The past 6 months have been emotionally draining and overwhelming. There have been many days where I've had to force myself out of bed and sometimes even out of the house. (No I haven't been depressed.. It just seems easier to be alone instead of having to force a fake smile.) Somewhere in the middle of this crazy journey I have found strength I never knew I had though. I have also learned who my true friends are, and which family members I can rely on. (Sadly there are not many in either category..)

I'm starting to get anxious about J's homecoming. We haven't received any official dates but there has been one rumor going around.. and I'm hoping the rumor is true because it's sooner than I thought it would be. I've already started my hunt for the perfect homecoming outfit. I think I want to wear a dress but I'm not 100% sure. If anyone has any suggestions that would be great!

Trouble Maker

Max (our dog) has a little game he likes to play with me...

When he is outside and sees me walk by the back patio windows he barks to get my attention.. if I don't stop and pay attention to him, he turns his water bowl over. He figured out a few months ago that if he turns his water over then eventually I will come out to fill it back up and he will get the attention he wants.

It was cute at first.. but.. it's getting old fast.

My Weekend

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)