Ten Days of Heaven

Well, if you've been wonding why I haven't posted any blogs in awhile, that's because I had the joy of meeting Sgt Wally in Mississippi and spending the last 10 days with him! He was chosen to escort a soldier that had to go back to the states, so the mission didn't take anything away from his actual leave time! The drive down and back was torture (about 14 hours down, with 4 dead-lock traffic stops and 13 hours back), but it was well worth the time I got to spend with my soldier! We drove a few hours over to Destin, FL and spent our time together there. Although I am a Florida native, I had never been to Destin. The beach is beautiful, the sand is so white it actually looks like snow. Sgt Wally found a little cigar shop near our hotel and loaded up on some goodies. The owner even gave him a huge military discount, which was awesome. Sgt Wally was also thrilled to be in Florida because they serve his favorite beer there, Yuengling. He filled up on pizza, steak, wings, Yuengling, and his wife's lovins, then headed back to good ol' Iraq. Actually, he messaged me last night, still in Kuwait because his checked bag got lost. Gotta love the airlines, right? When we said our goodbyes at the airport, Sgt Wally told me that I wasn't allowed to cry because he would be home for leave in a few weeks. He said, "Imagine I'm just going away for summer camp!" Yeah, it's just like summer camp....

Oh, to be a Child Again!

Tuckered out from a long game of doggie door peek-a-boo, my nephew Alex (1 1/2) and little sister Kayla (12), plop down in the middle of the living room floor. Don't you miss the days when the little things could entertain you for hours? When I was a child, all I needed was a cardboard box and my imagination! What is it about growing up that makes everything so boring?
When you're a kid life seems so much longer, too. I remember thinking the span between birthdays felt like 10 years. Now it feels like 5 minutes. I'm starting to forget how old I am, and that scares me! If I'm losing track of em now, how hard is it going to be 20 or 30 years from now? Oh well, does it really matter? Once you pass 21, they all blend together anyway. I think 25 was the last milestone I looked forward to because my insurance rates went down and I could finally rent a car in my name! But that's boring stuff. So here I am at 27 and I know what that next milestone is...and I'm not very excited about it! Especially when my husband is a year and half younger than me, because he will tease me without mercy! Maybe if I play a marathon of doggie door peek-a-boo I can turn back the clock a few years! I'm open to suggestions.

Steelers Beat the "Bungals"!

Way To Go, Steelers! 31 to 17 isn't too shabby! Let's just keep up the momentum against the Colts!

My, How Things Change...

August 2002... doesn't seem that long ago, does it? I was thinking about what Sgt. Dan said regarding changes in your attitude toward life and what you desire from it. This picture was taken only 3 1/2 years ago, but to me the girl in that picture is a completely different person (and I'm not just referring to the hair color). Fresh out of college, I had only been dating Sgt. Wally a matter of days. Our lives revolved around boozing and staying up late (or early, depending on how you look at it). 3am Sheetz runs after Wally finished bartending, then sitting cross-legged on his living room floor counting stinky, folded up "bar funk" dollar bills from a Rolling Rock bucket. I was living in a 3 bedroom apartment that he shared with 3 other guys with one bathroom and NO bedroom door. Also, I am not exaggerating when I say this place looks like a crackhouse from the outside. But I was fine with this, I had no other expectations from my life at that time but to party and have fun. And here I am, only a few years later, and our worlds have been completely rearranged. I look at this girl and think, "See that guy you're hugging? In 6 months you are going to be his wife!" I wouldn't have bet a dime on that. But time and experience makes your priorities change. I still remember the first time my husband told me he loved me. It was 2 months after we started dating and he was on a two week training in Camp Shelby, the first time we had ever really been apart (two weeks seemed like an eternity then, how naive I was). He was afraid to say it those first couple months, wouldn't let me say it either, he worried it wouldn't be genuine. We were on the phone his last night there and he told me that he couldn't wait to come home...so that he could tell me that he loved me. I cried. He was immediately mad at himself that he let his emotions get the best of him and didn't wait til the next day to say it in person, but I didn't care. Of course I was thrilled because I finally got to say it right back. I love him more than words could ever describe. We have grown and matured together, through the Kosovo deployment, our first year of marriage that has been stretched out over three, and now Iraq. We will go through so many more transitions in our life together, and I am so thankful that I get to experience it with him. Thank God I don't have to count bar funk dollar bills anymore.

Auld Lang Syne

Well, for those of you who don't know, Auld Lang Syne means "the good old times" or "days long past". I'd have to say that this new year I am not remeniscent of days past but am focusing on the excitement of days ahead. I can now say that my husband will come home to visit me next month (for our 3rd anniversary!), that this deployment will be over THIS YEAR! Good riddance, 2005. It was a year of struggle and heartache and I am looking forward to a new year when my world will be whole again. I rang in the new year with some great friends, always better than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself. Melissa, Gina, Carl (Melissa's hubby), & Tina (a fellow soldier's girl) are cheezing with me in the photo. Tina's boyfriend is a Command Sergeant Major at Habbaniyah, and is a super guy. It's been so great having Tina there during this deployment, it helps to have someone around that knows exactly what you're going through because they're going through the same thing. Plus, she's an even bigger football freak than I am! Love it. (notice: I am so obsessive that I'm even wearing Gator colored leis in the photo! Go Florida!) Anyhoo, that's all I have to say tonight. It's late and I have church in the morning! Happy New Year all!