Long Lost Blogger Returns

We are back home, settled in again, and Jason has gone back to full days at work. I am back to my job as his wife and homemaker, and I think we are finally used to "normal" life again. We had a wonderful 2 week leave. We spent 7 days in Gatlinburg, TN and a week at home spending time with family. Now we are gearing up for the ball (that is in 18 days!), Thanksgiving back home with our families, and my sister-in-law's (Jason's step-sister) wedding on December 2nd.

As you can probably see, our vacation was WONDERFUL, a much needed getaway, we enjoyed cool weather all week. We went to Dollywood, Ober Gatlinburg, several Ripley's attractions, walked downtown Gatlinburg almost every night, enjoyed the beautiful rivers, mountains, and forests, did some outlet shopping (I found my ball jewelry and Jason got me a Carolina Panthers jersey...Steve Smith, number 89 baby, lol), went to the Nascar Speedpark, horseback riding through the mountains, and enjoyed some absolutely delicious food. We also enjoyed rest and relaxation time in our cabin. We had a fireplace that we used every night, and a hot tub on the deck that was perfect for the chilly evenings. Since we had a full service kitchen, I made a romantic dinner for our second night, chicken fettucine alfredo with sparkling cider...yum.

Nearing the end of our vacation, my sweetie accidentally dropped my camera and it shattered the insides. Now as a scrapbooker and a blogger, I got a little teary...Jason was determined to get me a new one right then and there. I wanted to wait until we got home and just get by with disposables. But Jason is a bit hard headed and he got me a new one that day. He got me the upgraded version of my old one and to top it off, they now have it in pink! I love it, and it takes the same battery and memory card as my old one.

Well, just a little update on what we've been doing and where I've been. I need to go get ready for this evening and find some old clothes that I don't mind being "slimed" in. We are going to a haunted trail on base tonight with some friends, and the flyer said that "humans WILL be slimed", lol. I will be by to visit everyone over the next couple of days. Have a blessed week!

Oh...I just have to share one more picture...this is one I took of Jason and Austin the first day Austin saw Jason, it was like he never left. He missed his uncle, and held his hand and was grinning from ear to ear the whole car ride...PRECIOUS!

Happenings, and My Current Leave of Absence

I am alive...in case you were wondering;o) Ever since Jason's been home, the computer has been at the bottom of my list. His unit has been wonderful about keeping them out of the shop and at home as much as possible. He goes in at 7:30 am and is home by 9:30 am...leaving us plenty of "us" time, and not much computer time. We have enjoyed the beach, the local islands, new restaurants, quiet evenings watching movies and cooking dinner, and on and on! I am sorry I haven't come by to visit...I will be back though! Next Friday we are heading back home, and from there, on Monday, we are headed to our week long vacation in Gatlinburg, TN!!!!! I made reservations at an adorable little cabin for a whole 7 days, I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!! Then it's back to Dad and Mom's for 4 days before he has to check back in. I know, I know, I am a slacker about getting around to your blogs, but I hope y'all understand:oD BUT, I did want to share what my sweetie surprised me with last week:Yep, a new car! Man, do I have a keeper or what?!? A new 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo:) The red color has an orange tint to it, and I've actually never seen this red on any other Jeep. I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was fine with my old Jeep, it was my old trusty, but he said he wanted something brand new and ultra reliable since we want to start a family soon, something we could keep for a long time, and of course he knows his wife is a Jeep gal.

To give you a little background: most people know that military members do not make a ton of money, but we only have 1 car payment...mine. To be able to keep me home, like we always talked about, Jason drives a '98 Prelude that is completely paid for, and actually loves it. What a wonderful, selfless man I married. I am blessed.

Homecoming Day

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

I'm posting probably for the last time for a few days, the time is 9:43 pm on Monday night, and I literally have only hours before I am reunited with the love of my life!!! We made it, this deployment is over!!! I am typing through tears as the reality is just now settling in that tomorrow morning I will be in his arms once more. It hasn't really felt real, ya know? Tonight it does. I hung my last sign at the entrance to our neighborhood, tied my welcome home balloons on our mailbox, washed our sheets, ironed them and remade the bed, ironed my outfit for tomorrow morning, drew welcome home graffiti on my car windows with white soap (it shows up great and washes off much easier than car window paint), and just now set 2 alarms to make sure I wake up in plenty of time to get ready, and take care of my last minute in-the-morning chores. Jason called around 6 tonight, they had landed at their last stop before the US of A! A small layover and they were headed back to American soil. I give thanks to the good Lord above for keeping him safe thus far, and trust that He will guide them safely home the rest of the way. I'm sorry I won't be around to your blogs for a few days, but I think y'all will understand:) I will post the homecoming pictures as soon as I can!!! Thank you all for following and praying me through this journey, you all have been such a blessing.

Update

I finally talked to Jason this morning, and he is safely at stop #1. Thank the good Lord above! They are on schedule and so that means.......2 DAYS AND 13 HOURS TO GO!!!!!

Happy Birthday To You!

My youngest sister, you are so loved. I hope your 12th Birthday is the best yet!

Prayer Request

Jason is leaving at 5 am eastern time! There are several stops that they have to make along the way, therefore not getting back until Tuesday morning. If you don't mind, please pray for him and for safe travels. I am SO excited, but still a little on edge knowing he will be doing so much flying over the next several days. Thank you all so much, all of your response and prayer support for Jason and for me, has so touched my heart. 4 days y'all, 4 days:)

Not on my check list

Double earaches caused by fluid behind the ears causing dizziness and nausea...NOT on my checklist.But, thank goodness that since the snotty lady at my doctor's office told me I could NOT be seen until NEXT Tuesday, the Immediate Care office down the road said they could see me at 9:30. Whew! And they took military insurance, another Whew! They saved me a 4 hour wait at the ER. My local Walgreen's is working on my Rx right now, and hopefully I will be feeling better by this evening. Thank goodness that there are still some compassionate health care providers out there!

September 11, 2001

Thank you, sweetie, for fighting in the War on Terrorism. Even if you can't read this now, you will when you get home. I love you. And thank you to every man and woman who is continuing to fight to defend our nation against terrorist attacks. We will never forget what you are fighting for. 6 years ago today our nation was shaken to the core, but we did not lie down and take it, we are fighting back. Thanks and remembrance goes out to each and every service member and their families who have had someone serve, who is serving, and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. God Bless America.

Haircut.........................................................Check

Eyebrows Waxed........................................Check

New Outfit for Homecoming.....................Check

House Completely Set Up..........................Check

Hair Colored.................................................Check (well, appointment made for Friday)

Pedicure........................................................Check (this is for Friday too)

Family Arrival Date Set..............................Check

Jason's Arrival Date.....................................Check (Oh, this would be next Tuesday morning!!!!!!!!!!)

I'm ready, don't ya think???

Randomness

I hope you all enjoyed your holiday weekend and that you have a wonderful Labor Day!

An update on Jason:

He is feeling much better. He said his neck is still pretty stiff, but he's not hurting as much. He is off of his pain meds. now and only takes a muscle relaxer when he can't get comfortable enough to sleep. Thank you all for praying for him, I have no doubt that it helped with a speedy recovery!

And, lastly, my holiday weekend overview. My friend, Mandi came in on Friday night, and stayed through until this morning. We, along with my friend Tiff (whose husband is deployed with Jason), spent the day Saturday in a small coastal town not far from here hitting up the surf shops and playing putt-putt! We finished the day by having dinner at a local restaurant where we ordered the best stromboli's that I have ever tasted!

Mandi, Me, and Tiff
She cheats, lol...
This place is a blast!Sunday, we spent the majority of the afternoon making our welcome home signs! We made one for the guys' unit, and we made each of our husband's an individual one. We hung them up on the fence before you get to the main gate on base. Today we are going to finish up by making one more each for the fronts of our houses.

Making the first sign:
After I finished Jason's sign:

Hanging on the fence!!!

**Sigh**

I got a phone call at 4:40 this morning. It was Jason. I have been on edge since yesterday afternoon, after not getting a phone call or an email (you see, when the phones are down, he can usually still get out an email from work). By last night and still no email by 1 a.m., I was feeling a bit panicked. The phone call early this morning started: "I'm ok, but..." Never what you want to hear. Jason has been doing martial arts training (they do this in the marines to train them for hand to hand combat), and yesterday during an exercise, they thought he broke his neck. It popped 3 times, and he could barely move it without a large amount of pain. He was taken to the hospital out there by military ambulance on a flatboard in a neck brace and headblocks. Thank our good Lord above, that after x-rays, they ruled it a bad strain with no fractures. They are letting him do guard duty in the tent (it's a big circus looking tent that his unit is staying in), and they have him on muscle relaxers and Vicodin if the pain gets too much. I figured they would let him have the day off, but I guess not over there. He's not one to take medicine very often, but he will when he is hurting. We are so close to the end, I'm getting very nervous about any type of injury. We've made it so far. It could've been worse, I know, but I just have a helpless feeling because he is thousands and thousands of miles away, and there is nothing I can do. It's completely out of my hands. I know this is where I have to turn it over to our most loving, and caring God, but by nature, I am a worrier. It's my downfall, and the sin that I battle with more than anything.

On the brighter side, we went to a post-deployment brief for the spouses of deployed marines in our unit. AND, I now know the flight "window" for Jason's company and unit. He will be departing Iraq between September 16 and the 19th. After travel time, he should be here several days after. Not as soon as I'd hoped, but the 1st of September is tomorrow. So, approximately 3 weeks, and my heart will be whole again! Thank you all so much for your continued prayers, it really has meant so much to both of us.

The Ball

This year we finally get to go to the Marine Corps ball! The first year, we were traveling cross country from California. The second year (last year), he was gone for training for 6 weeks. And this year...he will be back, and we get to go!!! The date this year is for November 17th. Just a quick note...the Marine Corps ball is to celebrate the birthday of the Marine Corps;o)

Well, I don't know many girls who don't like to buy a new ball gown and feel like a princess for a night. I have a certain dress in mind, it's simple, but I think it's quite elegant, and black is always classic, what do you think??? Everybody and their sister wears red to the ball, so I'm trying to stay away from red! (Sorry the picture is not very good quality, but you get the idea.)The dress has pockets, how ingenius is that!? Plus, I already have ideas for my hair including a matching black satin head band;o) I called yesterday and made reservations at the hotel where we will be staying that night. The ball is going to be in a different town about an hour from here. The ball will be held at the same hotel that we are staying in. We figured it was going to be over late, that there will probably be some stupid ones who drink and think they can make the hour long trip back, therefore putting ours, and many other lives in danger, and of course, it will be nice to stay away from home for a night. I love staying in different cities, in different hotels...if they are nice of course. This hotel has a pretty reputable name, so I'm not too worried. Any place you have to pay $9.00 daily to park has to be pretty upscale, wouldn't you think?

I'm a little exctied, but I bet you could never tell, lol.

Wowie!

I am in, I am unpacked, I am EXHAUSTED! If you read my mom's post, we got in even with us all being sickly and my dad feeling awful (thank you to all who were praying for him). Dan was our last saving grace by Friday evening. He helped us get everything from storage here and unloaded. Ashley and Austin came down Sunday after Daddy, Momma, and Alaina went home to get Dad to feeling better. They stayed with me until yesterday, and last night I finally unpacked the last box, and hung up the last curtain. Last night was my first night alone, and it was loooooong. I heard every bump, scratch, and of course it had to thunderstorm. But I made it through and feel much better today. Of course, it's not dark out yet, so we'll see...

The yard men are here today, trimming our horendous yard. Maybe the bugs will clear out a little...yes, BUGS! And lots of 'em. I sprayed the whole perimeter of our townhouse, and doors and windows today. After I saw my 4th black widow spider (all outside thankfully), I had to do something. Daddy killed the first one on the front door, then today I found one in the garage, and 2 underneath our sliding glass door in the back. EWWWWWWW! I hate bugs, especially spiders, and especially, ESPECIALLY poisonous ones!

So, moving along...it's picture time:)

Welcome to our home!

Our living room:

The door on the left is the bathroom, the door on the right is our storage closet:

The kitchen:

Our Guestroom:

Guest Bath:

Our Computer/Craft Room:

Our Bedroom:

Our Bathroom:

So, that's most of the house, the more interesting parts anyways, the washer and dryer are in the garage, and I didn't figure that was a super exciting photo opp. The downstairs half bath is really cute too, it's done in an Outhouse theme, I just forgot to take a picture of it. I hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I am enjoying it all being DONE!

I will be around to visit this evening and tomorrow hopefully:)

It's time, It's time!

The time has come. It's moving day. We have a busy, yet exciting weekend ahead of us. I cannot believe its already time to move. Many of you asked me if I was excited. I'm ecstatic! But, I am also a tad bit nervous. I get nervous very easily, hoping everything will go smoothly, and hoping and praying everyone in our family can stay well and that it will be a good trip. Nerves always get me, and when nerves set in, I don't feel like eating, my nerves always make my stomach knot up, I eat enough to stay nurished, that's about it, lol. After helping with all the lifting and setting up of the electronics and appliances, Daddy and Alaina plan on having a beach day either Saturday or Sunday to get a little R&R while me and mom decorate, grocery shop, and make a few stops at our favorite quaint little coastal shops. We are pulling out at 5 am!!! We have to stop at the realtor's to get the key, and then it's off to unload load #1, then to the storage unit to empty it out (this will probably take a few trips). I have the cable/internet company coming out between 1 and 3 (don't you just love the 2 hour time window?), and then Dan, a friend of mine and Jason's, is coming over after work to help my dad get the heavy stuff up the stairs. Dan used to do the same job as Jason in the military, but switched jobs, and therefore, did not deploy at the same time. He will actually be with the group going out next. My dad, mom, and Alaina plan on staying through until Monday. Ashley will be coming down Sunday for almost 2 weeks, and my friend Mandi is coming in for the 3 day weekend for Labor Day. I think they will all do a great job at keeping me company:) So, hopefully I will be back early next week with moving day and progress pictures! Until then...hope you all have a blessed weekend, and stay cool!