Thank you for all of your sweet birthday wishes!!! You are all so kind! I had a wonderful 25th birthday:)

Like my mom said, these past two weeks and the coming months are going to be a bit of a blur, and I really am sorry I haven't been around much, my heart is just not in blogging right now. I feel like I'm rushing all the time, and when I do sit down at the computer, it is to talk to Jason, and then I usually pass out as soon as he gets off! I hate that I'm so far behind on everybody's posts and daily happenings, but I promise to catch up with y'all soon! So, I guess this is my official leave of absence. I want to do blogging because I enjoy it, and right now with life being so nuts, I feel like it's become more of an item on my to-do list! And, please don't take it as reading y'alls posts is a chore, I have still been running by here and there and reading here and there, but not so much on commenting. I will be back, not sure how long, but I will be back! I hope you all are having a glorious summer! Big Hugs...

And the answer is...

Okie Dokie...the answers to my Balderdash post are:

1. True. I do not and have never dealt well with stress. I tend to push things down and try to ignore them, and this is the way it comes out. My first one happened when I was working at a daycare. They are very few and far between, thank goodness, but still no fun when they do happen.

2. True. LOL. I am a certified nursing assistant (not currently practicing) and while I was in school for this, we had to do clinicals at a nursing home. One of my patients for the day was a woman in her 90's who was bedridden. I was assigned to give her a sponge bath. Long story short...she didn't let me.

3. True. First time when I was five, they got infected even though my mom cleaned them and took very good care of them (I'm not a good healer), we let them grow up, got them done again at 8...they did it again, waited until I was 18 and they finally healed up, got my second holes when I was 19, they were fine, and got my cartiledge pierced when I was 20.

4. True. My dad was pulling me with his boat with my mom and sister and another couple who were friends of my parents on board. I fell, and the drunk people thought it would be funny to scare my parents and came straight towards me, I was told that they came within feet of me. My mom was in the process of jumping out of the boat to get to me when they cut away, laughing. Needless to say, we found them on the lake later and my dad's friend drenched them and their boat with a wall of water from his kneeboard (he was pretty good, lol).

5. True. 4 times for passing out, once by ambulance when we lived in California because Jason couldn't wake me up and I had a seizure, the other time I was taken by ambulance was from the daycare when I had my first panic attack, I couldn't breathe.

6. False. I WISH! He has been at our base, but unfortunately, we did not get to meet this wonderful man.

7. True. We had not seen our family in 7 months and we were putting the pedal to the metal. We switched off driving and got cross country in 2 days. We only stopped in East Tennessee b/c it was 10 at night and everyone at home would be asleep when we got there, so we slept...slept hard, got up at 8 and finished the drive.

8. True. I petted a wolf when we lived in California (remember, we lived in the desert), he had been caught by animal control roaming people's backyards, and they didn't have the heart to put him down since he hadn't harmed anyone, so they were holding him until a wildlife place came and got him, he was there when we were looking for dogs, and they let us pet him. I held a snake in 5th grade at a reptile show that came to our school. And, I hand fed dolphins at SeaWorld...it was awesome.

9. True. I have NEVER flown, nor do I want to!

Balderdash

Jennifer has tagged me to do the post where I tell you nine facts about myself, one being untrue. Your job is to pick out the one that is not true:) Good luck! I'll let you know the answer in a few days.

1. I suffer from panic attacks.


2. I've been smacked by a 90-something year old woman.


3. I've had my ears pierced 5 times.


4. I learned to water ski when I was seven years old and not long after, was almost hit by a boat full of drunk people while skiing.


5. I've been taken to the Emergency Room 5 times, two of those times were by ambulance.


6. I have met President Bush, he came to visit our base last year, and he did a meet and greet.


7. We (my hubby and I) drove all the way from California to eastern Tennessee without stopping to sleep.


8. I have petted a fully grown wolf, held a snake, and hand fed dolphins.


9. I've never flown in an airplane before.


Happy guessing!


If you would like to play, consider yourself tagged!

Yikes!

My sweetie just sent me some pictures of one of the sandstorms they just recently had. When we lived in the California desert, we encountered a sandstorm, but it was not even half of what this one looks like! Wow!

All Gave Some...Some Gave All

Let us remember the ultimate sacrifice that many men and women have made for our freedom not only on this Memorial Day, but everyday. They will never be forgotten.

This Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day is about remembering and honoring those who have served and died for our country and it's people. I also think it's about remembering those who have served and are serving. My husband being one of them. I love you, my hero. You are making the sacrifice to defend me, our nation, our fellow Americans, and I am so proud of you. There is not a day, a minute that goes by that I don't think of you and miss you with all of my heart.

Yay, Yay, Yay!!!

So, a quick update! Jason has informed me that rumor has it that his unit will be leaving Iraq by the end of August, and that he will be stepping foot back on our American soil, at our base, no later than SEPTEMBER 5th!!! I am trying not to get too excited, but...oh...too late, I'm SO excited! Now I know that the military is infamous for changing things at any time, but usually it stays close to what they say. My mom and I are going back to look for a rental house (or condo or apartment...whatever God puts in our path) on July 31st and will stay until August 3rd. If y'all don't mind too much, maybe pray that we will find a place quickly, and that everything will go smoothly, oh, and that Jason will be back by the time they are talking about. Tentatively, my parents and I will be moving us back the weekend of August 18th, so that I will have time to set up house before Jason gets home. That way, he can just be happy about being home and not have to worry with anything:) It's getting much closer! A little over 3 months to go, we're almost half way!!!

AND...I just want to say thank you to all of you that have been continually praying for and keeping up with us. It really does mean the world to me. Every single one of you have touched my life. Y'ALL ARE FABULOUS!!!

Wordless Wednesday

My New Hair Color!

The weekend's over? Already?

Woah, it seems like it was just Monday, yesterday. Well, this weekend was a blur, a good blur, none the less. Saturday was busy, busy! I went with my long time friend, Mandi (the one I've known for 19 years!) to see Shrek 3. Who cares if we are in our 20's and didn't have any kids with us, I've seen every Shrek movie to date, and wasn't gonna miss the third one. It was hilarious! It might just be my favorite one so far, might be...I really do like all three.

Afterwards, we went to one of those traveling fairs that settle in the mall parking lots. No riding the rides though...they throw those things up WAY too fast for my liking. Just walked around, ignoring the luring from the carnies wanting us to play their games. It was such a pretty day Saturday, the perfect day to be outdoors. Then we finished up by running by Mickey D's to start our collection of the Shrek series glasses! Ha, I really am a nerd.

I came home early and supervised my dad taking out his stitches...shhhh...don't tell the doc that we did it ourselves. His lip is looking much better and starting to look like it's finally healing. Then at 7 p.m. sharp, we settled down in the living room and watched NASCAR, baby! It was the All-Stars race, and the qualifying races were the most entertaining...lots of wrecks! Daddy made his famous root beer floats too;o)

So on to Sunday...another wonderful church service, followed by a scrumptious lunch at one of our favorite "upscale burger joints" and a leisurely Sunday drive through the country. This is something our family has done for years, driving around different towns, looking at land or houses, imagining life in different parts of our state. Today we passed by an old country church that was having an old fashioned after church-outdoor potluck. It looked like so much fun!

Sunday afternoon:  home to change clothes, and over to Ash's house by 4 o'clock. Ashley helped me change my hair color...yes, again:) Now it's brown, lol. I have a highlighting kit and am thinking of adding some tomorrow. I'll post the final outcome picture sometime this week. I had dinner with her and Austin (yummy baked potato and salad bars, ending with strawberry cake!). So now, it's back home again, it's 9:00 and my wait begins. I have 2 1/2 hours until my sweetie can get on instant messenger and I can talk to him (isn't technology grand...even in Iraq!?) He's had guard duty for 24 hours and during that time, I never get to hear from him, so by the end of his shift, I am an antsy wife! Hehe...he doesn't even know that he has a brunette wife, instead of a blond wife yet:o) I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and I will be around to visit soon!

8 Random Things

Ok, so I've been tagged by Lori to do the 8 random things about myself post, so here it is!

1. It's been said that I'm a little obsessive-compulsive. Ok, ok, so maybe it's true that I color code my closet. My sister compares me to Monica from Friends, I don't think I'm quite that bad!

2. I'm not afraid to experiment with my hair. In November, I cut off 8 inches and donated it to Locks of Love, I've been every color possible...black, brown, red, blonde, even gray! The gray was awful, obviously, it was by mistake!!! My true hair color is dark blonde, if you were wondering:) It's funny, though...I was asked to be a hair model for a hair show in California and I said no, because I was afraid of what they might do to my hair, lol! I guess I'm only ok with it if it's on my terms!

3. I am an accessory queen. My friends pick on me because I have accessories to match everything. My newest ones...navy hair clips with white polka dots to match my navy polka dotted wedge shoes (picture in previous post).

4. I am one of the girliest girls you would ever meet, but most all of my friends are not.

5. I usually do not stick with one hobby or interest for long, scrapbooking being the most long-lived hobby I've ever had. Gymnastics, Cheerleading, Piano, Dance (Tap, Ballet, Jazz), Voice Training...you get the idea...

6. I have naturally curly hair, but hardly ever wear it that way.

7. I hate anything in clusters, colonies, etc. Especially when it is a living something. It just grosses me out. I know this one sounds a little strange, but it's hard to explain. I guess an example would be a cluster of fish eggs, now that will almost make me gag.

8. I cannot wear socks to bed, I will feel like I am suffocating!

So, there you have it, the randomness of Christie! You are supposed to tag others to do this, but I'm not going to since I think I am one of the last ones to do this. If you haven't done it and you want to, feel free!

free image hosting

What a mighty, mighty good man!

Oh, how surprised I was today. My sweet and thoughtful husband sent me two dozen roses. This just made my day, no, made my week! He knew I'd been feeling bad and a little down lately, and he knew just how to put a smile on my face, even though he's not here right now. I am so blessed that I have such a good man. I LOVE YOU, HONEY!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Hahaha! I am being brave because this is definately NOT the best picture of me, but it's funny. This is my friend Laura's, oldest daughter, Allyson. We are making monkey faces at her mom:)

What a week!

Well, this past week has been a blur! Not at all as planned, but still busy! The yard sale was canceled due to rain, but at least we will be a little more prepared for the rain date yard sale! I was at the doctor's twice this week due to some minor health issues, and will probably be back for another visit if they can fit me in tomorrow! Nothing major, as of yet, but if you feel led, just maybe say a quick prayer that it won't be anything major. I'll spare you the details, but I just haven't felt well.

My friend, Laura, and her family, came in as scheduled, late Thursday night, and I spent most of the day Friday and Saturday with them. Laura's husband is looking for a position with an EMS department in NC, so they came down to scope out the area a little more. Hopefully they will find something quickly, so they can get to moving! Their hometown is slowly becoming a place where it will be difficult to provide for a family, and they love NC, so naturally, they are trying to get down here. Plus, it will make me happy to have her close by again. It's been way too many years since we've seen each other. But, really, it's like those years didn't matter at all. We were able to pick right back up. I got to meet her youngest daughter for the first time, she is 2, and I got to see her oldest daughter again, who is now 4, she was a baby last time I saw them! Laura and I have definately been through some times where we had to help each other to continue to stand, and we'll always be close because of it. Her oldest daughter has now proclaimed that I am her new best friend, and the whole weekend, I had to hold her hand everywhere we went, sit with her at the restaraunts, watch her new learned tricks in the pool, ride in the back of the car with her, and all of which, of course, I didn't mind:) She is a cutie patootie!

I ended the week/weekend with a wonderful church service this morning. I made myself go, even though I think the devil was trying to keep me home by using my recurring health "issues". I did go, I was blessed, and now I'm home resting, hoping to feel better, but if not, I have a wonderful new doctor, and I will be buzzing her in the morning. Enjoy your Sunday evening, my wonderful ladies. It's good to be back, and if I haven't already visited your blogs, I will be by soon!

I'll Be Back!

Hello all my lovely ladies! I just wanted to tell y'all that I will be taking a bit of a break from blogging over the next week. We are helping Ashley with packing, hauling off, and preparing for a yard sale all within the next week. We are getting her ready to move to their new apartment by June 1st. Then, on Friday, my friend that I haven't seen in 4 years is coming down from Ohio for the weekend with her husband! They are looking to relocate down south! So, I probably won't be around much this next week...I will catch back up with everybody when things slow back down:) Have a great weekend (and week) everyone!!!