A Military Wife

 This is floating around facebook and I love it. I miss my hubby, but I am proud of him!
If he re-enlists...I'll be there to follow gladly. And if he doesn't...I'll still follow:) Love you Ryan!

A Military Wife

Lots of moving...
Moving...
Moving...
Moving far from home...
Moving two cars, three kids and one dog...all riding with HER of course.
Moving sofas to basements because they won't go in THIS house;
Moving curtains that won't fit;
Moving jobs and certifications and professional development hours.
Moving away from friends;
Moving toward new friends;
Moving her most important luggage: her trunk full of memories.

Often waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting...
Waiting for housing.
Waiting for orders.
Waiting for deployments.
Waiting for phone calls.
Waiting for reunions.
Waiting for the new curtains to arrive.
Waiting for him to come home, For dinner...AGAIN!

They call her 'Military Dependent', but she knows better:
She is fiercely In-Dependent.

She can balance a check book;
Handle the yard work;
Fix a noisy toilet;
Bury the family pet...
She is intimately familiar with drywall anchors and toggle bolts.
She can file the taxes;
Sell a house;
Buy a car;
Or set up a move... .....all with ONE Power of Attorney.

She welcomes neighbors that don't welcome her.
She reinvents her career with every PCS;
Locates a house in the desert, The Arctic, Or the deep south.
And learns to call them all 'home'.
She MAKES them all home.

Military Wives are somewhat hasty...
They leap into:
Decorating,
Leadership,
Volunteering,
Career alternatives,
Churches,
And friendships. They don't have 15 years to get to know people.
Their roots are short but flexible.
They plant annuals for themselves and perennials for those who come after them.

Military Wives quickly learn to value each other:
They connect over coffee,
Rely on the spouse network,
Accept offers of friendship and favors.
Record addresses in pencil...

Military Wives have a common bond:
The Military Wife has a husband unlike other husbands; his commitment is unique.
He doesn't have a 'JOB'
He has a 'MISSION' that he can't just decide to quit...
He's on-call for his country 24/7.
But for her, he's the most unreliable guy in town!
His language is foreign
TDY
PCS
OPR
SOS
ACC
BDU
ACU
BAR
CIB
TAD
And so, a Military Wife is a translator for her family and his.
She is the long- distance link to keep them informed;
the glue that holds them together.

A Military Wife has her moments:
She wants to wring his neck;
Dye his uniform pink;
Refuse to move to Siberia;
But she pulls herself together.
Give her a few days,
A travel brochure,
A long hot bath,
A pledge to the flag,
A wedding picture,
And she goes.
She packs.
She moves.
She follows.

Why?
What for?
How come?
You may think it is because she has lost her mind.
But actually it is because she has lost her heart.
It was stolen from her by a man,
Who puts duty first,
Who longs to deploy,
Who salutes the flag,
And whose boots in the doorway remind her that as long as he is her Military Husband,
She will remain his military wife.
And would have it no other way.

--Author Unknown

So here I sit at midnight

Both the kids are asleep, but me ...oh no . There are numerous reasons of course.
1) I put off packing for our short trip to the ville  and decided to do it tonight instead of in the morning (not done though)
2) baby #3 inside is moving quite a bit
3) yea only a picture can describe

yes thats my current bed..

so where am I? sitting BESIDE the bed LOL. I should go get in the FULL size bed with Dustin.. or maybe pick her up and  carry her there.. lol. Maybe I will later.

I have a dr appt tomorrow.. yay for being 20 weeks ! Halfway there if this baby decides to be different and stay in the full 40 weeks. Then the kids have dr appts Friday morning. We just cant seem to shake this horrible cough from the crud from about a month ago.. we have tried everything. 

My kids had fun playing super heros today:) 

I've already ate two peanut butter sandwiches tonight but Im hungry already..again .. SO i best get something and find my way to bed. Tomorrow will come early.  

Sure wish the hubby was online!  Hope he is sleeping well !!!!! <3 u ryan!

Adjusting to Deployment life

I know I know its been three months since I did a personal post. Lets just say , we've been busy.. adjusting!  For one, Ryan's been gone and we miss him terribly. And for second, We are Expecting again!  Found out just weeks after we got here. As of right now we are expecting Smith baby GIRL (as long as that's confirmed at my appt in Jan) come May 20!'

 I haven't really been  in the Christmas mood this year.. it just isn't the same without Ryan here. Ive really tried to be though for the kids! But I CAN say Ive gotten all their presents. even though I never feel like its enough LOL. I'll just be glad to be a family again:) THAT will be the ultimate present . I get to talk to my husband quite often .. but never for more than a little bit so we don't really get to discuss a WHOLE lot.. now and then it'll be for a bit longer. These "hey , how are you, I love you ,bye" conversations just don't cut it. But I AM thankful for them. So thankful for technology.

Bows-N-Ties.com

Since I'm not really a "tie wearer" and my husband isn't available:) I talked my dad into being my model/tie wearer. It didn't take much convincing since this was such a nice tie. Bows n Ties has a WIDE selection of high quality ties available at a great price because they import directly and there are no middle-men. Each of these ties is handmade from finest Jacquard woven silk.

I'm pleased to say that he really enjoyed his tie and it looked awesome! He got tons of compliments on it at church and Im sure it has become a favorite in his collection!
Along with the already great price from Bows n Ties, they have given me a special 20% discount to share! The code is "TR239YU". This will give you a 20% storewide discount at Bows-N-Ties.com

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Halloween Treats/ Trick Or Treat Cookies from Smiley Cookie

   We received the best little treat in the mail the other day ! The perfect gift for this season! These Halloween Gifts are round little cookies  painted like mini Jack O Lanterns. Both the kids gobbled these down and I dont think they lasted more than a couple of days here, But my girl def enjoyed them the most! I managed to sneak a few for myself so I can really say they were great! These cookies are nut free, kosher, and UNDER 100 calories. :)

These nut free, gourmet mini Jack O Lantern Cookies are the perfect Halloween treats for your family, a spooky party, a kids Halloween treat or for neighborhood Trick or Treaters! They are the perfect size for little hands but big enough to for adults to love too. These Halloween Cookies are also available individually wrapped mini Jack O Lanterns available on their site for this Halloween. You can use the coupon code "BLOG10" at checkout to get 10% of any of our unwrapped Halloween cookie gifts!

 Visit SMILEY COOKIE at http://www.smileycookie.com/  for all your cookie needs:) They have cookies for other holidays as well!


I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Back in Bama

Well here we are, me and the kids back in Alabama. Trying to get settled in and away from the big city again. I have to say... I've always enjoyed being out in the country, but I sure do miss my husband. He is finally at his end destination of his deployment.. and is getting settled in his work routine. I like that because I know a little better when to expect  him online. I just don't sleep great anymore :( Got the kids sleeping together in one room..and me alone in another:(. 
Hoping this deployment goes by fast. Thank goodness for Skype and the internet.. I don't know how people dealt back when there was no technology.
Pictures from this Sunday morning

One thing I do love is being back at my home church.:)  Always nice to be around good people:)

Packaway boxes review

Packaways is a brand new Storage Box that ships and stores in the flat position. When needed, simply press on opposing corners and the bottom "Automatically" folds into place and locks. When not in use, simply press on the bottom and the box folds back down flat for easy, out of the way storage. Ideal for homes, apartments or living quarters where use is intermitent and space is tight. Many applications: Moving; Back To School; Organizing The Kids' Rooms; Basement or Garage; Seasonal Items, etc. You can color code your things or have the colors match your decor. Proudly made in the U.S.A. from durable corrugated plastic. Great for harsh storage conditions or long-term storage since moisture and humidity won't effect the integrety of the boxes. Will last hundreds of cycles under normal circumstances. Many, many useful applications. Comes with 2 Wipe Away Panels that allow you to conveniently identify the contents of the box. If you use China Dry Erase Markers, you can simply Wipe Away the previous contents and remark the box.

I was very excited to get my packaway boxes! They came just in time since me and my husband were putting everything in storage. Im moving home while he is deployed and spent a lot of time packing things up. My boxes came in a flat cardboard box but they assembled quickly and effortlessly.

I like that they are square like a box and not rounded like those plastic bins with lids. You can pack more things when the whole container is the same shape . The wipeaway panels were very convienent.. This way I can reuse the boxes and write what I change the contents to. I love that they collapse flat when not in use. That means no empty boxes sitting around, I can fold them up and slide them under the bed or stick them in between things. That way they will not be in the way, I wont want to get rid of them, and I will still have them the next time I need them!
I also love that you dont need tape or anything to put these together!

You can  purchase these at
http://www.packaways.com
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.