don't shop at the mall so she had fun making jokes when I had no idea where certain stores were. After a couple hours at the mall we went to the movie theater to see Lovely B0nes. The movie was good.. but.. it was creepy and we both cried during certain parts. I obviously don't want to go into details because that might ruin it for anyone wanting to see it still.

I've still been having trouble sleeping. Lately I'm doing good if I fall asleep before 2 AM. I'm starting the gym this week so I'm hoping & praying it will help. I will also be starting a beginners belly dancing class soon. I know, I know.. the thought of ME doing that seems so silly.. but it seems like it will be interesting, + one of my New Year's resolutions is to try new things. I was able to talk two other mil wives into signing up with me, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Right On Time.. As Usual

If this deployment has taught me anything it's that I have an incredible husband that is truly a gift from above! & I'm starting to think deployment has been teaching him something too, because he has become SOO romantic..

Today I received a package from my husband. I opened the box to find something that would make any Southern girl's heart melt...

a pair of pink pajama pants with white polka dots + a white zip-up hoodie that has a polka dot lined hood that matches the pants, a pearl zipper pull, satin trim, and my monogram.

It was in the cutest pink organza hatbox that also included fragrant pink bath roses, lavender bath confetti, a mini french manicure set, seven assorted lip balms, and a do not disturb door hanger.

Ahh, I love him! & Yes the gifts are great, but honestly I just want him home!!

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I would give anything to have him home.. safe.. in bed next to me.

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I spray his cologne on our bed so I can close my eyes and pretend he is laying there next to me.

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I don't want to open my eyes and face the reality that he isn't here.

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I go into our bathroom and see his toothbrush exactly where he left it.. next to mine.. and for a moment I think "man I should really throw that away before someone thinks I'm nuts," but I already know I won't. I'm afraid to throw away things he left behind because it will feel like he was never here.. like our life before this deployment was all just a dream.

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I worry if our life together will be the same when he returns home. Will he still love being around me? Will he still be attracted to me?

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I wonder if I'm the only one that is crying and feeling like this deployment is never going to end.

There are nights.. like tonight.. when I'm half asleep and I reach out for him.. only to wake up disappointed.

J was able to send me a bunch of photos today. I thought I would share some..

Gary Sinise & the Lt. Dan Band during a free show hosted by the USO

J with Kristy Swanson..

She played "Buffy" in the 1992 movie Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Leeann Tweeden..

Remember the model that he said wasn't too special?

Yeah. WHATEVER.

;)

HA, we always make fun of people that post pics like this on their FB..

How I Spent Our Anniversary

Yesterday I was super worried that I would be depressed today since J wouldn't be here to celebrate with me. I stayed up late praying about it.. and I have to tell you.. prayer works! Seriously, I don't care if you want to argue with me about it, it really does work! I woke up with a smile on my face and a peace in my heart that only comes from Heaven above. I have been so anxious and stressed lately about J's safety (something else I stayed up praying about) that I've been losing sleep and feeling like a mess during the day, so I was beyond thankful when I woke up feeling this way. Sometimes I let fear get the best of me and I have to remind myself that God is in control, and I have to trust that He will keep my husband safe. It's not easy for a control freak like me to just "let go and let God.." but I'm learning it's the only way for me to stay sane!

So anyway, this is how my day went:

• I woke up to a phone call from my husband. That alone is enough to make my whole day! ;)
• After lunch I took advantage of the gift certificate I received for Christmas and I had an amazing massage! It was the first time in 5 months that I've been able to relax. I'm now convinced there should be a law or something that says every military spouse gets 1 free massage per month of deployment! hehe
• A few hours later I met up at a local beauty college with my lovely new friend Melisa. (Melisa and I met at the FRG's Over The Hump party back in November.) Our housing community hosted a ladies night at the beauty college so all the spouses could get pampered for free, and Melisa asked me to go with her. I was able to get a manicure which was nice.. and Melisa "got her hair did." ha
• After the manicure I headed to LifeWay. I had a $10 gift card that I won during the Wives of Faith 12 Days of Christmas Blog Carnival and it was burning a hole in my wallet, so I decided to buy a new book. I found two that I was interested in (Every Woman's Battle and Hope for the Home Front).. and at first I couldn't decide which one to get.. I put my first choice (Every Woman's Battle) down and decided to wait to get it. But as I walked around the store I couldn't stop thinking about it so I went back and got it. (I'll let you know how it turns out.)
• On the way home I stopped at Sonic and got a yummy Reece's Sonic Blast. I figured ice cream was the best way to end a good day since I don't drink alcohol. ;)

& There you have it folks.. that is how I spent my 2nd anniversary. I'm thankful that I was able to enjoy my day even though J is away, but I have to admit.. there were moments when I did feel selfish about it. I hope I'm not the only spouse that goes through that.. you do something nice for yourself [once in a blue moon] during a deployment and then feel guilty because your husband is in a war zone and the highlight of his day is probably if the porta potty is clean and has toilet paper. (Well, I know that would be MY only highlight if I were over there. ha)

P.S. Thanks for the anniversary wishes!

Two Years Ago Today..

I vowed to take J as the love of my life. I vowed to be patient with him and the circumstances in our lives. I vowed to be kind to him. I promised to be proud of him. I promised that in love I would strive for perfection while knowing I would never fully reach it. I promised not be quick to anger, but to think before I act and speak. I vowed to keep no records of wrongs, but to always keep the happy memories alive. I promised my faithfulness to him.. and acknowledged that through God, our love will never fail.

"Chaps" (our chaplain) told us that our lives would never be the same after that day.. & he was right. We've changed and grown together as a couple. We've had many highs and just as many lows, but one thing has remained the same.. we're in love. &If anything I'd say our love is stronger and we love each other more than the day we married.

Happy Anniversary, My Husband!!

Thank you for choosing me to be your wife!

I love you!

Happy New Year!

This new year will bring lots of changes for us. Normally I'm the type of person that doesn't handle change very well, but for once in my life I'm actually looking forward to the changes that are to come!

Things I'm looking forward to this year: my husband returning home from deployment.. PCSing (moving) to **, and the new adventures it will bring.. finally being able to experience "normal" married life.. seeking fertility treatment options or adoption.. and best of all--NO MORE DEPLOYMENTS!!

So hang in there with me if you're getting bored of reading about my deployment woes! It will be over soon and I will finally have other (possibly exciting) things to blog about! :)