UGH!

Wow, I'm not even going to try to sugar-coat these last couple of weeks! Just a few days after the holiday weekend I got sick, and it has NOT been fun! I have giardia, and for any of you who have ever had it, you know how unpleasant it can be! Apparently it is really common in Hawaii, with hygiene not being a number one priority for most people, and my doctor said that he has had it twice just since moving here! I'm not going to go into detail of the disgusting symptoms of this fabulous infection, just please be advised: if anyone tells you they have it, STAY AWAY FROM THEM!!!! Believe me! YOU DON'T WANT IT!!!

Poor Jordy has been coming over to me and saying, "You OK Mommy?" It's so sweet, but it breaks my heart at the same time! This is one of the times where deployment just stinks!! I'm the only one here to interact with Jord, and I feel like she has to pay the price for Mommy being sick. It makes me feel so guilty, but also makes me get creative, so that's a plus.

I spoke to Mike a little over a week ago, and he is still sounding very homesick. He stressed the way Jordan's pictures make her look so grown up, and how he can't wait to come home! He is working alot now, and he's really happy about that. I think when he first got here, no one knew him or his work ability, so they were hasty with giving him tasks to do. This deployment has really given him a time to shine, and he hasn't hesitated to do so. Now he's up for promotion already this fall, and studying everyday for his test so that he can embrace his new position! I'm so very proud of him! He is also going before a board for a medal, which he is very hopeful to receive! God has really blessed us since we came back into this military lifestyle, a I'm so thankful to know that we are in exactly the place that He needs us to be!

My friends that just moved here (Chris and Jordan and family) have been going to church with us every Sunday. They are such a blessing to us, and I don't know what I would do without them! Chris and Mike couldn't be more alike, and neither could Jordan and I! She is in almost the exact same place that I am spiritually, and she, just like me also, is so eager to develop a stronger relationship with God. Most of the people I meet at church are so much more spiritually mature than I am, and they are great GREAT people, but it can be kind of intimidating in a learning environment. I feel like Jordan and I are at the same place spiritually, and we will have alot of fun learning and growing together!! That is SO VERY important to me, and I am so thankful to God for bringing them to us! Now if only Chris wasn't deploying just days after Doc gets home!!!

Well, I am going to go try to play with Miss Jordan! You all have a great day and a great weekend! We love you all! :) And by the way, we ARE SO excited that our wedding is only a couple months away and we will be seeing you all soon!!!! :)

Let Freedom RING!!!

What a fabulous holiday! This year I feel as though my passions for this holiday are so intense that it consumes me, and all I can hope is that each and every one of my friends and family feel the pride for their freedom, their protection from enemies, and their country in general that I do! I pray that for just a moment today we can stop focusing on the negative things that the news reports, and realize how VERY MUCH good there is in the world today!!! The news needs a story, and nobody enjoys an uplifting story nearly as much as a tragedy, but great things are happening everyday!!! Let's think about those things. Let's stop thinking about Democrats vs. Republicans and start thinking about how very blessed we are to be living in the UNITED States of America. Let's honor those who have given their lives so that we can enjoy our freedoms, but let's also remember the MAJOR positive accomplishments we have had and continue to have in Operation Enduring Iraqi Freedom. Let's stop griping about gas prices, and start thanking God for the fact that we have a vehicle, and running water, and electricity, and a government that, say what you will about them, has successfully brought us 232 years of pride in calling ourselves American's. That's what I'm doing, and I'm tellin' ya, it's the way to go! :)

Our times have been a bit trying these last couple weeks. Doc's unit has experienced their first casualties for this deployment. The emotions that come with that our breath-taking. A part of you feels helpless, sympathetic for the families, and all-over grief-stricken. Another part of you feels thankful that it didn't happen to you. The guilt that comes with that feeling is powerful, however, I feel as though I have no other way to be. I will be in regular prayer for those families who have lost a husband, father, or son, but I will also be praising God for the answer to my prayers for Doc's safety. I know God's plan is hard to understand, and it's really not meant for us to understand. It is meant for us to trust, and that is what I am doing. I am relying on my faith to lead me. I wasn't close with the men who lost their lives. They were the top commanding officer's of the unit, as well as one of their guards. I didn't know their wives that well, but we had chatted a few times over bunco club or command-sponsored events. That being said, I wasn't expecting a huge emotional reaction from myself after this, but it definitely impacted me. I really didn't think anything like this was possible, given the relatively smooth deployment we've had thus far. It reminds us that it is a crafty folk we are fighting, and that we need to be in prayer for our troops regularly.

Well, after that fun paragraph, let's return to some upbeat conversation, shall we?!?! We helped welcome some of our friends to the island recently! We have been having a great time spending time with them and helping them with their PCS. (Permanent Change of Station, for those non-military who may be reading this! LOL It's a fancy term for move) We have also been enjoying our 4th of July weekend thus far! I will put up some pictures from our journeys to see concerts and enjoy the scenery :) Jordan has been finding great joy in going to the pool, playing with her friends, putting on her new hot pink patent-leather rain boots (first thing she does most mornings! LOL) and reading her new books from Nanny and Poppy. We are busy busy busy, and loving how fast time is going by!!! We can't wait to get that man home, and he will be here before we know it!!! AHHH we're so close! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, and please keep Doc and his unit in your prayers as they undergo a time of change and continued efforts moving forward! :) Love you all!

Summer fun!

Aloha!

Summer is now completely upon us! It's funny how summer is still really exciting here on the island, even though the weather is no different than any other time! The kids go to school year round, so it's not like this is there only break. But still, there's something about summer that just get's our mojo's going!

Jordan and I have started our summer off very nicely! We have been eating some healthy food, hitting the gym when we can, and wedding planning wedding planning wedding planning! I actually just hosted a girls-night-in on Friday, that was a fantastic time, and we did my wedding cake tasting that night. Unfortunately the cake was not such a good time. It was awful!!! I'm so glad we tasted it first! It definitely happened for a reason though, and God has led us to another woman who is just fantastic!!! We will be doing a tasting with her, and I'm certain that she will be the one! She is a military wife, located at MCBH, gives almost HALF OFF to military families, and her cakes are FABULOUS!! I don't know if any of you remember that cake I had made for Doc when he left for SEAL training, but her work is that good!! And she is just the sweetest thing!

We are getting so excited for homecoming!!! We just have a couple months to go! We're at the point where we can't send out any more packages, and Doc will actually be sending alot of stuff home to us! OH we can't wait to see him!!!

Jordan is growing so SMART!!! She has been getting really into her signing, and she can sign about 20 things! She is talking really well, and putting together sentences! I'm doing everything I can to promote a good learning environment. It's very important to me that we keep her zest for learning and reading alive! She is doing great though, just great! I am trying to stimulate her brain as much as possible, and she keeps right up with whatever I throw at her!

We have a pretty exciting week coming up! We have friends moving to the island, a meeting with our new wedding cake designer, a trip to the zoo for Honolulu's Military Appreciation Day, and a book club meeting! Next weekend we are going to TONS of concerts for the 4th of July! The military bases have a lot of great entertainment for the families planned for the 4th! On the 4th we are going to Schofield Barracks to see Billy Ray Cyrus perform (I was totally in love with him in 3rd grade, this is going to be awesome!), then that night we are seeing Little Big Town and Rodney Atkins at the Marine Corps Base! The next night we have 3 Doors Down, Everclear, and Live also at MCBH! It's gonna be a great weekend! In 2 days the number of concerts I have attended in my whole life will triple! How fun! :)

I will try to update you all later this week as to the wedding plans, and etc.! Just know that we are so excited to see each and every one of you, and we are praying for you all! :) Love you guys, and you have a great week!

Summer fun!

Aloha!

Sorry it's been a while....

You can thank my wedding for the absence of my blog for the last couple weeks! Wedding plans are really starting to keep me busy! GOODNESS! Between invitations, flowers, catering details, centerpieces, favors, addresses, groomsmen who NEVER email me back on time (I still love them though), and much, much, more, I am one busy lady!!

There is this excitement in the air! It's the feeling that we've already been through more days of deployment than we have yet to go through! It's the fact that last night was our LAST deployed spouses meeting: from here on out it's Return and Reunion Briefs!!! It's in Doc's voice when he tells me he misses me, and he can't wait to come home! IT'S HOMECOMING!!! And it's coming in a little over 2 months!!!! WHOOHOO!!!! I know it's still a ways off, and I'm trying not to get too excited about it. (it makes the time go slower) But secretly, I'm ready to jump out of my skin!! I'm so happy!

We have a lot of fun things happening this summer! On June 26th, an old buddy of mine and his wife and 2 kids are moving here! He is a Marine, and they are getting stationed here! I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to see a familiar face! I've been talking alot with his wife about getting their move set-up, and I plan on being their one-man welcoming committee so that they feel comfortable with their move here! I can't wait for them to get here! Then at the end of July a buddy of Doc's that he is deployed with has his wife coming out! She is staying with me for a couple weeks untill her house is ready to move into! I will be helping her with her move too! I figure, I would have LOVED to have had someone here that we knew or that was willing to help us when we moved. I'm really looking forward to being "that person" for someone else.

Jordy has started testing me. It used to be that when she did something wrong, I would say "Jordan Elaine! NO!" and she would stop and look very sorry. Now she keeps going and smiles, waiting to see what my next move is going to be. I'm just trying to be consistent in my disciplinning, and hope for the best. We're using the time-out method, along with discussions about what she did that was wrong. I realize that she is 1 and may not understand what I am saying, but when I take her back to the scene of the incident she looks at me with sympathy in her eyes for what she did wrong. She looks ashamed and humiliated. I think she does understand. I am sticking to the "no-spanking" thing. I can always change my course of action if necessary. I am also learning alot about "active listening". I heard a speaker about it last night, and I am going to buy a book about it. I think it is so important in parenting, and I am eager to learn more. I already practice it with Jordan. Even though she babbles and says off the wall random things, I always respond back to her with a word or two or a gesture so that she knows that I am listening. We'll see how this all goes!

I hope that all is well for all of you out there! Jordan and I think about you often! We love you all very much, and hope to talk with you soon! :)

Today is the day that the Lord hath made!

Man, there is something about Sunday that just get's me all fired up! I LOVE IT! I love my church, I love the worship team, I love the sermons, I love spending time with Jordan all day just the two of us, and I LOVE SUNDAY! I'm so ready to have Doc here for our Sundays! Cookouts, beach trips, the zoo, it's all so much better with him! Either way, Sundays are so blessed and full of joy, and I hope you all are having a FABULOUS one!

Tonight is a most-special night for me. I am going to be baptized tonight! Until about 5 years ago I was under the impression that I had already been baptized as a baby. I had seen pictures of it and etc. Come to find out, I was actually only dedicated. I'm very glad for that, because it is my firm belief that baptism should be a personal decision. It is a decision that I have made! I am ready to publicly commit my life to the most-perfect will of God, and I can't wait to see what he has in store for us. I give all the thanks and glory to Him for all the things he has blessed me with in my life, and especially for the ultimate sacrifice he made in giving his Son so that we may be shown grace and mercy. I am going to be baptized at Sand Island Park, in the ocean. I think that is such an amazing concept, to be submerged in the body of water that God made, and be reborn to him at his hand. It is something I am really looking forward to! I wish my family could be here, and I really wish Doc could be here. However, this is something God is calling me to do now, and I know that everyone else is excited about it!

This week has been excellent! Last Sunday we celebrated Mother's Day with our friend Amy and her son James. We went to Waikiki for seafood, and spent the day just enjoying each other. Doc called that morning to wish me a happy Mother's Day :) It was so thoughtful of him to do! He said that everything is going good for him, and that he's absolutely ready to come home! That makes me happy. I know it sounds crazy, but these men train day in and day out for deployments. The time that they are deployed is the only time they feel as though they are ACTUALLY doing their job, so they look forward to it. It's good to know that home is still where his heart is :) (There never really was much doubt) :)

Today the island has been invaded by the falsely self-righteous idiots of the infamous Westboro Baptist Church. They are holding protests at all military installations, including the Marine Corps base where we are stationed, and Pearl Harbor/Pearl Harbor War Memorial sites about 3 blocks from our house. They carry signs that say "Thank God for Dead Soldiers!" and "D-Day: You Finally Got What You Deserved!" I have to say it's disheartening to see. However, the thrive of these people's very existence is attention, and for that I will pay them no bother.

Jordan and I are going to the gym everyday now, and getting back to the focus of my weight-loss goal! It's going to make for a very busy 4 months, and for that we are EXCITED! We will keep you all updated often! We love you all!! :)

Preparing for a long couple of months...

Wow! It's hard to believe my parent's visit has come and gone so fast! It seems like they were only here for a day or two! I can't believe it's over, but we had SUCH a wonderful time! I will post some pictures of it at the end of this entry!

I had a deployed spouses meeting on Thursday, and they said that the 4th and 5th month of deployment are the worst. Today, I definitely understand why. I've had so many visitors and fun times in the last month, and now I have absolutely nothing going on for 4 months untill homecoming! WOW! We're not even half done yet. WOW AGAIN! Today is feeling a little gloomy. I slept like crap on Saturday, tossing and turning and convincing myself something was making noise in my house. I ended up getting a migraine yesterday because of it. After a long, nauseaus day yesterday I finally went to bed and slept pretty good. I felt a little woozy this morning, which is pretty normal the day after a migraine. I wanted to go to the gym today but Doc had emailed me last night to say that he was going to try to call today. But he didn't. Yesterday's email was the first communication in over 2 weeks. I know he's ok, and I trust God to take care of him, but it never gets any easier to hit the 2-week mark without contact. I figured that since I was home this morning I would make the most of it and do some wedding stuff. I called and booked our chair covers, and set up a cake tasting. (that was more for my own benefit) I'm so thankful to have wedding planning to help fill my time! It really makes things go by a little faster!

My dress lady REALLY ticked me off today. She did something careless that has cost me a lot of money that I wasn't suppose to owe for another month. I'm contemplating what to do about it. She has the best prices in town, and she's a really sweet lady. I know she didn't mean to do it, but when I asked her to refund me the money she pulled out that "sweet little old lady voice" and munipulated me into just letting it be. I HATE to feel munipulated, so I may need to re-think some things.

Well, here are some pictures of my parents visit! I will update more later on! :)