Christmas 2009

I must say... this was one awesome Christmas!!!! I do miss Christmas last year when I went to Disney World but I am so very happy that Ben is home this year!!! I never realized just how much I loved him until he was overseas and I couldn't see him for awhile. That was def the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Thank you to everyone who was there for Ben and I during this difficult time. You guys are truly amazing and we love each and every one of you!!

Our first Christmas together as husband and wife!

Alright... on to Christmas details. Ben found out he had to work on Monday after Christmas so we decided that we would drive home on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. So we packed our bags the night before and loaded the car. Christmas Eve morning Ben and I had breakfast and opened our gifts from one another. I got new boots and the GPS I have been wanting! He got three movies and then got sent on a scavenger hunt for his big gift... the grill! He really really loved it!! Now he can cook me some food every once in awhile instead of me always cooking. lol hehe just kidding. I like cooking so I don't mind.

Berkley and the Pink Panthers

We finally reached Jeff City around 5pm xmas eve night so we headed over to Ben's uncles house to have xmas with them! We had a lot of fun over there, we always do! lol We played with the little ones, played some poker and then talked the rest of the night. We finally got to my stepmoms at midnight. lol. Christmas morning we got up, went to Jack's house to have xmas with him and Cheryl, which btw, she made an awesome breakfast!!! Then we headed over to my mom's house to have xmas with her and my sister and finally we headed up to Columbia to have xmas with the McHugh's, or the one's that were there anyways. We had sooo much fun up there! The most fun I have had with them in.... well... four years! lol We played poker, laughed at poppy and his dealing of five card stud, and just BSed the whole night! We decided that if we are in town we are def going up there every year!

Ben and his cousin Cole

Saturday we headed over to Ben's grandparents house to spend a little one on one time with them. It really amazes us how different they are when it is just us compared to when everyone is there. They make fun of each other, pick on one another, and really are a lot of fun to be around. After spending about an hour or so with them we headed over to my aunt's house for the Eiken's Christmas. There was lots of good food there and plenty of yummy drinks, I believe I had seven! lol The four great grand kids were there and were a lot of fun to play with. Berkley cracks me up the most. She saw plenty of ghosts that we had to go hide from and loved playing with the pink panthers that were bigger than her. She is such a hoot! lol My sister and her fiance showed up a little later and we all played Like Minds. That was a fun game. And Josh, her fiance, finally opened up and was more sociable than I have ever seen him! Ben and I really like him so they now have our blessing, like they needed it anyways. lol hahahaha jk Robin. lol

Silly Faces!

Sunday we slept in and then headed to Ben's dad's house to go and pick up his 66 El Camino that his dad rebuilt for him while he was gone. He LOVED it! Wally made a custom design that he put on the dash and had a license plate made with the design as well! I must say, I like that car now. After we left there we headed over to Chrissy's for xmas with Sophie and Brayden. Watching Sophie get mad at Brayden for taking her toys was priceless, and then watching Brayden not share his toy from us with Sophie made it even better. Those two... you would think they were brother and sister. lol

The design on the dash of the El Camino (also on the license plate)

Finally at around 3pm we were on the road headed back for home. The whole way we had to go 60 since that was the sweet spot for the El Camino. A 6 hour trip soon turned into an 8 hour trip. Thank goodness we only had to do that once. lol

Now that we are back home we decided to get us something good with our xmas money so we headed out to the PX and got us a PS3, two more controllers for the Wii and a game for the PS3! We really love it! And they even have Bad Company for the PS3!!! I was super excited about that one since I loved that game when we used to play it on our xbox. Ben's favorite game on the PS is Call of Duty the new one and on the Wii our favorite game is Super Mario Bros!!! If you ever get a chance to play that we suggest doing it! It's alot of fun and just like the older game only better and up to four people can play at a time! :) Thanks Dad for that awesome gift!!

Well... we leave for our honeymoon in 5 days!!!! Can't wait!!!! We've waited a year and a half for this! :) I promise to take lots and lots of pics and post them for everyone to see!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and has a great New Year!!!

Love,

The McHughs

The Holidays

I can't believe that Christmas is almost here! It's crazy! I love this time of year though! I love all the family time and good food! lol It's all about the food. lol well not really but its a big part! :) This is mine and Ben's first xmas together as a married couple in the same country! We have the tree up and the Christmas lights on the house!

This time of year also always reminds me of the past holidays and the great times had by all. I was going through all my old sent emails tonight, had to look for an email address and started reading, and ran across some between me and an old friend. Made me realize that when we were friends we had alot of fun times together. There are days that I miss her as a friend but other days it doesn't bother me. Everything happens for a reason and we, I guess, were not meant to be life long friends. I just wish things didn't end as bad as they did. So if you are reading this, for what it is worth, I'm sorry for how things ended between us. I wish you a life full of happiness and joy.

Anyways, I feel better now that I got that off of my chest. I believe that as one of my new year resolutions I'm going to try not to judge people as much and forgive more easily. Also, Ben and I are going to start going to church next year. There is a First Assembly of God right by our house that we have been talking about joining. He grew up in a church as a child and really liked it. I, however, didn't get to. I went to church at St. Martins with my grandparents and aunt when I was younger but not on a regular basis. Also, when Ben and I have kids, we want them to grow up in a church as well.

Well, I better end this and head off to bed. We have a busy day tomorrow! We are having our friends twin 5 year olds over to spend the night while their parents have a much needed night out to themselves. We are going to make a pizza from scratch, eat the ginger bread house, play the wii, and play with the dogs! They are bringing their nine week beagle mix puppy over for Rascal to have someone to play with! I'm sure we will also make some home made popcorn and watch some Christmas movies, that is if we can get them off the Wii! lol They love that thing! lol We are sooo excited though!!! We have been asking to watch them for awhile now! :)

Alright... off to bed I go! We hope everyone has a wonderful time with friends and family this Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!

Love,

The McHugh's!!

School Starts Next Month!!

Well... I did it. I enrolled for school today! My first class in Jan 11th and I should graduate Sept 24th... yes... just nine months after I start. It is a fast paced program and going to be a lot of hard work but I think, with the help of my wonderful husband, I can do it! I just have to be determined and really focused. I'm not going to lie, I am scared, but I'm ready. I want to have a career that I love doing. I don't want to be one of those people that hates getting up every morning to go to work. So now... while I'm in school... I'm going to try to get a PT job to help pay for the gas to and from Nashville. I just hope I can find a bank job or better yet, a job in a hospital or doctor's office. We shall see. God knows what is best for me, I just have to believe in him and trust him that he will lead me down the right path.

Our First Thanksgiving 2009

This year was our first Thanksgiving in our new house! It was a success!!! Amanda and her two kids came over as well as Ben's dad. I made the turkey, mashed potatoes, and corn. Amanda made fruit salad, the gravy, stuffing, rolls, and a sweet potato thing. It was all very yummy! I was very happy that the turkey turned out. It was the first time I have ever made one... and celebrated a holiday away from family!

While Amanda and I slaved away in the kitchen, Ben and Wally entertained Austin and Lilie with the Wii. They were skiing, hola hooping, bowling, playing baseball, boxing, playing tennis and much much more. They were def worn out by the time that they left.

All in all it was a good Thanksgiving. I think the only thing that could have made it a PERFECT Thanksgiving is Amanda's husband, Rich, being home to celebrate with us. Only a few more weeks and he should be here. We are all still praying for you Rich and can't wait for you to get home to your kiddos and wife!!!!



This morning, Black Friday, Ben and I got up at three thirty and headed to Amanda's house on base. Ben stayed and took a nap on the couch until he had to go to work while Amanda and I went shopping. We got everything we wanted plus more! Amanda's car was def loaded down by the time we were done!

Well... I think that is all I have to talk about. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! :)

Going Back To School

I have made the decision to go back to school. I want to be an x-ray tech and eventually get into ultrasound. The problem I am having, however, is what school I want to go to. There is this school in Nashville, The High Tech Institute, that offers a diploma in X-ray tech along with some training as a medical assistant and the program is a little over a year. The problem with that school is that it is a diploma, not a degree. The difference in those two is with a degree you have to take your history, English, etc whereas a diploma you only take the course that are necessary for the degree, which is what I believe in but if I'm going to go to school then I want at least a degree. Another perk to this school is that I can start in January, which is what I want to do.
West KY Tech College is another college I have been looking at along with Bowling Green Tech College in KY. Both of these schools are an hour drive away (about the same as Nashville) and according to their website take new students for their radiology programs in the Fall. I don't want to wait that long to start school. Plus, since they are in KY and I live in TN the cost for tuition is much much higher. Also, these schools offer degree's but in order to get your associates in Radiology you have to go for five semesters, one of those being a summer semester. IDK... I'm just lost and I don't have much more time to figure it all out.

I had to go to the hospital yesterday to get an ultrasound done on my throat for a possible enlarged thyroid. I was talking to the lady that was doing the ultrasound and she told me that she lives here in Clarksville but drove up to Paducah, KY to go to the West KY Tech College to go to school. She had just graduated in August. She really enjoyed the school. She said that she looked into High Tech in Nashville but didn't choose them (obviously). The way she talked about them she wasn't to pleased with them. She did say, and so does the website, that with these two tech colleges in KY you take courses and then you have to do clinicals. I think those would be fun... but at the same time the one big thing holding me back on these two schools is starting in the fall.

Alright... I'm done blabbering for now. I have asked God for his assistance with helping point me in the right direction of what I need to do. I know he will come through for me... I just have to really listen to what he is telling me. I have also called both schools to get more information on their programs. They should get back to me on Monday so hopefully by the end of next week I can make my decision.

Have a Wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

Welcome Home

Ben is FINALLY home!!!

His plane landed at 6:20pm last night (Friday, November 20th). What a wonderful feeling. There is no greater feeling in the world than being away from your loved one for so long and then them finally come back home to you. I am grateful for this, this Thanksgiving. I know that being overseas is hard on our soldiers, but at home it's no piece of cake either. I am grateful for all the military wife's, mother's, father's, brother's, sister's, etc. who are at home making things run smoothly, giving their soldier all the support they can while they are fighting for our freedom. Not everyone can be a military wife. I believe it takes a special person to put up with all we have to put up with.

On a happier note... like I said.. BEN IS HOME!!! My wonderful friend, Amanda, went to pick up Ben with me to take pics (even though her hubby doesn't come home for another three weeks). At about 15 min before the plane landed we all went outside. Once the plane touched down the speaker came over the intercom and announced "The Eagles Have Landed!!!" It was too dark, and we were too far away for us to see Ben get off the plane so we waited until the first group got off and was walking up to the hanger, and then we went inside and got our seats for when he came in. The soldiers, dropped off their belongings outside, got into formation, they opened the doors, and in all 278 soldiers returning home marched in. We all went wild!!! The Chaplin talked for about two min and then released them to us. Ben finally found me and I ran up to him! Then made fun of him because I told him we would be on the right hand side at the top and what does he do... looks to the left. lol haha. That's my husband! lol hehe

After 15 min of time with him they had to get into formation again, and then out they walked. They bussed us back to the hanger we parked at and bussed the soldiers back to the hanger where they checked in their weapons. Finally they all walked over to the hanger we were in, got their stuff and we left. We took Amanda back home, saw her kids, and then we headed home to the house Ben had yet to seen.

We get home and as I open the door and turn on the light, Ben picks me up and carries me into our house! What a sweetheart! He was very proud of me. Said that it already felt like home!

Onto another news. I am thinking about going back to school to become an xray tech! I think I will like it and be good at it. It sounds interesting and would be fun to learn. I have talked to a school in Nashville already. They want me to start in Jan. so we shall see. I do want to go back to school to become an xray tech so I will probably start then. The sooner I start.. the sooner I will get to have a career I love.

Well, I believe that is all for now! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

Paint, Paint, and more Paint!!!

This past weekend my best friend Betsy and her boyfriend Allen came down to the house in TN and helped me paint. We painted the office a cream color, the theme in there is going to be Americana. The spare room is painted grey, the theme in there is black and white, That room is really going to be my favorite. Our bedroom is an eggshell white on all the walls except for the wall that the bed goes on. That wall is a creamy green color. Once I get my dark brown curtains in there I really think that the room will come together nicely. The main bath is called "Sea tickle" blue. It is going to be ocean themed. I can't wait for it all to come together.

Let me back the train up just a tad bit... On Wednesday night I got off work and drove to TN. Thursday morning I got up, headed to base, and went to school with my friend Amanda's twin 5 year olds. They were having a fall picnic day or something and since Rich, their dad, is overseas right now and it's hard for her to be in both classrooms at once, she asked me if I would go! When I told her that I could get off work, she told the kids and Austin called dibs on me. It was really cute. Ben is still laughing about that. lol

Anyways... Saturday, Bets, Allen and I got up and got ready to head into town to go eat some food, and go to Lowes to get more paint. Besides painting all day the only other thing we did was meet up with my old roommates parents at the storage shed so that they could finally get her stuff out of there. Everything went well and I now have no ties to her anymore. I am very grateful for that. We just didn't see eye to eye on things. Which is fine, happens in friendships all the time. Lets just say though that I am not at all saddened by the lose of friendship between us.

There is one thing that is still worrying me. The one thing that I am the most afraid of is the unknown. I like to have things planned out, well for the most part anyways. You can just say I'm a little bit of an organizational freak. lol Anyways, I still haven't managed to find a job down there yet and that has me worried. I do get this strange feeling though that God is doing this to me so that when Ben gets home we can spend time together, since we haven't been able to with him overseas. IDK... I guess all I really want to know is that we are going to be okay. I know we will be okay but the one thing that me and Ben said how we wanted to live was comfortably, we aren't asking to be rich, just comfortably. And ONCE I get a job, and yes I will get one just don't know when. lol, we will be able to live comfortably. I know that none of this may make sense to any of you but that is okay. They say blogging is a good therapy thing, so I'm really just doing this to... say it out loud to myself I guess. lol

Well I'm done ranting for now. Not sure when I'll be able to blog again but I will try to as soon as I can. Have a great Halloween!!!!! Trick or Treat!!!

I spoke too soon

Well... there won't be as many new beginnings as I thought there would be. I found out today that I won't get to transfer into a branch in November. This has upset me greatly, but it is my fault.... don't ask... I don't want to go into detail. Now the job hunt for another job as begun which has got me thinking "what do I want to do with my life?" and the sad part is, "I don't know." Part of me wants to go into the medical field and become a pediatrician but then again something is telling me no. IDK... I'm just really confused and don't know what to do anymore. And I'm not a fan of being confused.
All I do know is that I'm glad that Ben is coming home next month. I need him now more than ever!

New Beginnings

I realized tonight that there are a lot of new beginnings that are happening, or about to happen, in mine and Ben's life. We are getting ready to close on our first house in ten days!! That is super exciting!! We are also going to FINALLY get a chance to have a real marriage. I mean, don't get me wrong, we have a marriage now, but we will finally get to live together and be together like married couples are supposed to. I love being an army wife, that's not what I'm saying, but I do miss my husband. And being a newly wed and them him leaving to go off to war makes it even harder. I see all those other newly married couples out there and get jealous because they have what I want, but I have to keep telling myself that I'm the one that said 'I do' and I can do this. In my opinion, Ben and I have a much better understanding in marriage than most newly weds. (I'm not saying this about all newly weds, I'm just saying compared to others that I have seen). We are both independent people and don't need the other one to lean on. We can do our own thing without the other one if we want and we also really enjoy being together. We also have one thing that most marriages lack nowadays and that is communication! We know now that if we can get through a deployment then we can get through anything!!

Also, for another new beginning, I have started training in the branch at work! I'm excited about this but I'm also a little nervous. Today was a good day and I really did learn alot! There is sooo much more to learn though. I just hope that I end up enjoying working in the branch and that this stuff comes easy to me. After today, I'm feeling good about the whole thing, but it was still just day one. Hopefully by the end of the week I will have a better feel for the whole thing. I must say though, I am going to miss working in the district office. I really enjoyed working there, especially with everyone in the office. But... I'm not afraid of a challenge and I'm going to do my best to learn as much as possible before I move and hopefully get transferred. ☺

This past weekend was a very relaxing weekend!! I went shopping for some new work clothes, which I haven't done in a long time, and found some really good deals!! And of course, I found some new stuff for the house too! hehe!!

However, while I was out, I couldn't pass up this cute little sweater and coat for Rascal!! He got his hair cut Friday and is almost completely shaved bald! lol So since it is getting cold out I decided that he needs a coat to go outside in and a nice sweater to wear when we go places!! lol I know, I'm a total dork! lol Enjoy the pics!

Well... I think I have said enough for one night. lol I hope everyone has a wonderful week!!

Confusion, Stressful, ahhhh

I don't know where to even begin. There is so much that has happened in the past two days that my head is spinning and I can't get it to stop.
To sum up the work thing, we all have jobs still, just not the same as we had before. We either have a new job title or we are doing different things with the same title we had at the beginning of the week. I am very grateful for this and it couldn't have come at a more perfect time because if I wasn't moving to TN then a good friend of mine would have lost her job, and that would have sucked big time since she just bought a new house. So therefore, I'm very grateful that they decided to do this now, instead of earlier this year.
There is one thing about this whole "work thing" though that is bugging me. I found out from another friend of mine that someone that I work with knew about this whole thing yesterday but mad me believe that she didn't know. I'm not sure if I believe this, I'm not really sure what to believe anymore. I don't want to think that I have been lied to but... ahhh I just don't know. All I know is that I am a very honest person, I hate lying, and all I expect is the same from people. I just don't understand why people have to lie, I mean really? Where does that get you? It gets you into more lies and more lies after that is where it gets you.
So on top of all of that, I am confident that I can get the PT job with Citi open in KY, which I really want so that way I will have time to spend with Ben when he comes home and once a full time position comes available then I will shoot for that. Plus this job will at least get me down there. I may have to take a pay cut, which I'm not happy about, but at least it is a job right?

On a more positive note, Ben is finally back in his normal base over there so I have gotten to talk to him the past three days!! I have missed hearing his voice so much!!! He has also let me go ahead and get the new computer desk we are wanting to get before he gets home!! yay!!! All the other new furniture we are going to get when he comes home because he wants to be here for that, which I completely understand. I love him so much and I can not wait for him to finally be home again where he belongs.

Other than all that drama, nothing else is going on. We close on our house in 14 days!!! Can't wait!!! Rascal, however, keeps getting sick. Not sure why, it might be a side affect to the medication he is on so I'm going to call the vet tomorrow and ask them what they think is going on. Hopefully my poor baby is okay.

Well I think I'm done chit chattin for now. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

New House!!

So we officially become homeowners next month!!! I can't wait!!! We got a cute little house in Clarksville!! Perfect size for Ben, Rascal, and me! Besides the house, I found out some kind of good news about my job!! If everything goes well... I will get to transfer to a branch down in KY!!! I can't wait!! Well I take that back... I don't want to leave my job up here because I love everyone I work with but I know it is something that I have to do!

Other than that nothing else is going one. Ben is doing well overseas. He should be home in about two months!! We are both excited about that! When he gets home we are also going to get another puppy so that Rascal has someone to play with!

Well... I really don't know what else to say. I don't want to get to much into detail about the house since it's not ours yet.

Hope everyone has a great week!!

R&R

It's been awhile since I last posted a blog. A lot has been going on since then.

As most of you know, Ben came home on Monday August 3rd for his two week R&R. I'm very grateful that work let me take off the entire time he was home so that I could spend time with him. I missed him so much.

While he was home we visited friends and family. The first Friday night that we were home we went to Bones, a bar in town, so that Ben could finally drink. The bar bought him a shot since he was home on leave from Afghanistan. Everyone was buying him drinks! He had a great time. The next day, Saturday the 8th, we took his sister, Kari, down to the lake. We went shopping and we all got something new, had ice cream, went Go Kart riding, and Miniature golfing. We all had a lot of fun. That Sunday, the 9th, Kari left to go back to Alaska and me and Ben got our pictures taken that morning! You can check them out at capturestudios.zenfolio.com. Pam is a great photographer and did a fantastic job!

The 10th we went to our first Cardinal's game together. It was his anniversary present from me. We sat behind home plate in the 7th row behind the green seats! Amazing view!!! And of course what made it even better was that we won 4-0!! Go Cards!!

Tuesday that 11th, we headed down to the lake with Erica and Matt. We were out on the boat almost all day, headed down to the Horny Toad, and Coconuts. Wednesday Erica and Matt left and Ben and I had the condo to ourselves. I made him his favorite meal, spaghetti, and we ate it outside on the screened in porch!! That was probably my favorite part! I can't wait until we have a house and can do that all the time once he comes back. Thursday, his dad came down. We went fishing all morning off my aunts dock and caught lots of fish. Ben and his dad cleaned them and I fried them up and made some mac and cheese and we had them for lunch. Yummy!!

Thursday night we headed home and went to his aunt and uncles house and had some yummy Alaskan fish and what made the night even better was, we watched Big Brother!!! Jason, Shana and the kids came over and Ben got to meet his 2nd cousin Cole for the first time!! He is such a cutie!! (Cole, but Ben is too).

Friday we went back down to the lake with Betsy and Allen. But before we did that, we went and got our passports so that we can go on our honeymoon in Feb!! Yay!! So Friday afternoon we headed down to Betsy's mom's friend's cabin for the night!! We went on a boat ride and then next day spent most of our time on the Jet Ski!! I had a lot of fun!

Sunday we came back home, and enjoyed another night of just me and Ben. Monday we went over and saw his grandparents one more time before he left. We also bought a Wii that day!!! I love that thing!! It was Ben's early Xmas present!

Tuesday the 18th we went up to St Louis, got our hotel room and then headed to the Casino for our first time. I didn't have that much fun so we didn't stay that long. After that we headed back to the hotel, watched some Big Brother, and ordered our favorite pizza, Domino's.

Wednesday morning, the 19th, we got up early and headed to the airport. I got a security pass and went and sat with him until his plane came. Seeing him get on that plane was the hardest thing that I have done so far. Even harder than when he left the first time. Thank goodness there was another Army Wife there that was sending her husband back to Afghanistan as well.

He has been gone for a week and a half now and I must say that after R&R is harder than before. I didn't think it would be since we don't have that much farther to go but it is. I feel more alone than I ever have before. I am trying to stay positive but sometimes it just doesn't work. I'm glad that Tuesday is September so that we only have 2.5 to 3 months left. Also, I will be going down to TN sometime to go and look at houses!!! I can't wait!! I'm hoping to get the paperwork starting on one by the end of the month!!! Hopefully it will be ours by the first of November and I'll get to move in by the middle of that month!!! I can't wait! I'm so ready to get out of this damn town!

Well that's about all I have for now. I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a great week!

Just Need to Vent

Okay so here it goes. Before my parents got divorced my dad and I had a great relationship. Right before the wedding (around the time they divorced) our relationship starting going downhill. I thought that maybe it was with all the stress with the wedding so I didn't think too much of it. Well I moved away to go live with my husband in TN but come August of last year Ben and I decided that it would be the smarter decision if I moved back home to finish my last semester of college. So the middle of August rolls around and I move back. That was the point that my relationship with my dad started going downhill fast. I got the feeling, and still get the feeling that he is upset that I would rather be with my husband than be living in his house. Also, ever since my parents divorced I feel like I have been the one in the middle. I feel like I am being blamed for their marriage not working, for my dad having to sell the house, and I feel like my dad doesn't want me talking to Cheryl anymore. Well Cheryl has been my mom since I was six so there is no way in hell that I am ever going to quite talking to her. I have tried telling my dad that I am sorry that he has to sell the house. If I could of done something to stop it I would have but I couldn't. He keeps telling me that I don't understand what he is going through. Well he is right, I don't understand and I won't understand because I am not the one that got divorced and I am not the one that had to sell my dream home. Plus, I am his kid, not the parent so the house, and all the bills that went along with it were not supposed to be my problem. IDK... I just want the relationship I used to have with my dad back. I don't have that good of a relationship with my real mom and not having one with my dad hurts even worse. I want all of mine and Ben's parents to be in our kids life when we do deicide to have children. IDK... I just hope that my dad see's the light at the end of the tunnel and see's that the more and more he drinks, and acts the way that he has been lately he is pushing me away. Everytime I talk to him we argue and I don't like it. He gets all mad and hangs up and then won't call back and won't answer my calls when I try calling back. I just pray that God knows what he is doing and that soon I can start getting my relationship back with my dad.

Chicago!!!

This weekend was a blast. I ended up going to Chicago... by myself!!! I never thought in a million years I would go to a city like that by myself but I had so much fun! I was supposed to go with a friend but something came up last minute so she couldn't go. So anyways, here is how my weekend went:

Saturday morning I got up early and took Rascal to the Vet Clinic so they could board him all weekend for me at 8am. Then I started my journey. Just me, the radio and Veronica. (Veronica is the GPS unit my friend from work let me borrow, and thank goodness she did because otherwise I would have gotten lost!) First I went to the hotel to see what time check in was. I got up there about 11am and check in was until 3pm, therefore I headed to Schaumburg to go to the Woodfield mall. That mall was huge! Three floors! My whole point in going to the mall was to find some new outfits for mine and Ben's pictures next month and I succeeded! I found me a tube top coral color dress and a navy blue tube top shirt. I bought Ben two polo shirts, a white one with small gray horizontal strips and a navy blue one with small white horizontal strips. I can't wait to wear them for pictures! yay! I left the mall about 3 and headed back to the hotel. After paying the tolls to get back I ended up back at the hotel around 4pm. I went up to my room with the intention of leaving and going down the street to see what was there, well, I fell asleep until about 6:30 and after that didn't really fell like getting up. The movies "The Break Up", and "Holiday" were on and I couldn't turn them off. So about 9pm I ordered some pizza and read my book, then finally went to bed around 11:30pm.

Sunday I got up about 10:30, got ready and headed to Millennium Park in downtown Chicago. Veronica did really well until we got into the city. Then she was telling me I was off route and needed to get on the nearest street when I was already on Monroe! lol So finally after driving around and avoiding the crazy taxi drivers I found the Millennium Park parking garage and pulled in. the drive up the parking garage reminded me of the movie "Bad Boys 2" (I think it is that one) where they are going up the parking garage and it's a big spiral drive all the way up! Felt kinda cool. I was pretending I was in the movies! lol

Anyways, I finally made it to the park! Wow, was a beautiful place. I love parks but this one is my second favorite, coming in behind Central Park in NYC. I loved all the cool 'things' they had. I'm not sure what you really call the things but they were really neat to see. There was also this water play area for kids. It's really hard to describe so just take my word for it when I say it was something that I have never seen before.

After the park I went back to my car to drive to Navy Pier. After turning the wrong way, I finally turned around and made it to the pier. I loved it there! I love the water and anything that has to do with water. There were a lot of different boats there you could ride, (Active military servicemen, not their families, gets to ride for free). I made my way to the end of the pier and watched these two people jet ski for about a half an hour. I wanted to just hop on with them! lol At 4pm I went on a site seeing boat cruise around the pier. That was really neat. While we were on the boat two CH-47's (what Ben flies in) flew overhead. I was hoping Ben would parachute down from one but of course, wishful thinking. lol Most of my time on the pier I just walked around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and the view.

Around 5ish I made my way over to the trolley to take to the red line subway. I have ridden a subway in NYC before with my aunt, but never by myself so that was an experience. I was a little nervous but I made it out alright! I rode the subway to Jackson street and then walked four blocks to Sears Tower.

While I was in line for tickets for the tower I started talking to these people that were behind me. The one I talked to the most was Wendy. She was from South Dakota. She used to go to school in Chicago and her and some of her friends from work came to the city to site see. Well by the time we got to the top she offered to pay for my fast pass ticket, which was THIRTY DOLLARS!!! I told her that was very nice of her but I would pay for mine. She wouldn't let me. I just stood there in shock. I thanked her the whole time. It is truly amazing that there are still people out in the world that are like that. I mean, she didn't even know me. I know that I will probably never run into her again but "Wendy, thank you so much. May God bless you and congrats on the baby boy on the way." I'm still pretty much speechless that all I can say is Thank you. The view from the top was beautiful. I personally liked the Empire State Building better because you were actually outside looking around. The top of the Sears Tower was all closed in so you couldn't really get the whole experience. It was very neat though. The new "Sky box" was pretty neat. It's a plexi glass box that you can stand in and while looking down you can see the street beneath you. After looking around and taking some pictures, we all headed back down to the ground. I thanked Wendy one last time and wished her good luck with the baby. I then bought my picture that they took of me before I went up and headed back to the red line subway back to Grand street to go back to my car near Navy Pier.

After getting lost in the city, thanks to Veronica, I finally made my way back onto the highway and back to my hotel. I made it back in time for Army Wives too! I wanted to stay and see the sunset from the tower and see the fireworks from the pier but since I was by myself I decided that I didn't want to try to find my way back in the dark and in all the traffic.

This morning I woke up about 9:30, went downstairs for some breakfast, and then headed on my way back to Springfield to pick up Rascal. I never thought that I would miss that puppy so much but I did.

Now, me and Rascal are enjoying the rest of our afternoon before I have to go back to work tomorrow.

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Enjoy the rest of your week! :)

She's back!!

So this weekend was the 4th of July. I had an amazing time!! It's nice to be 21 and able to get into the beer garden uptown and listen to the good bands they have. The part that made it even better though is that Betsy was there. After the wedding I probably only talked to Betsy once or twice because Steven, her boyfriend at the time, would get jealous if she was with anyone but him. Well they finally broke up and now she is back!! Her and I have hung out more in the past month than we have in the past year. I love it!! And I love her new boyfriend Allen. He is awesome! He treats her so well and we can all see that she is much much happier now! We were all on our way to Steak n Shake Friday night and Derina rode with me and was like "I can tell that Betsy is more herself now and a lot happier" I told her "I know!!!" Bets, if you are reading this, I am so glad that you are back to your normal self and that our friendship has picked up where it left off! I have missed you in my life so much!!! Allan, if you are reading this, THANK YOU sooo much for treating Bets the way that you do and for bringing my friend out of hiding and back into the real world!!!! I will never be able to thank you enough!!!

I also have many other great friends; and like Katy, I am blessed to have not one, but many best friends.

Erica and I go way back. Back to middle school actually. We lost contact there for a while during high school but once I started working at Central Bank, and she worked there as well, our friendship picked back up and we have been close ever since. She is now married to a wonderful man and has two cute puppies! I couldn't be happier for her.

Katy and I used to work at Central together. Well not together but for the same company. I actually worked with her mom. Her and Erica were friends and that's how I met her. She is def the life of the party and likes to have them! Katy is def one of a kind and loves to travel. That girl has been on more 'vacations' in one year then I have been in my whole life! lol She is now with a great guy named Kenny! It is good to finally see her with someone that makes her happy! You deserve it Katy!

Laurenn and I just met not that long ago but our friendship grew fast. She is an amazing person to be around and she is a great listener. She has been there for me when I needed someone the most. She is someone you can call when all you want to do is cry, and by the end of the call she has you laughing. She also has an amazing little boy! Keitan is the cutest and I love him to death. He's going to be president someday!!!

Kelli and I have been friends for 4 years now. We have never been close, close but we know that if either one of us needs someone to talk to that the other one is there to listen, no matter what and I love that about our friendship!

Chrissy is more like family than anything. We have known each other for 6-7 years now. She has been there for me when things got rough. She has always given me great advice on how to handle the things that I was having trouble with. I love her as if she was my blood sister and hope that our relationship never ends. She has the most precious little girl who I have the privilege of calling my niece! I love Sophie as if she were blood as well and am very honored that Chrissy and Brad have let me be apart of her life. Thank you guys so much! You are the best!

I have saved the best for last...

Ben! He is my number one! He is not only my husband, or my best friend, he is my hero! Ever since he was joined the military I have stopped taking so many things for granted. I cherish every moment that him and I get to spend together and every second that I get to talk to him on the phone. Every time I am with him or talk to him, he makes me smile! I know that I can talk to him about anything. I am so glad that we found each other. We are def soul mates and I look forward to all the wonderful years we have ahead of us!

Now back to this weekend, (sorry, got a little side tracked). I had a lot of fun! Friday night I went uptown and saw Aaron Tippin. He wasn't the greatest, but hey, it was a free concert! Then after that Betsy and I went up to the Beer Garden and got free drinks from Derina all night long! We also ran into Regan and her boyfriend there so we all just sat around and drank. After Derina got off we walked down to Bones. Only stayed for about 30 min and then left to go to Steak n Shake.

Saturday I spent the afternoon with my grandparents who were in town. At 6 I went back uptown and met Betsy, her mom, Erica, and Matt. We walked around and then went back to the Beer Garden. My friend, Katy's mom, was working the stand that night so she was giving us free drinks as well! Man is it nice to have hook ups! She got off at eight so she came and gave us some tickets so we could go up and get more drinks later on! lol Rose, you're the best! The Str8 Arrow was the band that played that night and man were they good! Me, Erica, and Rita (my dad and step mom's friend) got out of the dance floor and did the slap leather line dance! It was a lot of fun! Regan and Matt, her bf, and Allen, Betsy's bf, met us there so we had a pretty good group going! About 9:30 they started the fireworks so we watched those and then ended up going home because it started raining as soon as they were over. We had a lot of fun though! The most fun I have had in awhile!

It's weird to think that the next time that I will be back in Jeff, Ben will be with me!!!!! I cannot wait!!! 29 more days!!! The day could not get here any faster!

Well that's all for now! I hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

The Countdown Continues...

The countdown is now at 40 days!!!! I am getting so excited I can hardly stand it!
Not a whole lot is new. Ben is still flying all the time and I'm working and... well... working! I'm enjoying my apartment as much as I can. I'm counting down the days until I can move out and move back to TN.
The one bit of news that I do have is that I did get me and Ben pre-approved for a home loan!!! I am not going to start looking and visiting houses until after he has left to go back and finish his tour though. I have been doing my homework and found out that the military has some really good tools to help you in buying your first home! The one thing I found that has been the most help is the VA Loan! I knew being apart of the military would bring great benefits, even when it comes to buying houses! We are really excited! We are going to first look at foreclosed homes, and to our surprise there are a lot down there, which is a good thing! Hopefully we can find something we like and in good condition for cheap!
Well, that's all I have for now! I hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

One Year

I cannot believe that I have been married to my best friend for a whole year already. I wish I could say that it has been the best year in our relationship but I can't, not since he left 6 months after we were married. I will say though, the that first six months of our marriage were the happiest times in my life... I can't wait for the next 6 months to hurry up and go by so that we can finally be a real married couple!! We have been through a lot together this first year but it has all been good. We have learned a lot about ourselves and about each other over the past year and our love and respect for one another just keeps growing. According to a lot of people, in their eyes, Ben and I got married too young. I honestly don't think that we did because we both know that we were made for each other. I love him so much.

On a lighter note, Friday morning Ben called me and told me that he just got his box. We got on web cam and I watched him open it. He loved his gifts especially the Cardinal tickets I got us for when he comes home! We have never been to a Cardinal's game together and he hasn't been to the new stadium yet so I thought it would be the perfect gift!!! I can't wait to go!!!

At work later that day I had a special delivery arrive for me. He got me a dozen roses, a teddy bear, chocolate truffles and a card. I loved it!! Was not expecting all of that at all!!! The roses are sitting right beside me now and they are really blooming!!! They are so beautiful. Hunnie, thank you so much for being so wonderful!! I love you and that will never change!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This weekend I decided that I wanted to go home. Ben's mom ended up getting into town late Saturday night so on Sunday Ben's uncle Dan, had a BBQ at his house and everyone came over. We had a lot of fun. He ended up letting me drive his 1999 Corvette!!! I couldn't believe it!! We also played poker and for the third time in a row I took Dan out of the game! I had to leave by 5 to start heading back to IL and by then we still weren't done with the game so I ended up cashing in and got my dollar back and made $3.50!! I was excited!! It was a fun game!

Well, that's about all I have for now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and is enjoying the summer!

Summer is finally here!

Where to begin?

First off lets start off a few weekends ago. Laurenn and Keitan came up to see me. Friday, when they got up here, there was a tornado or 'potato' as Keitan calls it! So we went downstairs! Then Saturday we watched movies and went to Chucky Cheese!! Now I haven't been there in a long time but I must say that their pizza is still one of my favorites!! We had a lot of fun!

The next weekend, the 22nd of May, I got off work early and went down to Jeff City to see my sister graduate high school. I feel old! lol Of course, like always, there were a lot of kids. My stepmom and I only stayed until they called her name and then we left. Cheryl ended up going home but I went out to Bones and the to "The Spot" with Erica and Katy!! That was a lot of fun! I missed hanging out with them. And it was nice seeing Erica drunk for once! lol

Saturday I went over to my mom's for a bit, Erica and I went shopping, went to my aunt's to see my new baby cousin, and then went to Rochelle's. Laurenn and I ended up going to Bones. Saw some people I hadn't seen in awhile and had a lot of fun!! I love being 21 now!

Sunday I was going to drive back to IL to move into my new apartment but I couldn't get myself to stop feeling like I was sleep walking, therefore, I went over to Cheryl's friends house and had Taco's and watched the movie, Taken! Good movie!! Monday, I got up early, went to Ju-Ju's house to see Brayden and so she could see Ben's Afghanistan pics and then headed back to IL.

Let me back up the train just a tad. I decided to get my own apartment for the next six months, until Ben comes home, because me and Stacey were not getting along. I was not agreeing with the stuff she was doing and didn't want to be in that situation any longer so me and Ben decided it was best for me to move out. I got the keys to my new place on Friday, and moved in on Monday! I love it! I live about 10 min from work, and am just around the corner from a major street here in Springfield. I have had a lot of people ask, "Why don't you just move back home?" The answer to that is because I love my job. If I didn't love my job then I would have no reason to stay up here and I would move back but this job opens up so many more doors for me and my career and I don't want to give that up!

Today, 5-28-09, was a pretty amazing day!! My wonderful husband sent me part of my one year anniversary gift!! its a diamond bracelet in the shape of hearts! I love it! He claims that he has more tricks up his sleeve, so we will see what else I get! I sent his box off today!!! I can't tell you, just yet, what I got him but I know that he will LOVE it!!! I can't wait until he gets it!!!

Can you believe that our one year anniversary is next weekend?? I'm in total shock. Where has the past year gone? I do miss my wedding day very much! It was one of the best days of my life! It went by way to fast!

Well, that's all I have for now. I will try to update more often!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Time to put the swim suits on and go swimming!!! Yay!!!

Mother's Day Weekend!

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!
Now that that is out of the way let me tell you how my weekend went. First of all, my friend Laurenn came up to Springfield!!!! I was so happy that she came!! We ended up leaving town and going to a friends house for the night. Of course we go out, I get drunk, come home, and stub my little toe, ending up breaking the darn thing!! It's pretty funny now but at the time, man did it hurt!!! lol
Saturday we went to the mall and walked around, came back to my house, rested, went tanning, and then went and saw the new movie "Ghost of Girlfriends Past" Man that was a great movie!! I loved it!!
Then this morning came and she went home to spend mother's day with her little boy!!
It was a very good weekend!! I loved not having to drive down to MO for once! lol

On Friday, however, I got the best email of my life!!! I went to lunch, came back and found that I had an email from my wonderful husband!!! I'm not going to tell you what all it said but it was a very very sweet email!! Like a love note but only in email format since he is half way around the world!!! It brought tears to my eyes!!

Anyways... I think I'm done writing for now!! Have a great week everyone and GO CARDINALS!!!

Finally 21!!!

I have finally made it!!! After waiting 21 long years, I can now order a drink with my dinner!! The feeling of having that option is absolutely awesome!!! My actual birthday was on a Monday. My friend, Dustin, came home for his R&R that day so that was awesome!! After that we all just went out to dinner and grabbed a few drinks!

My birthday bash was this past weekend on the 2nd of May!!! It was alot of fun. First we had dinner at Chili's in Jefferson City. Family and friends were both there. After that my friends and I went out to Bones! I must say though that my favorite part of the night was when my friend Betsy showed up!!! I hadn't seen her in almost a year and I have really missed her! Bets, thank you so much for coming out!!!!!!!

My first shot of the night was a shot called 'Wet Pussy'. Weird name but man did it taste good! I really liked it!! I also had a 'Girl Scout Cookie', 'Three Wise men' which by the way was disgusting, 'Tequila Shots', and some bombs! After we were done at Bones we headed to the Lake of the Ozarks and went to the Blue Room!! Even though it was hot in there it was alot of fun!!!

I must say that that was the best birthday by far!! Thank you to everyone that came out and celebrated with me!!! I love you all!!!

{My Girls and Me}

Two Become One!

There is only one word to describe the wedding between Erica and Matt... BEAUTIFUL!!!! Erica was the most gorgeous bride I have ever seen, besides myself of course! It was an absolute beautiful day and I am so happy for the two of them. They are like two peas in a pod! The complete each other!!

Matt and Erica... I am so happy for you guys! You guys have been the best friends that everyone wishes they had!! I am so honored to have that type of friendship with you two!! Every time I see you two together all I can do is smile! You both remind me of Ben and I and that only makes me happier! I am so glad that you two finally tied the knot!! Matt, take care of her and Erica do that same for Matt!! I love you both!!
Also that weekend, Laurenn, Beau, and I went to Ben's cousin, Kiley's wedding. Her wedding was also very beautiful! Her dad made her a gazebo in the backyard just for the event.
Kiley and Mick... Ben and I are very happy for you two! Ben really wished that he could have been there to be apart of your special day for you, but he sends his love and his blessings. We love you both very much and we know that you two will have a long and happy life together!

Distance Makes the Heart Grow Fonder!

Well.. my new job is AMAZING!!! I LOVE it!! I get my own desk, and my own phone! I know that it is not much to brag about but working for Central Bank I never got that! lol What I do each day is update and send out reports to my district managers and their branches. Without being apart of Citi or knowing how they operate it is a little hard to explain and I won't bore or confuse you! lol But to sum it all up it is computer work! There are only five people who work in my office and three of us are Kim's!! It gets pretty funny sometimes because we aren't sure which Kim is being talked to! lol My nickname is "Special K"!! One of the DM's came up with that! lol

Me and Stacey are also moved into our new house!! It is slowly coming together!! I'm really liking it but getting super excited to start house shopping in six months!!

Ben is doing really well as well! He is flying alot! He likes that though so I'm glad that he is doing it! He will be home in four months for two weeks!! I cannot wait for that day to come when I see him get off that plane!!! I dream about that moment every day! I must say that this deployment has been hard on the both of us but I never would have thought that our love could grow any stronger than it already was... I was wrong!! My heart just wants to explode with all the love I have for him! I am so proud of him and the saying 'distance makes the heart grow stronger' is certainly true!!

Okay enough mushy talk! lol ... Rascal is doing really well. He isn't liking the hardwood floors as much but oh well. It's actually quite funny watching him fall all over the place when he gets all hyped up and starts running through the house! He is in this spell of where he wants to take Libby's stuffed animals and play with them. It's kinda cute but I know that after awhile he is going to start tearing them apart so I have to hide them from him. lol

Well.. next weekend is Easter! I will be home this weekend to celebrate it! I'm hoping my new cousin is there so I can meet him! My cousin Wes and Melynda had their first baby boy, Brody, on Thursday!!! He is freaking adorable in all the pictures that I have seen of him!! Congrats you guys!! Also I am going over to Ben's uncles house and we always play some poker so I'm going to have to find some quarters and dust off my poker skills so that I can beat him again! lol

My 21st birthday is three weeks from today!!!!! I'm freaking ecstatic!! It's a bummer that it is on a Monday but you better believe that I will celebrate when I get home the next weekend!! I have been waiting for this day for... well.. 21 years! lol haha. Also, my friend Erica gets married the day before my birthday!! I am so excited for her and Matt!!! They are so cute together and I know that they are going to have a long and healthy marriage!! I am also so glad to be helping take some of the stress off of her for that day! Me and Katy are going to be running around like chickens with our head cut off!! It will be fun though!! I can't wait!! She is going to look so pretty!!! I should have told her that Rascal and Luci (her dog and Rascal's girlfriend) should've walked down the isle together! lol haha. We could have had a double wedding! lol hahaha! Just kidding!!

Well I believe that is all I have to report for now!! Have a Happy Easter everyone!!!

I GOT THE JOB!!!

So... I am officially an employee of Citi Financial!!! I am so excited!! They called and offered me the job on Monday! I should start around the 30th!!
Well that's all I wanted to say for today!!! Have a great weekend!!!

Happy, Happy, HAPPY!!!

Hello everyone!!! It has been awhile since I last blogged so I figured now was as good as time as any. Let see, where to begin! lol Today I went to an allergy specialist to see what exactly I am allergic too and what medicine I should take once the allergy season starts. They ended up giving me 22 shots and dabbed my arms 80 times with different things to see what I was allergic too. Of course I'm not allergic to food, thank God, but I am allergic to the normal stuff, ragweed, trees, grass, goat! lol Yes goat! lol He gave me some good meds so I should be covered this season.

I got a picture from Ben today! It's of him and his fellow soldiers posing on the back of their helicopter with the American flag! I love it!! I can't wait to get it developed and framed!!! Ben is doing really well. He is having fun over there and being safe at the same time. Everything I hoped for! He misses home of course but that's the norm as well. He will be home, hopefully, in August for two weeks or so! I can't wait!

Stacey and I got a house!!!! It is super cute!!! The living room has yellowish walls, the dinning room has white on top, wood chair rail, and maroon on bottom, the kitchen has bright orange counter-tops which are totally amazing!!! We like them a lot. My room is blue and I'm going to offset it with the browns from my bed and get some new curtains, the bathroom is all maroon, and Stacey and Libby's room is tan. It is all hardwood flooring with a full unfinished basement with a washer and drawer!!! The yard is huge too!!! It's at least over an acre with a garage!!! We are very excited and can't wait to get moved in.

I also found a temporary job for now. It's at Wells Fargo. Not the job I wanted but it pays 11.88 so I'll take it for now. Citi called me today as well and I have another interview with them tomorrow. I am very excited!! I really hope I get it but if I don't I have this temporary one for now until I find one that I really want!! Fingers crossed!!!

Other than all that, everything here is good. Me and Stacey are coming home next weekend to go to a wedding and the weekend after that I am throwing my best friends bridal shower!! I'm super duper excited!!!! hehe (can't ya tell! lol)

Well that's all I have to report for now!! I'll post again soon!

Have a great rest of the week and a great weekend!!!

Our Wedding Day

This is a survey for all of you married folk. Copy mine and paste into a new note.

1) When was your wedding day?
June 7, 2008

2) What day of the week was it?
Saturday

3) Did you get married in a church?
No. We got married in my dad's backyard! Very beautiful!

4) How many in your wedding party?
maid of honor, and four bridesmaids. best man and four groomsmen and then one usher

6) How many guests were invited to your wedding?
about 200

7) How long did you wait to Tie The Knot after your proposal?
a year and a half. We wanted to wait and have plenty of time to plan and I wanted to be almost done with school. Plus we had to plan around the Army

8) Who did you hire as your photographer & videographer?
Our photographer was D&J Photography. We didnt have a videographer... one thing I still regret to this day

9) Did you have a DJ or a band?
Our DJ was 'A Touch of Class' my cousin actually works for him so we got a discount and my cousin was the DJ that night!

10) Did your father walk you down the aisle?
Yes he did

.11) What color were the bridesmaid dresses & groomsmen vests?
my maid of honor, Betsy, had a white top with a tropic blue sash that mashed the skirts of all the girls. The skirts were made from Taffada and were the tropic blue color as well. Celina and Kelli had tropic blue halter dress tops and Robin and Courtney had strapless tropic blue tops. Steven, our best man, had a silver vest with a tropic blue tie while the other groomsmen had blue vests with the blue tie

12) Who was your Maid Of Honor/Best Man?
Maid of Honor: Betsy St. Clair!! Best maid of honor ever!! Best man: Steven Pack

13) Did you have a Bridal Shower?
yes! Several. My aunts threw me one for mine and Bens family. Betsy threw me one for the friends and then I had one at work!

14) What type of limo did you get?
We actually didnt get a limo. We had a 1964 and a half Ford Mustage

15) Where did you go for your Bachelorette/Bachelor Party?
We went to dinner at Garfield and then we went back to my house and partied.. most of us were under age

.16) What type of wedding gown/tux did you two wear?
I wore a taffada dress from Davids Bridal and Ben wore a black suit

17) How was the weather?
Beautiful! A little hot during the day but once the wedding took place it was awesome!

18) Where did you go on your Honeymoon?
We havn't yet. We are waiting for him to get back from Afghanistan before we do. We did move the monday after the wedding so if you want to include that as a honey moon! l0l haha

19) What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
The entire day was my favorite! I loved every minute of it!!! I wish I could go back and do it all over again!

20) How long have you been married?
Almost a year!!!

Looking up!

So... I don't really know where to begin!!! First the CitiFinanical thing... it isn't set in stone yet but my friend Laurenn says she thinks that I will get the job. Her boss said that if I didn't get it they would have called me already!!! I'm really hoping that this is true!!! I want this job really bad!!! I would probably work for Citi for the rest of my life as well since they are everywhere which is perfect with Ben being in the Army!!! yay!!!! So thank you to all who have been praying with me that I get this job!!! Keep on praying and as soon as I hear anything I will let everyone know!!!
More good news... I got my first thing from Ben today!!!! It was a Valentines Day card!! he sent it the 3rd of Feb. It apparently takes forever for them to send us anything but when we send them stuff it only takes about eight days! Its really weird but hey.. its the Army! lol
Last thing...and I have my friends Katy and Erica to thank for this... Twilight!!!! What an awesome book!!! I finished it in 4 days!!! Would have finished it quicker if I didn't watch an eight month old during the day! lol I'm now starting on the second book! At first I thought that everyone was obsessing over these books for nothing but now that I have read the first one.. I know what all the fuss is about!! So if you haven't read the books yet.. do so!! It's well worth it!
Lastly... I finally got my DVD to work and actually burn onto a DVD from my computer!!! I have had the video done for quite sometime now but it wouldn't burn onto a DVD. It was starting to make me real mad but I finally figured it out!! I made a DVD of my trip to Disney World!! I'm mailing a copy to everyone that went and Ben! Now I'm going to make a video of mine and Ben's wedding pictures!!
Well... that's all that I really have to say. Just in a really good mood today!! Hope everyone has had a great week and has a great weekend!!!

Catch up!!

I haven't posted a blog recently so I though that now would be a good time. A lot has changed since my last blog. I am now living in IL with my friend Stacey and her daughter Libby until our husbands come back from overseas. We are currently living with her parents until we both have jobs and find an apartment in Springfield, IL. She started her job working at a daycare on Monday, me, I'm still in the process. I have had an interview and really want this job at Citi Financial but now all I'm waiting on is the phone call telling me if I got it or not. In the meantime I have an interview tomorrow with a bank in Springfield for a Customer Service position. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get the Citi job but if I don't I'm hoping that I get a job in the banking or financial industry soon!

Ben is doing well!! I got to talk to him for an hour and a half last night!!! I really needed that!! I also got my valentines gift from him yesterday!! Its a fourth carrot, white gold, journey necklace!! I love it!! I have already sent over two boxes for him for Valentines day and I'm sending two more boxes on Friday over to him for his birthday which is on the 25th!! He'll be the big 21!!!! whoo hoo!!!

Another big accomplishment for us both is that with him being gone we are getting everything paid off!!! His computer that we had to buy last minute and my credit card are all paid off!! My car, and his credit card are the next two big things and they will both be paid off by the 15th of April!!! I am super excited because then we can start saving for brand new furniture and our honeymoon for when he comes back!!!

So even though Ben is far far away from me right now, everything seems to be going pretty good! We are both kinda glad that he is making so much that way we can finally get our feet on the ground and have a good stable foundation for when he comes back and aren't struggling for money like most newlyweds! We are very blessed to have such strong heads on our shoulders and know how to get stuff paid off and have money saved for the big plans that we have for our future!!

Well... I'm not sure if there is really anything else to post. I was trying to wait until I had a job so that I could post that news as well but that hasn't happened yet!!! lol. With this economy and what not getting a job is a little harder than it was when I applied for Central Bank at home! lol So wish me luck and enjoy the rest of the week!! Happy Valentines to everyone!!

One month exactly..

It has been that long since Ben has been gone. Everything was going smoothly until I got a phone call from my FRG Saturday night (the night that it had been a month that he has been gone). First she introduces herself and then she tells me that there was a chinock helicopter that crashed in Afghanistan. My heart immediatly dropped. She informed me that Ben was not on that helicopter and that he was alright otherwise I would have gotten a different phone call from someone higher up in the command. I was really relieved to hear that but at the same time I just couldnt quit crying. I couldn't believe that something actually happend. I cant even begin to describe the feelings that I was having. I immediatly called Stacey and asked if she had heard anything and just cried to her because I know she knew what I was going through.

I ended up going on with my plans that night and went to my friends bday party and when I got home later on I had an email from Ben! He said that he was okay and safe and that he would explain later! He called me the next morning and told me that he was not flying that day but that our friend was on that helicopter. He didnt get hurt but one guy had to go to Germany for treatment and one soldier died. The guy that died was being transported to go home and start his R&R. I couldnt believe it. I dont know the soldier that died but I feel so deeply connected to what happened. I grieve for his family because I cant even imagine what they must be feeling like. I will be praying for them and the rest of our soldiers over there and pray for their safe return home.

As for the rest of my weekend... I had a sleepover with my niece and nephew last night!!! I had so much fun!! I love them to pieces!!! Sophie is so silly I just laugh everytime she does something, good or bad! lol Brayden is just so gosh darn cute I just want to squeeze him to pieces!!!
I hope the rest of you had a great weekend!! Enjoy the short week at work!

Certain In-laws

I just don't get it. I am trying to be nice and keep them all informed of what is going on with their nephew being overseas and do I get a 'Thank You' in return?? Hell no. Okay here is the thing, as you all know my husband is overseas and about twice a month I send out an email to all of our friends and family members and let them all know how he is doing. This past one I sent out I also sent his address along with it. Well.. I have had his address for awhile but back when he was in basic he gave us the wrong one and he didn't get alot of our letters until two weeks before he graduated. I didn't want something like that to happen again so I decided to send him a postcard from Florida and see if it arrived at the address he gave me. Well two days after I sent the postcard he calls me and tells me that there is a minor change in his address!! I WAS RIGHT PEOPLE!!!! He still ended up getting the post card but it did end up taking longer than expected! So anyways, I got his new address and once I got home from Florida I emailed everyone it. Well, after sending it I get emails back from our friends and my family, and some of his family too, saying 'Thank you', 'glad to hear he is doing good' yadda yadda. I am glad to get those because I know that they are receiving the emails and appreciate them. Well a certain in-law of mine never writes back. They are the ones that wanted him not to marry me and it just really pisses me off that they don't appreciate that I keep them up to date of what is going on with their nephew. I don't have to send them those emails, I didn't have to give them his address but I did/do because I know that is what Ben would want me to do. I know that I am probably blowing this all out of perspective but it just hurts knowing that when I'm trying to keep them informed about Ben they just don't care. I just don't get how people are just so darn disrespectful. IDK, maybe all of this is because there are still issues between us that have nothing to do with this post or what, I just know that if they don't start respecting me soon, then the emails about Ben are going to stop. I am not going to put up with their bullshit. I wont do it. I have too much other stuff going on then to have to worry about them.
Sorry everyone, I had to blow off a little steam!!!

Live~Laugh~Love

I think I am going to really start living by these three words. First off let me just say that I got a new phone today, the Vu, and I LOVE it!!! haha anyways..

Alot has been going on with me over the past few weeks. I got back from Florida and me and my dad still weren't getting along. There are two things that bug me about my dad, one, he is an alcoholic, two, he has an anger problem. Well the two don't mix very well. Needless to say, I moved out and am now staying with a friend until I move to IL at the end of the month. I am very thankful that Laurenn opened her home to me to stay at until I move. This is where the Live, Laugh, Love comes into play. With Laurenn we are laughing all the time, mainly because of her but you would have to know her to understand what I'm talking about, lol, and I have found that over this past week of just laughing all the time that I am much, much happier than I was living at my dads house.

The Live part comes into play by saying that no matter what happens in life you still must go on living. When Ben deployed it was really hard on me not being able to talk to him when I wanted or drive down to TN to see him but just because he is gone doesn't mean that my life, or his, has stopped. We are both doing what we can while he is deployed to make the time go by faster.

Love, well everyone needs love. We need love from our family and friends. I am very much in love with my husband and I don't know what I would do without him. I also love all my family and all my friends. I have the most amazing family and a great group of friends. I love them all!!!!

Anyways... I know this blog is not like others that I have written but for some reason today, of all days, those three little words hit me square in the face. I have always liked: Live, Laugh, Love, but they never really had a deep meaning to me as they do now. IDK, I'm weird I guess but I thought I would share.

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I'm sure some of you are wondering 'moving? your moving? when? where?' To fill you all in I am moving to IL with Stacey, a friend from TN who's husband is also overseas, at the end of Jan. My last day of work is the 31st and I am going to try to move that weekend. If I don't end up moving that weekend I will be moving the next weekend. We are going to be living close to Springfield, IL!! I am very excited!! Stacey has a six month old that I love to pieces and I cant wait to see her again!!! Also, Stace and I are going through the same thing with our husbands being gone, so we are going to keep each other sane while our men are gone! lol Or at least try anyways! lol

{Sophie}

As for things happening here at home.. I am enjoying spending time with my niece and nephew before I leave!!! We are having a sleep over this weekend and I am totally looking forward to it. It couldn't get here soon enough!!!!

{Brayden}

Work is going well!!! I wish I could take them all with me to IL and work up there with them but I know that can't happen!

Ben is doing really well. I talk to him about 6 or 7 times a week. It really just depends on if he has the day off or not. I sent him his first care package yesterday!!! I can't wait for him to get it!!! Im sending another one our for Valentines day at the end of the month before I leave. He says that he has been taking pics but the Internet is too slow to upload them fast enough so he is going to try to burn them onto a CD for me and mail it to me so hopefully here within the next few months I can post some pics of overseas!!! or at least him!!! I do miss him so much and it is very hard being away from him, but I just keep looking towards the future and all of our big plans that I don't let myself get down. I know that he wouldn't want me to do that! We are both independent people and know how to take care of ourselves so I know we are going to be just fine. I love you so much Ben!!!! Please stay safe and call when you can!!!! I love you!

{Me with my neice and nephew!!!!}

Rascal is doing good.. just being Rascal!! lol

My friend, Erica, is getting married the 26th of April so I have been helping her make invitations for her wedding and stuff!! I am so excited for her!!! I cant wait for her and Matt to get married, they pretty much are, they just need the legal part done! lol haha love ya!

One last thing.. I am having a 'See ya later' dinner on Saturday the 24th. I am going to have everyone that I love so dearly, get together so that I can see everyone one last time before I move because these next few weeks are my last weeks living in the state of MO for probably the rest of my life!!!! Me and Ben plan on staying in TN and raising our family, mostly because he will probably stay in the military but also because it is so gosh darn beautiful down there! Anyway if you would like to attend just shoot me an email or comment and let me know and Ill get you the place and time!!

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!!! Bundle up because it is gonna get cold!!!! Love ya!

Walt Disney World

Disney World was AMAZING!!! I loved it!! I felt like such a kid again!!! I love how you can go to a place and everyone can have fun because there is something there for everyone!!! Our plane left at 6pm Christmas night and landed in Orlando at 9pm their time. We had a Disney World pass for seven days!! So the day after xmas we went to the Magic Kingdom, which was my favorite park! Then on Saturday Cheryl, my stepmom, her cousin came and took us to Sea World, not as much fun as Disney. Then on Sunday we went to Animal Kingdom, Monday was Epcot, Tuesday was the beach!!!, Wednesday was Magic Kingdom again, Thursday and Friday were Hollywood Studios!! My two favorite rides were the Tower of Terror and the Aerosmith ride which are both at Hollywood!! The weather was perfect while we were down there as well. We wore shorts or Capri's most days. The last two days it was a little chilly but nothing like here at home.

I also go to talk to Ben while I was down there! I couldn't believe that he could call me! I was so happy. I miss him so much and I really wanted him there but we both agreed that when we have kids and they are old enough to remember, we are going to take them to Disney World! I cant wait for that time to come!! (and yet at the same time I can! lol haha)

Well that's about all I'm going to post for now. Not really in the typing mood tonight! Enjoy the pics and Happy New Year everyone!