Ten on Tuesday

1. My birthday is tomorrow I turn 24. I'm not exactly sure when I got this old (not that 24 is OLD).
2. I have some great friends here in J'ville. I get to hang out with some great girls today and there's gonna be a big get together for lunch tomorrow.
3. I love our puppies, but yesterday I wanted to kill them. They were so nice as to run away. I got them both back, but they're making me crazy.
4. The cats have lost their minds also. They are running around like I lit their tails on fire. I think it's all the cool weather and fresh air.
5. The weather has been beautiful here the past few days. I've been able to have the windows open and a/c off. It's so nice.
6. Andrew's training got pushed back, so he doesn't have to leave on my birthday any more!!! I'm so excited about this. We're gonna try to go out to dinner if he gets off of work early enough.
7. I'm gonna go home while Andrew is at training, I'm so excited to get to see my friends and family back home.
8.We got our photos done on the beach with the puppies the other day. Our photographer Heartlove Photography is amazing and we love our pictures. We're just waiting on the prints we ordered to come in.
9.Andrew and I are getting excited for fall. We're going to try and hit up a couple of festivals before he leaves for training. I'm hoping that they're as fun as the ones we went to in Syracuse.
10.I have to admit that I actually miss this time of year in Syracuse. I miss the apple cider and the wineries. I don't miss the winter though.

I know you've had one too...

Ever had an, "I hate the Marine Corps" day? I feel like recently I'm having an, "I hate the Marine Corps" life and I hate that. So, today I've decided that I'm going to think about all the things I like about the Marine Corps and what it has to offer us. So here it goes a list of 5 things I ♥ about the MC

1. Our paycheck. Come on who doesn't like a paycheck! The MC has provided for us for the past 7 years. Without the steady paycheck we wouldn't have our beautiful house, food on our table, or cars in our garage.
2. A chance to see the country. Yes PCS moves are a pain, but honestly Andrew and I probably never would have left our home town if it weren't for the MC. We have gotten to see Cali, Vegas, the Grand Canyon, live in Texas, NY, and NC. All of our various duty stations have allowed us to have unique experiences that we may not have had in Louisiana.
3. The amenities on base. Yes, base traffic is a pain, but free access to several gyms and free personal trainers NICE! Also, the commissary, PX and all the other shops on base are all tax free. Onslow beach is amazing it's wonderful to have a beach so close by. I really could go on for days about what base offers.
4. Healthcare. While tricare can be a pain and they don't always have wonderful customer service they usually do come through and pay our medical bills. There's also our wonderful dental insurance.
   
5. The friends. Not many people have jobs where your co-workers and co-workers families become a second family to you. If it weren't for the MC I wouldn't have nearly as many friends as I do now. All the ladies who I've met through our duty stations and online through support networks are amazing. It's always nice to have friends who are dealing with the same issues as us. Especially since sometimes our friends back home just don't understand things like how we feel during deployments or how I think it's normal for my husband to be gone weeks, months, and sometimes a year or more at a time.

So there you have it. 5 things I love about the MC. I will now return to our previously scheduled programing of hating the MC.

The waiting game.

I hate playing this game as I am sure all of you also hate playing this game. I am currently sitting in my house WAITING for the TMO guy to come and look at all the stuff we have that TMO so kindly broke for us. I hope he shows up on time because guess what I HAVE THINGS TO DO! I know that it may sound crazy for me to have a life that is not waiting for delivery men, installation men, and appraisers, but I do. Now nice TMO guy I would appreciate you showing up on time. Thanks!

I can't tell you how many times I have sat down to write this post then just deleted what was written and walked away. Words can not explain what I feel for my friend whose love was KIA in Afghanistan this past week. I cannot imagine the pain that she must be going through yet I wish I could take on the burden for her even if just for a moment. I know that there is a great community of Marine significant others who stand behind her along with her other friends and family as she welcomes her Marine home and lays him to rest. I just wish we could do more for her. I wish that tragedies such as these weren't part of our reality as Marine spouses, fiances, girlfriends, etc. With a deployment lurking in our forseeable future I wish I had the certainty that every service member everywhere would arrive home alive. For now though all I can do is cherish every moment that my husband is home with me and wait for this deployment (which hasn't even started) to come to an end.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday is all pictures of what I've been doing in the past few weeks. We've been crazy busy with visitors and such so here are pictures of what we've been up too.

Can't sleep

It's almost 2:30am here and I just can't sleep. I'm so freaking excited that Missy is coming to visit Andrew and I. She is bringing her wonderful puppy Basco with her and we have so many things planned for this week. Lots of beach time and we're going to go to the Duplin winery with Emily, Holly, and Andrea. I kinda wish Andrew would have taken a day or two off of work but it's alright. More time for Missy and I to spend together. I'm hoping that we can make it to Beaufort, NC to see the historical sites and take a tour or two.

The day after Missy leaves my mom is coming to visit. We're planning on going down to Cape Lookout on Sunday, then who knows on Monday, and Tuesday is yarn shopping! I'm so excited to have house guests!!!!

Then in September for Labor Day Lizzie is coming with Peyton and Jake and maybe David. It'll definitely be fun. I can't wait to see my nephews.

We finally closed on the house!!!!!

Andrew and I finally closed on our home and quickly set to work making it feel like a home instead of just the house of doom. I planted a garden on the side of the house. Hydrangea and two bushes transplanted from the 15 the builder felt necessary to plant in front of my house. I also transplanted 3 other bushes behind the garage and in the little garden I pulled those 5 bushes from I planted a rose bush and two mini hibiscus plants. All of which are currently flowering and gorgeous. I was worried about them dying since I've planted them so late, but the lady at the nursery assured me I just needed water them religiously until they take root and they should be fine!!! We also extended the tiny back patio that the builder gave us with pavers and got a cute little outdoor table and chairs for the area. Our last home improvement project in our little home improvement marathon was to paint our bedroom. I LOVE the colors and the way we painted. Now I'm just trying to decide how to paint the front bedroom and spare bathroom. We decided to leave the kitchen/living room area the color it is since it's SO open and the we have really high ceilings and ladder (yet). Andrew is in charge of his man cave, but secretly I'm thinking chair rail with two tone wall. Maybe in some blues or greens since it is a man cave after all. The spare bathroom has a nice purple them going thanks to my wonderful mommy who bought us the set I wanted, but I'm not sure I want purple walls too. It may just be over kill. I know that I want to paint it though even if the color is similar to whats there because the type of paint in the bathroom is really flat and nothing wipes off the walls and the tiniest little splash of water discolors it. Well enjoy the house pictures! See if you can spot the animals I know that Tango and Munch are in there. I'm not sure if I caught Sue.

Our Home!

Our garage

Garden I planted on the side of the house.

Front Garden

Kitchen.

Eating area

The Living room with new entertainment center and shelves

The office/man cave

Our bedroom (excuse my messy bed)

Front bedroom/craft room