2012

So what does 2012 hold for us?

Well for one – the LT comes home from Afghanistan!! And to me that is the most important. I’m so ready for him to be home, and he is ready to be home too!!! Not much longer!!

Hopefully, it brings a baby, or at least a pregnancy, (doing the math, the baby wouldn’t be due until 2013, which just seems odd to me,) although, I’m on the fence about this…I’m excited to start a family with the LT, but I don’t know if we’re ready…and I’m not sure I want to move pregnant, I’ll do it, and not complain too much, but it’s something to think about…which brings me to the last thing that will happen, or well, the third thing, I’d hope more than 3 things happen, but we are suppose to move at the end of 2012,  Moving is inevitable, it’s a part of the Army(military, really) Lifestyle.

Holidays

The Holiday season is fast approaching, and it will be our 1st Christmas apart…I’m going to go to the mainland for a couple weeks.

I’m not looking forward to much this Christmas, but spending it with family and good friends that I haven’t seen in a while will be nice, but not spending it with the LT won’t be fun either…

But once we get past the Holidays, we are just THAT much closer to his home coming. Which I am so looking forward too.

Forever Newlywed–Love Is

So I’m going to start over the Husband Challenge in October, I figure it might go better, and it’s our 2 year anniversary on the 31st, so why not.

I’m also going to try this Forever Newlywed Friday Meme, I am hoping to do it every Friday, I mean, we all know how well I do with these things! Ha!

I’m going to copy my good friend Jane, who copied Mrs. Alana(go here to link up), who copied Erinn

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Love Is…

Skype Sessions that make you feel like you’re not almost 7500 miles away from one another

Forehead kisses at the airport waiting for him to leave again, and now leaving the airport until you see his plane taxi away

Laui’s while he’s home for 2 weeks because all you want to do is be a tourist with him and spend as much time together until he has to leave again

Our last picture together for 12 months, not including R&R of course

His combat boots with your flip flops

Goofing around at the ER because your wife is a sickly woman

Seeing how great he is with kids, and knowing that one day he’ll be a wonderful father

Writing messages in sand just for him, to show him how much I miss him and love him

R&R is OVER, already?!! :(

So, I have been having trouble with posts, and pictures not showing up...and I also can't seem to figure out how to easily transfer pictures from my phone to the computer...SO this post is a little late...

He left on Monday. It was a good day though, he didn't have to be at the airport until the evening, so we had the whole day almost to spend together.

This time I was able to get to the gate, and of course since I brought his orders with us, they didn't need to see them...GO FIGURE...

We ate at the little cafeteria place by his gate, and then went and sat at the gate until it was time to board.

The airline had everyone clap for the service members and that made me cry...and then they started boarding, and he was one of the first on the plane.

I couldn't bring myself to leave the gate. I thought it would hurt more to stay, but I don't know, since I did stay. I just really could not get up and leave, and it was so hard to do that when the plane was taxi-ing away...I kept looking back at it, and watching it...I finally decided to just let it go, and get some Starbucks, I mean, a little pick me up is always good, right?

After he had boarded and they were getting the last people on and ready to leave, there was a rainbow, and it was over the plane, I think it was good luck, at least that's what I like to tell myself...

it's really hard to see, but it's there, above the jetway (is that what that is called?)

R&R

So, he got in a little earlier than we had thought, which was a good thing.. I had things mostly together for him.
So, I had a friend come with me to the airport to take pictures for me.
We got there with plenty of time to get our gate passes, and be at the gate when he landed.
However, the guy at the USO said we had to have orders to get to the gate. Which was not something I thought of, so that is the first thing that went wrong.
Then, we went to the baggage claim where his flight was suppose to pick up their baggage, even though he didn’t have any checked bags, I figured he’d just come down there. We waited and waited and waited…no husband.
At this point I’m getting mad, where is he, why isn’t he down here yet, because other flights had come in at this point. So I was not happy and thought maybe something had happened to him. I went to the baggage claim clerk counter and went off. The lady told me she couldn’t tell me anything, so I took that to mean she wasn’t going to help. But she ended up looking it up, and telling me he was on the flight. So okay, then where is he, and why isn’t he here.
Finally he calls me from someone’s phone, saying he got lost, and went to the wrong baggage claim, and could not figure out how to get to the right one. Seriously, great, okay, well, your ass is coming to me, or I’m leaving you and you can walk home…
So he finally found me, and things were great….So here are the pictures…

I guess I went a little over board, LOL

Finally found us…..

It wouldn’t be a proper home coming without a Lei…

HUGS, they felt good, even though I was still kind of annoyed…

Welcome Home Hun!!!!

Oh and the pics are from my phone, because the battery on the camera died, and we can't find the charger...

Friday Fill-In #45

Fill-in along!

Underwear Parties, how old is too old? submitted by Wookie & Co.
Uhm, what the heck are underwear parties?! I don’t think these are appropriate at any age…
What was your favorite class in high school? submitted by Adventures of M-Squared
I didn’t have a favorite class, I pretty much hated High School, all of it…
Have you ever convinced packers/movers to pack something they aren’t supposed to for a PCS? submitted by Ground Control to Major Mom
No, but I know people who have gotten things put in their pack out without the movers knowing, and will more than likely try to do that when I move, if there are things I want to take. LOL
Blogging plays a growing roll in the media. If you were asked to embed as a blogger with a deployed military unit, would you go? What do you think your blog would be like? submitted by To the Nth
No thank you. I’m happy not knowing the ins and outs of a deployment. I think if I knew the ins and outs I’d be more of a nervous wreck with him gone.  However, that would be a pretty cool job, if I weren’t an Army Wife.
Do you think kids should attend year-round school? submitted by Marrying the Navy
In Hawaii, hell yes, these kids need all the schooling they can get.

2 Months Down

So, it’s been 2 whole months since he left. Quite honestly, I miss him so much, and it sucks so much that he’s gone. BUT I’m doing so well with the deployment. I’m staying busy, I’m sending care packages galore and I’m just not dwelling on the fact that he’s gone.

Some things that have made this deployment bearable…

E-mail
Skype

Seriously, I think back to when my grandfather was in the Army, and the times he was deployed, and I have so much more respect for my grandmother and father and uncle for what they went through.

I know I get so frustrated when I don’t get an email or he can’t get on Skype. I know for a fact that I don’t sleep well when I haven’t talked to him in a while. But I just remind myself that we’re so lucky to have the technology to Skype and email, and that helps, but I still don’t sleep well. Because I worry.

He doesn’t tell me much about what’s going on there, and I’m glad, I don’t want to know specifics, I think it might make the worry and the sleepless nights worse. I just know that he’s safe, and that he’s healthy. I thank GOD for that.

So, here is to 10 more months…let’s hope I’m still doing this well in a few months…

Wedding Challenge COMPLETE

Don’t be too happy with me. I’m going to let you in on a little secret, I did them all in like a day or two and just set them to post over time…I knew that was the ONLY way I’d get the damn thing completed.

But, at least I can say I finished something I started, because we all know how bad at doing that I am =P

The LT is doing well. I’m sure he misses me just as much as I miss him. We email almost daily. He doesn’t have internet in his room, they might be getting Wi-Fi, but who knows. He has to go to the MWR to get internet, and that isn’t something he does often. We Skype almost once a week. It’s nice to see his face and hear his voice. I’ve tried to get him to purchase some phone minutes, but I’m not quite sure what his hold up is.

We found out when his R&R is, so that is so exciting! Something fun to look forward too! I hope we get to go to Kauai, but every time we look, the hotels seem to be less and less available. I wish we knew specific dates so we could go ahead and lock it in, but we don’t know until he lands in Hawaii. We know a time frame, but like I’d tell you =P

I will start doing the Nanny thing full time, more than likely after his R&R because the father’s block leave just happens to be the same time. Things in the Army rarely work out, so for this to be happening is quite a miracle. But neither of the guys are back on island, so I don’t want to jump the gun toooo much. Things in the Army rarely make sense, and they change on a dime…Go figure…

Well, I’m going to shower and get in bed, 5:30am is really really early. But I did it today, I can do it tomorrow!

MilSpouse Friday Fill In #42

(click the picture to participate)

Do you think civilians, in general, understand the meaning of Memorial Day?

I think they get the jist of it, but I don’t think they’ll fully understand unless they lose someone in a war. Not that I’m saying they don’t care, just that they wouldn’t have the same feelings about Memorial Day as a military wife or a service member. I know it means more to me now than it did before I was married to my LT!

What are your plans for the Memorial Day Weekend?

Just hanging out, might cook out, I do want to go see the Lanterns, but I’m not sure if I’ll make it there. Maybe go to the movies. Hopefully hear from the LT.

What skill/talent do you wish you had? submitted by The 3 Turners

I wish I were better at painting and more creative. I’m pretty creative, but I’d love to be able to paint a picture or something.

Which came first: the chicken or the egg? submitted by I Married Into The Army

Uhm, well, I guess the chicken. But I really don’t know why…

What is the best thing about your post (base)? The worst? submitted byRandomly, Robyn

Well, the best thing about my post is the fact that it is in HAWAII, and there is a beach in any direction you drive out of it.

The bad part about my post, at least where my house is located, is the loud neighbors and the dogs who bark NON STOP. Oh and the fact that my husband isn’t here.

Care Packages & Bin Laden

So I took 5 boxes to the post office for the LT Saturday. It was the first care package I’ve sent him. We’re already into the 2nd month of the deployment, and he had things he needed. A whole list of things, and it took 5 flat rate boxes to send everything, and I even kept some things behind for other care packages. I should have taken pictures of my back seat. I not only had 4 boxes for the LT, but 1 box for my very best friend, and another box for my friend’s husband. Then when I was inside the post office I made 2 more boxes, 1 for the LT and another for another friend (that was more of an envelope though.)
Most of ya’ll know about Usama Bin Laden and that he was killed, which is good. One less bad guy. What people don’t seem to understand is that just because Bin Laden is gone, doesn’t mean the war is over. And the guys aren’t coming home early. People and their ignorance just kills me. Like why would they come home early just because 1 of the bad guys was dead? They didn’t come home when Saddam Hussein was captured and then killed, so how would this be any different. Bin Laden and Hussein were just part of the problem over there. So pulling troops out now, would be a mistake, in my uneducated opinion. I’m not scholar or political figure, so take what I say with a grain of salt, but that guys over there now are still in danger, and they still have a mission to accomplish.
Anyways, not much going on here on the home front. I’ve just been super busy. We found out his tentative R&R dates, but of course I can’t say. We are looking forward to the time together, and are planning to take a little time and go to another island. I can’t wait to hug and kiss him. I miss him so much!

Wordful Wednesday!

So the LT has been gone for going on 3 weeks, I know, I should have posted sooner, but I've been trying to get in my own groove and swing of things without him. This is much different than the 3 other times he's been gone, where he was gone for no more than a month each time. Which in a way I love, because I had just gotten use to it being just me, and then he came back. Which was great, but at the same time, I had just gotten use to doing things on my own, and he'd come home, and do them for me. Which if anyone knows me, knows that I will gladly let other's do things for me, than do them myself. So I think the next 12 months are going to be good for me. I'll have to do things on my own, and there won't be anyone here to do it for me.

Day he left...we were TIRED

I started paying all the bills myself, the LT had been taking care of it. And I kind of messed up, but thankfully USAA is AMAZING and fixed my mistake! (I paid a bill twice, because I forgot it comes out automatically) I'm really glad the LT got the special Power of Attorney (PoA) for USAA because I needed it to get the payment reversed. I've also had to use the General PoA to get his cell phone turned off. I think we will be saving a lot of money on our cell bill now that we're down to 1 cell phone, and I cut my minutes down A LOT!

I've been pretty busy, my neighbor has been a godsend, and I've spent many a night with her. We have started walking her dog every night, I'm really trying to lose weight. So far, I've lost 3 lbs. We'll see how I do, I'm trying to lose 50lbs. That might sound like a lot, but it's needed. I've also watched the neighbor's dog, Junebug, a few times. She's a boxer, and she's amazing! I think I might get one, or wait til we get on the mainland to get one. They're is a place in Nashville that breads them, and from what my neighbor says, they're the best! I've also started the Nanny job, part time for now. The grandmother is watching her for now, and so I will start in like June. But for now it's just as needed. She's a cute little girl.

Anyways, here are some pictures I took of the sky, rainbows, and of course Junebug!!

Junebug, caught her at the right time, both ears are standing up,
one of them won't stand up anymore :(

4/2/11

4/10/11

4/16/11

Deployment Leave, yuck

So we leave tonight for the mainland, we're going to visit family for 2 weeks. It brings me great sadness because it means that the LT will be leaving soon. We know the time frame, but for the safety of him and the others, we're not allowed to tell. Just know that it's not as far away as it once was. And I also have decided that I'm not going to say when he's gone until I know he's safely there. It's just better that way. I've posted the OPSEC rules and guidelines before, so it should be something people are aware of. I can't tell you where exactly he'll be, and I can't tell you what he's doing exactly (not just for safety, but because I honestly have NO idea, ha) and I can't tell you when he'll be home, you will know when he's home when I say, hey, he's home. There will be no countdown, because it wouldn't be safe, and at this moment in time we have no idea when that will be. I don't know when he'll be home on R&R and I don't know when he'll be coming home for good. But as soon as I have eyes on, you will know. It is going to be a long 12 months, but we've prepared for this, the LT has trained hard, and knows what he's suppose to do. I have every faith that he will come home safely. I think it's best to have that mindset, or else you'll drive yourself crazy. I'm ready for this, I've trained in my own way, the last stretch of training when the LT was gone there was a 2 week period where we had no contact, and that helped me a lot. I realized I could do a lot of things on my own, and that not hearing from him wouldn't be the end of the world. In the military you have the saying "no news is good news" and I just kept that in mind the whole time. By the end of the 2 weeks I was a pro! And I think that will suit me well when he's gone, because there is no way to know if  I'll get to talk to him every day, and for some people that might be a little too much, but for me, going through the 2 weeks with no contact helped me prepare for the unknowns in contact.

I get a little annoyed at people who complain about deployments and training where they're separated. This lifestyle isn't for everyone, and I know that. And I try to remind myself that when I get annoyed. But my whole thing about that is, you signed up for it, and you knew it was bound to happen, so put your big girl panties on and deal with it. Yeah, being away from your loved one SUCKS, but you have to be strong for them. They need to know that you are going to be okay, so they can keep their mind on the mission at hand, and that in turn keeps them safe. So remember that when you start to feel sorry for yourself when your loved one is deployed, or at training, or just away. You might just surprise yourself ;)

Our Trip Home

We fly out tonight for the mainland, and will be there from March 6th to March 19th, staying in Atlanta for 2 nights, then we will be in Dahlonega March 8th to March 13th, then Chattanooga March 13th to March 17th and then back to Atlanta until we leave on March 19. If you want to see us, please let us know which date works best for you when we are in your town, we will do the very best we can to see everyone! Obviously family comes before friends, but we are going to try and visit everyone we can!

Hubby's Home

He's been home a week now. YAY! And Valentine's Day is right around the corner. I'd tell ya'll what we got each other, but I'd rather not. I'm actually thinking about shutting down this site. It's hard to keep up with, and I have another one. I had to lock up Facebook pretty tight because of some drama, and I don't want that drama to leak over to here. So, that's pretty much all that is going on. We are going to be getting enough money from taxes to come home. We will be spending equal amounts of time in each of our home towns, with a few nights in Atlanta. And I'll say it now, and won't say it again. If you don't like the dates or amount of time we're spending in one place, you can go ahead and get right over it because the dates are non-negotiable and in order to spend time with everyone, and have equal time with everyone that is just how our time is being divided. I'm sure someone is bound to get their panties in a wad, but frankly I don't give a damn. We don't HAVE to go home, we could easily stay here, or for even cheaper go somewhere else. I'd rather spend that time with the hubby and not deal with anyone's bullshit, as it marks the end of his time here, and means he'll be deploying soon afterward. And it is some times cheaper to fly HERE than it to leave here. I mean, we have bills too...I don't know how people expect us to pay all our bills, food, gas, and then spend a shit ton on airline tickets to come home. It's humanly impossible. And people just don't seem to understand that. Anyways, that's all for now. Like I said, we'll be home for a couple weeks, but our time is already set for where we will be and when, so nobody can ask for more time, or for us to change the dates. We won't do it. And I will tell you right now, that if anyone tries to make a big deal about this, or throws a fit I will go off. Like I said, we don't HAVE to go home. But we are, and we have made plans to see everyone while there.

Our New Book - sorry photo heavy...

So, I entered my other blog at shutterfly.com to try and get 50 free holiday cards, and I got them, so I ordered the 50 free cards, all you had to do was pay shipping and handling, not a bad deal. Well, the other day I got an email about a free photo book. I've been wanting one for a while. So I decided to do one of our first year in Hawaii. I thought I'd share it with ya'll. I'll also share my holiday card as well, since I'd been meaning to do that...

Here is the card, we did it kind of late, and so I decided to do a New Years card...it says "Tis the Season: May your New Year be filled with love and happiness! Love, Steven & Amanda"

the picture is outside our home, taken by our wonderful neighbor, Bobbi!

Onto the photo book...

here is the cover

Hawaii - Our First Year 2009-2010

Title Page

Hawaii - Our First Year 2009-2010

Hail & Farewell - Our first get together with the LT's battalion

Heli Tour

There are so many pretty flowers in Hawaii!

Casino Night

Visit to the Blow Hole

Steven is the King of the World, being silly as always!

Playing with the camera and the view of the shore at Blow Hole

Sight Seeing - Pearl Harbor and USS Missori

Pearl Harbor

Josh, Steven's best friend, came to visit

Beach visit

We've seen many beautiful rainbows since we moved here, and see more and more every day

Maui Trip July 2010

Road to Hana

There were lots of beautiful waterfalls along the Road to Hana

We saw a horse and some very pretty flowers along the Road to Hana as well.

Christmas 2010 and The Saint Barbara's Day Ball

not sure why it's sideways, but I can't figure out how to turn it, it isn't like that in the file folder...weird...

Saint Barbara's Day Ball - last page

Back Cover

I can't wait to show Steven when he gets home!! I love it!! I'm also working on a photo collage to go on our wall with the lovely canvas I bought...which I should show ya'll, because I don't think I have unveiled it on here....

my friend Katie made it - you can get her contact info from here(it's her blog)

My plan for hanging it is to put it with pictures of us from his graduation, commissioning, promotion, along with his oath of office!