tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82920266061773286122024-03-13T17:20:00.977-07:00Southern ComfortSouthern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-74980648518765130542012-03-24T21:29:00.001-07:002012-03-24T21:29:07.977-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sadly my poor blog has been put on the back burner, but i'm in a short blogging mood so i figured i would list 15 things that i have loved doing during this deployment.<div>
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1. Making New Friends</div>
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2. Gaining independence</div>
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3. Weekly breakfast/lunch/dinner with some of the coolest girls E.V.E.R</div>
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4. Working out</div>
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5. Hanging out with the kids</div>
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6. Having time to myself</div>
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7. READING</div>
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8. Having coffee with the girls</div>
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9. Making some of the best memories lol</div>
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10. Learning more about myself, my relationship and my husband</div>
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11. Watching Brilie accomplish her goal</div>
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12. Having lunch with Connor and meeting all his friends at school</div>
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13. Movie Nights</div>
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14. Volunteering </div>
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15. Watching my first Homecoming when we welcomed Advon home early this morning! <3</div>
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I read a book called "The Alchemy of Love" by Abigail Carter, it is a heart felt book about a widow who looses her husband during 9/11. After reading her book, it gave me a new insight on how to handle deployment. It is a great book and I hope you enjoy it if you ever choose to read it.</div>
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<br /></div>Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-40827214738055730192012-02-09T16:32:00.000-08:002012-02-09T16:32:56.490-08:00Overwhelmed[Please refrain from giving me advice, i simply want to whine and vent]<div>
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Overwhelmed is an understatement of how i have been feeling lately. I cry at anything and everything, i get more upset easily at the smallest thing, sometimes i find myself wanting to just crawl in a whole and hibernate for a week, just to DO NOTHING! I get upset that Wes isn't here, [even though i know he is doing a very important job right now] i do have great friend that help me out, and are there to always chat, but sometimes i just want my husband here to help put the kids to bed, read them stories, do the laundry, get them ready for school, put up the groceries, take out the trash, wipe away the tears and even brush the dogs. Some of the simplest things are what i miss the most, having my hand held, laughing with him, getting kisses on the forehead in the kitchen while we cook dinner together, watching him help brilie with homework and seeing him and connor laugh as they play a game of dragos and lego men. I get angry when i read idiotic people write hateful things about our military men and women, and question why he is even over there if people don't care. I get up set seeing that congress has put a $7.50 price tag on what my husband misses per day. [ i don't care about the money, its the thought of them putting a price tag on the things my husband misses out a day] I get jealous when my amazing friends get to chat with their husbands more than i do, i get jealous that their kids get to be more connected than mine do and i know its not right, and its nothing they have control over, but i'm just being honest. I get upset when people try and compare their significant other being gone for a couple of days to mine for months and months. I hate seeing Connor cry daily for Wes, and i even though Brilie doesn't cry like Connor does, i can still see the sacrifice she gives daily without fully understanding why, and that breaks my heart to see her miss her daddy. I know i have went on and on about what i "HATE" but there are some things that i do love. I love my husband for fighting for his country, even if that means having to leave us behind for a little while. I love that i have "re-connected" on a much bigger level that i ever thought possible with him. I have fallin in love with his voice, even facebook messenger. I love getting the butterflies back thinking about our "first kiss" I love how i have learned to stand on my own two feet, and become independent. I love the fact that i have met some pretty cool ladies because of this deployment. :) I learn something new about myself every day, and i have learned to take the good with the bad (because in the end, was the bad so bad anyway? ) I love the fact that i feel such an accomplishment that this deployment is coming to an end and we are all doing ok. </div>
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The feelings i have are kind of similar to the end of a long pregnancy :) I find myself "nesting", crying, laughing, anxious, ready for whats ahead. It's been a long road and i feel that we have traveled it well, even if we do have a couple of hills. I just miss being complete, and time couldn't pass soon enough. But i know it will be my turn for our homecoming, and its a day my entire family can not wait for!!!!</div>
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Thanks Friends for letting me vent and whine.</div>
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Love to you all, with out the support ya'll have givin my family i think we would of broke down long ago. <3 </div>Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-39450026150291241472012-01-22T15:42:00.000-08:002012-01-22T15:42:59.628-08:00Done Leaving Daddy Behind<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The clock is ticking and the calendar is moving along! Not much longer until our family will be complete again!! I've always wondered what this feeling would be like (because there is a chance that being military you WILL experience this) There are so many feelings, but just excitement is what comes to mind. I mean how many "civilians" get to experience this feeling? I think we are pretty lucky. Anyways Connor has defiantly had the hardest time with daddy being gone, he has never been away from him for to long. Brilie had an idea of what to expect because she was 4 when Wes left for boot camp. Connor had a hard time celebrating every holiday, even tho i tried my very best to make it fun, (which we did have fun) but i know a huge piece was missing from all of us. Now that he knows we are on the down hill and daddy is coming home soon, he has now refused to do ANYTHING until Wes gets back. He wont do soccer, karate, football or even celebrate his birthday that is coming up in Feb. He told me to stop asking him because he wants to wait for daddy. I understand every bit of this and i'll do as he wishes and stop asking :) Soon we will all be complete again!Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-44531734665375406022012-01-09T17:47:00.000-08:002012-01-09T17:47:30.163-08:00Testing Testing 1 2 3The night of Jan 8th was one to remember and pray never happens again! :) It was a very relaxing day, kids played with their friends, i did laundry and cleaned house and then we decided to go to the station theater for Free Sunday and watch Breaking Dawn. After we left i put Brilie to bed and then Connor went to sleep in my bed about 10. At 10:30 i heard Connor make a funny sounding cough so as i was turning over to check on him he welcomed me to vomit land. [EWW] Poor kid just couldn't stop i think i was grabbing everything i could on the floor to help soak it all up. I gave us a quick shower and then settled down stairs on the couch, he was up every 30 mins getting sick, so i knew it would be a rough night. About 11:45ish i hear little feet running upstairs i prayed to PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE not be Brilie. My prayers were not answered i soon heard the very familiar sound coming from up stairs. I went and got her cleaned up and brought her down stairs and put both kids on separate ends of the couch and this is how our night would go. Every 10 mins the kids would rotate on getting sick. I think this has been my hardest test so far during deployment [i'll take it] i was so tired, and i felt so helpless that i just wanted someone else to be at my house lol i was close to posting on facebook for someone to just come sit with me and help with the kids. I def. have to give props to my single parent friends, because i defiantly was throwing myself a pitty party because i was alone dealing with 2 kids with a bad virus. Anyways, the kids are feeling some what better, Connor is acting like nothing happened just been really tired from the lack of sleep, but miss Brilie still seems to be holding on to something, shes been real tired and still running a fever. Hopefully tonight will be better. :)Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-46074601459975937932012-01-08T12:56:00.000-08:002012-01-08T12:56:22.230-08:00#148<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Saturday Jan. 7th was my very first 5k in over 10years! I'd made the decision about a month ago that i was going to run my first 5k and that i needed to start training for one. I'd heard about the couch to 5k training but i didn't have enough time to do the entire training like it suggested. So i decided that id just train myself lol. Then life happened. The holiday breaks came, Connor got chicken pox, Brilie ended up getting the "flu" like symptoms from the chicken pox but never got them. So my training time was spend at home taking care of 2 sick kids. Finally the holiday break was over and brilie was heading back to school, then i had to deal with the CDC and getting Connors epi pen updated so he missed a couple of days of school then. So in all i had 3 full days to train for this 5k lol. My first accomplishment...running 3.07 miles in 33:03 min. around the track and not stopping! The next day i decided i was going to take a light jog outside base to the 32nd/3e light and back to base when i got to the light i decided it was time to make the run i'd told myself id run for 4yrs, to the airport and back to base. Whew that accomplishment i think meant more to me than just running 3 miles!! When i crossed the crack in the road at the gate where i started i seriously almost cried, just because i was so proud of myself! It was 3.71 miles, and i ran it in 39.01 mins. I dont think i stopped smiling that day! Friday came and i went to the gym and ran a mile on the treadmill, geez i can never run more than a mile on the dang treadmill, i even tried covering the time up and everything....no luck, i think with the smell and just not being able to concentrate i figured id just walk home and wish for the best on Saturday. That night my stomach was in knots because i was so nervous [yes i acted the same way before all events in high school] I went to bed early. Saturday morning came and i thought i seen a glimpse of sun outside my window, i jumped up and grabbed my phone to look at the time...5:00 a.m. [UGH] i tried to go back to sleep but that was not happening! My mom called later that morning and gave me my pep talk and told me that she'd be sitting on facebook cheering me on. I got ready and took Connor to my friends house and off i went. Nerves were sure working hard on me the whole drive, i kept telling myself to just turn around lol. I went and registered and got my number. #148, i met a few new people and met up with some other 371 ladies. The race started and the adrenalin kicked in. I instantly got tons of cheers off of my nike app that was sync'ed to my facebook [i knew it was my mom :) ] During the race i had tons of friends and even my hubby cheering me on, there were times when i'd realize my pace had slowed and i'd get a cheer over my music and i'd pick it back up. Who ever thought that would help me? Before i knew it i was sprinting across the finish line! I have no idea what place i came in, in my age group but i dont really care, all i cared about was that i made a new best time for myself i ran 3.27 miles in 30.56 mins. I was extremely happy!!! When i crossed i felt my iphone go off and i looked at it and it was a message from Wesley telling me how proud he was of me [yup i kind of started crying on the sidelines lol] What an amazing morning that was and i can't wait to do it again!!!! I really think everyone should find a goal and accomplish it, i plan to frame my tag with my number on it because i accomplished something for myself, by myself, man what a feeling. When i got home and told the kids they were SO happy for me, i was givin hugs and kisses. Connor also told me that since i didn't get a trophy that i could have his soccer trophy because he thought i deserved one :) I love that kid.</span>Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-48724199720764492672012-01-02T14:59:00.000-08:002012-01-02T15:03:24.873-08:00Great Day<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D8MHSJVSDXw/TwI2nAumm_I/AAAAAAAAAGk/U6FlAqhOw2A/s1600/molly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D8MHSJVSDXw/TwI2nAumm_I/AAAAAAAAAGk/U6FlAqhOw2A/s320/molly.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Molly </td></tr>
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So this morning I made the decision that i was taking Bella to the dog park. I loaded her and Molly up and drove out there with the kids. I kept telling myself the whole time not to be nervous :) We went inside the dog park and she went to sniffing. Some other big dogs ran up and Bella was very nice and just sniffed them, one dog she got nervous around but it soon went away. Alot of the snow birds kept asking if it was our first time at the park (because she was on the leash), i told them yes, that i wanted her to get comfortable before letting her off. About 10 mins go by and an older man walks up to me and askes if its our first time, i told him yes and he automatically tells me to take her off the leash. [shocked] i explained to him that i didn't feel comfortable just yet with letting her off as this was our first time there. He decides to inform me that this wasn't about me [what really its not? :) ] He was telling me that im making my dog feel insecure because i wont let her off, when all the other dogs are off. At that moment tears crept up into my eyes, i could tell it was only a few mins before they would be rolling down my face. The guy tells me to let her off the leash, so like a child lol i did, he turned me around and wouldn't let me watch her, he told me that she was doing great, just meeting new friends and having fun. he kept an eye on her and wouldnt let me look for about 3 mins. the whole time im crying lol. Brilie comes up to me and hugs me and tells me she is so proud of me [wait...isn't it suppose to be the other way around?] When i turn around Bella is having the time of her life and the tears turn to happy tears. Molly and her are running back and forth around the dog park with all the other dogs. She even met a couple of new friends and i plan to take them both to the dog park every day [besides Tuesday since they are closed]. She had so much fun today and listened to me every time i called her name. After about an hour of running and playing she let me know she was ready to go home. Needless to say i was very thankful for the out spoken man from the dog park, he also informed me that i need to watch dog whisper to learn some things, bc thats where he gets all his information :) I think i will. On another good note, we have adopted another dog name Molly. She was our neighbors dog, but she fits in so perfect with our family and her and bella are best friends. She is the sweetest dog. Our family is complete [well minus one for the moment & until i have another baby..or 4] hahahha We love our dogs and i can see alot of time being spent at the dog park!Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-8740963488352779952011-12-29T13:56:00.000-08:002011-12-29T13:56:56.660-08:00Big dog....no bark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As most of you know we have a dog named Bella, we adopted her from HSOY a year and a half ago. She is the best dog ever, shes great with my kids, great with other dogs [sometimes she doesn't realize how big she is] and she hardly bark, she is a very easy going lovable dog. We have taken her to Petsmart and she was enrolled the training classes there and did really good. But, i'm scared to take her to the dog park here, i can't pin point why i start to get nervous and decided to not go. I'm not worried about her at all, shes a sweet sweet dog, but my heart starts racing every time i drive up to the dog park, it over takes me and i turn around and go home. I take her out all the time on base, we go for walks, go to the track, but the dog park scares me. Well we are dog sitting for our neighbors and today i decided to take their 2 small dogs to the dog park so i could get a sense of what its like there. My heart didn't race and the dogs did great, so why am i so scared to take my dog?? I dont know if its because shes bigger or what. Its a shame and i know she would love it up there, who knows maybe i can find the courage and take her without worrying.Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-52518169036235584362011-12-28T20:42:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:51:23.839-08:00To Sparkle or Not to Sparkle<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YcLNrNDWI1s/TvvxvzGRpBI/AAAAAAAAAFc/BkzRYeuJr80/s1600/twilight.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YcLNrNDWI1s/TvvxvzGRpBI/AAAAAAAAAFc/BkzRYeuJr80/s320/twilight.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691408357585429522" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ia5G0NDmBo/TvvxUQmaHBI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/tJZLWkJKlnk/s1600/ball1%2B021.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0Ia5G0NDmBo/TvvxUQmaHBI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/tJZLWkJKlnk/s320/ball1%2B021.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691407884468493330" /></a><br />My friend Sabra and her friend rent out a theater room and put on the best best best party for all twilight movies. I have been to all except for the first one! Jolynn is the one who got me interested in the books, she brought them all outside one night and said here read these after rambling on and on about the books. I thought seriously 1. your reading about vampires and ware-wolfs? 2. you want me to umm...read? I was not a reader, i didn't care to read unless it was the newspaper, my facebook screen or magazines. So one boring night i decided to open the book, and in a week i had read all 4 books. I was now one of those twilight fanatic fans. I have had so much fun at each new movie, and i have also won something at each premier :) Sabra really knows how to put on a party thats for sure!! Thankfully we will still be here next year so i can't wait to see what they come up with next!!Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-76051210571250329282011-12-28T20:28:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:42:11.083-08:00Deployment who?<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epxlRutVApk/Tvvvi3PjjNI/AAAAAAAAAFE/DFhoLfmA7Ns/s1600/ball1%2B010.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-epxlRutVApk/Tvvvi3PjjNI/AAAAAAAAAFE/DFhoLfmA7Ns/s320/ball1%2B010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691405936336538834" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFPSa7s23uE/TvvvN04UinI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Sb-52Jm_lGw/s1600/halloooween%2B026.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CFPSa7s23uE/TvvvN04UinI/AAAAAAAAAE4/Sb-52Jm_lGw/s320/halloooween%2B026.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691405574924962418" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbrbRHeGcRk/TvvvAJTVIPI/AAAAAAAAAEs/it7gNA0z7PY/s1600/halloooween%2B009.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZbrbRHeGcRk/TvvvAJTVIPI/AAAAAAAAAEs/it7gNA0z7PY/s320/halloooween%2B009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691405339888787698" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We are halfway done with deployment, i thank the holidays for making time go by quicker, i also thank pinterest, the gym, cdc, my friends, the treehouse, and having my own house :) We are doing good, the kids have had a couple of hard times with daddy being gone, which breaks my heart that they feel any ounce of sadness. They both have a daddy doll which they hug and kiss every night. Connor was having some really bad night terrors and if anyone knows of those...knows that it can be scary for any parents to see that much fear in your kids face or hear it in their voice. The doctor said it was brought on by stress and asked if there was a big change in the family recently. But i can happily report we haven't had one in over a month. Brilie had a little set back in school, it started on a monday she had finally gotten a phone call from her dad but it was cut so short and she might of talked to him for 2 mins before she had to get on the bus. I dont think she had time to process anything, and i think missing him took over her little mind. But she has showed me how to be a fighter and she is doing amazing in school, still maintaining her golden honor roll and hasn't missed a day of school! I have been going to the gym, i plan to run my first 5k Jan.7th, i wish that my husband was here to cheer me on like our old highschool days :) but i know he is my biggest supporter and he will be routing for me the whole time (in his sleep) :) We might get to talk to him 1 to 2 a week (if internet connection is in a good mood) He is in good spirits and missing us like crazy:) My family has an awesome support system, my friends have been amazing, i've met many new friends, i've poured my feelings on to my friends who didn't see it coming and yet let me cry :) My kids have met other kids that have a parent deployed, Connor goes to the cdc every day and loves his teachers and all his friends. Life right now is moving forward and we are healthy and can't wait for him to come home :)</div>Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-12019749526724094072011-12-28T20:01:00.000-08:002011-12-28T20:28:15.430-08:00Welcome to Deployment land<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VAaORL7Kpjs/TvvrTnicWdI/AAAAAAAAAEg/vF5gUq4Uts0/s1600/sept18%2B035.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VAaORL7Kpjs/TvvrTnicWdI/AAAAAAAAAEg/vF5gUq4Uts0/s320/sept18%2B035.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691401276376242642" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3YfkYcPYJWI/TvvrGbUp43I/AAAAAAAAAEU/QhYUFMugbGg/s1600/deploy.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3YfkYcPYJWI/TvvrGbUp43I/AAAAAAAAAEU/QhYUFMugbGg/s320/deploy.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691401049758884722" /></a><br />The dreaded "D" word became scarier than spiders :) When Wes let me know that he would be fapping over to the wing side i knew what was coming, i knew that it was time for those guys to deploy. I remember thinking back in Feb 2011 that Sept seemed so far away, and that maybe they wouldnt have to go. I found out what a Fro was, went to deployment briefs (first one was scary and yes i did cry after i got home) became the new owner of a POA, had to fill out paper work about where our kids would go if God forbids something bad happens, and so on. I answered questions that i wasn't prepared for and got our first taste of "the dirty D" in april when wes had to leave for a month for MV. We made a family decision for me to quit my job that i loved so i could be home with the kids 24-7. We got a 10 day leave in August, told our family see ya later, watched many of them cry because they knew Wes would be leaving for Afghanistan once he got back, i got sick and tired of being asked the same questions over and over and over, and being told im so sorry, or getting deployment compared to a week business trip away. But i smiled and answered the same questions and kept my mouth shut, because i knew that they were trying to be there for me the best they knew how. So we came back to Yuma, and slowly our friends left, and my heart raced faster every time i knew my friends were telling their husbands goodbye, i would cry when i seen my husbands gear all over my floor, i cried when we had to go to the px to get more stuff, i cried when he taugh connor how to ride his bike with out training wheels, i cried when i watched him help brilie do homework, i cried when we made dinner together...i cried alot. His day to leave changed SO many times, that by the end of it, i was just ready for him to leave. I know some people dont understand me wanting to shove him out the door and tell him to get on the damn plan already, but our house was nothing but a stress filled bubble, trying to fill it up with "last" of everything. September 19th came...dum dum dum the day i had waited for, the day that i knew my life would change, the day my kids would have to tell their daddy bye. He left early that morning so they could account for everyone, i got the last few things he needed, then the kids and i went home. We were allowed back later that evening. I had a talk with the kids before we left, i told them to be as strong as they could, and that if they could, try not to try in front of him, that when we got home, we would stuff our face with pizza, cookies and icecream and just cry all we wanted. Thankfully they had bounce houses and junk food for the families, which was a great distraction. But i could help but look around and see all these new babies, pregnant women, newly weds, children and wives and wonder...can we do this? The time came that we had to tell daddy bye, i wished for a more private area, lol but thats just not the case when you have that many famiiles, and that many guys leaving, so we settled for a spot outside. The good bye was short and bitter sweet. I always wonder if i should of done it different stayed longer, or took more pictures, or held him longer, but i could feel the tears start to come, so that was that, a hug and kiss and i'll see you later, and he was gone. We came home and did exactly what we planned cried until we couldnt cry any more.Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-40743826789544660372011-12-28T19:56:00.001-08:002011-12-29T13:57:36.064-08:00Meet the Powells<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-kVw8w2ikE/TvvmEA0gSnI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Lr-B8Aqt4XI/s1600/kids.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691395510726838898" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-j-kVw8w2ikE/TvvmEA0gSnI/AAAAAAAAAEI/Lr-B8Aqt4XI/s320/kids.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 127px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 170px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQf3TLw5Q1Y/TvvlxGLv3GI/AAAAAAAAAD8/rcUaOHsMqf8/s1600/jolynn1.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691395185748991074" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jQf3TLw5Q1Y/TvvlxGLv3GI/AAAAAAAAAD8/rcUaOHsMqf8/s320/jolynn1.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 240px; margin: 0 10px 10px 0; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
On October 31st 2011 we got a new neighbor. I remember brilie coming inside so excited telling me that there was a shark outside chasing her and that they had a daughter and a son also named Connor. My first thought, "I'm going to bake them brownies". By no means am i anywhere near qualified to bake any sort of baked goods, actually i really suck. But i wanted to be that nice neighbor and greet them with open arms lol. I quickly threw together a cute basket filled with brownies and cute pot holders and what nots and knocked on their door...i warned them that they might not taste good and that we were glad to have neighbors...or something like that. I met her kids outside, Dylan (aka shark boy) was running around in a costume 2 sizes to small lol and then there was Mckenzie, running around with Brilie and Dylan. Who knew that i would end up considering these people my family. I have had some of the best times of my life with my dear friend Jolynn. Her husband was higher ranking than mine so she was defiantly my guide thru the first 3 years of military life. We had tons of ups and downs, trying to figure things out. I was a go on a whim type of person, she was a planner, she didnt let her kids eat regular food hahahaha (everything was overly cut up) :) and my kids would walk around with full hot dogs. I mixed my food together, she couldnt handle having it touch each other. Thru it all i can say that she has been the best friend i've ever had. We found out that we both had a love for scary movies (any movie as long as we got out of the house). I experienced my first Black friday shopping lol, we always seemed to get free food. Gah i could go on and on. Our kids were BEST FRIENDS! She had a son a yr old than Brilie, a daughter a year younger than bri, and we both had Connors the same age!!! We went every where together, kids and all and always made the best of it. The day that they packed their car down to make their long trip back to the east coast was a really sad day for my family. But even to this day...there is no separating us...this is what true friendship is like :)Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-68580980263038838602011-12-28T19:18:00.000-08:002011-12-28T19:41:04.206-08:00Well...here goes lifeWhen Wes first announced to me that we would become part of the military family (without really talking to me about it lol, its a funny story on its own). I of course was scared, i'd never been away from my family, we had a daughter who was 3 at the time, and i was 2 months pregnant. I knew that this life would bring its own challenges and i wasn't quit sure if i was strong enough to take them head on. Boot camp came during all the holidays so that was my first trail, we rocked boot camp. Wes went to MCT school, 2 days after he left, i gave birth to our son (with both my mother, his mother and his sister in the room lol a challenge on its own :) Soon after that he went to the school house, thankfully it was only 6hrs away from our home town. Every other weekend i would strap both kids in the car and make the long trip there and back to spend 1 full day with him and never a night because it was against the rules. We both quickly realized that we were in for a crazy ride. When Wes found out that he was getting stationed in Yuma, Az my first thought was....WHAT THE HELL...THE DESERT? I jumped on the computer and quickly started researching everything i could, i even got a "Welcome to Yuma" book with all sorts of information. I told Brilie where we were going, that we were going to be living in the desert, her first thought....are we going to live with the camels haha. We made the long long drive August 7th 2007. During the drive i found out that im terrified of driving in the moutains, and that saying goodbye to my mom and my family was the hardest thing i had ever done. Seeing big alligator tears in my daughters eyes still makes my heart sad. After 2 days of driving we finally arrived in Yuma. We were clueless on what time it was all of our clocks read different things, i remember pulling in to Loves and we went to ask what time it was the lady informed us that Arizona does NOT change time (what really?) and she also took it upon her self to tell us what streets to stay away from and how the streets and cross streets ran (she must of been able to tell that we were new). The first 6 months were rough! I didnt know a soul, my husband was working his tail off and hardly home, my poor daughter didnt have friends and on top of it..i had a 6 month old baby and all alone. We didn't get any of our house stuff for 10 days, so all of us slept on an air bed. I constantly felt alone. I ended up having to run to walmart about 930 at night to get more formula and wes was working while getting the things i needed a Hispanic guy approached me in the store, he opened his black coat full of jewelry and all kinds of other stuff and started spouting stuff at me in spanish, i dont think i have ever been so scared. I called my mom crying my eyes out because i wanted to come home :) Flash forward after finally settling in and meeting other wives and taking the links class i thought i could possible live this life style. I have fallen in love with this life and the community of the other military spouses.Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-19220055263929189202011-01-10T17:24:00.000-08:002011-01-10T17:56:53.461-08:00Home Sweet "Home"<div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu3o4E7HHI/AAAAAAAAACw/KA6ZJF3togg/s1600/christmas%2B2010%2B245.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 186px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560740077794696306" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu3o4E7HHI/AAAAAAAAACw/KA6ZJF3togg/s320/christmas%2B2010%2B245.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu4ye2tQbI/AAAAAAAAAC4/2ScLvLhsh68/s1600/christmas%2B2010%2B345.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560741342334501298" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu4ye2tQbI/AAAAAAAAAC4/2ScLvLhsh68/s320/christmas%2B2010%2B345.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu19RZie_I/AAAAAAAAACg/cky3luvB-8I/s1600/christmas%2B2010%2B264.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5560738229166177266" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_nMPhcIRUCIM/TSu19RZie_I/AAAAAAAAACg/cky3luvB-8I/s320/christmas%2B2010%2B264.JPG" /></a> Texas...That is where i consider my "home". I grew up in a small town, and went to school in even a smaller town. My small town consist of 1 Wal-mart...and its not a super one either :) and 2 grocery stores and a few clothing stores. The school i went to was 15 mins away and only has a blinking light....no stop lights exisit! The saying "everyone knows everyone" well that is true, but also...everyone seems to be related to everyone haha. My husbands parents and my parents both live in Borger, which makes going home sweeter because we get to spend time with both of them and the kids couldn't get enough. I have to say i am a small town girl at heart, i love being able to see miles and miles of flat ranch land, walking around with the kids trying to feed the horses and cattle, and the sunsets are like no other. My kids seem to be more at peace when we are there, it is definatly simple living. Here are a couple of my fav. pictures from home.</div></div>Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8292026606177328612.post-12065459169951183462009-06-03T18:38:00.001-07:002009-06-03T19:13:02.371-07:00Lessons Learned while living in yuma1. No one knows what an "ice box" is. When i say go put it in the icebox...everyone assumes its the freezer...its not it is the refrigerator :D and yes...i call the freezer a freezer.<br /><br />2. When i first got here...if someone asked me if i wanted something to drink i would say yes get me a coke...well coke back home means Dr. Pepper...i know strange huh? So it took me a while to realize that here in AZ i have to give the right name for whatever type of soda i want<br /><br />3. I didn't realize how much i say the phrase "Ya'll" but i guess i use it ALOT...because my boss's thought to give me an award for saying it so much.<br /><br />4. That yes...Everything in Texas is bigger!<br /><br />5. That everyone assumes i speak spanish :) but i disapoint them everytime<br /><br />6. That in Az you are not allowed to have a crack in your windshield (we learned this the hard way)<br /><br />7. When applying for a job...they prefer you to speak spanish<br /><br />8. My boss had invited me to her house for a holiday party, when i asked what i needed to bring she said bring a 6 pack...my first thought was beer lol, no she did not mean a 6 pack of beer...she meant soda. Thank goodness i asked around before i crashed the nondrinking party with beer! :)<br /><br />9. Az does not spring forward or fall back in time...it just stays the same time (we were late for work needless to say :)<br /><br />10. When you go out to eat mexican food...it is actually real mexican food here...not like back home where it is texmex mexican food...can i say its a MAJOR difference. and another thing...ya'll actually have a thing called "salsa" and "hot sauce" and there is a differnce between them.<br /><br />11. The first time we went and got grocerys at Frys they checked us out and loaded the basket...a few seconds pass and we are still standing there looking at the boy who bagged our groceries waiting on him to take our basket out...come to find out it must be just a small town type of courtesy.<br /><br />Well there ya go...there are a few lessons i have learned while living here!Southern Comfort...or Something like thathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15938341347998217203noreply@blogger.com2