Time flies when your having fun!

Last Wednesday I met my sister-in-law in The Dalles to pick up these two little cuties! Madison is 3 yrs old now and Ryder is 2 , and boy did I have a good time with them. They are so busy I don't think I got a spare moment to do much expect play with them. I figured that since Justin is gone I would give their mommy and daddy a little break, and they could come spend 4 days with auntie. Man time sure does go fast when you are busy with toddlers, and it helped me a little to stop counting the days until Justin comes home...they took my mind off a lot of things and it was some good medicine to have them here for a few days! We didn't do much except play and we did get out one of the days, it was a sunny 50 degrees and went to the castle park and played on the swings, and Madison loved the sand pit....she dug and dug! They both have such different personalities, Madison is a spit-fire like her auntie and Ryder is just a little tender sweetheart, who likes to snuggle and laze around....and his little raspy voice is to die for...I just love these two to pieces!!! They are leaving this morning to go back to Portland, but I will cherish my time with them, they really love coming to Pendleton and I'm happy we can make so many memories with them, that hopefully they will remember for a lifetime! I will be a little lost without them today, but surely need a break, I don't know how their mommy and daddy keep up with them, they are busy, busy that's for sure, I'm glad I could give them a break!

On another note: Justin is feeling much better, I talked to him this morning and he is getting the hang of his job pretty well, he is extremely busy with work, and not much else to report on thus far...he works 12 hour days, leaving little time for anything else expect sleep! He is still working on getting his internet up and running in his room, however the IT guy is going on leave this next week so he isn't sure if it will be anytime soon?? I'm thankful that we get to talk to each other about twice a day, he usually calls me in the evenings from the MWR, and then I can call him at his office in the mornings when he is getting off work, it seems to be working out well, and makes me feel good that I can hear his voice twice a day! Would love to Skype him, and see his face, but that won't happen until his internet in his room gets set up, I really would love to see him, but I'm trying to be patient, which I'm horrible at, this is very hard for me, cause you all know I'm a LEO and I really like to control things, and I'm not able to control much right now with this situation so it's been a challenge, but I'm adjusting, hahaha! Please continue to keep Justin's safety in your daily prayers, we love you all!!!

Under the Weather

Not much new to report on from Afghanistan other than Justin is not feeling well at all. He said he woke up the other night with body-aches, chills, and a cough. I don't think there is anything much worse than being sick and away from home, he said he went to the PX and purchased some Advil for the aches and he said it seems to be helping and his cough is breaking up, so hopefully he won't get much worse...not sure about the doctors on base, I'm sure they are capable of taking care of the sick though. I'm sure his body is pretty wore down, with the time change and the 3 days of no sleep trying to get on a military flight to Afghanistan. I wish I could make him some chicken noodle soup and make him feel better, but there is not much I can do, feeling pretty helpless...

I'm waiting on Justin to get his internet hooked up so he can upload me some photos so I can share with you all, he has told me about some of the pictures he has taken, and I really can't wait to see them, and then share with all of you so I'm trying to be patient as well as he is too, it's quite a process to get internet in your room, so as soon as I get them I will post them..Please continue to keep Justin in your prayers, we appreciate it very much!!!!

Lobster..That's What's for Dinner!!!

Guess what Justin had for dinner at the Chow Hall in Afghanistan???? Yup you guessed it....LOBSTER!! Are you kidding me? Okay this is a funny story because before Justin left on his mission, he told me he really would like to eat at Red Lobster in Tri-Cities, but for those of you who don't know, I'm allergic to shell fish, so of course I curled my lip to that idea! Justin says whenever he thinks of Lobster "his mouth starts watering." So instead of Red Lobster we enjoyed a meal at the Olive Garden instead, however; after we were done eating he told me "his mouth was still watering for Lobster!" I did feel kinda bad, since I was thinking it was his last meal in the states for awhile, but not bad enough to agree on Lobster. So it was about the second night at the Chow Hall, that they served him Lobster, I mean really, who would think they would serve Lobster at the local Chow Hall?? Anyway he IM'ed my mom on FB and told her that he had lobster for dinner, then he called me and informed me he had lobster for dinner, I was shocked, I mean who would of thunk it??? Anyway he said it was delicious and overall said that the chow hall food is quite decent. So do you think that it was coincidence that he was offered Lobster for dinner??? He said he understands why you could gain a lot of weight eating "chow" food, since they offer a wide variety of dishes, that are pretty good I guess. He has been eating 3 small meals a day, and starting Monday he is going to head back to the gym and start working out. He gets up quite early, around 4am, this giving him time to head to the gym, shower, eat and then get to work.

On another note they will be showing the Superbowl today at 4am his time, he wasn't sure if it would be worth getting up to watch since there are so many troops wanting to watch, and a small TV area where it's being shown...He doesn't much care who wins, since his CHARGERS are out of it anyway, however he said he is rooting for the Packers, OHHH and I'm wondering what they will be cooking up for dinner tonight??

Life Line

You see this is my life line to Justin...a satellite phone in his office that allows for me to call him on a daily basis. I call a number and it connects me to an operator in New Jersey, and then she is able to connect us all the way to Afghanistan, isn't that just amazing, and it's a local US number so I don't have to pay those ridiculous International rates, it's just awesome! When I call him, he is usually getting off work, we have a 12.5 hour time zone difference, so my mornings are his nights and my nights are his mornings, so it does make it a little tricky to get a hold of one another, but we are doing fine on the calling times as of now! His work schedule is 12 hour days, 7 days a week....NO DAYS OFF, I couldn't handle it! His hours are 8am-8pm....leaving little time for anything thing else to do, but then again, what else is there to do on an Army Base in the middle of Afghanistan, it's not like he can go site seeing!!! He will never leave post unless he is with an escort and so basically in his 6 months time, he will never see the outside of the fence of his base....I can't imagine! He is working on getting an internet connection in his room, however the Afghans are running most of the internet there, so he is a little hesitant to give his computer over to them, which I can't blame him, so we'll see how that will all work out, he is still trying to figure it all out! I thankful for his safety and well being, he seems to be settling in well and adjusting to the time change, however after a 12 hour shift he is pretty spent, there is a lot of back work he is trying to fill, so he said he is going to be staying busy for a LONG time...I'll write more tomorrow about his meals at the chow hall...until then Chow!

My Journey for the next 6 months

So as most of you know, my husband has been deployed to Afghanistan for the next 6 months, and I've decided maybe this would be a good time for me to taking blogging back up, a way of sorts to kinda keep a journal to help keep family and friends in the loop, since he only has limited talk time and computer time, and usually it's Tristin and I he is calling. This has been a very difficult transition for Tristin and I since we are so used to having him home, and as all of you know Justin is my best friend. So this separation hasn't been an easy thing for me. This will be a way for me to deal with my feelings, a way to put my feelings into words, which is really hard for me. So don't blink too fast, you might miss out on something really interesting from Afghanistan, Justin is going to start taking pictures and hopefully once he gets his internet set up he will be able to send them to me and I can share them with all of you...he has told some funny stories and I will blog of those later, so hang tight, and enjoy this roller coaster ride with me, it will most likely be me telling you stories about my feelings, and how this journey has changed my perspective on life in general! Thanks for listening...

Dream

Lastnight, I had a dream about my brother Brian. It was so strange, and has left me feeling empty this morning. My brother Brian passed away 7 yrs ago, so having such a vivid dream about him was very strange. The dream went something like this: I was sitting in a bar and in came my brother in a wheel chair. I remember being so excited to see him, I had told him "it had been so many years, and I was wondering where he was?" He could speak to me, but it was very hard for me to hear him, I had to put my ear right next to his mouth to understand what he was saying. He said that he had been in an accident and was suffering from brain damage. He wasn't able to walk, but could move around freely in his wheelchair. I told him "mom and dad were worried about him, since they hadn't heard from him so long as I hadn't either." He assured me he was okay, just living with some guy, I don't recall???? Then I woke up and was feeling very empty and sad. The dream was somewhat true, Brian died of a traumatic brain injury do to his motorcycle wreak and I haven't seen him in over 7 yrs, but when you dream so vividly and can actually remember their face, and what they sounded like is so nostalgic and I really miss that guy. I just recently visited his grave and chatted with him for a bit, so maybe this is what sparked this dream, but it was just too real, and left me feeling so empty, and sad for my family that it has been 7 yrs since we have seen his bright shining smile.

February 2010 in a Nutshell

I noticed that I didn't post one blog in February so thought I would post one to update everyone what is going on in my life at the moment. This past month our family received some very sad news about my aunt Joan. She has been battling cancer for about 2 1/2 years now and it's getting near the end for her journey here on earth. She is about to go "home" and meet up with my grandparents again and with my brother, and that brings me much comfort. I know that I will have a huge hole in my heart when that time comes, as I will miss her so dearly. However; knowing she is going to Heaven for eternity brings me much hope and peace. The suffering she has endured will all end and she will also be at peace and that is an awesome gift we are all guaranteed if we BELIEVE!

Tristin got his plate and pins removed from his wrist this past month also. That little injury is hopefully behind us now!!! It was a long 5 months of dealing with it, and I so glad it's finally healed and we can move on from it.

I'm still cleaning houses and have gotten a couple of new clients so now I'm pretty much full. I think I have plenty to keep me busy with my job now. I really like that I can make my own hours and schedule and that it's part-time and pays me good enough to have extra money to do some fun things I enjoy and help pay some of the bills.

Got to spend some time with my niece and nephew this past month also. They are getting so big and they are learning all kinds of new things. They amaze me with their ability to learn and take in so much at that young of an age. They are so stinking cute and fun to be around, I love how each of their personalities are so different and they each have their own cute traits. I wish I lived closer to them, it seems I miss out of so much of their growing since I only get to see them about once a month if that. I really enjoy and cherish my time spent with them!!!!


Anyway this is what February 2010 had to offer. I continue praying for my dear aunt, and hope that March......and Spring have a lot of exciting things to offer!!!! I'm ready for SPRING and Flowers and SUNSHINE!!!!!