Happy New Year's Eve

I just realized I never posted pictures from Christmas. With all of the craziness with Brady being sick and just being exhausted from everything... I guess I forgot. The boys and I have been lazy this morning. We made a big breakfast and have just been hanging out. AJ got on the web cam for about an hour. We kept getting cut off.. which was frustrating, but then it all went well for awhile. He was hoping to be in bed by the stroke of New Years. He says it just is like any other day, no big dinner planned or anything. As for me, I think I will head to my parents for dinner, then back here to have a lazy girls night with my friend Shannon. We both are looking forward to kicking 2007 right out the door. We have spent just about all of it away from AJ. We talked today that once this whole deployment is over, we will have hit every single holiday starting at Memorial Day and ending at Easter with out him. He will have missed all of our birthdays as well. So.. I have to say I am really looking forward to spending at least 8 months out of this year with him.
Things to look forward to in 2008!


* Brady turning 5 and starting Kindergarten!
* Our 11th Wedding Anniversary!
* Keeg turning 9 and having his brother at his school!
* My sister Jamie getting married!
* AJ getting home!
* AJ starting a new job and moving into a new house!
* Jen turning 30! Ugh!!!
** Not sure what else will be in store for us! But, we are ready for the ride!** Happy New Year!

We have reached 100 days.

Today, we reached 100 days of AJ being away from home for this deployment. It actually has been about 180 I think since this all started, but it feels like a huge milestone. I am thinking we are pretty close to the halfway point. I celebrated tonight with a fellow marine wife, Shannon. We each had one drink and then

we sat around watching a movie about Iraq and a movie about Daniel Pearl. Not sure why I chose them. I guess I find comfort in watching things like that and knowing that my husband is making a huge difference in this crazy world. It is now 12:15 a.m. and I need to get myself to bed. I am counting down the days until 2007 is over and so excited to see what 2008 has in store for us.

A Sick Kid.. no fun =(

For the past week, I have had a sick kiddo. Last Thursday, Brady started with a small cough, over the weekend it slowly got worse. My Christmas Day, he had 103 fever and was throwing up. The cough, the temp, and throwing up has continued through today. I had to take him to the doctor today.

I feel like a zombie. I haven't had a full night sleep in the past 4 nights. Once you get out of waking up in the middle of the night, it is hard to do. Luckily at 2 am.. I heard him and was able to get him out of his bed before I had to change sheets. I then spent the next two hours tossing and turning, worried he was going to throw up again.

The doctor was good about calling me back this morning.. and I was able to get him in during the early afternoon. Of course when we got to the doctor, the horrible cough he has had, was suddenly gone! I felt like a liar. But, she did believe me. She saw he had a double ear infection too. He usually is pretty good about telling me if his ears are bothering him, but two weeks ago I stayed home with him thinking he had an ear infection.. and it just ended up as congestion. So, I felt bad that I hadn't initially listened.

We got him home and go this breathing treatments going, and antibiotics going. By the time he got the second antibiotic he decided he really didn't like the taste of it, and made himself throw up all over me, my chair, a blanket, and my bedroom floor. At that point.. I think I had enough!!!

Thank God I am on break.. and can be home with him but it is frustrating, because I wanted to be doing fun things with them during our time off, and I feel like I am so tired from being up all night that all I want to do is be lazy. Poor Keeg. I think he is getting bored with just being at home. So, hopefully I can disguise his meds tomorrow in a cookie.. and get it down him. Otherwise, we will be heading back to the doctor for a liquid prescription. So, I will definitely remember this Christmas. A very sick child.. and a husband in Iraq.. Why not???

My Christmas Gift!

I got the best Christmas gift today. I got to spend about 2 hours with AJ on the webcam! He was sweet and had some pants sent to me from New York and Co. and a gift card, but this was the best to have him see my whole family and get to talk with him. We had a good day. I'm exhausted! I will post more pictures later!

Red High Heels

I have been wanting a pair of red high heels for awhile now. I found the perfect pair yesterday! Did you know.. "Wearing Red High Heels gives women self-confidence and will help us overcome our inhibitions as well as helping us to be seductive and alluring. There is something glamorous about Red High Heels that can transform our lives. Red High Heels have magical powers." (from http://amominredhighheels.com/about/)

Good Morning Sunshine =)

AJ met me on the webcam today. We got to IM for about an hour. We had so much fun laughing at each other. I was going to try to get cleaned up for him.. but Brady woke up this morning and threw up. But, he loved "seeing me at my best" he said. He called me a big dork for taking pictures of us.. but I am so glad I did!

We have it all planned out. He is going to over take Santa's sleigh. We decided.. that no one needs presents and Santa needs to deliver the Marines!!!! Wouldn't he be man of the year????

Bring Him Home Santa

You have to see this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5leMiif4pM

Ahhhhhh.................

I'm finally getting five minutes to sit down and blog. It has been the week from Hell! The past three nights I have left my house at 7 a.m. and not gotten home until after 9. We had two Christmas concerts at the same time on Monday. I was able to send my parents with Keegan to his, and then went to Brady's. Brady was on first, so after he preformed, I packed him up and we headed up the street *which takes 15 minutes* on a good day to get to my school to catch Keegan close his show. Tuesday, we I had to pick up the boys and get to the drill center to get our monthly Family Readiness newsletter proffed, printed, and mailed to 100 families. Keegan did his homework at the drill center and then the boys ran around the drill center and wrestled with the Marines while I worked. My friend Shan and I took the boys to get dinner and then we headed to Keegs basketball game. Today, my grandma got in from Florida. Yeah! We then met my family for dinner at the restaurant that my sister Jodi waitresses at. After I finally got everyone to bed, I had to catch up on my dishes and laundry. My house is a tornado. I have clean close all over the living room. I don't have the food bought for Christmas Day yet and have no clue how we are going to get baking done or my house put back together before Christmas since I work through Friday. But, it will all get done... eventually. Tomorrow is much the same. A full day of work, with a short break to meet my Dad at Lowe's to purchase a new ceiling fan so we can eat and open presents with a light in the dining room. Then I have to head to the priests' house for gifts and drinks. Brady has practice later that night. Ugh..... I'm so looking forward to my nice two weeks off. I might get to breathe then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AJ seems in good spirits. He keeps telling me this is the last year I will have to do Christmas by myself. That sounds like the best thing he could ever tell me! Christmas is stressful enough.. but seems to be more stressful without him here to help with the running and cleaning.

I had a girl at work today ask me how I was doing. She asked when AJ would be home. She is the first person that when I say Aprilish... she responded, "oh.. that's still a long time". I know she didn't mean it... but I really didn't need that reminder right now. She proceeded to tell me that I look wonderful, and that she never sees me down. She couldn't understand how I get through each day. I responded by telling her that I really didn't have a choice. I could go through the next few months like a zombie or I can make the best of it. Ahhhhhhh...............................

Burned out Vacuum

Well, around here. We go through at least one vacuum every year. Well, mine hit the dust.I don't think we even had this one a year. I had gotten a Rumba last year for Christmas, and it just never worked right for me. AJ said when we got it, that he gave it less then 6 months and it would burn out. Well, yes it did. So, I bought a cheap one to get us buy until I decided if I wanted to purchase another upgraded Rumba, or hold out for something else. Well, with the in store credit and some Christmas money, I purchased a Dyson Slim today. AJ has been wanting a Dyson for a long time. Yes, I have a man who loves to vacuum=) So, I splurged and it has a five year warranty which is even better.

Brayden was so excited. Yes, my 4 year old loves to vacuum as well, and has since he could walk. We were fighting over who got to use it first. Notice... I don't mention Keegan in this at all. Yeah, not sure that kid could turn it on. He has no desire to help clean house. I have to say.. much like me =) Anyway.. I was so impressed with my assembly skills and couldn't wait to use it. Of course, with all the dust and animals in my house... it only took one room to fill the canister.

So, I thought I was so confident that I knew how to clean the canister. Next thing I know I had pushed a lever that popped all the dust and dirt back on to the floor. Ugh!!!! Oh well, Brady and I fought once again about who would get to clean it up =)

AJ did call after I bought it and he is excited about our new purchase. So, if your in the market for a new vacuum, I think it is totally worth the money!!!!!!!!

A visit with Santa!

Busy Weekend!!!!!!!

This weekend brought us about 4 inches of snow. The boys got out and made snow angels today.


I think Brady had a fight with the snow... and the snow won!

Preschool Program Friday morning.

All done shopping! The kids went to a store where they got to shop by themselves and wrap their own gifts. Brady said, " Shopping is fun! "

Riding the train at the mall after seeing Santa!!

Pretty uneventful...

It's Friday! Yeah! It has been a pretty uneventful week. The kids at school continue to get more and more crazy as we get close to Christmas. They are just so excited.. they can't contain themselves. The teachers think time is going way to slow... and are wondering how we are going to get through another week of this craziness!

I am officially done shopping. Everything is pretty much wrapped under the tree. I wish I had some baking done.. because I'd like to give some cookies out as gifts, but I just don't see that happening. Who knows.. I may get ambitious by the end of the weekend. I have been sick all week. Brayden had the same cold, but his only lasted about 3 days. I am now going on 7. Today is the first day, I feel back to myself except for the annoying stuffed up nose. Despite not feeling well, I have had a hard time unwinding and getting to bed at a decent time.

AJ is away from his "home" for a few days. So, I haven't talked to him via Email in two days. It is driving me crazy.. after having such good communication. I'm hoping to talk to him tonight or tomorrow. Ugh...

Other then that, just hoping to get my house back in order this weekend and start working on some cleaning. Amazing.. I can never catch up around here. I'm thankful I don't have a bigger house these days.

A thought for the day...

7 Random Things about ME!

Ok.. I'm bored and sick...

1. I always told myself that I would never marry a firefighter, a policeman, or a guy in the military. AJ has been each and everyone of those.
2. I met AJ when I was just 16. We started dating on December 22, 1994. He told me after we had just been dating a month, that I was going to be the girl he would marry. I thought he was crazy... look at where we are today!
3. I'm deathly afraid of sharks and snakes. I swore I would never swim in the ocean, until I lived in California and was introduced to Boogie Boarding!
4. I never in a million years thought I could handle this sort of life. I always dreamt of a husband at home taking care of me. I never knew that I could ever be so independent.
5. I 'd love to write a book someday about my experiences. Maybe.. I will start soon.....
6. I'd love to leave teaching someday to work with military families full time.
7. I don't like to work out. The only exercise I enjoy is swimming. I know as I approach 30, that I am going to need to get my butt moving because I love to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our Weekend

I figured I better post an update on our weekend. Thank you to all of you who kept us in you thoughts today and were so excited to hear how things went. It means a lot to me.

We started yesterday by shopping with the Marines for Toys for Tots. We filled 12 cars in a half an hour! We had a blast. You can see the news story by clicking here! We then headed out to Champaign. We were under a Ice Storm Advisory, so I was hesitant about going. I had made plans with one of my former Marine wife friends and her kids to meet at a hotel and catch up. We hadn't seen each other in two years, but we were able to pick up and leave off right where we ended. We had a blast. We were both pretty exhausted, because our hotel had a lot of craziness at night. We had to call security three times for different domestic disturbance. I think we finally got to sleep around 2. Luckily the kids never woke up. I will be writing a letter about the circus of a hotel. Anyway.. we got up and headed to the Freedom Calls site. We got there early and the family before us couldn't make it, so we ended up getting an hour!

The boys preformed their songs for AJ. Brady spelled for him and they just kept asking him questions. All of a sudden, Brady started crying. I could see it bothered AJ and I tried to comfort him quickly, but he pretty much wanted to stay in my lap the rest of the time and asking when it would be over. AJ and I both cried, but we were able to move on. We talked about what we wanted to do when he got home. The kids kept telling him they just wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese. He mentioned Disney to them, but they seemed content with just going to Chuck E. Cheese. They asked AJ what he wanted for Christmas. AJ said, "Just a plane ticket home."

He talked about his "home" there. Brady was confused by that.. and thought he meant he wasn't coming to our house again. So, we had to explain that. AJ pulled out his baggie of pictures and religous medals he carries with him. The boys thought it was funny to see all that he carries in his pocket. They also asked him where is wedding ring was. * I had nothing to do with that. * He doesn't wear it when he is deployed because of the risk of loosing a finger. So, the boys assured him it was o.k. that he didn't have it on and that they knew Daddy loved me anyway. * I have trained them well! *

Brady has been pretty upset on and off today, which surprised me. Keegan seems good with it. He didn't go right to sleep, so I am wondering what he is thinking.

All and all , I wouldn't have traded our time with him for the world. We had a safe drive home, and avoided the icy roads. I was able to have lunch with two other Marine wife friends and their kids too. It's just nice to be with people who understand your situation, and don't have to say anything. They just know. That is one huge minus for all of us reservist wives. We don't have that constant support from each other.

Well, I am so drained by all of this. I have spent the past two weeks helping to get this organized. It all went so smoothly, but I am exhausted. Back to work tomorrow. Two full weeks and then Christmas vacation. I just have a few little gifts to get, and maybe one or two things for the kids. Everything is pretty much wrapped. This year, it was gift bags! No fancy ribbon, etc.

I hope you all are well. Thank you for all of your sweet comments and txt messages today!

A perfect meeting..

Us as Elves!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1223420728

A Long Week....

It has been a LONG week. All day I kept looking at my plans for Thursday. This whole week has been long. The kids are still crazy at school. We got 2 inches of snow last night, that in combination with St. Nicholas Day tomorrow, and just the excitement of Christmas.

I spent the night getting things organzied. I ran to Wal-mart to pick up presents that I had shipped to the store to save money on shipping. It actually was great to have purchased everything online and then just have to pick up everything. There was no line today to pick things up, so it went smoothly. I then had to pick up the kids and the neighbor boy. We got home about 5 and got dinner going. I ended up making soup, because I was so cold all day. I think it didn't get above 25 all day and had below zero windchills. I picked up somethings to make "Puppy Chow" for AJ and got that made. I realized that Keegan had no uniform shirts left, so had to do some laundry. Then, I sorted through the kids presents to see what I still needed to get. I found that I probably need to get a few more little things for the boys. But, really they don't need anything else.

We will be doing some Toys for Tots shopping with the Marines on Saturday, then will head to Champaign to spend the night in a hotel with my friend Angie and her two kids. Angie was my rock last deployment and I haven't seen her in almost 2 years. I am so excited. We got adjoining rooms, so that the kids can be put to sleep and then we can visit. Then.. the we will all get an early Christmas present on Sunday. We will get to spend a half an hour with AJ via teleconference through the Freedom Calls Foundation. The boys don't have a clue, as I know that anything can change and I don't want to deal with them being disappointed. So, I won't tell them until we physically get there or maybe not even until they see AJ. It's been hard to keep a secret, but I think it is best and they will be so excited. We haven't seen him in over 70 days now. I don't think he will believe how big they have gotten and how much they have learned in school. I am sure they will spend the half hour preforming.

Well,I am totally exhausted. AJ has been catching me on Email around 10:15 each night.. so I have to stay up for that. The past few nights I have turned off my computer at 10 and he has called me to tell me to get on. He has said it is to cold to stand outside and chat with me. It's been getting down into the 30's at night there.

I hope you all are enjoying your week and getting things done for Christmas. It is overwhelming this year since I have to work through the Friday before Christmas. There won't be a lot of time before, and I just want to get everything done I can before so that my grandma and I can bake before Christmas.

That's all for now....

Mrs. Claus Must Be a Military Spouse....

Mrs. Clause Must be a Military Spouse

Ten reasons we know.

by Candace Lindeman



(Yes, we know there's not an "E" on the end of Santa Claus, but given the military's penchant for "clauses" we enjoyed the humor! We hope you do, too.)

Faced with the prospect of spending another holiday alone, military spouses might recognize a kindred spirit this Christmas season: Mrs. Clause. She must be a military wife! How do we know?

1. Mrs. Clause supports her spouse. Because she works tirelessly as part of “Team Clause the general public defines her by his job. We military spouses realize, though, that she is so much more!

2. Mrs. Clause will move anywhere to be with Old St. Nick. This is perhaps the most convincing evidence. Who else but a military spouse would follow her husband on assignment to the freezing North Pole?

3. Mrs. Clause makes the best of every situation. Her generous and kind spirit makes even the coldest of places warm and inviting. She could do wonders with post housing!

4. Mrs. Clause worries about her husband’s dangerous job. When Santa is off flying around the globe, Mrs. Clause keeps her concerns and tears to herself. But we all know she has more than her fair share of gray hairs! Perhaps she has installed a Web cam on Santa’s sleigh so she can see (if not actually hold) him on Christmas Eve.

5. Mrs. Clause keeps the home fires burning. Imagine her leading a family support group meeting for residents of the North Pole. In turn, she’s surrounded by love and good will.

6. Mrs. Clause understands that the mission is first priority. Even when Santa is home, he is so busy at work that Mrs. Clause hardly sees him. Like all members of our special society of spouses, Mrs. Clause understands that, though she may be last on Santa's schedule, she is first in his heart.

7. Mrs. Clause is frugal. Santa's salary is not published, but I suspect Mrs. Clause clips coupons to support a household of hundreds of elves and eight reindeer (plus the newest addition, Rudolph). Let's not even start on her heating bill!

8. Mrs. Clause knows how to keep her mind occupied. To stay busy, Mrs. Clause pitches in with the toy making (although it really is someone else’s job), bakes hundreds of cookies (we all know how Santa feels about cookies) and volunteers her time (she is just as generous as her husband).

9. Mrs. Clause is underemployed. To take her mind off of her husband's safety (and to help with the bills) Mrs. Clause probably has a paying job, too. Although we know her for her kindness, Mrs. Clause is also a smart, independent self-starter. Since she has to work seasonally and values family life above all else, however, I doubt that this job fully uses her considerable skills and training.

10. Mrs. Clause is married to a genuine hero. For Mrs. Clause and military spouses alike it’s worth all of the sacrifice to be married to someone you truly respect and admire.

Mrs. Clause assists Santa and encourages him in his meaningful work. Just as Santa performs his duty selflessly with an attitude that could best be described as … well, jolly, Mrs. Clause also knows how to accentuate the positive. Surely Mrs. Clause is one of us, part of the special breed called the military spouse.

Quote from my WONDERFUL Husband!

"There is no way that I could stop enjoying everything about you. Every day I find something new to love about you and that is crazy after almost 11 YEARS of marriage."

Iced in!

We are right in the middle of the winter storm crossing the U.S. We woke up to gloomy skies, which gave way to sleet, freezing rain, and just a mess! We were to have a meeting at the drill center today, but once I heard that families that were traveling a few hours had to turn back.. I decided I probably shouldn't attempt my 20 minute drive either. So, the boys have I have been lazy. We made a big pot of chicken soup, some chocolate covered pretzels, and rum balls. I also wrapped a few presents that I had laying around.. so I could see what I still needed to get. I still haven't gotten all of the kid's stuff I ordered, that will be a project once it all gets here. So.. it's been nice to have to stay at home for a change!
I think we will make a big dish of pasta for dinner, and I will have two left over meals for the week. Tomorrow we will have Christmas with AJ's side. Just a small get together with lots of food and a gift exchange with the grandkids.

I meant to blog last night.. but ended up getting side tracked. We were all sitting down having pizza and watching some TV when we heard a knock on the door. No one ever comes to the door, so I was surprised. I opened it, and it was a lady that has been so sweet each deployment. She came by with a card and some cash. She said she was so appreciative of what we are doing for them and she wanted me to buy something we needed or wanted. It about brought me to tears! This deployment has been sooooo very different. People are not as willing to help those left behind. So, it was touching that she realized what we go through and was appreciative.

Well, I'm going to lay with Brady and watch a movie. I hope all of you are enjoying your weekend =).

Is it a full moon??

I woke up this morning thinking that AJ called me in the middle of the night, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember for sure. I woke up looking at my cell phone to see if he really did or if I was just dreaming. Indeed.. I was dreaming. We went through the whole morning routine, and as I was in the shower.. Brayden came running into me saying that his Daddy called. I didn't hear the phone right, but he figured out how to turn on my cell phone. He answered it and said, " Hello.. " AJ asked if it was Brady. He said, "Yes.. Is this my Daddy...??" Too cute. They got to talk to him while I finished my shower. We talked for a few minutes then after. He has been very busy going on missions. He said that he handed out all the spider rings I sent him.He said the kids weren't to sure about them and that he had to show them how to put them on. He said they don't really want the toys and stuff they bring to give them. He says they keep asking for chocolate and footballs(soccer balls).

Work was crazy today. The kids were nuts and the computers were doing crazy things again. It is so funny how all the computers will work really well for a few weeks with little errors, then all of a sudden we have several days of craziness. I also had a Kindergartner pee on one of the chairs and all over the floor. Lovely =) !

Well.. It is 7:20 and I need to get my Indians to bed. I have been working on my Christmas cards tonight as they have been finishing up homework. Looking forward to the end of the week!!!!!

* A Hit In IRAQ Rum Balls*

Here is the recipe! Remember if you are sending these to Iraq.. don't label them Rum Balls!

1 cup of Crushed Vanilla Wafers
1 cup of Powdered sugar
1 cup of chopped nuts
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/4 cup rum ( I add a bit more!)

Combine crumbs, sugar, nuts, and cocoa. Add syrup and rum. Mix well. Shape into one inch balls. Roll balls in powdered sugar. Store in can with lid for about one week- better after 2 or 3!

Enjoy!!!!

The start of basketball!

Whoa!!!!!!! It has been a crazy busy week. Yesterday I spent the day at work then had to go to the drill center to make calls about an upcoming conference call that we get to do with our Marines. I got home about 7:30 p.m. Thanks to my Dad, he ran the boys to haircuts and to Brady's counseling appointment. Today was filled with work... computers doing crazy things at work... and then both boys having basketball that overlapped in two different cities. Again, thanks to my Dad for taking Keegan to his and then I went to Brady's and was able to catch the end of Keeg's game. So, that will be my life the next 3 months. I am hoping that we don't have many days like this.. but you never know!

I haven't heard much from AJ in the past week. I do get an Email everyday.. so shouldn't complain. But, no back and forth communication as we normally have had. He has been crazy busy! My rum balls have been a hit in Iraq and have had several Moms ask for the recipe to send more over to their Marines! At least AJ has been sharing.. He is starting to get my Christmas gifts. He got a pillow I sent him with all of us on it and was so excited! He said he can now fall asleep with us each night!

Other then that. I am so ready for bed. I have had my hour of quiet time.. if you call doing laundry, picking up the house, and keeping my Puggle from eating everything in site quiet time.

I was listening to the radio tonight and she was having people call in about what they most wanted for Christmas. She joked that she wanted someone to come clean her house each day for a year. Wouldn't that be nice? Also, she talked about just having some quiet time. I was thinking that besides sleeping by myself, the only quiet time I get is after I get my boys to bed and that seems to be spent trying to get everyone ready for the next day!

Well, I need to get to bed. Luckily the rest of the week should not be so crazy. I get to come home at normal times the rest of the work week. We already have Christmas with AJ's siblings next Sunday and looks like I will be making more cookies!

Great Song!!!!

This is great!

Dear Civilian Wife,

You'll never understand the nights I spend alone

You'll never understand the feeling in the pit of your stomach we get a week before our husband deploys

You'll never understand the connection I feel when I meet or see someone from the same unit

You'll never understand how strong you are until they are deployed




I hope you never have to worry if your spouse is alive

I hope you never have to live with your phone on loud wondering if you are going to miss a call

I hope you never have to worry if someone is going to knock on the door

I hope you never have to wait by the computer to get an email to know that he is alive




I don't understand how you can take things for granted with your significant other

I don't understand how you can look at me and wonder why I am doing this

I don't understand how you can look at me and say that what I am going through is easy & will go by fast

I don't understand how you can complain if your significant other's phone doesn't work or they have to work late




I wish that you could see the pride I have for my husband

I wish that you could see how hard it is to watch them walk away

I wish that you could have seen the look on my husband's face when he walked away & how hard it was on him

I wish that you could love someone with everything you have




I would do anything in the world to know that he is safe

I would do anything in the world to bring all of our men & women home

I would do anything to make you understand that they did choose to be over there

I would do anything to help you understand it is ok to support our troops




How do you say that we choose this life

How do you say that our men are less because of what they are doing over there

How do you look at a family with a deployed family member and not feel their pain

How do you look at a military family and not thank them




Love,

Military Wife

Half way point!

The deployment has finally reached the half way point. AJ was activated in May, so that brings us halfway to the end! Yeah!!!!

Relaxed!

My Thanksgiving break is winding down. It seems like we have been off forever! I am not complaining, but I am ready to get back into my work routine. It has been a very productive break. I got a lot of things done that were lingering over my head and stressing me out. I got my room completely cleaned and moved around. The four laundry baskets that were hanging out in there, got put away. All of my summer/spring clothes are put in tubs and in the attic. I think I am just about caught up on all the laundry that seemed to accumulate the past week. I forgot how much more it seems we have with our sweatshirts, pants, and sweaters.

My Dad came out yesterday and took care of my leaves. I stayed in and got my Christmas stuff down. The boys and I hung the tree yesterday afternoon. I decided to keep my Christmas decorations to a minimum. I thought of how pretty everything looked and then got kinda of sad realizing that AJ won't be here to see everything. He did call when we were hanging the tree. He got to hear the kids laugh and... fight.=) Brady kept hanging everything in one spot and kept taking all of the bells off of the tree that I would put on. At one point he was swinging my crystal bell around the living room. Ugh.. thought he outgrew that last year.

I did not venture out to shop this weekend. I have become a holiday online shopper. It is so much easier with the kids and I don't have to hunt someone down to watch them if I want to fight the crowds. I just like that I can compare prices and read reviews all while sitting in bed! I decided to buy a lot of things from Walmart, and then they ship everything to my store for pick up. We will see how that works out. I just couldn't see paying the extra 30.00 for shipping when I could just swing by and get what I purchased. I think I am just about done shopping!!! I got AJ a few things and just had them directly sent to him. We will see how that turns out.

AJ said his Thanksgiving was pretty good. He got to have dinner with his platoon. He said that the Commandant of the Marine Corps was there the other day. He said he got to ask a question. He is about at his point to re-enlist and there is no sign on bonuses for reservists. There is a ton of money for active duty to reenlist with added incentives as choosing duty station, etc. He asked him why there was no bonuses and how are they going to keep their senior staff in the Marine Corps. At this rate, the Marine Corps is going to loose a lot of their experienced Marines. He says it is not about the money.. but it always is nice. Afterwards, the Sgt. Major came over and gave them his card. He said they are working on this issue, and that they should give him a call next week in D.C. I was proud of him! I know after hearing of the 40,000 sign on bonuses the active duty were getting, that made him think twice about switching to active duty. But, I am convinced he will be happy with his one weekend a month gig when he gets back. We will see.

Well, my boys are up and I am going to try to sleep a bit longer. Also, if your reading this blog.. don't forget to leave me a comment. I sometimes feel like I am writing for myself. Which isn't a bad thing... a great stress reliever, but it is always nice to know who is staying in the loop!

A project for AJ

I have been working on this for AJ

One holiday down... 3 more to go!

Yes.. I am grateful that we have one major holiday down and 3 more to go before this deployment is over. I actually knocked out two big things in one week with my birthday! Yeah!! We had a great day at my parents. The boys had a ton of fun showing off and Flat Daddy came with us. Mamaw Grace had a lot of fun with him too. She was trying to get him drunk I think =) We wanted to include him in our celebration and it did seem to make the day go better.

AJ called me this morning. He had his turkey and was heading out on a mission. He said that there was no break for them on Thanksgiving. He was very excited that he got a package from me today. They had Rum Balls in them. He said that his Captain was very excited when he tasted one. So.. those were definitely a hit and he asked for more! Here are a few pictures from the day!

Thanksgiving

Tonight we started the Thanksgiving holiday with my family. We had dinner tonight, because Jamie and Dan are heading to Minnesota tomorrow. Jodi, my other sister, had to work. The boys were not the most well behaved. I had drug them to the drill center for three hours while I got out the Family Readiness Newsletter, so I know that there being good was pretty much over. I am sure that they are missing AJ in the back of their minds. I know that I thought I would be fine, but finding that it really is hard. I am sad that he is missing this, but mostly just want him here. I'm trying to be positive and look at this as just one more thing I can cross of this deployment list. But, I am thinking staying in bed all day tomorrow sounds wonderful =) Tomorrow, we will head back to my parents for an early dinner.

I look back and the most memorable Thanksgivings were with our Marine friends when we were in CA. It was just us and them. But, times I will never forget. Being 20 years old and cooking a whole turkey dinner just like I was used to growing up, and having everything turn out! Sharing our meal with our single Marine friends, who had no families to spend it with.

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving. Please don't forget to say a special prayer for all of our Marines away from their families and for their families who are patiently waiting to be with them.

My family

65 degrees in November???

The one thing about living in the good Ole' Midwest is you NEVER know what the weather is going to be from day to day in the Fall. One day it will be in the 20's..the next day in the 60's. We are experiencing some unusually warm weather right now. The temperature actually rose after the sun went down. They are calling for thunderstorms and near 70 tomorrow and then possibly snow before Thanksgiving... Ugh....

Anyway.. we had my grandma's memorial service today. We drove to a suburb of Chicago. When we got there, we went and looked for my Grandfather's grave and where my Grandma will be laid to rest. We looked and looked. I am not kidding.. the cemetery is about the size of the town I live in. We finally found the grave after wandering through goose droppings. Did you know that goose droppings kinda look like dog's droppings? I am not kidding they were EVERYWHERE you walked. How dare those geese drop all over those people's graves. Anyway.. our shoes were covered, Brady had it on his pants, and Keeg somehow got it on his face. This was all before the ceremony. So, we walked back to the car.. cleaned up with Kleenex and water bottles.

We went to the chapel and found out my grandma's ashes are still not there. She is somewhere between New Mexico and Chicago. They sent her over a week ago. Don't they have at tracking system??? The priest was very sweet and did the service as if her body was there. He joked that the body is not what is important, and that it is the soul that leaves the body that we pray for. He let Keegan hold the holy water and sprinkle it on her picture. That is when we ALL lost it. He was her first Great Grand Child and I know it would have meant a lot to her.

We then went into the mausoleum where my Mom's Dad is buried. Keegan used to call it Kapaw's castle, because it is very ornate like a castle. We went and introduced Brady to his namesake and he tapped on his grave. I am sure he was chuckling at Brady trying to figure out what we were talking about.

The boys were great. They kept reminding us that they came from Heaven before they were born, and that it was a good place. Brady said he didn't want to ever go back though. They were really good on the ride home.. a bit restless on the ride up. Thanks to Jamie and Dan for driving my van, so I got a bit of a break. Brady was watching an Elmo DVD about deployments on the way up and when he saw the moon today, he said, " Mom.. I can see the Moon and Daddy's in the Moon like Elmo's Daddy.' I think the movie talks about seeing the same Moon wherever you are. Cute =)

Well. I am totally wiped from the day. Only one work day this week! Yeah!!!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Me , My Dad, and my cake! Chocolate, Chocolate with sprinkles =)

Me and My girls! Me and my sis Jamie
Happy Birthday to me!
Katie and my sis-in-law Mic
Katie and me

Me and our friend, Jeff

My soon to be cousin-in-law, Chris

Me and Shan

Yesterday, I entered the last year of my 20's. I was able to spend the day with my boys and the evening with some close friends. I was honestly dreading the whole birthday thing and most of the day was pretty difficult.

AJ got me an IPOD Nano. He had it wrapped with a card and engraved. He never does stuff like that.. so I was totally surprised! I woke up with some text messages from friends, and and E-mail with pictures from AJ. He has been working out very hard.. and I can't believe the body he has!

Brady didn't feel good yesterday, so in dealing with his whining and Keegan debating me.. the day just didn't start out right. I was feeling pretty done with this whole deployment thing and was missing AJ terribly.

My Mom and Dad took my kids around 2 and I was able to come home and get ready for my evening out. My friend Katie came down from Chicago, and then we met some of my other girlfriends for dinner. We then headed downtown to meet some more friends for drinks and concluded the night at a dance club that our friend was working at..trying to win a blackberry. Needless to say, we didn't last until the drawing. We were all pretty tired. I had gotten sick the night before and was a bit cautious I didn't have too much to drink or eat something that might not agree with me. AJ called to check on me at 12:30 and I was in bed by 2. So, I feel like I was able to get some good sleep and sleep in a bit today.

Today I met my Dad and Keeg at church and we went back to my parents for a brunch and cake. It was fun and the boys were good! Tomorrow we head to Chicago for my grandma's service.

All in all, I am excited about being 29. I have lived a lot for a 29 year old. During my 20's I became a Mom twice. I moved across country to be back closer to my family. I went through 5 deployments. I put myself through college and have worked full time while raising my boys. I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for and a great supportive family and husband. I feel like I finally know who I am and what is important in life. I look forward to what the next ten years has in store with me.

The Ziegel Family

I have blogged about Ty Ziegel before and introducing my sons to him. I wanted to share this story of his battle with the VA system. This family is the most amazing family I have ever met. They continue to inspire me and give me strength everytime I see them.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/11/15/wounded.marine/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Something to share...

I had to share this article I found today. It seems as if the holidays are much closer together then they were when I was a kid. I had to laugh hard at this article, because just yesterday I was taking down my ceramic pumpkins and have no desire to unpack the Turkey stuff I have.. to just put it away the next day when the Christmas stuff comes down! Ugh!!!

Thanksgiving?!? What happened to summer?
Ok. I’m having a hard time with Thanksgiving coming this soon. What happened to summer, fall and Halloween? Did I sleep through it? I cannot believe another year is almost over and another one is about to begin. I cannot keep up. I went into the store (ok, the NEX) TEN days before Halloween to buy some last minute pumpkin stuff. IT WAS ALL GONE-except for two pumpkins on sale for 75% off! And, in its place, stood Christmas trees, stockings, blinky lights and those goofy snow-globes. I have no idea why, but my 2.5 year old turns bright red and screams at the top of his lungs whenever we see one. Where the heck did time go??? Did Father Time sneak back into my house and secretly speed things up when I wasn’t looking? I’m not ready for Thanksgiving this year. I have no idea what I’m going to serve and I’m seriously thinking of going to Honey Baked Ham and buying dinner in advance this year.
My kids came home today from school with turkey decorations made from their cute little hands and pilgrims made out of construction paper and it hit me. Oh my…Thanksgiving is in ONE week!!!! I don’t even have my decorations out for Thanksgiving…I confess I still have my electric pumpkins (the ones I bought at the NEX trip mentioned above) still sitting on my glider swing out back. Worse, they are still plugged in and ON!
My dinner blessing this year? Thank you, Lord, for giving me such a wonderful life that is so full of blessings that I have no time to even decorate for the season. Do you think anyone will notice if I leave the pumpkins plugged in year-round?
This entry was written by Babette, posted on November 15, 2007 at 4:28 pm,

Wednesday.. Already!!

Wow! It sure is crazy that it is Wednesday already! I guess that what happens when you have Monday off. The week seems to creep right up on you!! Honestly, I don't really like it. All day today, I was totally messed up on what day it was! I couldn't keep straight what classes came to me, and almost forgot to take our neighbor boy home from school. Oh well!

The weeks are going faster and faster these days. I think it is just because I have a billion things going on. I really feel like I am spinning at times. Work has been very busy with the launch of a portable computer lab. We have a moving lab with 30 laptops now in addition to my lab. So, just more work and craziness! We are getting ready to start work on a new report card program, lunch and attendance program, and electronic grade book. We are working with the programmer and her is going to use our school as the pilot program. The good thing is I get to have a lot of say in the features we want!!

Keegan started basketball games yesterday. Brady started skills and drills last Saturday. So, two nights out of the week starting in December will be dedicated to basketball!

Oh well. I need to get going. I need to clean my house before my friend Katie comes on Saturday. The whole cleaning thing completely overwhelms me. I have thought I would hire someone to clean while AJ was gone.. but always talk myself out of it and using the money on something fun!

Marine Corps Ball '07

Mr. and Mrs. Haney (Our Co's Mom and Dad) Captain Justin Miller (Inspector Instructor for the Peoria Drill center and Gunny Howard)
Me, Becky Weber, and Shannon Bristol (My Rock!)

Gunny being a goof!
Me, Shannon, and Gunny's wife Teri.
AJ's best friend SSgt. Mike Wagner
Mike, his date, Shanna, and me

I have to say that I had an awesome time at the ball. I was very excited to get all dressed up and to get to hang out with the Marines and their families. After the ceremony, which usually lasts an hour.. but not this year!... I began to have a panic attack. I felt like the walls were closing in and I had to get up and get some air. A few people asked me if I was o.k. right before that happened.. and I really though I was. For some reason, I just got completely overwhelmed and had to remove myself. I got some fresh air, and was able to get through a purple heart presentation and bronze start presentation. I about lost it when this Hero, said he would trade all three of these awards, if he could be back in the Marine Corps. Ughh...

Then the dancing started. I had a beer cup in one hand and my cell phone in the other. AJ had told me he would call at 9 p.m. Everyone was laughing at me with my hands full dancing =) About 9:15 he called! I was so excited.. but couldn't find his best friend or anyone else that I knew he wanted to talk to. I sent three people to search for them while I got to talk. I was good talking to him, until his best friend Mike got on the phone. Mike and AJ had made a pact that if one went on deployment, the other one would go to. This time, Mike couldn't join AJ and it has been miserable for both of them. They miss each other so much. Mike was getting teary- eyed and I of course lost it!! I got through him talking to Gunny Howard, and a few other Marines, but then the tears came again. We always enjoy getting dressed up and dancing the night away with the other Marines. It is the BEST party you will ever be at! I just really wanted him there in that moment.

The night ended at 3 a.m. for me. All the Marines and other guests all went a few blocks over to a dance club. Amazing the look on peoples faces when a big group of Marines in dress blues walk in! My feet were KILLING me by the time we left. WE all went dressed up, and there was no way to take our shoes off on that dance floor. Anyway.. I didn' t get much sleep.. but it was a fun night. Thanks Mom and Dad for watching the boys and letting me be with my Marine Corps family. =)

This is a big week for me.. my last week of being 28. I am looking forward to 29 and leaving the 20's behind. I feel like the 20's have been a huge bunch of years and that I really now know who I am now.

Well, I better get something done!!!! Happy Veteran's Day to all of my favorite Veterans.