Memorial Day Weekend!

For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield

Today we celebrate those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms and for them I'm thankful!! Especially my hubby, thank you babe for all you do for Tristin and I, we love you very much!

I also had a great weekend with my family camping at Boardman. Justin says we don't camp we RV, but it's still a lot of fun. I got to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, brother, sister-in-law and my 2 most favorite little people Madison and Ryder!! Saturday was beautiful it was a 100 degrees in the sun, so I worked on my tan, and got a little sunburn. Sunday we decorated our loved ones graves with beautiful flowers. I of course ate way too much junk had awesome campfires, and lots of laughs with my family....

Families are the compass that guide us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.
-- Brad Henry

I heart my family so much, thanks everyone for a great weekend!!

I Heart The Ocean

!

This is one of my favorite spots on the Oregon Coast, HayStack Rock....just wishing I was there now....I love the smell of the ocean, the crashing of the waves and the relaxation that the beach brings, maybe when Justin gets back in July I will wisk him away for a weekend on the beach....sounds like a good plan to me :-)

4 Months Down!

Justin and I have hit the 4 month mark, and poor Justin is running out of steam. He still has not had a day off in 4 months now, I don't know how many of us could actually work 12 hr days, 7 days a week in 10o + degree weather with 100% humidity??? He is a stronger person than me, I'm sure that I would have been shipped home already due to my complaining...lol....

Our savings account has really soared since Justin deployed and that was one of the main reasons he wanted to go, I appreciate all he does for our family but I don't know if all the money in the world is worth having your spouse gone for 6 months straight? Like I've said before, it's been a harder journey than I had anticipated, and the stress of having him in a war zone has really started to wear on me...I just pray every single day and I know that God is protecting him, but it's still very stressful!

Tristin and I continue to truck along as best we know, but we sure miss dad, we have been able to talk twice a day, and email of course so that has been our saving grace, but there sure isn't anything to replace a persons existence on a daily basis. It seems our routine is boring too....but there is only so much you can do in Pendleton....

This weekend Tristin and I are going camping with family, so that will be fun. Give us something to look forward to and pass the time. I'm excited to see some family members that I haven't seen in several months, and of course my 2 most favorite little people, it's going to be fun, whether it rains or not...most likely will be raining but I'm going to try and make the most of it!

2 more months, I Think I can, I KNOW I can!

Half Way Mark!

Well we've made it to the half-way mark, 3 months down 3 more to go. I'm pretty sure Justin is ready to come home and I'm definitely over ready for him to come home, I'm grateful for our daily phone calls, but it's just not the same as seeing him and being with him, I'm really missing him a lot! I knew this was going to be hard, but it's been hard than I anticipated...

The weather has tuned extremely HOT in Afghanistan, A couple days ago Justin said it was 112 degrees, I don't even know how a person can function in that kind of heat. Justin has also caught a head cold, and said he isn't drinking enough water and felt he was dehydrated, so he is trying to keep the water flowing! It's only going to get worse he said, last year's high was 142 degrees, I mean really??? I can't even imagine.

I wish our sun would come out and stay...we've had one good day with the sun shining, but it was short lived, now we are back to rain and dreary skies....I'm looking for a little pick me up, come on Sunny Skies smile down on me!!!!

Happy Spring!

A litte this and a little that!

Last weekend I was in Vegas, I can't believe it's already been a week since I was there, I went with my sister-in-law Leanne. We stayed at the Cosmopolitan and it was awesome, It is new and just opened in December of this year, it's very neat and trendy. It's where a lot of the locals hangout is what we were told, because it's has a lot of trendy bars inside! Our favorites were the Chandelier and Vesper's. We also ate at STK in the Cosmo., a very delicious steak house...we were told it was a popular place to spot celebrities, however; we didn't see any.... If you go to Vegas you gotta check out the Cosmopolitan you won't be disappointed I promise you!!!

Spring is definitely here, I'm really tired of the gray skies and rain, I'm ready for sunny days and HOT weather....Justin is still trekking along, we are almost the the half way mark, it seems like he just left some days and other days feel like he's been gone for a million years. The nights are hardest for me, I'm still having some issues sleeping but the last few nights have been better so maybe I'm starting to get used to being alone. Tristin isn't doing a spring sport so that has freed up a lot of my time, which I thought I would enjoy, however; not having anything to look forward to kinda makes my days seem so long. I've eliminated quite a few of my cleaning clients. I've been cleaning houses for over 2 yrs and I just feel like moving on and doing other things. My poor house has been neglected, I've got to buckle down one of these days and do some serious deep cleaning.....oh the joy that will be..lol....

Anyway things are still moving along in the Van'B household, I'm counting down the days until August and I can't wait to see my hubby again, I'm ready to have this time in our lives a distant memory....I'm ready for hubby to come home I really, really miss him!!!

Under Attack

(AGI) Kabul - Afghanistan: coalition forces killed 7 Talibans who had launched an attack against a military base in Jalalabad. The base was situated near the airport of the city of Jalalabad, in East Afghanistan. The attack occurred around midnight, when the rebels started shooting against the airport, obliging the coalition forces to open fire. The news was reported by the Chief of the Provincial Police of Nangarhar, Ali Shah Paktiawal. . .

Last night, Justin's base came under attack by the Taliban. Talk about taking my stress to a whole new level....holy crap, this is real people! Thankfully he is safe and I can't say much, but just wanted everyone that reads my blog to know that he is safe and okay. Please keep your prayers coming on our behalf....I'm pretty stressed out at this point and just keep thinking he can't get home soon enough....uuuugggghhhhh! 4 more months....talk about stress!!!!

Happy 40th!!!

This handsome guy turned 40 years old today, Happy Birthday Justin!!! I'm sad that you are all alone in Afghanistan but very proud of you for your sacrifices and service to our country! I don't think you look a day past 30, still young and handsome as ever, and I love you more today than the day I married you! Anyway Happy Birthday Babe, we will celebrate when you get home soon, I LOVE YOU and MISS YOU, HAPPY, HAPPY 40th Birthday!!!!!

Wifey <3