Today was my appt. It went really well. I got my physical today, the dr said everything looks good. I was a little disappointed, because I didn't think they were going to do an ultrasound. But after the physical they took me to another room and did an ultrasound. It was so neat! They said the baby is still too little to hear the heartbeat, but we could see it beating in the ultrasound. It was the neatest thing! The little baby isn't even an inch long, but we could see it's little arm moving around. He's so sweet! I love him already. I'm 9 wks and 1 day, according to that ultrasound, which is only a day off from where they had me at the first appt. I'm so excited! We don't have any of our stuff, except the laptop really, so I'll scan the picture when we get to the new place and get set up!

We've been living for a week without our stuff now. I hate it. It really stinks having to sit on lawn furniture and sleeping on an air mattress. They also took our microwave, so I'm having to do the old fashion warm ups lol. Oh, the joy. My mom finds it funny, I'm not in the mood to find it funny. I'm just ready to move, Monday can't here fast enough!

My dr appt is tomorrow at 3. I'm ready for it, although I'm not a fan of physicals lol. It's worth it though for sure.

Eric called me while he was on his way to formation this morning for accountability, at 5:40 a.m. and said he had been rear ended. I guess the guy told him that he had just dropped his kids at daycare and was having a coughing fit and he didn't see him slow down. It took over and hr for everything to get squared away before Eric could leave. He called the cops, and when the cop got there they found out that where they were was not his jurisdiction, it was the forts jurisdiction lol. So they had to wait on an MP to get there. At least the guy has good insurance. I think State Farm does an excellent job when it comes to getting things taken care of. I got rear ended once too and the lady had State Farm and before I even got to my mom's house they had called to tell me what to do. It was awesome. Anyways, they've already called Eric too, and told him to take it wherever he wanted and it would all be taken care of. Awesome customer service. We leave on the 23rd from here, and the packers are coming tomorrow, the movers on Friday, so Eric probably won't be able to take the truck in until Monday. Hopefully the body shop will be able to get it done within the week. He's going to take it today so they can tell him how long it will take to do the job. He can't drop it off until Monday though, because we have to have the truck to put the things we don't want them to take in the move. Oh well, if they can't get it done in time, we can always do it when we get where we're going. At least nobody was hurt!

I can't wait to get out of here. It seems like these last two weeks will never end!

I hope everyone has a wonderful 4th of July. Thank you to all those who have made sacrifices for us to be able to celebrate our freedom today!

I had my first appt today. It was just us talking to an ob nurse. My first real appt is July 19. We told her we were moving next month, so she put us in before we have to leave. She said that she really wants us to get that done before we leave so that they can make sure everything is going good. So that's when I'll have the first ultrasound and what not. She said based on the dates I gave her and everything that I'm about 6 weeks already and that my due date will be around Feb 19. The did my lab work today, and took 5 vials and I had to do a urine test. Fun fun lol. It's still pretty unreal to me at this point, but I'm excited. My sister and her bf stayed the week with us last week, and she bought the baby it's baby book, first piggy bank and a cute little onesie already. She's already spoiling it and it's not even here lol.

We had our house inspection yesterday. I guess there were a few things wrong with it, but nothing major. So, we're requesting they fix a few things and then we'll get the rest. It's just a few things, so I'm excited about that. We also had it appraised and they said the asking value is very reasonable, so that's good too. Our closing date is Aug 1, so just over a month. My mom said she wants to paint the mural for the babies room, and I'm so happy about that. She's such an awesome artist.

Eric should be getting his orders in the next couple of days so he'll be able to start clearing soon. He has 24 hr duty tonight and on the 4th of July, which sucks, but what can ya do? Oh well, no big deal.

Last week was pretty terrible, with my grandpa passing and everything. However, God blessed Eric and me in two huge ways, and I would like to share with you ladies :) We put an offer on a house down in OK Saturday, and found out yesterday that the sellers accepted out offer! YAY!!! So exciting, I love that house! Now, for the best news ever, I found out Sunday (Father's Day!) that Eric and I are going to have a baby! I took two tests and then that afternoon we told my family. They were so excited. I signed Dad's card Eric, Michelle & Baby, and while he was looking puzzled about that Eric laid a baby bib that says, "I love Grandpa" on him. They went nuts, they are so excited. My sister about busted our eardrums with her screaming. We went and told his mom yesterday, she's excited too. Then I went to the hospital today and they drew blood and about 30 mins ago called and told me it is for sure positive. My first appt is the 28th. I am SO EXCITED!!! The best news of all is that the last time I posted about our problems with getting pregnant I said that the dr gave us pills to help, well I took them for two months, but last month I told Eric I didn't want to take them anymore, I felt like the Lord was telling me to just put it totally in His hands and we would be blessed for it. So, I did, and the very next month, I'm pregnant!!! Thank you God! :)

My grandma asked me last Friday morning if we would be able to come down to where my Grandpa was in the hospital and stay with her if she needed us to. I, of course, told her yes. Well she called later that day and said that she was going to stay so if we could come down it would be appreciated. So, when Eric got off work we went down to the hospital. When we got there my grandpa wasn't doing too well. He had to have surgery before we got there, because they had to put a tube in his chest to drain the fluid that was building on his heart. Well, we stayed and talked to him for a while, but when he was getting tired we decided to leave and let him rest. So, we went to a motel for the night. The next morning we got up early and went in to visit him. He was up, but his blood pressure was really low it kept falling to about 55/46. It went up a few times to normal, and towards the afternoon Grandma was tired and asked the nurse if he was stable enough for us to leave, he said yes. Well, we took her back to the motel and went and piddled around town for a while. When we got back, she was up and we sat and talked a while before heading to the hospital again. When we got there they had the curtain in his room pulled and a ton of people were in there working on him. A guy asked if we were the family, and then said that somebody would be out to talk to us soon. Grandma kept asking if something had happened, but he wouldn't answer. Well, a lady did come out and gave Grandma the phone, and the person on the phone told her that Grandpa's heart was trying to give out. So, they had us go to the waiting room so we couldn't hear everything that was going on. A few minutes later the dr came out and said they had one option left, to put in a pace maker and see if that would work. Grandma said to do it and try and give him every chance. Well, they had to put him on a respirator and when tried to put the pace maker in. They didn't even get the pace maker in before his heart gave up. It was so sad being there with Grandma when the dr told her that her husband of 32 years was gone. I'm glad, however, that we were there, because at least we were there with her to give her a little bit of comfort and so she wasn't alone in her time of need. I had the task to make the phone calls to tell everyone he was gone. Grandma asked me to call Grandpa's son. That was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. I don't know the guy and I had never talked to him, and it was so heartbreaking to have to tell him his dad wasn't with us anymore, but at least it took some weight off of Grandma's shoulders. We were with Grandma all week, they let Eric off for the week too. We had Grandpa's funeral yesterday, and it had military honors. Eric got to present the flag to Grandma, which was very special to both of them. I've lost both my grandpa's in a 9 month period. I have one left, my mom's dad, but he has never been in our life and so this Grandpa was my Grandpa. I loved him so much, and he will be missed.

I got a new haircut the other day. It's quite a bit shorter than it was before, but I wanted a change and I'm so glad I did it. It's so much easier to handle and cooler. Yay!
We went to church last Sunday. I'm always nervous trying a new church, but we went to one on post and it was really good. I'm really glad that we went, and we will definitely be going back.

My Grandpa is in the hospital for the second time in two weeks. They're not sure what's wrong with him, his blood pressure keeps dropping extremely low and his blood sugar keeps going high. He has cancer, and being in the hospital is keeping him from his treatments, so hopefully they will get him lined out so he can go back to getting chemo before his cancer spreads. So if you could please keep him in your prayers I would appreciate it.

Eric got accepted into the Green-to-Gold Active Duty program that he put his application in for. I am so very proud of him. That means that he gets to go to the ROTC program in Oklahoma and still be considered active duty Army, so we get to keep the same pay and all the benefits. It was definitely an answer to our prayers. Otherwise it would have been extremely tight for the time he's getting his bachelor's degree. There are only 100 slots for the entire Army so he definitely earned this and I couldn't be more proud of him!!!

Well, we had a very eventful weekend. Eric and I went down to OK on Thursday. We stopped by his mom's work on the way down and gave her the mother's day present we bought for her. We got to my families around 4. My brother proposed to his girlfriend that evening. They don't live in the same town, but he called and told us about it. They are getting married Oct 6 of this year (which happens to be 6 days before our 5th anniversary).


On Friday, my sister had her first prom. She was a sophomore server, and so was her boyfriend. I took her over to get her nails done that morning, and then my mom and I ran her over to get her hair done. She hadn't ever been to the place she went, and the girl who did her hair acted like it was the first time she ever seen hair before. I couldn't believe how slow she was, and in the end she did a not so good job. The curls were cute, but she left big rats in the back by her ponytail. I went over and tried to give Meg the opportunity to say something, but she didn't take it. She couldn't see the back, so she didn't know. Anyways, that cost $40, and in the end when we got home, I had to fix it. Here's the before and after.


Here she is in her servers outfit and then her and her bf, Colter. He got to use his grandma's 66 Mustang to take her to the prom. It was so sweet!


Here they are after they served and got ready for the dance. They are so cute! His mom made her dress for her! The other picture is my dad and sister "waltzing" lol.



Saturday was my birthday. I turned 24. I can't believe I'm 24. It was a good birthday though. My mom and I got up early and went and got my brother and brought him over after he got off work. Eric and I went and seen Shrek 3. It was funny, although I swear the rudest bunch of people I've ever come across where in the theater, sitting right by us. It was packed in there, and this lady comes in, on her cell phone, with 8 kids. They were loud and so rude. Eric had went to get some popcorn, and so I was saving his seat. The lady sat in the seat next to his, and I had to tell them 3 times that someone was sitting in the seat next to me, because she kept letting the kids sit there. Then, she answered her phone 4 times during the movie. Why can't people go 1 1/2 hrs without talking on their phone? I don't get it. One of the kids kept getting out of his seat and coming and standing right in our way, and stepped on my foot 3 times. She got up several times, never saying excuse me. Good grief! Anyways, the movie was funny and I'm glad we went to see it. The rest of the day went really well too, and I'm glad we were there to celebrate my birthday.

Here's my "nephew". My brother bought him for his fiance for her birthday in April. He's a yorkipoo his name, I kid you not, is Ozzie Yorkie Pooholes T-------. Both the Ozzie and the Pooholes part are after names of baseball players I guess, so my brother said.
On Sunday, we had the second fundraiser. It was a lunch, and it went really well. It went from 11-1, and we made $1700. Jon gets out of rehab the 26th. Him and my dad are going to be my brother's best men, and he told my brother he will be walking by then. I hope he keeps that attitude, even if he doesn't end up meeting his goal.

Anyways, that was my weekend, sorry for the long post.

Eric had lasik eye surgery done last Friday. It went really well. He had a little trouble with his eyes the first two days after the surgery, but mostly just with them itching and being a little blurry. Other than that, though, they are healing well, thank God! This is the last picture of him with his glasses, and then the first picture without them.



Since he had surgery, they gave him 7 days convalescent leave, so we're getting to spend the week together. He also is taking four days of leave the 17-20, so we can go down to Oklahoma. We would go sooner, but of course you have to sign out before going on leave, and so we can't. That's ok though. My sister's first prom (she's a sophomore server) is Friday, and she wanted me down there to help her get ready. Then my birthday is Saturday, and the fundraiser is Sunday. We went fishing yesterday and half my body got burnt, I look a little lopsided lol. Oh well, I'm planning to go stand in the sun to get the other side tomorrow lol. Hopefully the sun will cooperate with me. My brother (Matt) texted me yesterday and said he got the ring to propose to his gf (Brandi). I'm happy for him. They've had a long road getting to this point. They dated in high school, I believe they were in the 10th grade when they started dating. They were homecoming king and queen. He was the captain of the football team, she was a cheerleader. He was very much going to make her his wife. When they graduated though, it didn't go that way. She said she needed space and he moved to Nevada. She called him while he was there, but my aunt, who my brother was living with at the time, thought it was doing more harm than good, so she told her not to call her house ever again. When Matt moved back to OK, 2 yrs later, he was angry at Brandi, and wouldn't talk to her. She got engaged to a guy, and before she married him, she came to Matt to try to talk to him. He refused, and she married the guy. Well, long story short, she got a divorce after 2 yrs, and after a total of 7 years, they are back together. I'm not sure when he's going to propose, but I'm hoping while we're down there this weekend :)

It's Official

I'm a college graduate! One degree down, one to go!

My sister got me this shirt for my birthday (May 19th), isn't it pretty?

Well, we are home now. We had a wonderful visit with family and everything when we were down there. Sunday was my dad's birthday, and we all pitched in to buy him a new stereo. It stormed from Saturday night until Monday morning. It flooded where my parents live, and there were 4 tornado's in Oklahoma at one time. There was one that was 15 miles west of my parent's house, and then another that was about 20 miles south of there. It was crazy. The electricity went out for about 3 hrs, so we had to have dad's party in the dark. It was fun though. Mom bought party hats, and blowers and bubbles. My dad has a really hard time just about every birthday. He hates getting older, but this year he was actually in very high spirits and had a wonderful time.

After the party my brother and his gf left because he had to go to work that night. My sister, her bf, Eric and I played hide-and-go-seek in the dark, lol. It was pretty fun. Anyways, I could not believe how bad it rained. When we came home yesterday there was a town in KS that we had to pass through and it was so flooded, I couldn't believe it. I took a couple pictures. There are billboards that are covered with water to the bottom of the sign.
The water was so high it was touching the bottoms of the bridges. It was crazy. The whole town looked like it had been flooded. Thankfully it didn't do that here where we live.

Anyways, Sunday night my brother's gf called me and said that Matt (my brother) had left to go to work and she had gotten a call from a cop saying they were taking him to jail and to come down and get his car or they were going to impound it. So, she had to walk down to get the car. She was so shaken up when she called me, she was asking what to do lol. I had no clue what to do, but told her to find out how much bail was going to be and then we'd see what we could do about getting the money together to get him out. He has NEVER been arrested, and I felt so bad for him. He got pulled over because he had expired tags, they ran his license and found that it has been suspended because of a ticket he didn't pay. So, that was a lesson he learned the hard way. PAY YOUR TICKETS ON TIME! Anyways, his gf said she was going to call my uncle (my brother works for my uncle) and tell him Matt wouldn't be at work that night. So, we decided I should tell my parents so they didn't hear it through the grapevine. Well, I was just telling my mom and she calls me back. He was getting out, they only needed $218, and she was going to get him. He told her not to call our uncle, he was going to work. Anyways, so I told my mom for nothing. Which made me feel bad, because I don't want to be a rat, but I didn't want it getting back to them from my uncle. So, overall it was a very eventful weekend lol. It was a good weekend though, for the most part and a valuable lesson was learned.

I graduate tomorrow, and this is the last week of school for the semester!!!! YAY!!

GOD IS SO GOOD!

We're still in Oklahoma, today is my dad's 50th bday. We have to go home tomorrow, and I'm not looking forward to that, but I was so excited about yesterday I just had to get on here and update. On Friday night I was a little irritated and a bit skeptical because things didn't seem to be coming along with the fundraisers, but I prayed and put it in God's hands and He definitely came through for Jon! Yesterday Eric and I went to the car wash to meet the guy who owns it. He came and cleaned it up and then opened one stall and one vacuum for us. Eric went and put up more signs and my brother's gf (Brandi), her sister and I stayed there. Well, the guy who owns the car wash, not only let us use the car wash (for free!) he gave us $5 and then washed his own bike! Well, the very next guy who came up was an old farmer. Eric washed it and his truck was so muddy he came out covered head to toe in mud. I'll have to post pictures later. Anyways, the price we set was $5 for the outside, $10 for outside and vacuum and $15 for outside and detail. Well, he gave Eric $5 and said "You earned your $5." Well, Jon's gf's mom was there and she had been talking to the guy while his truck was being washed and she told him what we were raising money for and he said, "Oh" and walked over to his truck and got out a $100! Then the next guy came in and gave $55 plus another $50 for a second truck he was having washed! Within the first 3 hrs we had made $500! It was so amazing to see how God worked it. We had the car wash from 9-5 yesterday. You'll never guess how much money we made on the combination of the car wash and bake sale! The bake sales were sold out by 12! One of the bake sales made $460, the other made $238! Plus, to make it even more awesome, there's a group called The Down Biker's Association and they are supposed to match us! So, the grand total that they will have to match us is.... $3568.31!!!! Can you believe that from a car wash/bake sale?! God showed Himself in a major way yesterday, and it was so amazing to see it all come together. Everyone here was so supportive and generous. Eric told me, "I LOVE small town people!" lol... Me too. We were all thinking just a few hundred dollars, and that this would be the smallest profit from the fundraisers that we do. It might be, but if the other's do as well as this one does, how amazing would that be?! We're planning a lunch on the 20th now, and my sister's bf is helping with that one, and she said they always make quite a bit of money on those. Anyways, I'm pretty excited, if you can't tell. I just can't stop thanking God for all He did yesterday. Brandi called my brother and told him when we were at $3100, and he screamed, "Thank you Jesus!" Which was the recurring theme in the phone calls we made, that's what my mom and dad said too. Anyways, just thought I would share the blessing that we received for Jon. I hope you're all having a good weekend.

We are going down to Oklahoma tomorrow. I'm really ready, but not looking forward to the trip lol. I baked all day long today. I didn't sit down until around 7 tonight. I had a time too. My dad's 50th bday is Sunday, so I told my mom I'd make his cake. I bought a cake mix and a brownie mix for the bake sale. I make the brownies, I separate them into two different pans. I put nuts in one of the pans. I bake them, they turn out great, a little fluffy, but great. I cut one of the pans into squares. After a while I go to make the cake. I put the mix in the bowl and look to see what I need to do. I see it says, "Mix brownies" lol. So, half my dad's cake is already cut up, the other half has nuts in it. I ran back to the store to get another cake mix. I get it, bring it home, then start to make it. I put the mix in the bowl, look to see what I need. I need 3 eggs, I have 2, lol. So I had to run back to the store, but that's alright. I called mom both times so she could laugh with me/at me lol. At least we have the ability to laugh at ourselves, otherwise we'd be pretty miserable people :) So, all in all I made, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, rice crispie treats, banana nut bread, and two cakes. Now, I just hope it all sells!

I appreciate all the prayers and input! Jon had his surgery and everything went well. He got his neckbrace off and he was able to eat that night. My brother went up to see him yesterday and they were going to take him out of ICU last night, which is awesome, cause they said he'd be there for at least 10 days and he was there for 6! We are going down next weekend and we have put together a fundraiser, car wash/bake sale for Saturday. The guy who owns the car wash where I'm from is going to let us use it for the day, and we've got lots of people making baked goods to sale. Everything is coming together and Matt (my brother) said that since Jon found out we are doing things to raise money his spirits have lifted again. I guess it was really bothering him knowing he couldn't get up and go out and get the money he needs. Then we're planning on doing some sort of lunch fundraiser around the 19th, and we already have a location that we were told we could use anytime we need. So, just pray that people come together and we're able to raise enough money to keep him going and to get him into a good rehab so that he can focus totally on his recovery!

Thanks again, everybody's prayers and nice thoughts are so appreciated!

We are trying to get some fundraisers together to raise money for Jon, if you have any ideas as how we could do this, I would appreciate them! He's having his surgery today, and yesterday he got news that things looked worse than they originally thought. He's in the Air Force Reserves, but he has no insurance, so things are going to get really expensive, really fast. Any input would be appreciated!

I would like to ask everyone to PLEASE be praying for my brother's best friend Jon. Yesterday was a pretty sad/uneasy day for our family. My sister called me yesterday morning and told me that my brother's best friend, Jon, was in a motorcycle accident and they had mediflighted him to OKC, and he could possibly be paralyzed. I told her if she heard anything let me know. I hung up and prayed. My dad called a couple hrs later and told me basically the same thing, except by then he had been told that he had cracks in 3 of his vertebrates. My sister called me back a while later and said that my brother had called my dad and was crying so hard (my brother and Jon have been friends since before Jr High) he had to hand the phone to the preacher (who just happened to be up there visiting someone else, and ran into my brother) so he could tell him that Jon was paralyzed and the dr said he didn't think he would walk again. I told my sister that drs are often wrong and that we just have to keep praying. They said that my dad was going to die when he had liver failure, and the dr sent him home so he could die, and it's been 4 years and he's alive and kicking and his liver is functioning just fine. I called my brother to check on him, and he said that Jon was in really good spirits about everything, which I think is a very important thing. I believe attitude has a lot to do with how well a person fairs in any situation. Well, I didn't talk to my brother long because he was in the room with Jon, and I didn't think it would be appropriate to ask a bunch of questions with him being right there, and my brother is not the type who likes to answer a bunch of questions anyways. Well, I found out a few other details from my mom, but then I texted my brother's gf and asked her exactly what happened to she called and told me the following story:
Jon and a couple other guys rode their bikes to another town, about an hr from where we're from. They had a few drinks and decided to go home. One of the other guys took off somewhere else, and Jon and the third guy rode together. Well, when they got closer, the third guy turned off to go to his home, and Jon kept driving. Well, a deer ran out in front of him, he swerved to miss it, got the bike under control, but then hit a bump and ran off the road, hit a sign, and from where his bike was laying he was 30 feet away. It was around 3 in the morning, and a guy getting off work from an oil rig was driving by and seen the headlight from the bike in the ditch, stopped, seen the bike and then went looking for him. He found him, called the ambulance. They took him to the hospital, where they checked him over, and then mediflighted him to OKC. He had actually cracked 9 of his vertebrates, one of which a piece broke off and is now floating in his spinal column, which is the reason he's paralyzed. He wasn't wearing a helmet, but thank God he didn't sustain any brain damage. He blacked his eye, knocked out several teeth, has a partially collapsed lung, a bruise on his kidneys (they don't know if the bruise is from the accident or because he had just passed kidney stones), and he dislocated his leg. He was paralyzed from his belly button down. The drs said they can't say for sure what will happen, they said they're not God (I'm glad they know that) and that only time will tell if he'll walk again.
My sister called this evening and told me that my brother went back up today, and Jon already has feeling an inch lower then he did yesterday. THANK YOU GOD! I know that drinking and driving is one of the stupidest decisions that you can EVER make but we are praying for his full recovery and for this to be a learning experience for both Jon and everyone else around him. So, if you could all be praying for him, Jon, his family and my family would be very appreciative. Thank you!

I got my cap and gown today, so I'm all set to graduate. I am even going to graduate with honors! I'm pretty proud of that. Just a few weeks left and I'm done with these stupid classes and I'll have my associates. I know, I'm only going to be half way done with school, but I'm still pretty proud of myself. I was talking to my mom yesterday, she's in college too, and we were discussing how the professors make the assignments and tests so different from each other, it makes no sense. Then with all the things they make you learn, it makes you wonder if it's worth going through all that for a degree. I told my mom, that to get into the system and make a difference it's going to take us getting by and learning the crap they teach. That's about the only way you can get a job that will make a difference, and try to make changes to a system that could definitely use some changes. My mom is having a hard time, dealing with some of the things they are making her learn, it's definitely in opposition with the way she believes. Her convictions are telling her this is wrong, but there is no way of getting a degree in what she wants to get a degree in without taking the classes she is in. I'm looking to go into the same field she is, which means that I will have to face the same dilemma's she is, and it makes it definitely difficult to make it through, or even want to attempt to make it through. The only thing that makes it worth trying to get through it, is that the Lord needs people in place to do His works, and this seems to be the only way. That's the only reason it would even be remotely worth it to go through what the world is trying to indoctrinate into the heads of students these days.

We had a good Easter weekend. We went down to Oklahoma and spent it with my family. We had a really good time. It was freezing cold though, I couldn't believe it. On the way down there it snowed until OK and then it rained a good way through there too. Eric, my sister, her bf and me dyed eggs on Saturday. My mom asked when my sister was going to grow out of wanting to do that, lol....I still want to do it and she's 7 yrs younger than me. Then on Easter we hid them and hunted them lol. There are no little ones around, but I think it's pretty funny to see two 16 yr olds and a 23 and 24 yr old out hunting eggs on a freezing cold day while it's spitting snow. My brother had to work all weekend, but he came over for a few hrs on Easter and spent some time with us. We drove over (it's an hr away from my mom's) to my brother's house on Friday and my brother, his gf, my sister, her bf, Eric and myself went bowling. That was really fun. It was a great time and I thank God for the time we got to spend with them. I am in awe of how the Lord died for our sins and rose again and that we are here on earth and able to celebrate such a wonderful blessing. I thank God for all the blessing that He has given us. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend too!

Thank all of you ladies for the sweet comments. I appreciate each and everyone of them! You're all such a blessing to me and I thank you for your continued friendship and support!

I'm not a pleased person as far as the mgmt company for our apartment complex is concerned. Apparently they don't know that the landlord/tenant law says that you can't just come into a person's place without giving notice first. They are supposed to come every other month to spray the place, they hand out a calender with the dates marked, but the past two times they haven't come on the days that they said they were going to and then they show up, unannounced. It's very irritating. Once I had just gotten out of the shower and was getting dressed when they came. Then the other day the manager called and said the plumber was coming the next day to do some work on the outside, but he may need to come inside, that's fine. Well, I was working out and I thought I heard someone at the door, so I stopped to see if I had, and next thing I know the plumber uses a key (the manager wasn't even with him!) and just comes in. For pete's sake. Then yesterday (this is the second time this has happened) the electricity went out, for no apparent reason, but only in the front half of the apartment. Well, the last time it happened we called out the electric company to make sure it wasn't the outside lines, it wasn't. They told us to call the manager and tell him that it was inside and he'd need an electrician, so we did. He didn't come last time, and the electricity just came back on by itself, and it worked fine until yesterday. Eric called yesterday at 1 and told him were having problems again, he said he couldn't do anything until Monday. Eric said, well the fridge it out and we have an aquarium that needs to be plugged in too. He told us to run an extension cord from the back and plug them in. That's fine, but it peeved me because he made no effort whatsoever to provide any kind of assistance to us. So, we went out and bought an extension cord and ran it from the back to the front. The electricity as out for 9 hrs, came back on for 2 hrs and then went out again. It was halfways on this morning when the electrician showed up. He fixed whatever it was, so hopefully we won't have any more problems. It just irritates me that we pay our rent here but get treated like they have free reign over the place. I did my homework and looked up the laws and it says that a landlord must give "reasonable time" before entering the premises, and reasonable time is defined as a time set between the landlord and tenant. So, I'm going to send a letter and let them know that we don't appreciate them thinking they can come in whenever their heart desires and hopefully it won't happen again.

Alright, there's my rant for the day lol. I feel better.

I have lost exactly 100 pounds. I'm so embarrassed about the first picture, but it's where I've been and I'm proud of how far I've come, so, here's my before and after pictures.

Eric and I had such a wonderful weekend. He had a four day, and it was so nice just staying home and spending the time together. Friday Eric changed the oil in the Jeep, and we just spent the day relaxing together. On Saturday we went to the shooting range and he did the trap shooting thing. It was pretty neat watching him do that, and he loved it. He got to use the new shotgun I bought him for Christmas. Poor guy hadn't had a chance to use it until then, and he's been itching to shoot it. After that we went bowling, I love bowling, but I suck, lol. Sunday we went to the movies and watched "Premonition", it was pretty good. Confusing at times, but overall I thought it was pretty good. After the movie we went and played racquet ball. That is so much fun, although again, I suck. The wall we played on is divided into three parts, we use all three lol. Monday we did the same thing, went to the movies, watched "Wild Hogs", it wasn't the best movie in the whole wide world, but it did provide a few laughs. Then we went and played more racquet ball. I loved this weekend. We just enjoyed each other's company and it was the most amazing time. I love those times when it's just me and him, doing piddly stuff, but enjoying every moment of it. I do believe that is the first time we've spent a four day at our own place with just the two of us. We usually pack up and go to see family when we get a chance, but we're going for Easter, so we thought we'd just hang around. I'm so glad we did. I really hated for it to end though. I went over and had lunch with him yesterday. I also got signed up for graduation. I graduate May 9 with my associates. I have a dentist appt tomorrow. I'm not looking forward to that, I hate the dentist, but it has to be done. Or so they say, lol.

I wish that everyone could have the Grandma's that I've had. They are both so different, yet would do anything for their families. I was fortunate enough that both sets of grandparents lived in the same town, so I seen each of them the same amount while I was growing up. The weird thing about them living in the same town is that my mom was born in Wyoming, my dad in Oklahoma. They both ended up in New Mexico, living in trailers that were end to end. They met when my mom's dog had a seizure (the one and only seizure it ever had) and my mom's mom ran over to ask if my dad's mom could help. My mom made friends with my dad's sister and then eventually started dating my dad. My dad and mom got married (my mom was 16), and them and my dad's family moved to Oklahoma, to find work with the oil rigs. My mom's family eventually ended up in Oklahoma too. Then my dad's parents moved to a little town in Kansas, and eventually my mom's mom and stepdad moved there too. Both sets lived there the rest of the time. My mom's side is still there, and unfortunately my dad's both passed away. Now, if that wasn't fate, I don't know what is.

My dad's mom, Grandma Shirley, was the type of person who didn't care what anybody thought of her. She was herself, no matter who was around. I always admired that in her. She was the type of person that didn't care that she couldn't carry a note, she loved to sing, and sing she did. She also didn't care that she lived in town, with neighbors around her. When she dyed her hair, she sat out on her front porch in her bra with a towel around her neck (seriously, she did that one summer when I was staying with them, I thought I was going to die!). She didn't care that people might think she was weird or crazy, that was who she was, and she didn't try to cover it up. She passed away on March 27 (the day after my brother's 18th bday), 8 years ago, and I miss her so much. She had one of the biggest hearts, and would do anything for anybody. She was a very compassionate person and I'm so thankful that she was in my life, even if for only a short time. I don't have many pictures of her and what I do have is packed away, so you'll have to excuse the repeat of this picture, and the horrible quality.


My mom's mom, Grandma Jean, is the storybook grandma. She's the one that's baking the cookies and she's forever giving all the granddaughters knick-knacks. She makes the best chocolate chip Grandma cookies ever. Whenever she makes them, the family fights over who gets them. She even has to make my brother his own tub (yes, tub) or else the rest of the family doesn't get any, at all. She's so cute, and has an innocence about her. She hilarious and she's so sweet. She got a computer a little over a year ago, and we email each other pretty much on a daily basis. I love communicating with her that way, because I get a laugh just about every time I get an email from her. She knows only the basics, and throughout her emails, she'll realize that she made a mistake, but instead of going back to correct it, she just tells me what mistakes she's made. It's so cute and funny. Here's an example from an email that she sent a couple days ago, "hi michell, i dont think you got my last email. sorrry i didnt get an e put on your name. lol i finally talked to your mom, she was telling me the sad news about sister jimmy. that isto bad. well ill see if this will go through, i hope. love ya gma" Ahh, Grandma, lol. I was so blessed that God put these two, very loving women in my life. I just pray that when the time comes our kids love their Grandma's as much as I've loved mine. Eric and I always tell my mom that she's going to have to be the Grandma Jean Grandma, because we already know that his mom's going to be the slightly crazy one, lol. Here's a picture of Grandma Jean, and then one of my mom and Grandma Jean from when they were here for my surgery.

Thank you ladies for all your support and encouragement. You are all the best, and I'm so grateful to have come across you all. I feel much better. I think I was cooped up for too long in this place. It was beautiful outside and I think I wasn't getting enough sunshine, lol. I really do feel better and I've been thinking alot about what everyone said. I know it will happen for us when it's our time. I also know that we're both healthy, young, and have plenty of time. There is absolutely nothing medically wrong that's keeping us from our dreams, and that is a HUGE relief. It's all in the Lord's timing, and I am thankful that it is in His hands. You know, I absolutely love the weather that we're having. Yesterday was a little chilly, but today is in the 60's and it feels so wonderful outside. I went and had lunch with Eric today, and that was really nice. I also had a wonderful talk with my mom when I got home. She called and we talked for about an hr.

I have to say that a lot of what I was feeling that made me not really want to talk to my family so much for a little while was from the last time we went and visited. I think it really hurt my feelings that my brother and sister didn't really make the time to hang out with and talk with us. I know they're busy and all, but it just irritated me cause we don't get to go down nearly enough. But, I also realized that I have to remember that they're getting their own lives and I went through the same stages as my sister is now when I was her age. My brother is older than I am, but he's never been married and hasn't had a serious relationship (at least not one he's brought to our attention) since he dated the same girl he's dating now in high school. He said that some of the girls he dated wanted to come home and meet us, but he said no, because he didn't think they deserved to meet his family. So, now that he's back with this girl, he spends alot of time with her, of course. So, even though I'm younger than he is, I've already been through the stage that he's going through of always wanting to be with that special someone. So, I get it. I just have to let it roll off me a little easier. I have a problem letting things roll off me sometimes. I think it's a middle child symptom, lol.

While I was talking to mom today, we were saying how wonderful it is that we are able to laugh and joke around with each other as a family. She said she thinks that's an important part of a family staying together. Anyways, she was saying how all three of us kids have such good senses of humor. She was saying how she just loved my laugh and I laugh "with my whole self", lol. I used to get compliments on my laugh at school all the time, and it made me so self conscious. Try laughing when you know that people are listening to the sound of your laugh, lol. Aahh, alright I think I've rambled enough for one day. Sorry about the length of this, I just feel chatty and Eric's still at work, lol.

I've been in a funk lately. I don't know why, I just really don't feel like talking to people. My phone calls to my family have been farther between and when we do talk it's not for very long and I'm struggling to figure out what to say to them. I love my family and I love talking to them and spending time with them, but lately it just feels like I don't have anything to say. I guess it's normal to get into funks now and again though.

Eric and I went on a 5 mile walk yesterday. It was beautiful outside and I really enjoyed the time we spent walking. I got woke up this morning by a phone call from him. He locked his keys in his truck and I had to go on post to bring him the extra set. Oh, what would they do without us? lol

Eric and I want to have kids so bad. It's always been my dream to be a mom. I've always said, I don't know what I want to do, degree wise, but I've always known that I wanted to be a wife and mom. We've actually been trying to have kids from the beginning of our marriage, but have (obviously) been unsuccessful. (I really don't like talking about it, so don't ask me why I'm writing about it now, I think I just need to get it off my chest.) So, while Eric was gone a big motivation for me to lose weight was to try and help it be a little easier for us to have children. Well, I did lose the weight, but still no baby. I know it's all in God's timing and it will happen when He sees fit. We went to the dr the other day and everything's normal for the both of us, but she gave me some pills to try and help us out, and I pray that the Lord gives us a baby. I know He will, I just have to trust in the Lord with all my heart.

I'm taking a political science class this semester and after reading this last chapter I'm a little concerned. It was talking about the FCC and how they say they don't have control over the cable programming and therefore it's up to the different stations to put on what they think is appropriate. I didn't know that the FCC only had jurisdiction over the "air waves", which is what, the regular radio stations and 4 TV stations- the one's you can get with an antenna? Maybe I'm slow for not knowing that, but it's very disturbing to think that the people who have control over what comes on TV don't have anyone to answer to. What good is the FCC then? Why are they getting paid to control nothing? Give me a break.

We had a good time down in Oklahoma visiting family. It's always nice to spend time with loved ones. It's a little sad since I didn't get to spend too much time with my brother and sister, they were both busy with other things. I guess that's what happens as we grow up. I understand, but it still kinda sucks. My sister's 16 now, and has a boyfriend, so she's always busy spending time with him. We did take one afternoon together and went shopping, which was nice. My brother had to work, but when he was home he was spending time with his girlfriend. I'm annoyed at her too, lol. She asked my sister if she wanted to buy her car, and my sister said she's interested, but of course my dad has to check it out and she has to test drive it as well. So, my brother's gf asked my sister if she wanted to test drive in on Sunday, and she said yes. Well, Sunday comes and she doesn't show up. We texted her and she said that she was going to visit my brother (who was out of town working). That irritated me because SHE'S the one that asked my sister if she wanted to test drive it that day. Good grief, don't make plans if you don't plan on following through with them! Anyways, other than that I had a really good time seeing my family and me and my mom spent a lot of time talking, which was great. I really enjoy hanging out with my mom, she's an awesome person and a great mom.

I'm going to do my "Gettin' Fit Friday" today, because I won't be here tomorrow. I've been doing good, but I have cut back a little on my exercising. I had to slow down because I just need to maintain my weight now, and not lose too much more. I bought an ab lounger. It definitely works. It seems a lot easier on my back doing crunches on that then it is on the floor. I like it.



I had a good Valentine's. Having Eric home was so amazing. He had to work late (I'm not a big fan of the new unit, lol) but we still had an amazing time together. He had a beautiful flower arrangement sent to me. Here's a picture:
We also went out to eat and just had a good time spending the evening together.

I hope that everyone else had a great Valentine's Day! Enjoy your weekend.

I had a follow-up appointment today with the surgeon who did my gallbladder surgery. It went really well, he looked at my incisions and said that everything is good and that I won't have to see him again. I also had to do some lab work today that was ordered about a month ago. I had a yearly checkup last month and the dr wanted me to get some tests done. I'm not sure what all they wanted to do, but they took 4 vials of blood from me. She wanted me to do a cystic fibrosis test to see if I carry the gene that could be passed to my kids. I decided not to do that one. I don't see the reason why I should. It doesn't run in my family and I don't see the point in checking for all this stuff that might or might not happen in our future. I'm just not that interested in making myself crazy and getting tested for things that don't run in my family. Anyways, I don't know why but she also ordered a test on my thyroid. I guess it's cause I told her I had lost quite a bit of weight. I told her it was my own doing though. I hate getting tests done, but at least I can see some kind of point in testing the thyroid.

On a brighter note, my brother is sweet. He texted Eric this morning and asked him to go and get me a rose for Valentine's Day and a card from him. He's thoughtful like that (sometimes, lol). He also go my mom and sister something. I told my mom that he had done that for me (before her and my sister got theirs) and she said, "don't tell your sister, just in case he doesn't do that for her." lol... Mom's.

Speaking of mom's my grandma is so funny. She's 68 years old and she has a computer and she emails me all the time and rambles about whatever's on her mind. She's so cute, she emailed me the other day about the Gilmore Girls. She watches that show and she wanted to know what I thought of two of the main people in it, lol. I swear, she's the cutest grandma, I love her.

I was talking to my mom yesterday and she said my dad was missing me. She said they went to the store the yesterday and he picked up a jar of pickles (I love pickles and they never stay around a house too long if I know they're there) and he said, "I'm going to get these, and it'll send out a signal to pud (that's his nickname for me) to come home." lol... I got a big kick out of that cause we're planning on going home this weekend, I guess it worked.

Gettin' Fit Friday is upon us again. I'm growing a little bored with my workout routine. I'm looking to by an ab lounger. I've wanted one for a while now, but I just haven't got one yet. I think I need to change things up a bit, so I don't burn myself out.

Eric went to his new unit on Tuesday. It was weird to see him wearing a new patch. It's about half the size of his old one, it looks so odd. He said that it's going well. He doesn't like the fact that he had to leave the Cav unit, but he said it's not as bad as he thought it would be. He's supposed to get a four day weekend next weekend. I really want to go home and see family. It seems like it's been forever since we were down there. The only problem is that the new unit he's in does a lot of details, so he could end up stuck doing one of them. I guess there's a funeral detail during the four day that they still have assigned people to, so hopefully he's not choosen for that.

We have about 5 more months here, and then we'll be going back to OK. I can't wait for that time to come, but I've decided it's not as bad here as I thought it was for the first year we were here. It's not getting to me being away from family as much as it did before, which is a huge step for me. Eric submitted his green-to-gold active duty packet, and the board is in May. We'll know around June if he was accepted. If he is that would be great, he would stay on active duty, but he would be going to school as his job. If he doesn't get accepted for that, though, he's still already accepted to the ROTC down there, so we're going either way. Just the last option is that we will be more strained on money then the first option. I'm praying that he gets choosen for the active duty option though, he's really excited about it.

I think I may go off my rocker very soon. I swear, physical science was designed to make people go crazy, because that's exactly what it's doing to me. Prayers would be graciously accepted.

I meant to write this yesterday, but time got away from me. Things are good around here. I'm back to being able to do my normal things since the surgery. I think I healed up in really good time. I even started working out again on Thursday, but I did have to cut back a little, but I think I'm doing good. I've lost 4 lbs. My sister asked me what I named my gallbladder so I told her "gally". Then I told my brother I was 1 lb from my goal weight (before the surgery) and said that by the time I came out of surgery I should be my goal weight. So I texted him yesterday and told him that since gally's out I'm 1/2 lb below my goal weight, lol. We're a weird family, lol. My sister's 16 and she's the typical teenage girl, very very moody. She sent me a text today and asked if she could come live with us, she's arguing with our parents. Girls, lol. Eric's unit disbanded in December, but there's still a few of them left in the unit, waiting to be put into different units or be stationed at other bases or whatever. Eric's been with them too, but he has to go on Monday to a different unit, he's not looking forward to it. They got most everyone from the old unit together yesterday for one last time and we all went out to eat, it was pretty nice.

School is going ok too, but physical science is kicking me in the rear. I hate it.

The surgery went well. My mom and grandma came up to be with me, which was really nice. I had to be there at 6 a.m. on Friday, and they got me going pretty quickly. I figured I would have to wait for a long time, but by 7:30 a.m. I was in the holding area, and the surgeon and anesthesiologist were back there talking to me. Eric was able to stay with me up until they took me in, which made me feel a lot better. It was an outpatient surgery, so when I was done they took me to the recovery room. After I woke up they took me back to the room I had originally been in and I had to stay there until I was able to eat a little and was feeling alert enough to walk without difficulty. I went home about 12:30 p.m. I was really sore the rest of that day and yesterday was pretty bad as far as pain goes too, but today I feel much better. My stomach is all swollen and I still don't feel like doing anything, but it's getting better and I'm thankful for that. Eric has been taking really good care of me and insisting that I take it easy and relax, and that's felt really good. He's taken on everything as far as household duties for the time being, which takes a load off my mind. He's been great. My mom and grandma left yesterday, but it was so good having them here. I was surprised that they came up, but it did make me feel better. All in all everything is going good and after it quits hurting and the swelling goes down I know I'll be grateful that it's over with.

I went to the dr this morning for my appt. He set me up to have surgery on Friday. I'm nervous, but Eric's commander gave him Friday off so it makes me feel better knowing he'll be there with me the whole time. The way the dr explained it, it doesn't seem like it will be too big of a deal, but still the thought of any kind of surgery just doesn't make me feel all giddy inside.

I can't believe it's Friday again already. Thank you for all the nice comments that you all left on my last entry, I really appreciate them. Charla asked me how I have lost all the weight, so I thought I'd answer that for this "Gettin' Fit Friday". The way I have lost all the weight is by working at it, hard. I started out right after Eric left for Iraq and I walked on a treadmill for 30 mins a few times a week. Then I went up to 45 mins a day everyday. Then around the time that Eric came home for R&R my mom bought a stationary bike and I started riding that 30 mins, twice a day, four days a week. The other 3 days I was doing Tae Bo. Now I ride the bike 30 mins twice a day everyday, except I have started doing Tae Bo again for the good ab workout. Every week I try and give myself a rest though so that I don't burn myself out. I usually take either Thursday or Friday and cut my workout in half. I also cut out soda all together, and I drink a ton of water. I don't eat sweets except on a very rare occassions. I have loosened up on myself recently since I'm so close to where I want to be, I decided not to be so hard on myself when I give myself a break. When I started out I absolutely refused to cut myself any slack because I knew how I was. If I would have given myself a break I would have stopped all together and I would have stayed where I was. I knew that I had to keep myself on track or I wouldn't do what I had to do. I also prayed alot while I was working out. I just kept saying, "Lord give me the strength I need to keep going." Now I love the workouts. I made up my mind that I had to do what I had to do to get myself under control. I wasn't happy with myself and I hated that. I just can't explain how good it feels to go into the stores that have the clothes that I never used to be able to wear and pick things out to wear and them actually fit me. It's amazing. Anyways, that's what I've done to lose my weight and keep myself motivated to keep going.

I have an appt the 23rd to consult with the surgeon about my gallbladder. I'm not looking forward to that, but I know I have to get something done with it. I went and got a checkup a couple weeks ago and the dr asked me if I smoked, I said no. She asked if I drink, I said no. She asked if I exercise, I said yes. She said, "it just doesn't seem fair that you have gallstones, you do everything right." I agree, it's not fair, lol. But I guess the way I used to live caught up with me. Oh well. Eric took a PT test yesterday and did an excellent job. He did better than he's ever done and I was so proud of him. He had to take it for his packet, he's trying for the Green to Gold Active Duty Option, and so his PT test that he took will look really good in his packet.

I started classes on Monday. I had to drop my anatomy class because it turns out that that particular one doesn't transfer and I need the credits to transfer so I can be a junior when I enroll in the university I'm going to go to. So now I'm taking, Intro to Computers, Web Site Construction, Political Science and Physical Science w/ Lab. I'm not sure what I got myself into, I just hope I can pull it off, lol.

Well, Charla wants to bring back "Gettin' Fit Friday" so I'll join in again. I have been doing good at keeping myself on track, and despite the holidays I was able to keep on top of things. I didn't overeat and I kept exercising the whole time. My support system has been awesome and they have definitely helped me keep going through my down moments. I think that's a big part of keeping things going. You have to have a support system that is willing to back you up. I put 100% of myself in the Lord's hands and I know that He is the reason that I have been able to keep going. Before this time I have tried many times to lose weight and wasn't able to keep myself motivated enough to get anywhere with it. I would ask Eric to go walking with me, and he would, but I would whine the whole time and end up giving up. When he left thoughI turned it over to God and asked for help and I have been going ever since. I also think that a big thing is that you need to be ready for the change. I was tired of being overweight and tired of not liking the way I looked. I was ready to stop feeling sorry for myself and get up and do something about it. My family has been awesome and they are always encouraging me and telling me how proud of me they are. My brother, who used to very rarely ever complimented me, has been telling me how pretty I look and gave me the best compliment I think I've ever received. He told mom that Eric fell into a gold mine with me. I thought that was so sweet. Then of course there's Eric. He has been a big motivating factor for me. Yesterday he wrapped his arms around me and said, "come here my skinny wife." Music to my ears. So, to date I have went down 13 inches in my waist and I have lost 87 pounds. I have approximately 5 pounds before I am at my goal weight. I never thought I would be this close and I'm so proud of myself. Nothing beats that feeling. Here's a picture of me that Eric took today in my new shirt.



Also, we're not moving until the fall semester. The military sure does have a way of not rushing things, especially when it comes to paperwork. Oh well, I really wasn't too disappointed about it when Eric told me. Of course I did pack almost everything, but I figure we only have about 6 months left here and we are for sure going in the fall, so it's no big deal. I'm actually looking forward to staying here for a little while, considering we just barely moved into this place. Plus, with everything else, like having to have surgery and needing to take care of various other things, it's better we stay here for now. It will also give me a chance to catch up to Eric in school work and we will end up graduating with our bachelor's at the same time, which I think will be pretty neat. All in all I know that it's better that we stay here, the Lord has a plan for us, that's for sure.

The past couple months I keep getting this intense pain in my back and it comes up and settles right between my rib cage. I've ignored it as best I could, but on Tuesday it got so bad that I couldn't stand it anymore. I called my mom and she said to go to the hospital, so Eric took me. I hate the hospital. I was so sick though. I went and they hooked me up to an IV and gave me some pain medicine that knocked me out. They said it was my gallbladder and I had to go yesterday and get an ultrasound done on it. I have gallstones. Which means I have to have surgery. The dr told me yesterday that it's not infected and since I wasn't in pain right now it's not an emergency and that the surgery department would be getting ahold of me sometime to set up an appt. They called today but I wasn't here. So I tried to call them back but they were gone by that time, so I'll have to wait until they call me again. I'm going to see if they can do the laser surgery and just dissolve the stones instead of taking the whole thing. I'm not a fan of having to have one of my organs taken out. If everything goes ok I'm going to wait until we get to OK before I have the surgery though, that way I won't have to worry about it now, but we'll have to see. The way it looks we might have to wait until the fall to go down there anyways, but it's in the Lord's hands and we'll just have to wait to see what happens.

We got our pictures from the ball in today. I think it turned out pretty good.

We had a very good Christmas and it was so good having Eric home with me. We had to do our traveling home on Christmas, but we made it home in time to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" before we went to bed, which was our goal. My parents gave us a beautiful curio cabinet and me a jewelry armoire, and I love them. The only problem with them is that I can't use them until we get moved. I spent the morning packing and I got the spare room packed up (except the military gear). I'm so tired of moving, I just got unpacked here. I told my brother that I think I should do it for a living and make some money cause I'm getting pretty good at it! Oh well, once we get there we should have 2 years of not moving, that will be nice. Anyways, I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

We went to our ball and had fun. It was more fun then I thought it would be, thankfully. The commander really let loose and it was hilarious watching him and some of the others out there dancing. I'll post pictures later, when we get home. We're at my parents house right now, and my mom decided to go ahead and make Christmas dinner today so that we could all eat together. Our plans were to come here Friday and then go to Eric's moms house for Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We were going to eat with his family, but things changed. The Army decided that it would be a smart idea to give a 4 day weekend and make it Friday-Monday, making them go back to work on Tuesday. Which meant our plans had to change. We came down here on Thursday and we're still going to his mom's on Christmas Eve, but we have to make the drive back home Christmas day. That was a bummer, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Since we have to go home on Christmas day we weren't going to get a Christmas dinner, and my mom is such a sweetheart so she decided to change her plans and make dinner today instead of on Christmas. She said it's a lot better having dinner with everyone anyways, so it was no big deal. I know she's lying, considering she had to work, but it was so nice of her anyways.

Eric is still working on getting everything together so that he can go to ROTC. I'm trying really hard not to think about it because school starts on Jan 8. Which means that we have to be down in Oklahoma in 2 weeks. Which means I have to pack (which I have yet to start doing). Everything is going to be a rat race the next couple weeks, but I'm still trying not to think about it. It does me no good to stress about it, it's not going to make things go any faster (or slower, depending on how you look at it). Right now I'm just enjoying having him home for Christmas. Spending time with Eric and my family makes me happy.

This Christmas season has been wonderful and today we're doing our Christmas dinner and presents. I'm so thrilled. Lots of scheming has went into this Christmas though. Lots of lies being passed out in my family, ha! We all pitched in and got my sister a cell phone, but she thinks it's for my mom, but thinks my mom thinks it's for Eric. We got my brother an IPod and wrapped up a candle in one huge box (he has no patience, so we thought it would be funny to make him go through all this first) and then in a second huge box we wrapped about 5 different boxes he has to unwrap before he can have his real present. Then I bought Eric a gun, but he thinks it's for my dad, only I wanted it to be a surprise when he opened it, and since he knew which box it was in, I took it out of that box, put in tools to make it heavy wrapped it back up and wrapped the gun in a separate box, lol. We all pitched in and got my mom a digital camera (she took photography and loved it and has wanted a really nice camera ever since). It's been fun trying to keep all that straight, let me tell you, ha! ha! Anyways, I'm enjoying myself and having Eric home is just such a wonderful blessing all in it's own. I'll post pictures of the ball when I get home and I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas!

Eric graduated with his associates degree on Wednesday. I'm so proud of him. He worked so hard for it, and completed the last of it while he was overseas. He was determined and it definitely paid off for him. He even graduated with honors! I'm so extremely proud of him!

Then yesterday his unit disbanded so I went to the inactivation ceremony.

Nobody from his unit has been placed with other units though, so I'm not sure what they're going to be doing until they are. Tomorrow is my first military ball. So it's been a pretty busy week. I finished my classes for this semester and enrolled in Spring semester. At the end of next semester I'll graduate with my associates too. We started school at the same time but he was able to graduate ahead of me because he had military classes that went towards his degree. I'm not sure how well I'll like my next semester, I'm taking, Intro to Computers, Web Site Construction, Anatomy & Physiology for the Pre-Hospital Provider, and Intro to Political Science. That should keep me busy lol.

Things are going good around here. We've been busy with school and getting back into the swing of things together. It's been wonderful, and you can definitely tell there is a difference in our relationship and it's all for the best. We've grown in ways I never thought possible and it's all been a wonderful experience. Eric went back to work on Monday and I couldn't believe that his 30 days leave was over already. His unit is disbanding and they're having their demob ceremony on the 14. He graduates with his associates on the 13th, and we will probably be moving at the end of this month or the beginning of January. It all depends on whether everything goes good, and he has lots of work to do, but he will be going into the ROTC program in Oklahoma if everything goes as planned. It's a lot of work to get done in such a short amount of time, but we've been praying about it and I know that if it's the Lord's will it will happen. The down side is that he'll be getting out of the active Army and going into the Reserves until he's finished with his schooling. So, money will be tight, but again, if it's the Lord's will everything will work out how it's supposed to.

I'm so excited about Christmas this year. I got an early start, and have already finished up all my Christmas shopping. The only thing that is left is for Eric to finish shopping for me. Then we'll be completely done, which is rare because I usually leave it all for last minute. My Christmas cards are out and we've decorated the house. We still have to get a tree, but we're doing that this weekend. I love this Christmas and I am so thankful that we're spending it together. I don't think I've ever been more excited about a holiday then I am this year.