Patrick's Big 31!!!

So yesterday the husband turned 31!  He said it didn’t really feel any different than 30.  I still think he woke up just as cute as he did he day before, so I don’t see what the big deal is =)  

(This coming from the one who will be turning 30 in 3 more months.  It’s all about attitude…I love looking at people in magazines and saying to myself “Wow, she’s 26, I am waaay younger looking that her” LOL)

I knew there was no way I could top last year’s concert in the back yard.  Awesome band (www.confluxband.com) set up in the back yard, about 40 people, four wheelers, kegs, tons of food, bonfire, beer pong, flip cup, kids games, and riding through the corn field was a little over the top.  We would be soooo arrested in this neighborhood for doing just one of those above mentioned items…so what in the heck was  I going to do?!  Doctor put a big “declined” stamp on my original travel plans to San Diego, so we are literally stuck in the desert!

When in doubt, go shopping!!!  There are some awesome outlets down the hill, and in pulling a double duty the place is huge so I figured all of that walking might help the baby along (as in GET OUT).  No suck luck as of yet though…

So we spend about 5 hours shop hopping, and still didn’t hit all of the stores.  He got new shoes, pants, polos, dress shirts, socks, coffee press, external hard drive, and I just know I’m forgetting something.  Of course Just ice got a pair of shoes and I got some jeans to look forward to fitting back into soon =)

So now we are hungry and tired (mostly me hungry, go figure) so we head to Rancho Mirage to PF Changs.  Yummmm!!! We haven’t been to one of those since I was pregnant with Justice, and it was just as good as I remembered.  Even Justice couldn’t stop eating the chicken.  

 Me at 38 weeks

Outside of Changs

Loving her food

We are stuffed!

Of course since there was a Yardhouse next door, we had to stop in there so Patrick could get a beer.  It was quite amusing… I’m blowing up his spot but it took about an hour to down half a yard.  In his defense, we had just stuffed our faces at Chang’s so I guess that plays a factor.  I am under strict direction from Jonathan to “bring my big purse” if we go back so I can smuggle out a glass.  I might need to buy a bigger purse…

Patrick's half yard of beer

Justice is cheering Patrick on to "chug" LOLOL!!! 

All in all it was a lovely day spent with the family, and I couldn’t have asked for better in the present situation.  Happy birthday to my sweetie!!!   

Thankful Thursday

I figured I’d follow up my “Terrible Tuesday” with a “Thankful Thursday”.  After all, no matter how entertaining it may have been for you to read, and healthy for me to vent, positive things are always better than negative ones.

#1 – I am thankful for my family.  That means my immediate family, my extended family, my in-laws, cousins near and far, and those friends that are too close to my heart not to be called family.  No, I don’t call or write enough, and life gets me busy, but know that I’m thinking of you often, even when you don’t hear from me.

#2 – I am thankful for my wonderful daughter.  Yesterday was her first dentist appointment, and she went off without me like a big girl before I even knew she was gone, getting her x-rays and cleaning done, and not a single complaint. I’m in the chair next to her getting my own teeth cleaned, and just amazed that she has no fear!

#3 – I am thankful for the friends I have made in such a short amount of time here at 29 Palms.  I know in the military lifestyle that you make friends fast, yet it is still a wonder to me at times how it happens that way.  I am thankful for myself and on Justice’s behalf that we both have some girls (and one cute lil guy) to hang out with.  

#4 – I am thankful for having a healthy pregnancy and so far healthy baby.  And I’m thankful it’s a girl (just don’t let Patrick know that, he was secretly hoping for a boy!)

There are a bunch of little things I am thankful for as well that I could list off one by one, but my “loaner latop” is a lil older and it doesn’t register all of the keystrokes all of the time, so it is quite a pain, yet I am thankful for it and for my stepmother for letting me borrow it while my dad fixes my Mac.  Just remember that no matter how bad you think you have it, someone out there has it worse. 

Ding Dang Darned Day

Yup, that about sums up the day.  Let me start with yesterday, when I fell on the pavement using only my knee to break my fall, leaving a huge scrape that still burns like fire.  Thanks to the pain, I finally fell asleep around 5am, waking up at 7:30… so this is where we start.

In the wee hours of the morning I realize that today is the day… my brother in law is leaving once again on deployment, and it breaks my heart.  His wife is my ultimate military spouse hero, and their two girls are amazing.  This is a family full of love, tenderness, compassion, and it’s out there for the whole world to see.  14 years of marriage and you’d think they were still newlyweds.  My sister in law remains so strong in his absence and is the photograph next to the word “support” in the dictionary.

It’s hard for people not in a military family to understand deployment.  This is the job that all service members signed up to do. They didn’t sign up to be a mechanic, a driver, an admin guy, a cook, etc.  They signed up to fight for our country’s freedom, and that job takes them to war.  When they are not deployed, their job is to get ready to deploy. That is it!!!  As my mom always asks “Does he have to go?” the answer is always “yes!!!” It may suck, and it might not be understood by all, but to a marine/soldier/seaman/airman…this is what they do.  Everything else is just prep work.  It is their job to fight, it is our job to love them.  Funny how something that sounds so simple is the most complicated thing in the world.

So, as I am sitting in the waiting room at the Doctors this morning, I start to tear up with a trifecta of sadness.  70% for my brother/sister/family who are having to say their goodbyes now, 20% for me thinking that that is going to be me in two more months, and 10% pregnant hormones.  Yup, I’ll pull that card. 

Sucking it up and dealing with it, moving on about my day…. I return home from my five hour trip looking forward to the deliciousness of the pot roast that I put in the crock pot that morning, only to find that I forgot to plug the darned thing in!!! I even turned the crockpot on high real quick and googled how long meat could stay at room temperature without being a danger (yes I was that upset/determined) and I was well past the two hour limit. Darnit!!!! This is just my luck!  Grabbing the crockpot to toss the entire thing, I burnt my fingers!!  How did it get so hot in 5 minutes?  So I resign myself to spaghetti, quick and easy, right?! The water started to boil and I grabbed the box of noodles to dump them in, and half of them dump out onto the floor.  At this point I just don’t care any longer.  Yup, I picked those bad boys off y kitchen floor, threw them in the pot, and walked away.  I’m going to go finish creating this dinner and sit still somewhere before I can mess up anything else. 

Thanks for letting me vent, and if nothing else, I hope I accomplished something today by putting a smile on someone else’s face.

Updated Countdown!!

So I go to my usual twice a week Dr. appointment and it starts off with “Since you’re 35 weeks we need to test….” And I’m like “wait, I’m 34 weeks” in my head, but figure it’s close enough.  By the time the Dr. (not my regular Dr. Kasko BTW) checks me from the NST I decide to ask about it and he said “Well, your original due date was August 30, it was changed too early to September 6, but with it only being a week and monitoring your growth and development, I’m sticking with August 30”!!!!!  Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaattttttttt?!?!? 

So I knew I was looking at about 3-6 weeks depending upon the IUGR, but just losing one week mentally off of my time-table made it sink in that this baby is coming, fast!  Holy cow!!  And we are taking pre-deployment leave August 15-29… good thing we are going to be back from San Diego on August 21, because who knows what could happen! 

With all of that mental excitement, I am so happy that Justice and I took the time to relax at the pool today with some fabulous friends.  My brave little trooper made her way to the slide, and once she went down, she couldn’t stay off of it!  Strapped into her life-vest she climbed and slid down that slide at least 30 times, splashing and swimming and having a blast!  With temperatures reaching 107 today, the water was exactly what we needed =)

I am so blessed to have met such a friendly group of ladies here in 29.  It took a little bit of time, as does anything, but I can say that it was faster than Pendleton or Lejeune, or anywhere really!  I am thankful for the camaraderie shared that crosses the lines of ranks.  I have run across too many unfortunate people that feel that they wear their husband’s chevron or bar.  Sure, with certain ranks come certain perks and privileges, but we spouses are all the same.  Whether you’re the captain’s wife or the Lance Corporal’s fiancé, everyone is in this game together.  Yup, my husband is enlisted and I couldn’t be prouder of him!  But that doesn’t mean that I am not suited to help the Corporal’s wife or have lunch with the Captain’s.  It’s a great feeling here in 29 to have some like-minded amigos!

Welcome to ...

So, here we are in the Hi-Desert, pretty much as settled in as you can possibly get at our new home in Joshua Tree, California. New to the 29 Palms Base, new to blogging, but used to the moving around. I got too comfortable living in North Carolina for three years with DH being non-deployable, so I feel practically new at deployments as well, but the time is coming up too fast, so putting on my big girl panties and dealing with it is my only option, other than to fail.

What gets me through the most is looking forward to being back home in Virginia with my family for the duration of this deployment. Having some help with the new baby will be beneficial, not to mention how much I have missed my family since starting this military-wife-life.  Oh, the things we do for love! 

This is my first blog, so I'm making it short and sweet until I get the hang of things and play around with it a bit. I want to have a way to connect with family, friends (new and old), and for Patrick to be able to get a taste of home and stay in the loop while he is far away. Until later...