Turns Out...

I get a text from the bride , my sister, last night saying that Tyler and she has decided to wait and see how they handle the deployment before marrying one another...YAY! I couldn't be happier...I'd say if they get through this in one piece and are still thinking of marriage, they might just have something...

As Promised...The Dreaded Wedding...

So my sisters wedding is coming up shortly and I know I tortured y'all in saying, some posts back, that I was not excited about it... Well I'm still not excited about it and that just makes me feel like a bad sister...However, maybe not...If I were a bad sister, wouldn't I pretend that they were perfect for each other and that I was all kinds of supportive? Gosh, I don't know...I know that they feel this is the right thing, but its more of a duty to my sister rather then a want...Or at least that's what her remarks in marrying him has brought me to believe...Okay, enough thinking out loud. Onto the explanation!

This is my sister and her *then* boyfriend Tyler...They were really cute together and all of us were really glad to see her smiling again. A long story short, Mouse had been in a really bad car accident involving only herself 1 year previous from the date of this picture. She had been life flighted to Vanderbilt Hospital in Nashville, TN for brain damage as result of that accident. It was very sad to see and most days made me cry. She was so full of life and always wore a shining smile where ever she went...But after that, she barley knew who she was and where she was most of the time, let alone remembering what a smile was. Well during that year recovery, she had flown to Oregon to be with my parents and older sister Mary. The recovery went well. The doctors said she was young and would bounce back at least 97 percent of the way and I feel she did, if not 100 percent! Sadly, in that year she had gotten involved with a guy that took advantage of her less then strong mind, and really did some damage. So when she returned to Tennessee where I was living, she was ready to get back to normal and just have some fun. Gosh, it couldn't have been more then three weeks when Tyler entered the picture. They had met at a club during an outing with my other sister Angel and a friend...

As you can see she was dressed super cute that night and feeling pretty flirty:p Mouse is the one in the black tank. I don't think any man stood a chance that night and from what Angel told me, that's just the way it went down:p

Well Tyler took notice and introduced himself by jumping into one of these pictures and the rest is history. I wish I could say that this was a romantic beginning to an even more romantic life together, but truth be told, things just really went south. After dating 5 months Mouse comes to me bawling saying that she is 11 weeks pregnant.

She was always complaining about how clingy Tyler was and about how jealous he is. Well now they are having a kid together so Tyler proposes...She accepted only because she felt weird being pregnant without a ring on her finger. Not one of her smarter moves, I know...Tyler was and IS obsessed with my sister. All he wants is to marry her so that he owns her and no one elses can have her. I just think that is really scary and that Mouse needs to be careful. He has already went off on her, locking her in the house while the whole time yelling and throwing things; Mouse didn't know what to do other then curl up in the corner of the couch and crying. Man, I wanted to fillet him when I heard about that. By this time She had already had their son Colton, and luckily he was over at Tyler's parents house. Well since then, they've really just been like roommates. She doesn't enjoying being intimate with him. They fight all the time. Tyler is always keeping them in debt. And then there's the whole jealousy thing. Mouse says she doesn't want them to split for Coltons sake and also because I know shes scared of being a single mom; I don't blame her! But marriage is for life and I am NOT of the belief that you should marry or stay married for the child's sake. My own parents were less then happy my entire life and there were times I would have begged them to get a divorce. It was like walking on pins and needles for 18 years. You just want the fighting and hurting to stop. You love them both and you just want it to stop. Well my sister and Tyler stayed engaged, if you will, this entire time until three weeks ago when she announces that they are finally getting married...My first thought is why now? The answer is, Tyler's deploying in October for a year and he is really pushing for the union. He doesn't want to leave without putting that final ring on her finger. Mouse says they decided "now" because she doesn't want another woman raising her son at some point and vis verse. So not only is Mouse NOT in love, but she is getting married a few weeks before a deployment! Ummm, do you see my point? A deployment is hard enough on a strong marriage! A lot of you know this...I'm just scared for her...I'm not sure if this made any since to you all...But the bottom line is, she is not happy in this situation already, and shes fixin to bind herself to it! I would love to hear your thoughts ladies...Also, my sister Mary asked me to to see if some of you would be willing to email Mouse with the , down and dirty, of a deployment to really give her a better picture of what to expect? She won't listen to me because duh, I'm her sister:p And two, because I was not married to Robert during his deployments...So I don't count:p I'd really appreciate it...Of course, Mouse would be aware of you writing her and I would make sure it was okay first:) Just let me know if any of you are willing to do this! I am off to the shower...Work is on the horizon...

A Big Announcement!

And I'll say it again, " I have a big announcement! But before I delve into that, I should say, "I've heard and read all of your pleas for a deeper explanation as to Bella's (almost) demise and also, about my current mood/thoughts on my sisters up coming wedding. My answer, "I am working on drafts for them both, as they are long reads that need to be written with much thought, and I promise to post them as soon as they are finished:)

NOW, onto the really big news!

I'd wager that most of you know what this book is about, being that we're all bloggers here on the World Wide Web, but the question is, how does it tie into my really big news!?! Well between the years of turning sixteen and up until now, I have been turning stone after stone over in my head, trying to pin point a focus of study that would fit me best. I've toyed with the idea of a teacher, a paramedic and actually did go to school for this, but never finished, and so on... I think most everyone goes through this at some point until they find what they've been searching for. However, for the past few months, under the surface of my everyday life, I've been antsy and prickly feeling like I was really close to the answer yet, struggling with that, just out of my reach type feeling and it was so frustrating; Until two nights ago...One of those well worn stones hit me square in the forehead! After some late night research and a long talk with the hubs, I have decided to pursue a career in Web Design! This stuff just fascinates me, especially writing HTML and CSS. Hence, the ridiculous grin why I'm holding up a book that promises to reveal all. HOWEVER, there is a really frightening part...I am going to become a self taught Web Designer...Ekk! Come to find out, anyone can become a Web Designer/Graphic Designer. A degree is not required to break into these fields, but no doubt, would greatly help! All you need is the patience to succeed, the right software and DIY books. A Mac wouldn't hurt either:p Oh, and my glasses back so I can see again!

Rest assured though, I do have a realistic four year plan mapped out to achieve this. Right about the time Robert and I plan for kids, I should have a solid foundation in Web/Graphic Design right in time to start my next big project; starting my own business! That side of it is still a bit fuzzy as I am trying to focus more on the skills that will get me there, but it is the goal I have for the finish line:) If any of you have input about this plan, or thoughts and advise on where to start, PLEASE let em rip! At this point, I am just trying to collect information about where to begin i.e web design? Or, get a solid footing in graphic design first as they both greatly correlate.

FYI: This post is very watered down compaired to my excitment and reasons for wanting to be a web designer, but I'm not wanting to write a book that weighs more than the average human, so I will stop here:) Thank you all for listening and joining in on my excitment, as I know you will! Sleep tight y'all. I'm off to catch a few zzzzz's:)

Good And Bad...

Well once again, I have fell behind on my blogging and commenting! I finally was able to get that darn comforter to dry by stuffing it into the washer and placing it on "spin" cycle. Once most of the water was out, it went into the dryer, but do not fear, I stayed with it the whole time praying that the machine wouldn't explode:p Yes, it came out a wrinkled mess, but that's okay...At least its clean! So glad all of you laughed so hard over my stupidity:)

Gosh, it seems like so much has happened since my last post! Found out yesterday that my younger sister is getting married in October...I do not say this excitedly however...This is such a long story so I will refrain. Took Bella to the pound on Monday only to return home with her after being told that she would be put down that day, due to an over flow of animals...Yeah, that's another long story that I'm SURE your trying to understand seeing as Bella is my baby. I will try to post about that soon. Just know that it worked out after a very stressful night and morning full of tears...Excitedly, my older sister has a love interest, that just MIGHT be interested back after seven months. Too soon to tell though:) Had my $350.00 coach glasses chewed up by my puppy right along with my second phone charger...This is not the reason she was taken to the pound mind you:p managed to build a pretty nasty knot in my shoulder blades which is causing a lot of back pain and neck pain. I'm getting it from my runs I think. I need to focus more on staying loose and agile:p Other then that, not much else to report! My running continues and in fact, I have come to the idea that I need to start building through the week instead of going after 4 miles each run...I hear how a lot of you start off easy then build and build until Sunday where you do a long run...I'm gonna try this and see how well it works!

Tomorrow Robert has PT but then is off for the rest of the day! We're going to see if my glasses can be salvaged first, then we're headed to the beach at Calloway Gardens for some fun in the sun:p I hope you all had a fabulous Tuesday! Tomorrow I plan to make my rounds on everyone's blogs and and beg for forgiveness; I've been gone for too long, once again:( Catch you chica's later;)

Loved Every Minute Of It...Sigh

I forgot how much I L.O.V.E.D the movie A Little Princess...After flipping through the movie channels while Robert lay sleeping, I spoted this movie on Encore and was instantly taken back to when I discovered this movie for the first time. Sigh...For those of you who haven't watched it, you should...In my mind, its a classic and I can't believe I don't own it!

So there was that, but onto my WONDERFUL three day weekend with the hubs:p

It started on Friday with waking up and heading to Ihop for some pancakes and coffee...I absolutely love doing this with Robert. We have some of the best conversations over piping hot java and a hearty breakfast. Its fantastic:) After a good two hours spent there we head back to the house for some showers and to grab our swim attire. One hour later we were on our way to Calloway Gardens in Pine Mountian, GA which is about 30 minutes from our place. Let me just say that I WASN'T expecting it to be so big and beautiful! Tons of lakes and rivers with blossoming bushes of every color; fishing, golfing, biking, swimming in gorgeous blue water with a beach, butterfly gardens to observe, and lots more! We actually went there intending to layout and enjoy the beach and sun but got sidetracked by all of the unexpected views and activities:) We still didn't see it all by the time we left but, we will definitely be back especially since military gets in free:p

Back at the homestead, it was late enough to grab dinner so we opted for a delicious meal at O'Charlies...YUM! The rest of the night was filled with fishing in our pond outback, snuggling on the couch and just enjoying our time together...Bella chewed up my phone charger again so I had no phone ringing off the hook, which was sort of nice!

Saturday and Sunday was pretty much a repeat of Friday except on Sunday we attended Robert's bosses wedding...I was sad that we didn't get pictures taken together because Robert was in his class A's, per request of his boss, and I was in a really sexy red and black dress...I'm not sure the name of the style but I just love it:) However, I'm paying for wearing those heels with it today...My calves felt so strained that it cost me my run:( Tomorrow I'll be getting out there for sure...I know I shirked on my blogging duties over these past three days, but can ya blame a girl:p I was having way too much fun with the husby:) But it's definitely time to emerge back into the blogging world when Robert came home all sad because he didn't have a new read at work today...Lol...I hope everyone had a really good time this weekend as well; filled with lots of good food, fireworks and family:) I'll be catching up and commenting on y'alls blogs over the next few days so see you there!

Our Sixth Month!

On June 27th, Robert and I hit six months of marriage! And lordy, is has just flown by! In honor of this landmark, I've decided to post this picture of us both. This was a good day...Here is one of the pictures from that week of our first physical meeting...Four years it took us to finally get here, that when I finally made it, I was so dizzy with excitment! The whole nine days were just wonderful...Definitely memories that I will carry and charish the rest of my life...

However, in this six months of marriage I have been suprised about how easy it is being his wife and he says the same. Life is just so smooth and calm with him. I love how we laugh all the time and play like two very in love individuls...We look out for one another in everything: sickness, health, bad moods or good moods, we're there for each other. Two years ago I would have laughed in your face had you told me marriage would be the one thing that made me happier then anything in the world, but it has...I looked at my parents marriage and was skeptical that anyone could be completely happy in a union like this, but six months ago, there I was entering into one of my own and it was the best feeling...I didn't have hopes of being happy with this man, I KNEW we would be happy...I'm not waiting for the other shoe to drop, even though this was very much me, in the past. Instead, I look forward to seeing how much more we'll grow in the future...The thought of being happier then I am now is hard to phatom but who knows...The day will come where we have children and the thought of looking down and seeing both him and I molded inside of a little one that we created, just makes my heart smile... That day, I know, my laughter is going to bubble over while I look at my husband and my eyes say, "I love you."

I love you babe! Here's to six more months of this same good stuff with you...

MWAH!

Yes, PLEASE Cry For Me Argentina...

Ugggh, its inventory day at work and I'm really dreading it...This eventually came around with every retail/sales jobs I've held in the past but I hated it every time then too:p Although this time I am working ten hours straight tonight......blech....I have definitely worked more then this in one day but it feels different this time around seeing as I go in at 2:00 p.m today and won't get home until 12:30 a.m, but then have to be BACK at work by 6:30 a.m that same morning to start the inventory process. Thats like what, four hours of sleep...hssssss....Not to mention that our district manager AND regional manager are going to be there scanning right along side of me...A lot of big wigs in such a small store, makes me nervous....shudders...Good thing I'm told that Mike, the district manager likes me already, as he was the final decision maker on giving me the job...Now all I have to do is win over the regional manager:p

On a more positive note, EIGHT DAYS!!! Eight days until I head straight from work to Ft, Jackson, SC where I'll be watching R graduate Drill school the very next day!!! ( insert the, I'm so excited I could pee my pants dance here) Last weekend was a hard one for us both. The closer it gets to him returning home the harder it is to wait and let him leave each weekend!!! You'd think it be the other way around...Shrugs...Maybe its also because for the past two weekends, he's been leaving more and more of his stuff here at the apartment, so I'm getting to see more of him around the place now...Kind of solidifys his coming home that much more:)

Yesterday, it really it me though, about how hard its going to be not seeing him much in a week even though we're in the same town/bed every night. I guess I just had a (holy crap! this really is gonna be tough) moment...My first REAL one yet, I think:p But we all have them at some point right? I'm still sticking to my thoughts on this though... Might not have mentioned them yet, so here it is...I'd rather be only seeing him a few hours a week and know he's safe in my bed everynight, then have him in the sandbox and be out of my mind with worry for his safe return each and everyday...That thought is so sobering and completely snaps me out of any pity party I might be having!! It even worked yesterday during my holy crap moment:p I will definitely keep ya'll posted on our journey through the life of a drill Sgt. and his wife. I'm sure there'll be plenty of stupid/funny stories to share about antics the privates pull during basic...I know R has already shared a few with me and they're hilarious...Maybe I'll divulge next time:p Hope everyone has a wonder wednesday! I will post again tomorrow but most likely not until I've had a few hours of sleep:p I am one devoted blogger yo...peace-

His Voice...

BAM, CLASH, BOOOOM! Goes the thunder....

Its nights like these that I really wish my hubby was here...You know, those dark, rainy, scary bright lighting and loud thunder nights? Please tell me I'm not the only one who gets this way during severe storms? I mean I'm sitting here in my living room, in a chair, that points right at our french doors and into those rumbling, grumbling thunder heads; The rain is so loud that I can barley think and the minute those huge lighting bolts hit, you could convince me its day! In addition, the wind it pushing the rain at such a speed that you'd swear lug nuts where raining down on us! And when the massive bright strikes hit it means I need to brace myself because soon comes the jaw rattling KA-LACK!
My husband knows how I get during bad storms, but he uses that voice of his, which is so utterly steady and soothing, to talk me into a state of calm; I actually end up falling a sleep! Oh girl, and when he sings...Well lets just say I have this love struck look plastered on my face that says "please don't stop" lol...Out of it all though the high winds is really what scares me the most...Sometime ago, while snuggled in his arms, a bad storm broke out early in the wee morning. The wind was stronger then I had ever experienced. Well no, I take that back, there was this wind storm while I was in Alaska which had 100 mph gusts ALL DAY LONG! But getting back where I left off...It started to get really bad out to where I couldn't decide if it was just wind or a tornado, yes that bad ladies...R knew I was scared because I started breathing hard and holding onto him even tighter then before, so he just started stroking my hair and talking to me about how the wind sounds like the ocean breaking and receding...It really does too! So he painted this picture for me (with his amazing voice:p) of us on a beach with our eyes shut, just holding one another listening to the waves crash and dance....sighs...I use those images every time now when the wind tries and get the better of me....I don't even think he knows how much I appreciated him doing that and how tightly I still hold onto his painting during storms...Hmmmm...Might have to share that with him this weekend:p So off to bed I go! Can't wait to dream about that tropical beach and my hunny holding me close...

My Zen And His Chaos

Well it is now 5:05 pm and I consider my weekend to be officially over. R just finished packing his bag, so after a goodbye kiss and a quick love tap, he hit the road headed back to South Carolina:( I know that I technically still have several hours before the new week starts but for some reason, every time we say our goodbyes, around this time, it feels so over. I guess he just really (makes) my weekends, as it should be! We had a great day and a half; its always wonderful waking up to him on Saturday and Sunday mornings...Although I hate having to work while he's in town, especially since its such a short time that he's here. Okay, so I didn't (really) get a weekend off but it always feels like I do when he's here:p
This morning we ate breakfast together, just grinning at one another from across our short dining room table. We both have come to the conclusion that he is my (Zen) and I am his (Chaos)...lol...R is extremely steadfast and I greatly resemble a tornado, or at least it feels like a tornado from his shoes:) Over our three months of marriage it has been fun calculating all of our differences. R and I used to think we were so much a like, in fact, before we started dating during the time he was pursuing me, I even had thoughts that maybe we were TOO much a like for a working relationship. We soon found out that we have A LOT of differences but we're alike in the areas that count. Here are some of the silly things we have discovered about one another!

R: For the most part, he cannot stay up past 9:30.
Me: I flip a switch at 9:30 and want to play!

R: He has a uniformed way of loading the dishwasher, the same way, EVERY TIME! this is a mystery to me...
Me: He says that when I load the dishwasher, it looks like it threw up:p

R: He thinks the kitchen cabinets are not meant to store food, only the pantry is for such things...Wha?
Me: I think the kitchen drawers are not meant for his military gear and instead meant for separating your cooking utensils.

R: He is such a stop watch when it comes to his daily routine, meaning that he does the same thing, at the same time, every morning before work and he doesn't deter from it! Now that takes talent in my book:p
Me: I am a lover of all things random! I'm always trying to find new ways home, changing my perfume monthly, I can't stand eating the same foods day in and day out, I just love being unpredictable!

R: He loves cats.
Me: I love Dogs.

R: He thinks the bar stool sitting at our bar area (is) where his motorcycle jacket and helmet belongs.
Me: I think that everything should have a place out of sight.

R: He thinks the parking meter sitting in our foyer is cool...
Me: I think it has no purpose other then a place to hang his Dr. Pepper hat.

R: He doesn't understand why his big fat red Folgers canister isn't allowed to just hang out on the counter.
Me: I don't understand why its such a big deal to pull it from the cabinet every morning.

R: When he goes shopping, he shops for one meal at a time. He says he can't think that far ahead:p
Me: I shop for ten meals at a time and say "baby, that's okay, I can."

R: He says I came into his life and threatened all things normal.
Me: I say he came into my life and became my calm.

So as you can see we are very healthy newly weds; definitely not without our differences:p We certainly balance each other out, so anyone looking in would see a strong steady flow between us with the right amount of pop and pizazz along the way! I hope that this post has brought a smile to all your faces as I know it has mine and just maybe brought back your own little differences so you can smile yet again

Stop Shakin The Milkshake!

So I'm really confused here...Is it just because I work in a gaming store where men are over populated, or is it the fact that I live in a military town where men are over populated? Here's my confusion, I have been dealing with being hit on a lot here lately and I don't mean like a few times a week, I mean like three and four times a day! The part that is really making me mad is that I'm married and most of these men are military!!! Isn't military men supposed to be, oh I don't know, honorable? Even though honor is one of the things that they are supposed to be about that doesn't stop them from coming up to me and saying , TO MY FACE "By the way, I'm single..." Or, I really like this one, "that's a beautiful ring by the way. Just checking here, is that a complete wedding set or are you just engaged?" Whats really disturbing is when their walking towards me and I say, "Hi, how are y'all?" and they never look at my face but instead look me up and down and reply with, "How you doin?" in a really suggestive manner. Or when I say "if there's anything I can do for y'all just let me know" and they actually reply back with, "Oh honey, there is plenty you can do for me" RWAR!!!! I mean come on! I'm really stuck here because I don't know how to react to that as I am in my work place and I'm there to be pleasant and helpful...I hate it when they continue to ask me and only me for help when there are three other game advisors just standing by, then continue to look deeply into my eyes as if there trying to feed me some important brain wave message...Double RWAR! Being new in this job, I don't want to rock the boat, but I love being married to my husband and I find it so disrespectful being oogled like this when I know that they know I'm married...I mean I talk about my husband all the time at work...Anyone could look at me and know I'm happily married just from my radiant glow:) I don't hide this stuff from R because I wouldn't want him to hide that kind of attention from me, so when I do tell him I try to make jokes of it....Like every time I have to tell him about the newest episode I'll fallow up with that song from, gosh, whats her face....Well the one that sings "my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard:p" Of course I'm laughing hysterically while shaking my bon bon the whole time because that song is so ridiculous...This last time he fires back with, " WELL STOP SHAKIN THE MILKSHAKE!" Then we both fall on the floor in fits of giggles because, I don't know, it was just funny the way he said it! Anyway, I was just wanting y'all take on that...Do you think its the fact that their military and women just should fall at their feet or the fact that their just men and I'm working in a mans world? Any suggestions on how to handle these remarks would be great! By the way, thank you for all your comments! I'm really starting to feel like I'm apart of the cool peoples crowd and that makes me feel cool:p Night everyone!