Hey Na, Hey Na, My Husband's Back!

Well, I'm gonna keep this short because I have a husband here that I have been eager to spend time with for the last 18 months! I thank God that he came home safely and he is back in my arms where he belongs! :) Two deployments over, and we are officially DONE!

The Neverending Deployment!

Well, I just got home last night from spending about 4 days in Mississippi with Sgt Wally. They gave the guys some off-time down there since they weren't ready to demobilize them yet. We took a drive down to Biloxi, stayed at the Island of Capri Casino for a couple of days. We were amazed at the extent of damage that remains in Biloxi and Gulfport. Most buildings located on the coast were completely wiped out...GONE. I'm talking: there's a foundation, steps, and that's IT. I had no idea it was still this bad down there. I took several pictures, but I will only post a couple of the most shocking.
As far as Sgt Wally's return, he should be home tomorrow morning. Of course, you're not going to see me hold my breath on that one! Anyhoo...check out myspace for more pics from my trip! www.myspace.com/walajenn

The first pic below is a church located on the coast in Gulfport. If you look closely, you can see the pews in the balcony. Surreal, isn't it? The second pic I took for obvious reasons, there were warnings like this spraypainted everywhere. The third pic was taken on the beach in Gulfport. You're allowed to walk on the beach, but still can't swim in the water...not that you'd want to, there is literally massive chunks of debris still in the water. The last picture I also took while walking on the beack in Gulfport. I wanted to show this as an example of what I was talking about in regards to steps & a foundation...but nothing else. This was everywhere.

Ohiopyle Adventures

My dad, my sister Kayla & I took a trip over to Ohiopyle yesterday to do some hiking and bike riding. Had a little picnic, took in some nice scenery, we had a great time! Our butts are a little sore today from the two hours of bike riding, but it was nice to get a little exercise. It was also nice to have some distraction while I am anxiously counting down these last days until Sgt Wally's return. I'm still not sure what day he will be home for sure, but I have a date in mind that I have been counting down to. I'm hoping this upcoming weekend will be the last one I will have to spend without my husband! Of course, that means one more week to finish cleaning this apartment! Yikes! :-)

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.