It's been a long time!!

WOW! It's been a LONG time since my last blog! So much has changed and I have so many updates and so many praises and blessings to tell you about!! I can't believe I neglected this thing for so long, and I am so sorry, but it has been crazy busy around here with Homecoming, Jordan's Birthday, the wedding, out-of-towners, Marine Corps Ball, my birthday right around the corner, and now work-up for the next deployment already! However, I will brief you on all of that!

1. HOMECOMING!!!

It was perfect! Absolutely perfect! We spotted the plane in the sky, and as it circled back to land, we couldln't see it, but we could hear it. Ya know what sound I'm talking about? The sound of plane landing.....I will never forget it for the rest of my life! Then as it got louder and louder, it finally touched down about 20 yards from our faces!!! It taxi'd for what seemed like FOREVER, finally came back, the Marine Corps Band started playing, and finally the door to the plane opened! The guys started pouring out, and they all looked exactly the same. Until, Doc came out. I spotted him within seconds of his feet hitting the pavement, and he spotted us too! It was amazing, he couldn't get to us fast enough! We were running, he was running, it was amazing! Jordan wasn't scared of him AT ALL!!! She went right to him, and said "It's my Daddy!!!!" The rest is history.....He loved his surprises though, so I will remember that for next deployment.

2. Jordan's Birthday!

My baby is 2!!!! She had a great birthday party! We had about 20 people over, and we grilled hot dogs and brats (on our new grill!!) and enjoyed the outdoors! (with our new patio set!!!) We laughed at what a Dora-freak this child is, because EVERY SINGLE GIFT was Dora themed!!! Except for one, and I'm pretty sure it was still in a Dora bag!! LOL We are so thankful for our friends here that have become family! Our friends here love Jordan and care about her so much, and it is just such a blessing!!

3. Just in other news:

On September 28, my husband was baptized in the ocean!!! Doc was raised Catholic his entire life, and had been going to a Nazarene church with me before he left for BUD/S, and before we moved out here. He was baptized as a baby, as all Catholics do. While he was in Iraq, he started reading "One God, One Message" (an awesome book, by the way). I haven't finished the book yet, so I can't speak for entire thing, but I know that it changed my husband's life!!! He converted to Christianity and accepted Jesus as his Savior in Fallujah, Iraq, and came home eager to go to our new church and get involved in ministries! We attended a new members class, where he expressed the interest to be baptized! The following Sunday, we were blessed that my parents and my lifelong best friend Jenny (from Illinois) and her boyfriend were able to join us at Sand Island State Beach here in the ocean and witness my husband's public confession of faith!!! WHAT AN AMAZING THING!!!! My husband was in the most stressful, dirty, dangerous conditions for 7 months, and yet look at this AMAZING blessing that came from it!!!! I am so proud of you Doc, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for us as we continue to serve Him! We are just getting settled back into our church (after a couple weeks off for wedding stuff) and we are eager to start giving ourselves to the ministries where we can be of service! I'll keep you all posted!!!

4. Now for the one I know you all want to know about: THE WEDDING!!!!

It was absolutely amazing!!! We had such a fabulous time with our family and friends, and we were so blessed to have them here with us!!! Staying in our home we had my parents, Jenny and Dave, Doc's Mom, and Christy! That was interesting, but we made it work and it was great to have them all! Doc's brother John and his wife Brenda, Doc's Father and Stepmother, and one of my best friends Dana and her boyfriend Stuart all stayed downtown in Waikiki. We had a BBQ for everyone on Wednesday, which was a blast. On Thursday Doc and I took our wedding party to Bellow's for some good bonding time at the beach! Friday started the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. We did both at Germaine's Luau. We rehearsed on the beach, and then went into the luau at check-in. We had a great time! The girls and I all went on stage to learn to hula, the guys learned the proper way to give a hone hone (kiss on the cheek), and we had SUCH a great time!!! Doc went to stay with the Gambles that night (one of our groomsmen and his wife), and Saturday was the fun day! We started early with mani's, pedi's, and hair downtown at the salon that I usually go to. Our stylists had put together an awesome champagne breakfast for us, and we had muffins, fresh fruit, cheese and crackers, champagne, juice, and sparkling cider for the mom's and I. We had a fantastic morning of girl talk and bonding, and I couldn't be more thankful!!! My best friend here (Ashley) got to meet all my best friends from back home, and all of our family had such a great time getting to know everyone! The girls went home to get ready, and I went to MAC to get my make-up done. I finally made it home, got into my gown, and the limo came to pick up us girls at 5PM. We headed to base. All the way there I couldn't stop asking Jenny if she had the vows, and asking Ashley if she had the ring! I had to be driving them nuts, but I couldn't help it! The limo pulled right up onto the golf course, and drove us all the way back to the hole for our Hollywood entrance! The 16th hole is about 10 yards from the shore of the beach, so we were able to have our beach wedding on grass! A perfect compromise. My Dad (in tears, as well as I) walked me down the isle, as our Ushers (my friends' husbands in USMC dress blues) fluffed my dress. Doc and I wrote our own vows, and I'm so glad. Doc's were amazing, poetic, romantic, and everything I could have ever wanted them to be. Mine were funny and serious, but very honest and romantic. The Chaplain of Doc's unit did our ceremony, but we also opted to have our Pastor from our church do a prayer and scripture reading so that he could be a part of the ceremony! We had a perfect 70 degree day, with a perfect sunset, and everything went off without a hitch!!!!

After the wedding, we hopped in the limo and headed to the Officer's Club for the reception. We ate some delicious chicken and shrimp scampi, listened to some beautiful speeches by Jenny and John, and got ready to dance! My Dad and I danced to "I Loved Her First", and then he turned me over to Doc :) Our first dance was to "Love Me Tender", by Norah Jones. We cut the cake, ate it, and danced for a couple more hours. I feel like the whole thing is just a blur. I hate that, but I knew it would happen. We went to a hotel that night, since we had people at our house!! We actually stayed 2 nights in the hotel, but ended up coming home during the day to be with our friends and family that were visiting. A week later, our house was empty :( It was so sad to see everyone go, but we were ready to get settled in. It was actually the first time SINCE HOMECOMING that we didn't have houseguests. We felt like kids who's parents has just went out of town! LOL It was awesome! We had our friends here over for dinner alot, spent time with each other, and had a really great time enjoying the rest of Doc's post-deployment leave. And thank God we did.....which brings me to our next exciting piece of news...

5. Deployment #2

We have begun work-up for our second deployment already. Doc is set to leave in March. Yes, that is less than 4 months from now. That's insane. What's even more insane (if I may gripe about the Marine Corps for a moment) is that some GENIUS decided that it would be better "for morale" if they give the guys their pre-deployment leave over Christmas, and then send them to CAX in Twentynine Palms the first part of February, and deploy them straight from there, which would pretty much tack on an extra month of deployment. There is loose talk about them not leaving until May, so with any luck, that will be the case! We also found out recently that this deployment will not be to Iraq, but to Afghanistan instead. That absolutely scares the bejesus out of me. When Doc left for Iraq a little over 9 months ago, I was very sad that I wouldn't be able to see him for the next 7 months, but I never doubted that he wouldn't come home. I always knew that he would come home to me, and I had a feeling of security and comfort the entire time he was there. I prayed for it, and I was given it. Thank God for his faithfulness! This deployment feels different. I know this sounds insane, but I actually feel comfortable with Iraq. I feel like I know the terrain, I'm familiar with the places and the cities and camps, and that it is totally safe there. (I know that is far from true, but it's how I feel) Afghanistan is different, hostile, and scary. I know that I need to get it together for my husband. I know that I don't have time to be afraid, and that I don't have time for a pity party. I need that security back, and I'm praying for it daily. I know God will see us through this!!! I just know it! I ask for your prayers over this situation!

Well, I believe that is all for our updates!!! There is so much more I would love to say about our family and friends visiting, and I know I'll never have time to tell them just how much we appreciated seeing them!!!! We had an absolute blast with you all, and we love you so much!!!! Thank you for being here with us, and we will cherish these memories forever! Thank you all for the prayers over homecoming, the wedding, and our lives in general. We are constantly praying for you all as well, and we hope the best for everyone. Well, back to my housewife duties I go! Doc is already back to working 12-14 hour days and hits the field again next week! For THAT grouchy of a man, only a Tammy's Famous Quesadilla will help, and I have chicken to thaw.....Love you all!!!! :)

PS Here are some pics from the Marine Corps Ball this last weekend! It was awesome!! Before another grueling training cycle, it was exactly what I needed to restore my pride in my husband's work and sacrifices! Again....we love you all!!!