My favorite fruit

Most people know that I love cherries. Not only to decorate my kitchen with, but I love to eat them too. They are one of my favorite fruits ever. I remember growing up next door to my great grandmother, and right in the middle of the field between our two houses, stood this cherry tree. I walked that field almost every day to go visit her, always stopping to pick and eat some cherries. Maybe that's why they are my favorite. Good memories. With that said, cherries are finally back in season. Today was the first day I saw them back in the produce aisle at the grocery store. I was excited. Such a pretty fruit.

Memorial Day Weekend

A very anticipated weekend ahead. Ashley and Austin are headed down today or tomorrow, followed by Daddy, Momma, Alaina and Matt on Friday. The long weekend for Memorial Day is perfect for a small extended visit. We have some fun plans in the works, including eating out at a coastal town seafood joint favorite, the beach, shopping, putt-putt and go-karts:) Can't wait for everyone to get here!

♥♥♥
Now if I can just get rid of this awful sunburn from last weekend! I've never been one to burn, but come to find out, my new medicine causes skin sensitivity to sunlight. Ugh. Looks like the doc woulda told me that seeing we liiiiive at the beach! My shoulders are so raw and sore, I'm seriously uncomfortable...and lifting my arms past a certain point is out of the question. I'm praying that it heals quickly and the pain subsides.

♥♥♥

I'll be back with pictures next week! Oh, and a very Happy Memorial Day!

My early...and very appreciated...birthday present

Saturday, Jason and our brother in law, Matt, went out for the afternoon. Knowing that I was a little sad that I wasn't a mother yet this year, he thought the best way to make me feel included was to go ahead and give me my birthday present (a month early...lol). I got a new (drumroll please)...laptop!!! Knowing that we're facing another deployment, and the computer being our main source of communication, he got me a very nice upgrade, and it's red:) It has a built in web cam for our video conferences and of course, Matt being a computer genius, uploaded it with all the bells and whistles. I must admit...I've spent quite a bit of time on it today. We are getting acquainted.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL THAT ARE MOMMIES OR MOMS-TO-BE!!! ESPECIALLY TO THE MOMMAS IN MY LIFE. TO MY BEAUTIFUL MOMMA AND SISTER WHO ARE WONDERFUL MOMMIES AND MY BEST FRIENDS. I LOVE YOU BOTH SO, SO MUCH!!!

To every woman who has known the sadness and pride in waiting on a deployed husband, and the overjoyed swell in your heart when you see him step off that bus after a 7, 12, 13, or 15 month deployment. This day is for you, this day is for us!

Rock-a-bye

Yes, that's my honey, sound asleep. And yes, if you can see the alarm clock, it reads 7:21. PM that is. Once a year, as a Marine, he has to go spend a week on the rifle range. Waking up at 2:50 to be all the way on the other side of town by 4 AM. Then spending all day out there until 5 or 6 in the evening. Poor thing is exhausted. After fighting sleep through dinner and for 30 minutes afterwards, I sent him to bed. Sweet dreams, my love.

New treats for me!

We went home this past weekend, and as always enjoyed our time with family. Like my mom said, "The weekends are just enough to make you want more time." I left home with some new goodies from my Momma. She has had this vintage strawberry container that I have wanted since she got it. I have always thought it would look so cute in my red/red fruit kitchen. Well, all the ones we've found in the antique stores have been between 15 and 20 bucks. My Momma found a new thrift store that she tried out and guess what!? There sat my strawberry and for a much thriftier price;o) And in wooooonderful condition.Then, after searching for several weeks for a quilt for our bed, since our down comforter is too heavy for the summer months, I asked if I could borrow the one that I have always loved from my Momma and Daddy until I could find one. Momma said that they don't use it on their bed anymore and with Daddy's ok, it was ours:D Yay! We stopped on our way back and picked up some new sheets to match, got home, washed the sheets and promptly made up the new bed. I'm in love with the way it looks in our room!

Thank you, Momma! I love you!

WooHoo

Going home today! I miss my family terribly, but with the huge increase in gas prices, we can't go home as often as we used to. But, this weekend is our weekend to go home! Yay! We're leaving after Jason gets off of work. I can't wait to see my family!

TO MY SISSY, ASHWEE!!! 23 YEARS AGO TODAY YOU MADE ME A VERY PROUD BIG SISTER! I LOVE YOU LITTLE SIS AND CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU IN A FEW DAYS!

Sick...blah, yuck

Wouldn't you know it. "Rapid" Strep is what my doctor called it. After an hour and a half wait in the waiting room...they "fit" me in. An hour and a half! I literally thought I was going to fall out in the floor. Now we all know how pleasant a waiting room full of sick people is. I've had strep before, but I don't think it's been this bad before. I feel like I have the flu and strep throat. My whole body aches, my head hurts, I'm burning up, then I have chills. Thank goodness for drugs. I just took my first round of antibiotics and a prescription amount of Ibuprofen for the aches and pains. The heating pad is helping with the stabbing lower back pain. And thank goodness for a sweet hubby that called in to be able to take me because I was too weak and light headed to drive this morning. He fanned me and rubbed my back trying to keep my as comfortable as possible in the hard, straight back metal chairs in the waiting room, then went and filled my prescriptions, and got me set up on the couch. He was able to stay with me for a bit longer to make sure I wasn't going to have any weird side effects from the new meds, and is now going back to check in. He said he would bring me a milkshake when he gets off. A little "babying" is always appreciated when you feel your worst. I wish I could get and stay well. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired:(

Updating

My father in law came through his surgery just fine. Today he was able to get up and walk for a short time. He's healing well and and the surgeon thinks the surgery is going to be successful. They took him in late, and we stayed until he was settled in a room. We got home at 2 a.m. Exhausted, but happy that the surgery went well. Thank you for all the prayers! He should be able to go home by the end of the week.

♥♥♥Tuesday was a not so good day, as I woke up with a nasty dizzy spell. The room was literally spinning to the left, so much so that I couldn't walk. It has happened once before about 3 years ago...my guess is possibly my inner ear/drainage issues or possibly a blood pressure issue. I have good blood pressure, but my doctors have suggested before that it might go wacky when I get up too fast. A little phenegren and laying flat for several hours finally got my bearings back, but the anti-nausea medicine knocked me on my butt for the rest of the day. Better today though, hopefully no more spells.

♥♥♥

Now off to catch up on some laundry, vacuuming, and dusting...yay;o)

Prayer Request

Quick post...my father in law is having vein replacement surgery today on his legs. He has several blod clots and this is a risky surgery, but needed if he is going to have a better quality of life and be able to walk without intense pain. It's a four hour procedure, we are traveling to go see him today, and if you feel led, please say a prayer for a successful surgery and that he comes through it ok. It's starts at 12:40 and is a four hour procedure. Thanks and God Bless.

Yep, we're staring down the barrel of another deployment. This one...13 months. At least it's not really soon. It will be sometime at the first of 2009. God is good...all the time. He got us through the first one, He'll get us through this one. It's just never easy to hear the words, "I'm being sent back". I'm thanking Him that we have all this time before he goes back, but I know it will fly by...as long as the year following flies by too...

Thank God for answered prayers! I'm feeling especially blessed today. The Lord is good!!!

Dry Sockets...

2 of them...blah!