Goings On

So I've fully intended on updating my blog, but I have been busy! Between projects around the house (pictures to come soon!), errands and hanging out with friends, I definitely have not been bored. And Nick will be home in about 2 weeks, so I've been trying to get ready for that as well.

Unfortunately, my friend Michelle is moving in about two weeks, and she & her husband had a little Farewell BBQ last night. Michelle & I bonded when we were both stuck at Fort Knox, and thankfully, our husbands happened to post in the same place here in Texas. We've been together for 2 years, so I'm pretty bummed that she's moving. Knowing the Army though, we'll end up in the same place at some point. I know it's going to be really hard to say goodbye, but thankfully we have a couple weeks before she leaves (and we're actually hanging out today too).

I also ended up hanging out for a bit with my friends Alice & Rachel last night too (I told you, I'm popular!). They went to this sweet restaurant on a nearby lake that I really want to try, but since I already committed to the BBQ, we met up later. I'm also doing a weekly bible study with those girls, as well as one through Nick's unit. The Chaplain's wife is running it, and we're doing the same series the Chaplain is doing with the guys in Iraq. Pretty sweet.

I think these next 2 weeks until Nick comes home will go by very quickly!

Retail Therapy

This past weekend was a wonderful tax-free weekend in Texas. I almost actually forgot, had it not been for fellow blogger Becca. I had been planning on getting some new clothes for awhile (I was thinking about going to the outlets), and this was the perfect excuse to do a little retail therapy while not completely breaking the bank.

Without taxes, things were already 10% less, plus all three of the stores I went to had specials like buy one, get one half off. LOVE IT! So, I ended up spending a bunch of money, but getting a whole lot of stuff! I told Nick I'll probably be good on clothes for like 2 years. I may have gone all out, but it was well worth the money.

So, what did I get for my money? My best steal was 4 pairs of shoes for $80. But I also got 14 things at Old Navy for less than $200, and 15 things from American Eagle for less than $300. Ya, I'm a pretty good shopper, if I do say so myself! All in all, that was 2 skirts, 4 pairs of pants, 1 pair of shorts, 2 sweaters, 6 tank tops, 3 PJ shorts, 3 workout items, and 8 shirts.

And don't worry, Nick knows I went on this crazy shopping spree. He actually encouraged it! And like I said, I'll probably be good on clothes for like 2 years now. I totally love everything I got too!

I obviously haven't updated my blog in awhile. A lot has been happening, and I've just kind of been in a fog lately. And I really didn't know what to say in this post.

Friday brought some really bad news from home. My 92 year old grampa got pneumonia on Wednesday, and was checked into the hospital on Thursday. Sadly, he passed away Friday morning. Even though he was 92, it was still a huge shock. He had been in really good shape (like amazing for his age) until he was put into a nursing home this past June.

I still feel like I'm in shock from the whole thing. Friday was a really hard day, especially having to tell Nick what happened. He had a really great relationship (as did everyone) with my grampa.

I honestly don't know what to say. He was an amazing man that lived a fantastic, long life and got to see three great-grandchildren. He was an Army doctor during WWII and enjoyed 62 years of marriage with my gramma. He was an accomplished doctor and was even Chief of Staff for a local hospital. He was the sweetest man and always had a fantastic story to tell. I can't even express how much I love him and will miss him. He brought such a joy and a light to my family.

I think the thing that is getting me through all of this is the confidence that he is in heaven right now and isn't suffering anymore. There is no doubt in my mind that he was a Christian and it brings me such peace to know where he is right now. And I am so glad that I was just home and got to spend time so much time with him.

Lunch with the grandparents in July

It's weird being all the way in Texas and having Nick so far away when all of this is happening (which I know is really hard for him). I don't think I'll be heading home anytime soon, as there isn't a memorial service or anything at my grampa's request. So, I'm just trying to keep busy and get through each day. So, please pray for my gramma and the rest of my family. Thankfully, my gramma is in a retirement community (not alone in a house) and the rest of my family is an hour or less away from her.

A Little Visitor

So last night I got home from hanging out with some friends and let the dogs out before bed. I was quite surprised to see, along with our typical geckos, a MOUSE climbing on the wall of my back patio. I had found a few presents, mostly in our BBQ (which I promptly deep-cleaned, EW!), but that usually happens when I leave for an extended period of time (I think the presence of the dogs usually scares any vermin away). This was the first time I actually saw any sort of live mouse/rat though (if you don't count the dead rat last summer)! It was actually kind of small, so it didn't freak me out too much (and wasn't quite as disgusting as a rat), but I'm hoping it just disappears eventually. Rufus has been sniffing around a lot since we got home, so I'm hoping that will scare it off. He's pretty much on the hunt. Funnily enough though, he didn't even notice it on the wall last night.

I actually ended up having dreams about giant rats last night. Thankfully they weren't really scary. They reminded me of the R.O.U.S.s (Rodents Of Unusual Size) from Princess Bride, ha ha. Gotta love a little drama though. Nick said he'll set some traps over R&R if it's still around. Good times.

A Great Week!

So I've been back home in Texas for less than a week, but it has been fantastic so far. August is a good month (other than the 100+ weather and heat index, but alas, that's Texas) just between being back, and my A/C being fixed...things are looking good. My dad helped out with a few things around the house before he left and I've just been getting back into the groove.

Today was the first time I spent the majority of the day at home since I've been back, but thankfully I got to go to the pool with my newly minted "stand in spouse" (because I've spent at least a few hours with her every day since Friday! But then again, we're both unemployed, so what do you expect?), Alice. Today was the first day I wasn't quite sure what to do. Otherwise, I've almost felt too busy, but in a good way. There's still a lot of little stuff (cleaning, etc) to take care of, and then I have a list of just "stuff" for me to do. Hopefully there are enough little projects to keep me busy at least until Nick comes home for R&R (less than a month!). I think I'm going to have to find some more stuff to do after that, but I'm seriously thinking about volunteering somewhere and actually looking into it. I'd still ideally love to do something somewhat related to Animation, but who knows.

But anyway, other than just relaxing and having fun, this week has been great because...I FINALLY SOLD NICK'S TRUCK!!! Craigslist is awesome. Literally the day I posted it on there (Friday), I got an E-mail, and here we are 3 days later (and multiple E-mails and meetings to keep me busy) & it's sold! I can't tell you how happy I am about that. SUCH a relief to finally get rid of that thing! It caused me soooo much stress over the last couple months, I can't even tell you. And it was so easy this time (finally!). YAY! I didn't mention it earlier because I didn't want to jinx it, but I have the ridiculous wad of cash & no more keys or truck, so it is real!!!

What a good week...

Month 8 in Review

We are officially 8 months done with this deployment, woohoo!!! That feels like a pretty good number of months behind us, and 4 more months(ish) really doesn't seem that long. Yay for being on the downhill slide!

This month was pretty eventful, mostly because I was home in California, woohoo! I was there for about 7 weeks total and I think I did everything I had wanted to do! Not too shabby! Some highlights:

-I did a lot of hanging out with my sister & brother-in-law and their 3 kids. I was able to hold my new 2 month old nephew Luke a whole bunch and play with Danny & Katie. I absolutely adore the whole family, and it was really hard saying goodbye. My sister even started crying when I was leaving which was rough. Thankfully, I'll see them over block leave sometime in December (probably), which is only like 4 months away!!! Here is one of my favorite pictures from the day before I left:

Luke being all snuggly

- I also visited my in-laws and got to do a whole bunch of fun stuff, like go to the fair and Hearst Castle! I also met their new cows and the boys loved all of the extra attention!

- I got to hang out with a few of my friends too from both high school (or high school youth group, rather) and college, which was awesome. I even met my friend Erin's new Corgi puppy, Porkchop, so cute! I wish I would've thought to take a picture...
There was a little bit of miscommunication, but overall it was great catching up!

- I also got to go to my cousin's wedding reception, which was pretty fun. They had a really awesome band with steel drums, and some very tasty food!

- My A/C FINALLY got fixed this past Monday (the 10th), thanks to fellow blogger R.A.B., who was so awesome she even made sure the temperature in my house was in the 70s when I got home! Also, one of Nick's friends was a rock star and managed to move Nick's bronco with a bunch of guys instead of calling a tow truck. Crazy!

- This past Tuesday-Thursday, my dad and I drove from California to Texas! We did the drive in 3 days and stayed in hotels Tuscon and Fort Stockton, TX (a.k.a. the middle of nowhere). I wasn't sure how the dogs were going to do, but they were awesome. I think it's a pretty big accomplishment that we didn't get kicked out of any of the hotels! It was a pretty long drive though (6-7 hours each day for 3 days), so I am very grateful that my dad was able to come with me. I don't know how I would've done it without him! But ya, it was a pretty uneventful drive, except for my last In-n-Out Burger (#14 in 7 weeks...not bad) and the 5 prisons we passed along the way!

- So I'm home! I'm pretty glad to be back. I had a great time in California, but it's nice to be back, especially with working A/C (the high today was 96)! The house is in pretty good shape considering it sat in ridiculous heat for about 6 weeks. My plants are a little sad looking, but I'm hoping I can recusitate them. Oh, and I found out my awesome neighbors across the street (the ones with 4 Great Danes) are moving. SAD! They are some of the only neighbors I actually talk to, and it was just nice to know that they were there if I needed anything. At least my lawn mowing neighbor isn't going anywhere anytime soon!) Some funny things I came back to though:

Funky, melted candles- I think it was a little hot in my house

Crazy grass in the backyard!

What had been one sunflower when I left bloomed into a million and is somehow growing out of our oleander bushes

Countdowns
89% to R&R (11% left, woo!), and actually, it is set for about 4 days after Nick is supposed to come home (he got his R&R dates today, woohoo!!!), and we are less than 30 days out!
67% done with the deployment (33% left doesn't seem so bad)

Deployment Goals

- Didn't really have time for most of these, actually. I did a bit more dog training, and they're doing great. The trainer kind of tried to set me up with as much knowledge as possible. It's been interesting being home...both dogs ended up in my bed last night. Ya, I have some work to do.

- I did work out some, and definitely kept up with walking the dogs as much as possible.

- I read Harry Potter 7, but I really want to read Time Traveler's Wife because the movie looks good, and movies are never quiet as good as the books they're based on.

- Barely spent any money...except maybe on a couple dresses for R&R and definitely gas.

Prayer Requests

-That Nick actually makes it home somewhere near his projected R&R date (no sandstorms, please!)

- That we have a great R&R and are able to transition easily to being together again. And that him leaving isn't too painful (because he'll be home not too long after that!)

- That we can get through the last few months without too much stress

- That I find enough to keep me busy/occupied without a job

- Making God the center of our marriage and relationship

Upcoming Events

- Coffee group for the month of August- anybody have any good/random salad recipes?

- The start of a bible study with the Chaplain's wife (going through the same series the guys are going through in Iraq with the Chaplain!)

- R&R within a MONTH!!!

- The beginning of fall?...or not...I do live in Texas after all

Highlights

I took a whole bunch of pictures at my in-law's and am just now getting to posting them. Enjoy!

The new baby cow, Meat (because that's what he'll become and they're trying not to get attached). So cute!

GORGEOUS Hearst Castle!

Another view of Hearst Castle

The indoor pool at Hearst Castle that literally has gold in it

The view from the Castle

Another view of the Castle

Marlee, Delaney and I in front of the Neptune Pool

The Neptune Pool

Scout being a lap dog

I can't believe my trip is coming to an end! I'm heading back to Texas on Tuesday. Life up at my in-law's is a whole different world...11 acres, animals everywhere. So nice! I've had so much fun and can't wait to come back around Christmastime with Nick!!!

Mid-State Fair

I'm still having a great time up at the in-law's. We went to the Mid-State Fair a couple of times this week and it was really fun. We even watched some 4H kids show sheep, pigs and goats. Surprisingly, I've never gone to something like this in Texas, ha ha. We also saw a sweet free concert from Cross Canadian Ragweed and got some tasty fair food! Good times.

The other night, we went to Santa Barbara and saw the Fray in concert with Jack's Mannequin opening. It was a sweet open-air amphitheater and the music was really good. We did have some issues with some really obnoxious girls behind us though. They literally screamed at the top of their lungs (and I'm talking a blood-curdling scream) like every 2 minutes. And then, when we asked them to stop, they got offended and did it all the more. Lovely. I love paying to hear girls scream so loud and high-pitched, I'm forced to plug my ears...at a concert. It makes me sad for the future of America.

Otherwise we've been hanging out drinking wine (there are a whole bunch of fantastic vineyards around here), eating good food and enjoying the fact that the weather has been in the 90s rather than the 100s! The dogs are getting more and more relaxed and love our long walks on the country roads.

Oh, also, Nick put in his request for R&R dates. Let's just say it will hopefully be within the next month, woohoo!!!