Update

I just wanted to pop in here, say hey and update everyone on the big move! Hey to all of my new followers. Please leave a comment and let me know that you are following me. I would love to follow back!

As for the move, WOW! It's been crazy around here the past couple of days. We packed up a lot of stuff on Monday. I mean, we spent just about the whole day packing. It's crazy how much stuff you accumulate. On Monday, M has took my car (Mazzie the Mazda) to get the oil changed and then brought her back. He washed her and then I helped him wax her. Yesterday, the moving truck got dropped off. We started packing around 1100 or so and finished about 2200 last night. Exhausted was not the word for us. Today, M has taken the truck (James the Chevy, yes we do name everything! LOL) to get the oil changed, etc and then we finish packing up the truck. One more night here and then it's off to Georgia. I'm ready to be there and be settled!!

Also, if you have a front load washer, please be sure to get the shipping kit to keep the washer stabilized before you are about to leave. For the washer we have, it's apparently not something that you can just run to a hardware store and get. We had to call the manufacturer and have it shipped to us. It has been such an inconvenience to our move. We will not forget again. I promise!

I hope everyone is having a great week, has a great rest of the week and a great holiday weekend! Be blessed. I will update when I can!

It's a bittersweet day...

Today is M's last day on post. It's bittersweet for me, but I don't think it is for him. He's not as emotional about things as I am. It's bittersweet for me because a lot happened here.  Well, not really a lot, but the big thing... Deployment. I knew when we got orders for this post that deployment would be on the horizon. This post is known for it. What I didn't realize would be what happened to me during that time. I grew stronger, realized that I could be independent while still being dependent, developed a deeper faith and welcomed my husband home. It's been three months and I think we have settled into a new routine. Now, that routine is getting interrupted with packing and moving. I'm ready for this move. I hope that all of our dreams come true in Georgia.

As far as packing.... Now, we are down to the nitty gritty. We leave in less than a week. Now I can start the main packing. Things we won't wear here anymore, things that we won't use the next 6 days... It's going to be busy around here. M wants to get the vehicles waxed this weekend, we need oil changes in both vehicles, cancelling our utilities and such, packing in boxes, packing in the moving truck, cleaning, inspection, the list can go on and on.

I hope everyone has a great weekend and I hope you are blessed!

Wordless Wednesday... Or not!

Well, I was going to do a Wordless Wednesday post, but I can't get my pictures in my post. So instead, since I have a few new followers, I figured I would introduce myself. Please leave a comment so I can follow back!

My name is Jessica. I have been married to M for just over four years now. We got married in May 2007. He was previously in the Army, was out when we got married, and rejoined back in September of 2007. We have a dog named Tank. He is the best dog ever. We rescued him in Colorado in October of 2008. He weighed 50 pounds when we got him. It was so sad. He didn't bark at all the first month we had him and only howls in his sleep. He gets a little antsy when we start packing, so we think that he was abandoned like that. He is very spoiled, but knows his commands and what he's suppose to do. Since M's deployment, Tank gets a little antsy when dad leaves and so excited when he comes home. Yup, from March 2010 to March 2011, M was deployed. I moved back home to Alabama. It was nice being there. We also have a cat named Shadow. Cats are so independent. That's us in a nutshell. If you want pictures, take a look. There are plenty on the blog!

Don't forget to introduce yourself and be blessed!

Weekend Update

M had a four day over the weekend. A town close to post has Riverfest every year and if you purchase a ticket, you get out of work for the day. Friday was a training holiday. So, Thursday we got ready and headed up to almost the Canadian border. We met up with some people from M's unit and had a good day.

Trying on hats!

I think this is the castle the boat tour drops you off at...

Yay, he actually took a picture with me!!

Taken at Wal-Mart - we went there to get something for the XBox at 2000.

We didn't do much on Friday or we did a lot... I can't really remember. Does that mean I'm old?!? Saturday our town had Flag Day. We loaded Tank up in the car and went to walk around. After walking around, we went to get lunch. Later Saturday, we went to M's going away party. It was pretty fun. The food was delicious, though!

Our sweet boy! He loves the wind in his face.

Waiting to cross at the crosswalk...

Appropriate. "Our Nations Defenders" My soldier walking to it... ♥

Bonus picture of me! I dyed my hair black and got an A line cut.

We didn't do anything on Sunday. We just relaxed from the other three full days that we had. We did have fun, we were just exhausted from it all. Yes, even Tank was exhausted. He was on high alert all day on Saturday and had to take frequent naps on Sunday. I hope everyone had a great weekend! Be Blessed

Heaven

When you think of Heaven, what do you see? I see streets of gold, angels on clouds playing beautiful music on a harp, ancestors I've never met and the face of God. Well, that's what I saw until I read the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn. Yes, this is the book review I've been promising for a while now. This book is super long. I'm a big reader and it still took me a while to get through it. Not because it was a bad book, it's not. It's a fantastic book that really made me think and made me excited to dig deeper into God's word about Heaven. There reason it took me so long to read is that it's so much information, sometimes I just had to take a break and read something a little lighter or go a few days before I read it again.

This book was recommended to me by JG over at Me and My Soldier Man. I can't thank her enough for reviewing this book and pointing it out to me.

 

 

Not my picture... thanks Google!

You can go to Amazon.com and order the book. Or, you can go to his website, a Christian book store or a big book store and get the book. It's definitely one that I recommend reading. It truly gives you an entirely different perspective on Heaven than what you are used to. It really makes you think and get excited about going to Heaven when it's your time. I hope you enjoy the book if you do read it!

Be Blessed!!

Wordless Wednesday

Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday. There isn't much to post about. Here is my post for today. I hope everyone has a blessed day!!

Yes, Tank is a very spoiled, very loved dog!!

DITY Move

I hope everybody had a great weekend. Mine was fantastic. We didn't do anything on Friday except watch Ghost Adventures and went to bed after the new one. Yes, we were in bed at 2200 on a Friday night. Does that make us old?!? LOL Saturday was pretty chill. We hung out, watched movies/tv shows on Netflix, and then Saturday night a few people from M's company came over. We fixed hamburgers and baked beans. Yummy! Then they played spades (I don't know how to play plus there was five people). After they played a few hands of spades, we played Uno. Yup, I love that game. Sunday, we just relaxed. I read a little on my book, M played his game, we talked about the move and just hung out.

Today has been productive. I canceled (cancelled?!? I don't know which... LOL) a couple of appointments that I had in Alabama. Finding dentist and hairdressers is the hardest part of the move for me! I also scheduled for the truck to be dropped off on 28 June. We will pack on the 28th and 29th, have them pick it up the morning of the 30th, have our inspection on the 30th and then head out. They will be a busy couple of days.

Also, for anybody that actually wants to do a DITY move, check with your transportation office. I don't know if it's just this particular one or if the Department of the Army has changed how they do DITY moves, but they aren't as lucrative as they once were. We got a small amount. Whatever we don't use, we get taxed 25% on. It's almost not worth it to do the DITY move, unless you are in our boat and have too.

Have a great week and be blessed!!

It's Friday...

Woo Hoo!!

On the agenda this weekend is buying moving supplies, cleaning the house, cleaning TA50 and going through our extra things here. I know, everyone should be jealous! LOL

In other news, M and I are going vegetarian. He follows a high protein, low fat diet. Does anybody have any recipes they would like to share?!? It's a little harder than I thought it would be. I've been doing lots of research and I've found some recipes, but I need more. I told him that he could still eat meat if he wants to, but he said that he didn't want to. That made me happy, and now I am looking for recipes.

I think we may have found a solution to our DITY move. I will keep everyone updated on that situation. I can't believe that we have just under three weeks before the move. It's going to be crazy. It kind of stinks that our move happens during Fourth of July, but we usually don't do too much during that holiday anyway. We will make up for it during Labor Day weekend, I'm sure.

On another topic, I think I'm making reservations next week when we get paid to go to the Wives of Faith retreat. Is anybody else going? I'm really looking forward to it.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! Be Blessed!!

Rules

Since M got back from his deployment (almost three months ago!!), I've came up with a set of rules. This may seem weird to some people, but only I (and family) truly know how he is. Deployment affects everyone in different ways and this is what works for us right now. There aren't many rules, but they are pretty important.

Rule #1 - If M is sleeping and I'm not touching him in some way, I won't touch him if he starts twitching, jumping, etc (like a nightmare). I will say his name, but no touching. It's not because I think he would hurt me, but I know it would startle him.

Rule #2 - If I'm already touching him in some way, I will rub his arm and tell him to calm down. It seems to work most of the time. I know he is still having the dream, but it's not bothering him as much as it was before.

Rule #3 - At first, I tried to watch his alcohol intake when we did drink, but it seems that it doesn't bother him as much anymore.

Rule #4 - Never ask questions unless he's already brought the subject up, and even though watch what I ask.

There they are... Not a lot, but very important for us. Did you have any rules when your spouse came home from deployment?

Wordless Wednesday

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY TO MY NEPHEW ALEX

I will have to post his birthday pictures next week. Unfortunately, we won't be able to make it.

It was a good news/bad news kind of day...

I know it's only 1646, but it's been that type of day. Today we found out for sure that we will be PCSing next month to our new duty station in Georgia. Today we also found out that we have to do a full DITY move. From what I understand, there are a lot of people PCSing (moving to a new duty station) and ETSing (getting out of the Army). Our post has a new transportation policy. They are only doing so many moves and we are not one of those moves. Yes, we got rejected! I didn't even know they could do that.

I now have the rest of the month to pack everything, turn everything off, rent a UHaul, get oil changes in both vehicles, clean the apartment, and everything else that comes with moving. I think my mantra for the next month is going to be TOO BLESSED TOO BE STRESSED!!! I have begun making my to do list. The first thing I will be doing is going through clothes, shoes, books, etc to see what we can get rid of. We haven't been in this apartment very long (since M got back in March), so we shouldn't have accumulated too much stuff. I know there will be a few things that we can get rid of though.

I am open to any and all suggestions/tips on doing a full DITY move. I hope everyone had/is having a great Tuesday.

Wow! I have so much that I could complain about today, but instead I'm going to count my blessings. I am blessed that we have a little money in the bank (and I mean a LITTLE! lol). I am blessed with a wonderful husband who would do anything for me and vice versa. I am blessed with a gorgeous dog that every one loves. I am blessed with a cat that my husband is beginning to like. I am blessed with a beautiful day outside. I am blessed to have great family and friends. I am blessed to have an AMAZING Father in Heaven that I will one day get to meet. I feel much better!!

Now that I got that out of the way, I will give you a weekend recap. Earlier in May, I post a blog titled "What Freedom Means to Me." It was for a giveaway. I won the giveaway along with someone else. I won the Angel of Freedom shown here. I love it! It's so gorgeous. It's not set out yet, but will be at wherever our next home is since we are about to move.

We didn't do anything on Friday. One of the guys from M's unit ETS'd (got out of the Army) on Sunday, so he wanted M and a group of people to play basketball on Friday. M got in around 2100 or so. Saturday we ran on post and got a couple of things and my nephew's birthday present. His birthday is 8 June and I can't believe he is one already! After that, we got home, got Tank and went to this same guys going away party. You know you have a loved dog when you pull up and everyone goes to Tank and not his owner's. LOL We stayed there for a bit and then came home and went to bed.

Sunday was a pretty quiet day. We just relaxed around the house, did a little laundry to get M ready for the week and watched movies.

I hope everyone has a great and blessed week.

Reshaping It All

Right before M came home from his deployment, I read a book called Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure. It's definitely an awesome read and I would recommend it to anyone who likes her. She talks about growing up in Hollywood, her fluccuating weight, meeting her husband, raising her children, and how she found her faith.

In March, I had the opportunity to see her give her testimony. Wow, she made a powerful statement. She made me laugh. She made me cry. She made me realize that I'm not where I want to be with my faith. She made an impact on my life that night and I am forever grateful. If you ever get the chance to see her, please do! If you can't, she has her testimony on CD. You can buy it at her shop on her website.

She is a gorgeous person inside and out! I hope you have a great Wednesday!!

Edit: Because I forgot to post the pictures! Whoops.