Look Who's Home!!!!!!!!

Thank you Heather for your wonderful post. I haven't had a chance to update here since. It's been a little crazy around here. Thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers! Matt came home safe and sound a little after 11pm on Tuesday, July 15. I know some of you wanted to be a fly on the wall to see our reunion, so here are a lot of pictures (the good, the bad, and the ugly...just trying to be real? :)) to help you feel like you were there:


On my way out to the flightline to wait for their plane.


I was just shaking...waiting for Matt and it was a little chilly. The whole day felt like the day before our wedding. I was so excited and jittery and couldn't make the time go any faster. It was just a little disappointing to me not having all 8 of my bridesmaids around to help distract me. Instead, I went for a couple walks to the Marine Mart, went for a run on the track, and watched countless episodes of old shows on TVLand and Jon and Kate plus 8.
















A reporter from a military newspaper took our picture and our information. He told us we take a good picture...hmmm, apparently not all of the time.




Matt was eager to put his real wedding band back on. That was an exciting moment.


A little sarcastic look because this picture was retaken...Matt was too quick at taking the ring, the photographer wasn't ready.







We made it!!!

Family Reunion Part 2

The rest of the week was a blur. Here are a few pictures and fuzzy videos for entertainment. What a family!


Chrissy and I after playing a lot of volleyball.

Crazy Uncles!

This is where they sat during the softball game. Right behind the pitcher!





In need of some help...except Bethany



From some of the littlest to some of the biggest...all willing to pitch in!


I'm trying to figure out that whole slideshow thing for more pictures...but having some difficulties.

*I love you Man!! We wish you were there! I'll see you next week!!!

That Family Reunion

I thought I'd share some highlights from my family reunion last week. The fun just keeps on comin. The reunion was from Sunday till Saturday in Michigan, and now I'm spending the week in Indiana. Early next week, I fly out to California. Did you HEAR THAT? I mean, did you READ THAT?? I'm going to be with Matt again NEXT WEEK!!!

Monday
When us cousins get together, this usually happens:

Again, I apologize for the quality of my videos. You can bear it or skip it.
Don't we look like so much fun? Bethany thinks so.



Also on Monday, my 11 year old cousin prayed before lunch. "Thank You Lord for the food and for everybody who prepared it....well, not everybody..." He corrected himself because not everyone had prepared the food, but we found it pretty funny.

The men (and I hear a few ladies) helped to build? a brand new sand volleyball court for the camp and for all to enjoy. Most of the ladies worked hard, ahem, sitting in chairs watching the men work...


...but we all joined together to pick a rock or two out of the dirt to do our part.

I realize we are not lifting with our knees (those big heavy rocks could strain our backs of course), but that's because the idea was to get us all in the action, possibly with our rear ends out. Yeah, our family is weird! Apparently, we don't coordinate or cooperate well either. It sure did turn out nicely! We played I don't know how many games every day that lead to many sunburns.

Tuesday
Some of the young girl cousins organized a nail polish party with verbal invitations to Room 5. Well, every female cousin, aunt, and even Grandma came, so Room 5 became the great outdoors! That was better for the smell anyway. We had a wonderful time with a "foot washing service" (6 girls crammed into a shower to wash our dirty feet together) just before the party began. Everything is more fun together (yes, it was just our feet).

This was my Grandma and Aunt Sharon's (maybe Aunt Amber's too) first time EVER getting their nails painted. My sister-in-law Sarah made sure to choose an eye sore of a color for Aunt Sharon's nails to make the most of the occasion. I think Grandma secretly enjoyed herself, even though she said Grandpa would be rolling in his grave. She even had my cousin Phoebe redo a couple nails that were globby. That Grandma cracks me up!

Waiting in Excitement...and a little Frustration

Here we are! Waiting!!...


...And not in control!


(If you want to see more of the little ones, go to the next post)

Yup, that's right! Even though the pictures are not of me :), it's the way I feel. I'm waiting for that time when I'll be with Matt again, but I'm not in control of when that will be! (Annabeth is figuring out that tongue and those hands) It is looking like sometime between 2 and 3 weeks, Matt will be stateside again!!! I am just...ecstatic and antsy and unproductive! haha Sometimes it is difficult not knowing and not being in control, but we know Who is! Just this morning, I read a wonderful post about waiting in the Lord, "When Waiting is Hard." You can find it over at Seven Matters. She words it very well, and I relate!

I am keeping myself busy, packing away but gladly distracted by any little ones who come around this way. Sunday I leave for our family reunion, and am so excited! I'm riding down with Megan, my cousin Matt's wife, and my cousin Bethany. It's sure to be a fun ride...yes, with country music too Matt (Don't you wish you could enjoy that?)! That will be out in Michigan with as many family members as can come. Dad's one of 10 kids...that means lots of cousins, lots of laughing, and lots of fun! Here are most of the cousins 2 years ago, minus a few unable to be there and at least one not born yet, and minus all spouses of cousins and now their children:


I love my family so much. We always have a great time together, and us girl cousins are like sisters!


Bethany and Chrissy on top, Sarah and I below...they were all bridesmaids in our wedding...and sooo special to me! Of course, my other cousins, and their spouses are special too!

Then I will be spending more time with Chrissy, her husband, Nathan, and Sarah and the rest of Uncle Paul's family out in Indiana. There, I will have some more welcomed distraction, while I wait to hear when Matt is leaving, so I can book my ticket last minute and welcome him home! (That's the plan anyway...to make it in time to welcome him.)

Packing is proving to be ...interesting. I need things for camping at the reunion that I don't need in California and vice versa (not a fan of that term either). And if you know me, you know I'm not a light packer! What can I say? My mom trained me well! Anytime I left the house, and it was like 95 degrees, I was told to bring a sweatshirt because it may get cool. So, I pack for every possible situation rain or shine, snow or desert drought..hehe...though it seems when situations arrive, I still am not quite as prepared as maybe I could've been.

Yes, that does mean blogging will have to take a vacation too. I'm sure many pictures and funny stories will come....and then....I'LL BE WITH MY HUSBAND! That might be when the real break begins, but you never know. I will have lots of free time while he's working. SOOOOOO EXCITED!!!! Now, if I could just know when to book a ticket before the prices get even more outrageous!

*I love you Man! I'll be seeing you soon! :)

cuties!

Ok, so I guess you're looking for more pictures of that sweet, new baby girl, rather than pictures of a girl wearing running shoes with her wedding dress and her dad on a rocking horse. I get it! I think she agrees!


I'd gladly claim any of my nieces and nephews as my own...but alas, they are my brothers' and their wives' children. I am just a proud Aunt. Here are a few more of Annabeth and some of the other cuties!






3 Beautiful Nieces! Abby, Annabeth, & Hannah...the day Annabeth came home


And all-boy, nephew, Jacob! He has been so cute with the "baby"




Nathanael and Annabeth

Happy Birthday to My Dad

It's Dad's birthday today, and I'm on my way to find his gift. Yes, that probably sounds like a trend, last minute shopping, but I really did look before today, and I even have an idea. The stores just didn't have any.



Yeah, I'm dad's favorite daughter! Even though I asked and asked for a sister, I remained the only daughter.







Yes, dad made this rocking horse for our wedding day. It was a surprise. I had no idea what he was working on in the basement, and I couldn't ask any questions. When I was little, I would ride my spring horse like no tomorrow while my dad sang and played his guitar. Dad would ask for requests, and I always said, "Play the skates song dad!" Don't you know that one? Oh, well, the skates song, is I Will Enter His Gates. So, to provide a final ride (or to thoroughly embarrass me) dad made me a giant rocking horse, brought it out at the reception, and played the skates song.

He's been a wonderfully involved dad in my life. Growing up, we had our spring horse rides, bucking bronco rides on his back (trying to hang on as long as we could), trips to the church where Pete and I would preach and play the piano to "Preach to the Lord!!" (little minds a bit confused but imitating Dad), lunches of spaghettios while watching I Love Lucy and Andy Griffith, sit up competitions (a battle to see how many we could do in a minute...made me a champ during those gym physical fitness tests), and running...lots of running (he coached me from 8th grade on and even through most of college). Then he appropriately cleaned his shot gun when Matt asked his permission to court me, wore shorts and barn boots when Matt asked to marry me, walked me down the aisle (no gun or barn boots), officiated our wedding with Matt's dad, and has been involved during this time with Matt away. Happy Birthday to a wonderful dad and Godly example!

Hmm...

Is this a good thing or a bad thing?

70 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

I just like to take those kind of silly tests. You know, on facebook, I'm the one who found out what Disney Princess I am, what Jane Austen character I am, how I rate on Dr. Phil's scale...etc, and my true age is 12. I'm a curious girl! How come they don't have a 2000's scale? Unfortunately, it might not have the best of traits to work towards. I'm not even sure on the 30's scale if some traits were viewed by the creator as good or bad. Maybe the husband should take it for the wife and the wife for the husband...hehe.

So, I decided to do just that! Here are his results! He pretty much doubled my score! I guess I have some work to do!

139 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

He's a good man...and 1930's husband! :) He's been a great husband since 2006.

I found a few quite funny: "fails to bathe or change socks frequently enough." This was funny too: "Picks teeth, nose, or sucks on teeth when in public." I think Matt didn't do so well on the shaving on Sunday and wearing pressed, neat clothes...that's probably my fault according to the chart...I'm supposed to iron them! He just would rather not worry about that stuff (when he doesn't have to...when he's Matt and not Sgt.), and that's ok with me.

*I love you! You are a very superior husband!