Fun in the Sun!

OK, OK...since I wore a "tankini" instead of a bikini to the lake on Memorial Day, I will post a couple of pics! It was so nice to experience SUMMER again! I've missed it so.... We had a full boat at Tygart Lake this trip, my father-in-law & his wife, my sister-in-law & her husband, cousin Luke (in the picture below), my cousin Amy (in the picture above), & I (plus my "brother-in-law" Rocky, my in-law's 7 month old shih-tzu!). Rocky enjoyed his first trip to the lake, even though the water was still a bit chilly. Isn't he cute in his little life jacket?

Memorial Day Weekend! :-)

Getting closer and closer! Trying to keep myself busy. So far I've spent the Memorial Day weekend bowling with friends, playing with my nephew Alex, and picnicing at my sister-in-law's in Ohio! We have Sgt Wally's cousin Luke up from Tennessee visiting for the long weekend (the guy on the far left playing bocce ball). Only my second time meeting him, so it's been great getting to know him better. We're all going to Tygart Lake tomorrow! Gonna be my first time strapping on a bathing suit this year...oh boy. Don't expect pictures of THAT! :-)

Yeeeeeeeuuuuuhhh! Goin home!

Yes, the guys are getting pumped up about their upcoming departure from the sandy hell of Iraq! My Sgt Wally looks like he's been soaking up a bit too much of that desert sun! We're gonna look like yin and yang if this Pennsylvania weather doesn't start warming up! Anyhoo...hang in there, guys! It's almost over! Hard to believe JUNE is only a week away! :-)

Expiration Date Countdown

A few more weeks... soon we will be thinking in terms of days. It may seem silly, but I have a habit of counting down Sgt Wally's return with random things.

For example, as I'm lugging the trash can down to the curb I'm thinking to myself, "I only have to do this 3 or 4 more times until Sgt Wally is home!" Or when I get my milk or cheese or anything, I look at the container and get excited because seeing expiration dates in June makes him feel that much closer to home. I even do it with grocery store coupons! I think, "Wow, he'll be home before this expires! Woo hoo!" Silly, huh?

Everybody looks forward to the weekends, I know, but I look forward to them because I know that another week has come and gone. I am one week closer to my baby. Once one weekend is here, I'm already looking forward to the next one. Maybe because I really don't have much control over the big things, counting those little things can get me through to the next day, the next week, the next month. Those little things get me closer to having my Sgt Wally home again.

Is This S*@# Over Yet?!

I know that's exactly what these guys are thinking right now, and I am thinking the same thing. I keep telling Sgt Wally (2nd from right) that one day all of this will seems like such a long time ago, like it happened to someone else. We can't wait for that day. We can't wait to get a house and have babies and grow old together, then spontaneously combust when I turn 100 and he is only 98 (sorry, that's a running joke). We have so much life yet to live, so many joys to experience together. I couldn't imagine anyone else in the world I'd rather do it with.

A lot of people see what we are going through with our two deployments in three years of marriage and think that they should feel sorry for us. I always get the, "Wow, I don't know how you do it...I could never deal with that!" First of all, it is what it is...no one asked me if I wanted the love of my life to travel to the other side of the planet for a year and live in the desert. But that doesn't mean he isn't still the love of my life and the man that I will spend the rest of my days with. And as much as this deployment sucks, we are so blessed just to have found each other. I feel sorry for those people who will never have the love that we do. That is so sad to me. I thank God every day for brining me all the way up to PA to find him.

This hell is finally coming to an end. Then the rest of our life begins.

I'm ready...

Happy Mother's Day!

Ptttttthhhhhhbbbbbbbtttttt!

Last week, my mother-in-law had me over for dinner and shared some old baby photos of Sgt Wally that she discovered in her basement. She was nice enough to let me borrow the pictures so I could scan them and get my own copies! :) These two are a couple of my favorites. He was such a cute little thing! Still is, as far as I'm concerned!
We're getting closer and closer to that anticipated return home. Sloooooowly, of course. Will June ever get here? C'mon! I've been so stressed out lately about my crappy job. Nothing like having a Masters degree, working for $75 a day as a stinkin sub! Especially in combination with additional stressors: rude kids, disrespect from some teachers, awful parking spots! The title of this blog embodies my attitude regarding the situation. It's times like this when missing Sgt Wally seems the hardest. I keep telling myself this hell is almost over. My brain knows it, but the rest of me just isn't listening.