Hard Week :(

Now that the craziness of Christmas is over, it's been a rough week for all three of us in the house. Unfortunately it's only gotten worse as the week continues. Monday we were soooo tired from the family festivities that both Megan and I almost fell asleep at work! Today was even harder for Megan and Wade as his dad passed away this afternoon. It wasn't unexpected, but still, no one ever wants or plans for that to happen. At least they know that he is no longer in any pain and is watching over them from above. The rest of this week will be tough for them and the rest of his family. My thoughts, prayers, and condolences go out to them. I wish so much that there was something that I could do for them, to help make it easier, but I doubt there's much I can do. Looks like I'm going to have to buy a thing of cheesecake and Chipotle. I'm praying that the rest of this week brings good news and cheer to put them in a better mood for next week as they leave for Mexico for Megans brother's wedding!

Happy Christmas Eve, Eve!!

I know I'm jumping the gun a bit today compared to most people, but for me, the 23rd is more like Christmas eve than the 24th. Growing up, my parents, siblings and I always went to church on Christmas eve, came home to eat appetizers, played a game, and then we all opened our presants! It was our time to spend together as a family. This year will be no different, well, with the exception that my parents will now be sitting across from each other divorced instead of unhappily married. I think it's probably better this way. I'm ridiculously thrilled that they can still get along well enough to keep our holiday tradition alive.

Now that I think about it, I remember cringing a bit on Christmas day for one small reason, it meant we had to go visit my grandma from the "dark farm". Don't get me wrong, I really do love the woman, but when your grandma gives you guilt trips in your birthday cards, chores in your plastic Easter eggs, and puts you to work doing manual labor in her 2 acre garden from the age of 5 you'd have a bit of hostility towards her too!!!

It's going to be an interesting weekend to say the least with my family's Christmas tomorrow, spending Christmas day with my dad, then back home to join in with Megan's family Christmas on Sunday. Oh the joy of slaving over a hot stove, scrubbing every surface of your house til it shines, and completely finishing your unfinished basement (because that's what all sane, normal people do right before the holidays!), all to see your loved ones smile when they walk in the door for the holidays. Although I think Megan and Wade are crazy for doing all of this while it's been like 10 degrees outside and having to work in their cold garage staining wood work and late nights/early mornings finishing drywall and painting, they always manage to pull it off absolutely perfect. The transformation that basement has made within the last week would completely blow your mind! And even better, they came out of all of this still happily married :P Those two are one of a kind, and I couldn't be more proud of them and all of their hardwork that has definitely paid off.

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and safe travels where ever you may go.

~Holiday Cheer~

It's been a busy and craaaaaazy weekend! Friday I was able to actually help Megan and Wade with finishing their basement by painting primer on the ceilings and in the bathroom. We would have done a lot more but the tape/texture guy they had hired was a pain in the butt and finished two days later than he said he would. Grrrrr! Saturday I wasn't able to help too much since I had to work from 11-3 and then I had a family christmas to go to.

My favorite time of the year is when I get to get together with family (minus the crazy lady from the dark farm whom I call Grandma). There's never a shortage of laughs, hugs, and wine...lots and lots of wine! By the time I got there everyone was in the middle of our gift exchange game that we decided to play this year and after jumping in, I ended up with the game Catch Phrase! Super excited about that one since I LOVE that game. Then we all opened more gifts, ate lots more food, and before I knew it, I was somehow tricked into suiting up and was out the door to go sledding with my cousins. Now I haven't been sledding in about 10 years so you can just about imagine how big of a mistake this was. Of course I was stuck with the tube that was half deflated already, so I felt EVERY bump on the way down! Every long hike back up the hill was a reminder as to why I hadn't done this in so long. All was fine and dandy until the very last trip down the hill when I was launched over a 4' jump and was white-washed with snow all down my shirt, in my face, and up my pant legs. That's where I draw the line. Once we came back inside we sang waaaay too many Christmas carols, drank hot cocoa, and finally said goodbyes. I came home just in time to help put the first coat of paint in one of the bedrooms.

This morning I woke up and wasn't much help since Megan and Wade already finished painting the bathroom, family room, both bedrooms, and all that was left was the very trim around the edges. I decided the family room needed a second coat so I rolled paint until my fingers started to blister and cramp. Then it was off to get rid of some more garbage and make another trip to Menards (their second home as of lately). I took a break after that and went to the mall to see what all the hustle and bustle was all about and found some really great deals at The Limited :).

To top this whole weekend off I got some great news......I got the job at Romi!!!! It'll be great experience and hopefully I can use it as my field experience for my senior capstone! To make the day even better, I got a call from another mental illness home asking for me to come interview with them too! Bryan also has gotten a great lead on a job that will pay him even more than he's making in the Marine Corps right now even with our housing allowance. It's in Colorado though so I'm a little saddened that we'll both be away from our families. I guess we'll see how things go. I feel so blessed lately and can't thank God enough for the amazing people he's put in my life.

I hope everyone has a very merry Christmas and an even happier new year!!!

Back in the frozen tundra

So it's been over a week since I left sunny California and I'm finally starting to get used to it being freezing ALL THE TIME! I'm all moved into Megan's and it's finally starting to feel a little more comfortable than at the beginning.

It didn't take long for Megan to start seeing all of the benefits of having someone else in the house. I'm there to let the dogs in and out, run her anything she may have forgotten at home, keep an eye out for their tape and texture man (grr that's a whole other story in itself), help stain doors, and of course using my vehicle to dispose of un-used supplies/pick up some of the bigger pieces. I guess I kind of volunteered myself for that last part, but I don't mind it in the least. It's exciting to know that I'm helping them complete such a huge part of their house. A little hard work never hurt anyone (that I know of anyways).

I've now had 2 shifts back at Park Meadows and it's going pretty awesome! It's taking me a bit to get re-familiarized with everything, but it's quickly coming back to me. I've already gotten a lease signed for Feb. and I might have another one tomorrow for Jan.! It would be freakin sweet if they came back already :)

It's become pretty aparent that I'm going to have to get another part time job just to keep on top of all of everything now that Bryan and I are managing two households worth of bills again. This should be interesting. I've got an interview coming up for an awake overnight shift working with mentally handicapped individuals again. I'm hoping this one goes a lot better than it has in the past. Wish me luck!

Road trip!!!!

I can't believe that today is actually here! I've been dreading/ looking forward to it for the past 3 months or so and I don't think it's actually hit me yet. I'm almost completely packed, I just have to make some sandwiches for the road, pack up the vehicle, print out my direction maps, and say goodbye to my husband. It's a really hard day for us since we've been living together like a normal married couple day in and day out for what feels like forever, and now I have to leave again and it just brings us back to square one. I know we'll be ok and that it's not going to last forever. Hopefully these next four or five months will pass by as quickly as possible!!!

On the brighter side of things, even though I'm leaving my husband, I get to come back to MN and see all of my family again and most of all my very best girl Megan! I can't tell you how much I miss girl time with that wonderfully crazy lady. It'll be interesting because I'm actually moving in with her and her husband and their four furbabies (2 dogs, 2 cats, and a couple fish...but we don't really count the fish). They are currently in the process of finishing their basement to add on two more bedrooms, a big family room, and another full bathroom. It's a lot of work, but they're doing most of it by themselves and from what I've heard of/seen in pictures they're doing an amazing job! Her husband, Wade, can build/fix anything!

After these next couple months are over I'm not exactly sure what's going to happen. We're playing things by ear and just continuing to pray that things will work out at they need to. Today my friend Vahna, who flew out to Cali this past Saturday to help me move, and I are going to start our long road trip back to MN. I'm not exactly sure how I'm going to handle the cold as I haven't exactly been prepared for it. I guess I better start liking the snow and FAST! Oh who am I kidding, I will NEVER like snow or anything that has to deal with the cold. Wish us luck and pray for good weather through the mountains as we drive. See you all soon!

A little late..

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I know that it's already Tuesday, but better late than never. I had an exhuasting holiday weekend filled with work, work, and more work all while the hubby had 4 days off! Major bummer since I didn't get to spend the hoiday with my family back in Minnesota OR my husband! Better luck next year I suppose.

We both were having a really bad day last Friday, but he amazingly found a way to turn it all around. When I got home from work he had all the candles lit in our livingroom, kitchen, and dining room, with a bottle of wine sitting out on the table along side the two holiday wine glasses that he bought me a few weeks ago. He proceeded to let me vent about my bad day while giving me a foot massage. Then he took me out for a late dinner and gave me a back rub while we watched a movie before bed. He is so good to me :)

With all that work, it meant no time for black friday shopping either. On the other hand, I was a little bit terrified of going shopping by myself out in California. Out here it's a matter of life and death trying to get through the doors (literally, one security guard was trampled to death last year!). Looks like it'll be a more relaxed year anyways so I'm excited. My latest search this year is for the Clint Eastwood 35 year 35 movie collection for Bryan. It's the only thing he said he wanted, but if you've seen this thing, it's priced at almost $200!!!! Even on Ebay it's not cheap! If I can find it under $130 I'll be exstatic.

Next on my list of things to do is to decorate the apartment before I leave (which is in 8 days!) and spend as much time with my husband as I can! Hope everyone found some great deals if they went black friday shopping. Can't wait to see everyone in about a week and a half. Love and miss you all!

It's a good news and bad news kinda week!

It's gotten a little chilly here, but nothing below 50 degrees. It's makes me giggle a little bit when I see that St. Cloud has a high of 18!!! It really hit me this morning that I'm leaving here in like two weeks! I have four more days left of work. The good news is that it means more money coming in. The bad news is that of those four shifts: 2 of them are 9 hr shifts and one of them is on Thanksgiving day-who does that :(. Bryan has most of this week off and then he goes back to working the night shift next week. Bad news is that means that I won't be getting to see much of him during my week off. Good news, he's going to have Friday and Saturday off next week, and I have time this week and next week to finish all of my papers and tests before finals week!

Next semester is already proving to be a complete disaster. Out of the two classes that I needed to graduate, I was only able to get into one. The good news is that it's my senior capstone, the bad news is that if I only take that one class then I won't even be considered as part time so I have to take another pointless class if I want to still get my financial aid. Crappy!

I found out that one of my really good high school friends is flying out to Cali to come spend a little time with me and the hubby out here and then she is going to drive with me back to MN. The bad news is that she recently lost her phone and so now I can't get ahold of her since she only checks her facebook like once a week or less.

Another good news is that I've been looking for a place for Bryan and I to rent for when he get's out and then I plan to join him later. I found this amazing 3 bedroom, two story house to rent in Topeka for only $590 a month! The bad news is that I don't know if they'll be willing to hold it until Bryan moves in in January! Please say a prayer or two that that one works out. It's exactly what we're looking for!

Lastly, Bryan and I have finally set a date for our re-wedding in Kansas next year on June 4, 2011. We're excited to have all of our friends and family together and to do all of the fun wedding things most normal people do. The good news is that I have tons of help from great people helping me out, the bad news is that I don't know exactly how we're going to cut enough costs to pay for it completely by ourselves. This should be interesting.

Hopefully I've had enough good and bad news to off set any of your bad news for the week :P Remember to think about the positives in your life, they make the negatives seem slightly more insignificant.

Sweet life

Told you it would be awhile til my next post. Life has been sunny and cooperating (for a change) here in Fallbrook. Work has been going pretty well, although I have had to call in sick the past couple of days which didn't make them very happy. I'm on day #6 of battling my strep throat, ugh! I've been on a fairly liquid diet for the past week almost and it sucks! On the plus side I think I've lost a few pounds :) Always looking on the bright side of things.

The 235th Marine Birthday Ball was a blast! It was held at the Herrah's casino in Valley Center, CA. There were free kegs so the guys were pretty much set for the entire evening. The ceremony didn't seem quite as long as I thought it was going to be. I decided to wear my same black dress from the previous dine-in since this was going to be with a completely new unit. I did my own hair and called it good. The food was great and the birthday cake was AMAZING! After drinking, gambling, and gas to and from the event, we made it out of there only spending $15 so I was veeerrryyyy happy!

I've learned something amazing about my husband recently, he loves Barns and Noble and Pier 1!!! Oh my gosh there is a God! Lol! He bought me this adorable tea light holder with three penguines stacked on top of each other and two wine glasses with two ribbons of red glass swirled down the sides. After that we went to the mall to go shopping for me! He took me out for dinner in Oceanside, then to the liquor store and picked up two bottles of my favorite wine. We came home, rented some redbox movies, drank wine, and ate ice cream until we fell asleep. Needless to say, this man knows how to make me EXTREMELY happy! (See they can be taught :P jk).

One bummer to this past weekend was that I was supposed to be in MN for my girlfriends bridal showers (one of which I was supposed to co-host!) but I wasn't able to get the time off of work. Although on top of it all, I ended up getting sick with strep so I couldn't work and wouldn't have been able to go to the showers either after all. To top it off I found out that MN has started to get snow!!! ICK!

But with all of this wedding talk floating around my head I decided that I had better kick my butt into gear and start finally officially planning my re-wedding for this next summer. The date has been set for June 4th 2011 (4 days before our 1 yr anniversary) at his aunt Sherian's in Auburn, KS. It'll be a short wedding with a relaxed reception following. We just want everyone to come and have a good time and have it be more like a family bbq than a formal event. Lucky for me, Bryan's sister has so graciously offered to help me out with all of the planning on the KS end of things. It takes a huge load off of my shoulders and helps me focus on the other little details that I need to start hankering down. Invites should be sent out around the middle of April next year. I'm so excited and can't wait to finally meet everyone and have both families together for the first time!

Thanks for sticking in there and reading all the way through this one. Kinda blah I know, but hey, now your up to speed :) Hope everyone is staying warm and remember rule #32 Enjoy the little things!

One long year & one rough week

I don't know about you but I just cannot get over the fact that it's already November and I'm hearing Chrismas music!!! For the first time in my life, I have been blessed to be able to skip the beginning of the fearful fall/winter weather and am still enjoying 90 degree days here in sunny California (yes, this is the part where I'm sure everyone would like to throw mushy fruit at me).

It's been a rough past couple of weeks. Last Tuesday on October 26th marked the one year anniversary of the terrible accident that happened back in Afghanistan for Bryan's previous HMLA-169 unit. He lost his best friend, Greg Fleury, along with 3 others that were important to him. He's tried to recall the event for me numerous times but he can only get so far in the story before he just can't deal with it anymore. It kills me to see him in pain or hurting and know that I can do nothing about it. To celebrate the lives of the 4 men, a bunch of the 169 Vipers (their units name) got together and had dinner at Fleury's favorite restaurant, Olive Garden. Many of them that day remembered Greg by pouring themselves one of his favorite drinks, the "Fleury Cocktail", which consists of Cranberry Juice and Raspberry Vodka. Bryan and I had ours and they were bitter sweet in every way.

At dinner everyone shared a lot of laughs, a few tears, and the bond that glued each of them together was stronger than ever. This bond that they form and share between them, I have come to realize, is something that exceeds what one may share with a best friend or even your closest family member. It can't be broken by outside influences and it lasts forever. It's almost scary to see and know to what lengths they would go for each other.

In 8 days this bond will be even stronger as the entire HMLA 267 unit gets dressed up for the Marine Corps Birthday Ball. This is the big one that everyone usually goes all out for every year. I'm almost more nervous for this one because it's a whole new unit and I will know even less people! This time it's at a casino in northern San Diego, but I'm not sure if the casino is prepared for what's going to hit them! These guys get absolutely CRRAAAAAAZZZYYY!!! I went dress shopping last week and found one that I liked, but after a few conversations with some of the seasoned wives, I've realized that I'm going to have to go a bit more formal for this than originally planned. Tomorrow I'm off to go dress shopping (by myself as usual) and hopefully I'll find something that'll work :)

Another reason why I haven't posted in so long is because I FINALLY got a job! I know that I'm only going to be out here for another month or so, but it's definitely worth it. I'm now a coffee barista at the Starbucks across the street from our apartment. It's ridiculously busy and I've only been doing drinks for a week now but I can make you the best frapuccino you've ever had! The best part is that I get paid every week and I get tips! It's nothing too crazy, but hey it's always better than nothing.

I'm sure it will be a little bit before I post again as I'm playing catch up with school. Since I started my job I've kinda been slacking in the educational department, oops! That and Bryan and I are going to be doing lots of touristy sight seeing in the next couple of weeks trying to spend as much time together as we can before I have to head back to MN. It's getting harder and harder to think about having to leave him again. I can't wait for the day when our long distance relationship is finally over and we can live like a some-what normal married couple. I hope that everyone is having a great week and that they have someone special to cuddle up to to stay warm back in MN. Love and miss you all!

A little catch up!

Wow it's been almost a month since my last post, oops! Tomorrow I will have officially lived in California for a month! It's so crazy to think that this time is flying by this fast. The every day life has been pretty boring. I wake up around 8am my time, have breakfast, do homework and/or run errands til about 1pm, usually by this time Bryan is home from work/checking out of his unit. Then watch TV, make dinner, do a whole lot of nothing, then go to bed and start it all over the next day.

Our weekends are usually pretty entertaining though. We've gone down to San Diego almost every weekend. The second weekend being here we went to the boat races off of Fiesta Island. The weekend after that we went cruising by the ocean and car shopping (more on that later). Then last weekend Bryan, John, Troy, and I went to the air show at the Mira Mar Marine base. I haven't seen the Blue Angels since I was a little girl and my parents took us kids to it up in Duluth! They were pretty amazing, and the guys were happy because they got to look at all of the old planes that were brought in for display on the flightline. Kinda wish I wasn't the only girl when we go out because I can only listen to the guys talk about engines, boobs, and drunken nights for so long!!! At least I had a lot to keep me entertained because that place was packed. I've never seen so many military members in one area at one time. They had the Navy, Army, National Guard, and Marine stations everywhere! It was definitely a good time. The rest of the weekend was spent bumming around the house. We literally watched movies/tv for hours while eating ice cream out of our own cartons of ice cream. I had to put mine down for a little bit while watching The Nutty Professor :P Which if you know me, controlling myself when it comes to ice cream does NOT come easily!

So this past week and a half or so my vehicle has decided that it just hates me. It won't switch gears when I'm driving and doesn't want to excellerate over 50mph. Thank goodness we've got road construction going on so I can't drive it much faster than that anyways. It overheats every other day and I just can't deal with it anymore!!! Hence the car shopping. We've looked at a couple different vehicles and even test drove a few to see how I liked them. I found one I really liked, the scary part is that it's a FORD! I've always been very strongly opposed to the Ford brand as I have had very little luck with any of them. Unfortunately, my husband is the biggest Ford fan in the world. He has begun to sway me over to the dark side (and yes they really do have cookies!) hehe. Now just to deal with the mess of what to do with my car. It's a headache and then some, but we're trying to figure it out to work out the best for us.

Well once again, it's a long one but now I think that catches everyone up on my fun life out here being a Cali girl! I miss everyone so much and I hope that this week brings everyone a little bit of happiness (no matter how big or small).

First official weekend in Cali

It's been so nice to have the sun always shining and my nose not running from the dreaded seasonal allergies when I wake up in the morning! This past weekend was awesome to say the least. Friday I went to my first Marine "Dine-In" with Bryan. It was held for his current 169 unit that will be deploying in late October. It's a formal event so as I mentioned before I got to get all dressed up :) Unfortunately, as my luck would have it, when I went to try my dress on that morning before we left for San Diego to make sure everything would look good together one last time...MY DRESS DIDN'T FIT!!! It fell straight to the floor (even with my extra padded push-up!) I was completely horrified. I had nothing else with me to wear that wasn't short or knee length. For the next couple hours I ran around the city of Fallbrook looking for a long, black, formal dress. Luckily I found one before noon and then had to go straight to my hair appointment.

We left home at 3 and with California traffic, we made it to San Diego (which is only 45 min away) a little after 5! The cocktail hour started at 6 so we didn't have much time to check in to our hotel, change, add final touches, then taxi over to the other hotel where it was held. Unfortunately, I wasn't smart enough to remember to bring with me a smaller purse to hold me camera and cellphone so I wasn't able to take any pictures at the event, but I did get a few before we left. I can't begin to explain to you how intimidating it was walking into a room filled with 350-400+ Marines all dressed in their blues. They ranked all the way from Privates to the head haunchos. I ended up talking to more than a couple of the Commanding Officers and Captains throughout the night and they were all surprisingly pretty laid back and very casual. I made a few new friends quickly at my table so that I had someone else to talk to during the night. It was definitely a night filled with laughs, tears, tradition, and drinking.....lots and lots of drinking!

The next day we left San Diego and came home to do some errands around town. It was a good day to just chill and relax. I got a little bit of homework done and did some planning for our upcoming "re-wedding". Sunday we had some friends over for dinner and I left the cooking up to one of Bryan's friend, John. He made us all amazing chicken curry cutlet with rice and french bread with melted cheese on the top and insides. It was so good I had to take a picture or two :P

So far the rest of this week has been pretty casual. Lots of homework and going to the beach and cooking. I'm really starting to come into my own with it (or so I hope). I will post more later on since this weekend we're going to the boat races in San Diego with some of Bryan's friends. That'll be interesting. I miss everyone from back home sooo much. Keep in touch!

Moving!!!!

It's been over a week since my last post, but I've been sooo busy that I can't seem to keep my days straight anymore, so just a heads up, this one is going to be pretty long :P. This past week has been a non stop rush of packing, driving, and excitement. I had my last day of work for the year at the apartments on Thursday last week which made me really sad. I can't believe I'm going to miss actually going to work. Friday night my little brother drove all the way up to St.Cloud to hang out with me and help me move the next day. We had a ton of fun and I'm already wishing he was out here with me. Saturday was the big moving day. I finished packing everything up bright and early and then we began moving some of my bigger furniture to my friend Megan's house (where I will be staying when I move back to MN). Then came the fun task of fitting everything else into the back seat and trunk of my car! It was a tight fit but we made it with a little breathing room to spare.

After I said my goodbyes to my family and friends, I started on the first part of my journey to Mortin, MN. Megan was of course coming with me to move me out to California and was at Jackpot casino that night for a wedding reception. We both decided it would be best if we stayed the night there and I just crashed the reception ;) It was great to finally meet some of her friends from her "wild days" haha! I even got to see a familiar face at the reception since Shain (Bryan's best friend from the USMC) was the best man. Whats even better is that I finally got to meet his wife, Kathy, whom I've heard sooo much about. After a great night, Meg and I met up with Shain and Kathy, and Kyle and Erica (the bride and groom) for breakfast. It was getting pretty late so we said our goodbyes to them and started again on the long drive back out to Cali for the second time this year.

Megan and I are very lucky that we love and understand each other enough to be able to put up with one another all day every day for at least 5 days straight! We had another successful road trip with lots of laughs and memories made. While driving through Colorado we serenaded "Piece of Sh*t Car" to my oldsmobile after it decided it didn't want to accelorate or drive faster than 45mph!!! Not very fun when you're on an interstate and the speed limit is 75! On top of that, after we got through Las Vegas and into California, the traffic was so stop and go that my car started to over heat about every 3 miles or less so we had to crank the heat and roll down the windows in hopes of catching a breeze to cool off. We were getting pretty dilusional when we started jamming out to Nsync. But I have to say that animal crackers and chocolate frosting has got to be one of the most amazing snacks EVER! We definitely exposed our inner fat girls when we decided to perminantly place the can of frosting in my cup holder.

It may have taken us 31 hours with traffic to get to Cali, but we finally made it in one piece. I knocked on our apartment door and surprised Bryan that we were already there. I can't begin to explain how happy I was to finally see him again or how amazing it felt to be back in his arms. I missed him more than anything this past month. After unloading my vehicle, we showered, changed, and went to find some food for Meg and I. Ben and John had just gotten back from Las Vegas for the long weekend and stopped by to see us and the apartment. I hadn't seen them since June and missed their crazy personalities. The next day we went shopping again for more needed things and later that night I made my first home cooked dinner at the apartment for Meg, John, Bryan, and I. It was my favorite honey bbq chicken breasts, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, and crescent rools mmmmmmm. I was impressed with myself.

On Wednesday Meg and I tried to get some much needed homework done, but do you know how hard it is to concentrate on a book when someone is whistling 10 feet away from you?! I think it'll get better once he's at work every day until the afternoon. Meg got to "play marine" for a bit when Bryan put her in his bulletproof vest and helmet. I was shocked that she didn't fall over from the weight! The three of us went on an adventure with the gps to find some dessert, but after getting lost twice, we decided that dq was probably a safer bet. I had no complaints for that one ;)

This morning was a bit of a sad say when Bryan found out he had "duty" today. This basically means that he has to dress up looking like a Nazi and sit in a TINY office at the barracks in case anyone has any questions or needs any help/ extra room key for their barracks at any time of the day. This is a 24 hr shift so he won't be home until tomorrow at 8am or so :( This sucks BIG TIME since Megan left this afternoon leaving me all alone. I'm sure I'll get used to it, but it doesn't make it any more fun. On the bright side, before Meg left, her and I drove down to Pacific Beach (pb) to soak up some rays at the beach. We ate lunch at this AMAZING little restaurant by the ocean and then found a spot in the sand to park our towels. It didn't really hit me until a couple hours later when I was dropping her off at the airport and hugging her goodbye that this wasn't just another vacation; I actually moved out here and she wasn't going to be staying with me this time. It was the hardest drive back home not having her there. We've been basically inseperable since the first day we met over a year and a half ago and now I just feel lost without her :'(.

So that brings us up to today. It's currently waaaaay too late at night/ early in the morning but I can't seem to fall asleep. Bryan is at work, Megan and the rest of my friends and family are in MN, and here I sit alone in my apartment on the internet. It's kind of a crappy ending to this post but the good news is that the next time I am on I will post pictures of the Marine Formal that is happening on Friday in San Diego. I'm still a litte nervous, but over all very excited. To all of my friends and family, I miss you tons and can't wait to see you again this winter! I hope everyone stays safe and healthy. Until then, see you soon!

Girls night out!

This past weekend was definitely one for the books! Even though I had to work both Saturday and Sunday at the apartments, I definitely found time to hang out with some of my favorite girls and celebrate my moving to Cali. After work Megan, Alisa, Vahna, and Shoutz came over to do a little pre-gaming and had a few laughs with our sweet "tattoos" lol.

After that we decided to head down town and had a few at the Red Carpet. Unfortunately, the band sucked pretty bad and after getting hit on by some unfortunate looking people, we went to try our luck at The Press. Our favorite little bartender was working and we had a blast. Most of us helped out a bachelor on his quest to fulfill as many things on his t-shirt checklist as possible. He was definitely a trooper :) We were even rewarded for our efforts and got free drinks out of it. Later on we would realize that those drinks were definitely what put our heads over the limit and into the toilet :P We made some new friends and ran into old ones too. After crashing back at my place at 4 am, the next morning came waaaaaaaaaaaaay too early! Going to work hung over and trying to function (even for just 4 hours) is ridiculously hard for this girl. Later that night I took a nice long nap, followed by lots and lots of sleep!

It was a night filled with laughs and memories with friends that I'm going to miss sooo much when I leave. I know it's only going to be for 4 months, but when you're leaving a best friend behind, it feels like forever. Make sure to let your friends know just how much you care for them and love them; even if you may want to strangle them from time to time :P

Packing...Day 1

So I finially decided last night that I should probably start packing since I move....ooooh in about 10 days!!! I had just recently done a crap ton of laundry and so I figured I might as well pack up the clean stuff so that I won't have to wash it again before I leave. After a lot of very strategical rolling and stuffing I managed to fit almost all of my clothes into one large and one medium suitcase. I left out enough clothes for the next week and a half and those should all fit in my last smaller suitcase, SUCCESS! In between all of the rolling and packing, I carefully went through all of my clothes and seperated them into three different categories: keep, toss, Goodwill. I've definitely learned to embrace the phrase "one person's junk is another person's treasure".

This morning I decided to start attacking the kitchen appliances and utensils that I don't use on a daily basis. Lucky for me, I can still use my roommates stuff in the mean time. I am hoping to be able to fit everything I own into 10 boxes and 3 suitcases. This may be wishful thinking, but I'm going to do my best to try!

On top of beginning my packing adventures, I have officially started my last year of college at SCSU this past Monday! I'm taking 4 online classes (2 of which my best friend Megan is also taking) to keep myself on track to graduate in the spring next year. I found out that I have to take one 150 question test and another 90 question test and that's ALL that's required for the entire semester!!! This semester will hopefully be fairly easy on me since I know I'm not going to want to study the second my husband comes home from work!

Earlier this week I recieved some good news and some bad news. The good news was that Bryan was heading back to Pendleton and leaving 29 Palms (aka a desert in the middle of no where). I have been able to text him during the day and talk to him every night since. I can't begin to explain how happy I am when I see his name and picture light up every time he calls :). The bad news is the reason he had to leave was because the entire setting was so realistic and similar to his times being deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan that he was having troubles with it on all levels. I can't help but worry about him and the rest of the guys that are still out there. There is so much more that goes on over seas that us back home never hear about. As Bryan puts it, "People don't want to hear about the nitty gritty things that have to happen in order to keep us all safe. Every single Marine (and military person) entirely believes in what they're fighting for, and that is to keep the war as far away from their friends and families back home as possible."

I realize that I take so much for granted. I need to remember that only two defining forces have ever offered to die for me: Jesus Christ and the American soldier. One died for my soul, the other for my freedom (I read this quote somewhere and thought it quite fitting). I hope that everyone is having a great day, and that you take the time as some point during your week to really count your blessings.

Last minute shopping success

Once again I was excited and surprised to get to talk to Bryan on Monday night. He filled me in on "playing marine" out in b.f.e (bum f. egypt) and also to pass along some last minute info. He informed me that there was a Marine Ball coming up on Friday, September 10th. This is a very formal event for the marines where the men wear their dress blues and the women wear floor length gowns. From what I've gathered through doing a little research and talking with other military wives it's supposed to be a night to honor and celebrate the Marines and gives them another reason to party and drink til the cows come home!

Now I'm not sure just how long he knew about all of this, but he didn't feel the need to pass any of it along my way until only 3 weeks before hand. If you're a girl and you've ever tried to get ready for prom, you know that this kind of thing takes time! On top of it all, being the middle of August, it's still too far away from homecomming season for anything floor length and prom season doesn't really start until November. Most places take up to 3 weeks alone just to oder the dress and get it rush delivered. I was going into panic mode when after searching every store in St.Cloud I found literally NOTHING that would work! Luckily I have an amazing friend to counter balance my psychotic episodes who drove us both down to the Mall of America today to try our luck there. 6 hours later and this is what we've come up with!

You honestly have no idea how hard it was to find a long black dress that was not covered in glitter or showed more skin than a bakini! More than that, this all was very last minute for something that people take months to get ready for and was definitely not in the budget. I found both the dress and the shoes on clearance and am hoping that I can borrow some cute jewelry to complete the look. Not sure if I want to go with something black and chunky or more diamond looking. Now just to get those arms in some sort of shape other than round and I should be set!

I'm nervous and excited for the ball because I've obviously never been to one before and everyone says that they're a blast. On the other hand, I will have only been out there for a whopping 4 days and will know almost absolutely NO ONE! Being a newbie is also another very intimidating factor. Some military wives have been known to be very judgemental of other wives or girlfriends joining their groups. It's like being in high school all over again, ugh! I am honestly just hoping to have fun, spend some time with Bryan and his friends, and not make myself into an embarassing spectacle where everyone points and laughs. Again, I'm feeling very small and intimidated by all of this and it has a tendency to freak me out at random times during the day. So I'm crossing my fingers and saying a few prayers about this one.

3 weeks!!!

This past week has seemed to fly by without me realizing it once again. It was filled with work, great friends, emotional rollercoasters, and lots of planning. I recieved the BEST news on Monday when my award letter for financial aid finally came in. After 3 years of having to take out faaaaaaar too much in loans, this year I recieved enough aid in GRANTS (meaning I don't have to pay back a penny) to completely cover my senior year of college!!! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! I'm a bit overly enthusiastic about that fact. As awesome as that is, I still decided to take out a little bit in loans to cover some of my added moving expenses and to put some away in savings to begin building a little bit of a cushion. I can't begin to explain in words the relief I felt when I seen this. I'm able to pay off some unexpected bills that recently came up and be a little more stress free about our finances :D.

On top of that, I made my latest purchase on craigslist once again and found a great dining room table and four chairs for a great price. I will hopefully be picking those up later this weekend. Everything is really starting to fall into place and I couldn't be happier. My next big step is to start efficiently packing everything back up and in nice little boxes. I have moved so many times already that by this time next year I will be putting my foot down and parking my butt where ever the heck it is (well, unless it's in Nebraska or Iowa, ugh!).

I have recently been developing my new ideas for Bryan and I's "re-wedding" for next June. The date has tenitively been set for June 11th 2011. It's the closest weekend we could come to our original wedding date (6/8/10). It will be in Auborn, Kansas which is Bryan's hometown. I know it's going to be asking a lot of my family to make the 9 or so hour drive down but it means a lot to Bryan and I'm kind of excited to be once again getting married in another state. Side note: This may become a new hobby of ours :P. The only set back on the date is that it just happens to be his parents 28th year anniversary. I wouldn't want to take away from them or interupt any plans they may have already made for themselves, so until we get the yay or nay from them we're pretty much stuck in detail mode.

The countdown is officially at 22 days until I leave for Cali, giving me 3 weeks left in MN. I have 3 weeks to see family and friends, pack up all my crap, work almost every day, and finish changing my name on everything. It's going to be crazy busy but I can't wait to see my husband again, especially after getting a surprise phone call from him last night!

I have kind of come to the realization that it seems impossible for me to write a short post. I'm going to have to work on that one. Also want to say a quick congrats to my best friend's sister Anne who is getting married today! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend :)

And the countdown begins..

As of July I have made a pretty big decision about the upcoming months ahead of me. I will be saying goodbye to Minnesota until late December and heading off to California for what I like to think of as an "extended vacation". All of my classes this semester are online so there isn't much to do but go to work and sit at home here in the cold. So instead I am going to spend my days after work relaxing on the beach, soaking up a few rays, and spending every chance I get with my husband. Of course I'll be doing homework and such too, but when you've got wireless internet the possiblilities are endless as to where I want to do it!

In exactly 27 days I will be making the ridiculous 30 hr drive to Cali. I'm so lucky to have great company along for the ride. My little brother will be driving his truck and hauling the u-haul out there with the majority of my stuff, and my best friend, Megan, will be helping me switch driving on and off. It's going to be a LONG trip but more than worth it! I haven't even thought about starting to pack yet, but I'm sure the ambition will hit me eventually. The scarriest part is that I'm going to be doing most of this without contact from Bryan. He will be in 29 Palms for deployment training (which I think is absolutely stupid since he's not being deployed anymore anyways) and since it's in the middle of a desert, I have a feeling he won't be getting much cellphone reception out there. Those 3 weeks are going to be the longest and hardest weeks I've had in a long time.

I've just recently bought a matching couch and love seat that are a deep chocolate brown microfiber for our apartment. Now just to find a decent kitchen table with chairs, end tables, TV and TV stand, a few lamps, bathroom decor, and some extra blankets and I should be pretty set and good to go. If anyone knows of anyone getting rid of any of these items, I would really appreciate a heads up. Until then, I'll continue with my search on craigslist and pendeltonyardsales.com.

That's all for today. I suppose I should be getting some sleep since I work bright and early tomorrow. I hope everyone has a great rest of their weekend and is living life to the fullest.

My 5 days of heaven!

It's been a week or so since I've posted last but I've had a good excuse for slacking, I promise! Last week Tuesday I got up bright and early to drive down to the cities to go pick up my amazing husband at the airport. I've been waiting, very impatiently I might add, to see him for the past almost 2 months! From that moment on for the next 5 days I was in my own little world and happier than I ever thought I could be. He got to meet some of the most important people in my life, and even though it may have been a bit overwhelming for him, he did it all with a smile and a few laughs. More than once I would wish that we had more time so that he could meet everyone. There are still so many people that I want him to meet.

We had lunch with "grandma and grandpa" (Lene and Bob) at our traditional Pizza Ranch. After that I brought him to work to meet everyone and most importantly to re-unite him and Megan after 4 long months of not seeing each other! She was so happy and surprised that she shoved me out of the way to run and give him a huge hug! Since she is the only other person in MN that Bryan knows, I made sure that we got to see her as much as possible. That night he also got to meet Vahna, Alisa, and Shoutz as we had our own little party at their place.

Wednesday came fast and after eating yummy pancakes for breakfast (yes I actually cooked), we ran some errands, and then I had to unfortunately work from 2-8 that night. It was the longest 6 hour shift of my life! It was totally worth it because while I was away at work, he was at home making homemade spaghetti and meat sauce with fresh baked cheesy french bread! It was sooooo good!!! Making a mental note that I'll have to let him cook more often ;)

Thursday morning came early and Megan picked me up for work while he continued to sleep. It felt like the clock just wouldn't move. Finally my boss kicked me out of work so that I could spend time with my husband! Have I ever mentioned that I love my boss :) We went to Litch so that he could meet my mom, had lunch with my brother, and then hung out at my cousin Jeremy's place for a little while before we headed up to Grand Casino Mille Lacs for a night alone at the casino. That jacuzzi suite was HUGE but best of all it was free!!!! (Thank you)

We had to leave early the next day to drive all the way down to Hutchinson to meet my sister and brother-in-law for lunch. We ate at the yummy Zella's in town (thank goodness they had a form of mac and cheese or we would have been stuck with McDonalds). I never noticed before just how much alike him and Mat are, it's pretty scary to be honest. After running around and doing more errands I got my fix of DQ by getting a large twist cone. There is ALWAYS room for DQ, but that doesn't mean you're going to feel great afterwards. So we putzed around Litch some more waiting for my dad to get off of work so we could meet him for supper at the Legion. I was shocked just how much Bryan got my dad talking. It was pretty funny to watch. Then it was back home again to cloud to see Megan and Wade one last time before he left. I couldn't believe that I was already saying that. It broke my heart to know that this was the last chance he'd get to see Meg for who knows how long, it was the last night for at least another month until I'd get to tell him goodnight in person, my happy world was coming to an end so quickly and I didn't know how to grab ahold of the time and make it stop :'( It was hard to try and stay positive when I knew the inevitable was just around the corner.

Saturday we woke up fairly early and I made us breakfast again. We lounged around until we had to go to the bank, but unfortuantely I think we lounged a bit too long since we got there literally a minute after the bank closed, darn. There was a nice surprise added to our day when we got to talk and catch up with one of his best friends for about 25 minutes that afternoon. Shain was so jelous that Bryan was here in St.Cloud and he wasn't (especially since MN is his home state and he's out in Colorado). I guess you snooze you lose buddy :P We made it a point for the rest of the afternoon to spend as much time together doing as little as possible. So we took a stroll down Munsinger Gardens and made some plans for our upcoming re-wedding next year until he had to leave. I've never hated that drive to the cities more in my life! It was just as hard if not harder on the drive back. When I got back to my apartment and walked in my room all I could think was that was just here and now he's gone. It's going to be a LOOOOOOOONNNNNGGGG month until I get to see him again, but it's always worth it in the end.

Now it's Sunday and I've been having the worst beginning of the week ever. I did the over night shift last night and was supposed to be done at 6 but the person who was supposed to relieve me didn't come until 6:45! I got about 2 hours of sleep only to come to work at the apartments and get yelled at by people all day who can't move in to their apartment because they're too much of a procrastinator to get their heads out of their butts and turn in a freakin piece of paper!!! AHHHHH!!! Any ways, here's to hoping that the rest of my week gets better. (will add pics later)

Weird Day

So today is a wierd day for me. I've been at work for the past 5 hours and haven't felt like myself all day. This could in part be from the fact that I had laid awake in bed last night for 6 hours, leaving me with getting only 2 hours of decent sleep. I have so much to do before next Tuesday morning when I get to pick up my hubby from the air port! I knew that this wasn't going to be easy, but I didn't realize just how much I would miss the little things. So I just keep reminding myself that it won't last much longer.

In amongst to getting everything ready for Bryan I have been learning a few tricks of the trade from my blogging guru Megan on how to spruce up my blog. It's needing a lot of work! Hopefully I will get the hang of this whole html crap eventually.

I also feel this nagging piece inside of me that's telling me that something is missing. I have this sudden need to find a different church. I haven't been getting as much out of the sermons and readings as I used to and I'm wondering if it's just that I need someone to explain them a little differently to me or if I'm just not getting them any more. It sucks because I have no one to go with and usually am only able to make it on the weekends that I work at the group home and can take the guys with me. This is just another thing to add to my wonderfully long list of things to do.

So as it stands I plan to finish my last 2 1/2 hours of work, work out (more like work off the cookies I just ate), go to a baseball game with some friends, and then head home to do some more cleaning and re-organizing. I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and is living life to the fullest.

So good to be home!

It's now Wednesday and life has been craziness ever since I got home. Here's a crazy recap of my amazing weekend vacation with my sister:

Thursday: Our dad drove us to the airport very very early so that we could check in and make it to our gates with enough time to stop at a Starbucks for Bren. When we finally landed in New York the weather was hot and muggy, two things I was not excited for. We checked into our hostel and began the long walk down Central Park towards 5th Ave where did some much needed shopping and of course made our stops at Tiffany and Co. and H&M. Only we could find an AMAZING sale on 5th Ave and walk out with dresses under $7 and 2 for $5 t-shirts! We hit time square right away and HOLY CRAP THAT PLACE IS HUGE!!!

We ate at a couple dinky diners around the area and then decided to try out the subway to get back to our hostel....BAD IDEA! I have never been so confused by a mode of transportation in my LIFE! We had no clue if we wanted 1, 6, or 7, or if we needed to get on A, B, or C???? We asked like 3 different people and got 3 different answers. It was hot, we were tired and sweaty and just wanted to crawl into bed already so our patience was running a little thin! We eventually made it home (by some grace of God) and did a little evening planning before we went to bed.

Friday: We were up by 4:30am in order to get showered and ready and make it down to Rockefeller Center by 5:30 in order to get in line for the Today show and see Enrique Iglesias perform for the Toyota Concert Series. We found our way up towards the middle front by the time the concert started. He surprised us all when he had Pitbull make a guest appearance for his song "I Like It". I was lucky enough to be close to the sides and was able to give them both a high five as they walked by. I also got to shake Ann Curry's hand when she passed us. He ended the concert with the song "Hero" and serenaded one lucky lady. It was pretty intense and he planted a big one on her at the very end of the song. I think every woman in the crowd would have killed to be her at that point! It was the highlight of the day for me! We spent more time bumming around Time Square and we decided to walk all the way back to our hostel that night (only 60 some blocks!).

Saturday: We decided to try the subway one more time on Saturday morning and it was a complete success!!! We got our Starbucks and waited in line to get student rush tickets for the afternoon showing of Chicago at the Ambassador Theater. We were in luck and they were only $36.50 a piece! Our first great deal of the day. We bummed around for a bit, ate lunch, and then went to the show. It was absolutely awesome! What made it even better was that we decided we wanted to class it up a bit since we were going to see a broadway show. We went to the bar at the theater and ordered a glass of wine each, what came next completely made our day. They gave it to us in a collectors cup and popped a sippy cup lid of sorts on top. It looked like we were drinking out of to-go coffee mugs :P

Sunday: It was our last full day in New York so we started out the day by going to The Met. It was so ridiculously enormous but it was filled with so many amazing pieces of history. We both really enjoyed the Egyptian exibit and the Women's Fashion exibit. After that it was off to SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown, but not before finding Tom Colicchio's restaurant. Craft Bar has got to be the best food I have ever eaten in my entire life!!!! It was amazing and we were completely stuffed by the time that we left. After all that excitement, we buzzed back up to Time Square one last time and bought a few momentos for ourselves and a few others. Once we got back to the hostel we repacked our bags, got ready for bed, and said good night to NYC for the last time.

Monday: This was my least eventful day. We got up, got ready, hailed a taxi and headed for the airport. I said goodbye to Bren since she was in a different terminal and boarded my two uneventful flights back to MN. Bren on the other hand was stuck in NY because of weather and didn't get out until 9:30PM!! She wasn't too happy about that. I absolutely LOVED my trip with my sister but I am so happy to be home and sleeping in my own bed again! Wow this one did get a little long, oops. It's now Wednesday and I hope that everyone is having a great week!

My next adventure!

It finally hit me this morning that I'm actually going to be in New York in about 24 hours!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!! I finshed most of my packing last night before I went to work. It's just me and my sister in the big apple for 5 days :). What we're most looking forward to is:

• Doing some touristy sight seeing at the empire state building, central park, and time square
• Eating at one of Tom Colicchio's lunch restaurants
• Window shopping down 5th Ave
• Walking into Tiffany & Co. (Brenda will be in heaven!)
• Having the experience of staying in a hostel (Jazz on the Park, NY)
• Going to the MET and seeing a show on Broadway
• Spending time together with my sister :)

I will make sure to take lots of pictures and I know that I will have a great time! Until then, adios!

Weekend Fun

What better start to a great weekend than going out for drinks with friends?! After work on Friday, Megan and I decided that we were in need of few drinks so we hit up Applebees for some yummy half price apps and margaritas/ long islands. I don't usually drink on any sort of regular basis so I have a very low tolerance level to alcohol. I should have known better that this night wouldn't end well when I start it with tequilla. For those of you who don't know, me and Jose don't get along very well (he's usually not invited to the party). After that we decided to go downtown for a bit where rum and yag follwed. The next morning wasn't too bad though. Worked at the group home from 8-3. Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it to the family reunion on Saturday which was a total bummer. I was really looking forward to seeing some family from out of state that I haven't seen in a long time :(. Sunday I work again and then I'm headed back to Litchfield to watch the queen's coronation and visit with my dad.

On an exciting note, I just got the news that Bryan's leave was approved for the end of this month!!! He will be here from the 27th to the 31st and I am going crazy waiting for these next two weeks or so to just be here already! What's even more exciting is that I found my ring this past week. Unfortunately it's a little bit more than we'd wanted to pay so I decided to continue my search and found an amazing ring for a ridiculously great deal! I'm in love with it and haven't been able to take my eyes off of it! It's definitely not something you'd see every day but that's what I love most about it. It's so unique and it's 100% ME!

Next big freak out!

For those of you who don't know, I'm the kind of person that needs to plan things out and be in control, or at least try to be. When I'm not I do the only thing I know how to do, FREAK OUT!!! I have anxiety attacks frequently. My latest reason to put me over the top is that I haven't been able to find my 2009 tax information and without it I can't apply for my fafsa, meaning I can't figure out how I'm going to pay for school, meaning I'M SCREWED! To make matters worse, in order to figure out how to get a copy of my tax information I'd have to call my ex and/or his parent. I'm too chicken shit to even attempt the second option. I'm not having a good day :(
On the bright side, I had the day off and spent two hours laying out by the pool, and now I'm spending the evening with one of my favorite ladies, Nicole. We've got a fun filled evening of watching movies, doing laundry, and ordering pizza! Hopefully it'll be enough to turn my day around.

Happy 4th!

It's finally the 4th of July, the weather is fairly decent, most of my friends and family are out and about, and here I sit stuck at work until 5 tonight! Ugh, not my idea of fun. On the bright side, I have the next two and a half days off of work so I'm hoping that I'll get to see my new cousin Madison!!! I hear she is very healthy and has lots of hair :)
On a side note, I'm a huge history buff and I can't help but imagine what the world would be like today if we hadn't written up and signed that shabby piece of paper we like to call the Decleration of Independence so many years ago. It's definitely a lot to wrap your head around. Thinking of every freedom we take for granted on a daily basis almost makes me sad. I think I will have to add that to my list of goals that I've started writing (so far I'm up to 75).
I hope that everyone stays safe, eats lots of food, watches a few fireworks, and has a great 4th of July :)

Let's start from the beginning..

So this is my first attempt at trying to keep the rest of my friends and family updated with my life by means other than in person, over the phone, or facebook. I began 2010 as a completely different person than I am now, well, sort of. I was living with and engaged to my high school sweetheart, planning our May wedding, starting the spring semester classes of my junior year of college, researching towns to call home for my new family, all while working about 2 1/2 jobs! Needless to say, life got pretty darn stressful at times. I was in desperate need to get away from the MN dreary weather when the opportunity to take a once in a life time road trip to California with my best friend fell into our laps. There was no way I could say no to that, heck it was my idea in the first place!
On that trip: I seen the amazing scenery of the West, laid out on an actual beach, made two new friends, learned more about myself as a person, had the BEST time of my life with Megan, changed my entire perspective on happiness, and ended up finding someone that I thought never existed. It was a bit of an eye opener for me when I returned back to MN and took a good look at my life. Things weren't the way that I had always wanted or hoped that they would be, so I started making some changes. Just little ones at first, and then eventually the biggest one of all. I ended my engagement, moved into a new apartment with a complete stranger, and began falling in love all over again with out wasting much time. Crazy I know, but I was finally starting to truly feel happy with myself and my life for the first time in a long time. This of course didn't come without bumps and bruises, but that's why I am so lucky to have some of the amazing friends that I do.
So after making two more trips out to California to see Bryan, we decided that we never wanted to spend another day of our lives without each other. With that, he proposed, and we were married three days later on Del Mar beach near Oceanside, California. We are well aware that we jumped head first into this crazy long distance marriage, but we know we can do it. He is unable to move here since he is finishing up his active service in the Marines at Camp Pendelton, and I have one more year left of college. We have what I like to call a "frequent flyers relationship" but that too will end soon enough.
I am now down to just 2 jobs, working full time this summer, and spending as much time with my friends and family as possible. I know that this post got a little long, but like I said, A LOT has happened in these past 5 months and it just wouldn't be fair to keep you in the dark :) I will do my best to post frequently. Until then, I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July weekend!
~Bridget Conwell~