Just Say Julie

Since I finally received the final divorce decree last week, I decided today was the day to make the name change official. So over the course of two hours this morning, I undid the last four years of my life. My trip to the Social Security office was interesting. I headed there first thing this morning thinking I would beat the crowd a bit. But even at 9:20 I still ended up with number A50 when they were on A15. After sitting there for a few minutes, a man approached me who had completed his time at the window and handed me his number (apparently he had two) which was A26. Yipee! That cut my wait time in half. So I passed on my A50 to the man sitting next to me who had A68. I figured it was the least I could do. Then I had some random old drunk man (who had the decency to be sucking on a breath mint) sat down next to me because “I was the prettiest lady in the place.” I can’t decide if the married customer service rep who waited on me was trying to flirt or not when he told me I didn

OK…so I have decided that my neighbors must hate me. I am sure it is due to the fact that Maverick insists on barking (not just whining…full fledged baying) every morning while I am in the shower or any other time he is left alone in the kitchen while I am in the apartment. Their revenge for the noise created by my adorable pooch is to take showers at odd hours of the night and morning. Now one might wonder why taking a shower is such a bad thing. The fact is I have never in my life heard such terrible noise until I heard the sounds coming from upstairs when the shower is turned on. It truly sounds like Niagara Falls is coming through my ceiling. During waking hours, I can ignore the noise by turning up the volume on my TV or whatever other form of entertainment I might be partaking in. But the late night and early morning showers are enough to wake me from a dead sleep (and that takes a lot if you know anything about how I sleep). During the Thanksgiving holidays while my par

I woke up this morning feeling like someone was trying to rip apart my stomach which was not good since I knew there was no way I could take a day off work. Not quite sure what caused it but I can tell you that the casserole I ate leftovers from last night is going in the trash when I get home. So, I dragged myself around the apartment this morning getting ready and headed out into the cold for the 10 minute drive to my office. I remember that I hadn’t picked up the mail from the evening before because my car was loaded down with groceries from my first real trip to the grocery store since moving to Austin. So, I headed over to the mail center and opened my box and there it was…like a light shining down from the heavens…an envelope that read “Shelia F. Norman, District Clerk, Bell County, Texas.” Finally, after nearly a month of waiting, my divorce decree had arrived. I could now officially return to my maiden name. Suddenly I felt better and there is a little added spring in m

Those of you who know me well know that Christmas is my favorite time of the year. So, you will be shocked to know that the Christmas spirit has not even registered on my radar this year. I don’t know if it is the divorce or the move or what but I just can’t seem to get excited about Christmas. As a matter of fact, I keep getting annoyed when I see Christmas decorations. I haven’t put up a Christmas tree in two years due to deployments and not being home for Christmas. This will make year number three without a tree which makes me sad. There are two reasons for this: the lack of space in my apartment and the fear of Maverick destroying the tree. The fact of the matter is that I haven’t even touched the boxes with my Christmas decorations in them. I promise I am trying to get myself into the appropriate mood. I hung a mistletoe air freshener in my car and loaded the cd changer down with all my Christmas cds. I even wore my first Christmas sweater of the season today.

This will probably be the last post I will be able to label “Military” now that my life as a military spouse has come to an end. I received an email from Shawn’s old commander’s wife about a volunteer award they had put me up for in recognition of my time as FRG advisor. I didn’t think much of it because I knew that there were many awards out there for volunteer service and I felt fairly certain they were easy to get. So several emails later we were finally able to nail down a date when I could escape from work in Austin to head up to Killeen to have the award presented. My one criteria for this date was that it had to be before November 30 since that was when my ID expired and I refused to go get a visitor’s pass for an installation I basically lived on for the last two years of my life. So Wednesday was the day we chose since I also had to be in Killeen for a meeting about the church retreat. Little did I know when arrived at the ceremony just what a big deal this award was. I

Thanks to the cold temperature and rain, today has turned out to be a very lazy day for Maverick and me. Puppy dog has pretty much not left my side on the couch since this morning, with the exception of jumping up to bark at the Pizza Delivery person. Mom & Dad left this morning to drive back to Alabama and hopefully avoid some of the post-Thanksgiving traffic. I should be unpacking the boxes that seem to be multiplying like rabbits around here but somehow I have gotten sucked into the reruns of the first season of October Road on the Soap Network (who knew there was a Soap Network?). Despite not leaving the house, I still managed to be hit on today. After muting October Road and curling up for a nap with Puppy, there was a knock on my door. All I could think to myself was that no one knows where I live so who would be here? Of course it was someone trying to sell me something. Some guy in some program selling books to help earn money for college (UT of course). During our

Well the day finally came for my apartment in Austin to be available. I can officially call myself an Austinite now that I have a job and a residence in this fine city. I woke up last Saturday and waited patiently for the movers to arrive so I could watch them pack my life away. Ten hours later I was sitting in my apartment in Austin surrounded by more boxes than I knew what to do with. Losing 200 square feet and a bedroom may not seem like a lot but it is for me since the majority of the space lost was in the kitchen. While I know I have a lot of kitchen gadgets, I still figured there would be some way to cram all the stuff into the cabinets and the pantry. Well, 5 days later I am still staring at stacks of random Pampered Chef products wondering where I am going to put all this stuff. And then there was the mystery of the missing kitchen box. Half of my everyday dishes made it into one box while the other half made it into another box. Well, once we (thanks to help from Mom and Jenny

Just when I think I am handling single life well, something comes along and just knocks me on my butt for a while. Yesterday afternoon I decided that a little retail therapy was needed after Alabama’s loss to Mississippi State. So I got myself cleaned up from packing and headed over to the Killeen Civic Center for the OWC* Holiday Bizarre. The last couple of years I had gone and found some great home decor items and gifts for Christmas. Little did I know how hard it was going to be to step back into my former life. No sooner had I walked in the door to purchase my ticket did I run into someone from Shawn’s old unit. Granted this was a wife I had been friends with but the first question I got from here was “I thought you moved.” So then I had to proceed to tell her about the divorce. I noticed myself tearing up as I talked about it and I couldn’t understand why because I don’t get emotionally about the divorce typically. As I moved on into the bizarre, I ran into two ladies from my chu

I just discovered something that I have to share with everyone. One of the lessons that I learned in my one and only cross country military move is that there are certain things the packers won’t pack. For example, you have to take the batteries and light bulbs out of everything which is annoying because you don’t want to break the light bulbs and who keeps the packages that they come in and how many things have batteries in them?!? Another thing they won’t pack is bathroom items such as lotions, liquid soaps, and shower gels. Apparently anything liquid they can’t pack. Who knew! Well, this time I am one step ahead of the movers. I went to Target (thanks, Brent!) and purchased some trusty Rubbermaid totes (purple of course) to load up with all of the extra bath items I have accumulated over the years. I have now realized one of the few things I got out of my 4 years as a military spouse. Apparently my trips to the various case lot* sales at the commissary have afford me a vast supply o

So here I am in Portland for work this week training on our accounting software because every good accountant needs to know how to use the software her company provides. I was a little freaked out about coming out here by myself but I ended up making a friend in my class who happened to be staying at the same hotel as me. In the process of hanging out in the evenings after class, the details of my pending divorce came out. Yesterday morning I logged into my email during break to find an email from Shawn’s lawyer stating that she was taking the final papers to the court house that day. So I shared the news with my new friend. I have been through such a roller coaster of emotions over this whole situation that I didn’t really feel anything when I got the email. I guess it has all been a long time coming. This morning Michelle looked over at me and said, “Happy Indepenence Day.” I looked at her funny until I realized what she was referring to. And you know what, she is right. To

So I feel like someone has hit the fast forward button on my life recently. Two months ago I had just returned from Hawaii and now I am staring down the barrel of my impending divorce. While I have come to terms with the divorce and the actions that led to the divorce, I am still a little overwhelmed at what life has in store for me. I started a new job two weeks ago which was a very good thing for me because it was more money and got me away from a situation I needed to be out of. I fully intended to move to Austin next month for the new job. However, after reevaluating my financial situation, I determined it was best for me to sit tight in Killeen until I get an offer on my house. To be honest, the thought of moving on scares me a bit. And I am starting to reconsider whether or not I made the best decision taking the new job. I now understand what my friend, Karen, went through when her husband retired from the Army earlier this year. The Army becomes such a way of life that you fee

It has been a stressful week already and it is only Tuesday. The packers came yesterday and packed Shawn’s stuff. Here I was in my house with three strange women telling them what was going and what was staying. And I just sat on the couch and wanted to cry. I can’t even explain how I felt. I just feel like I am being cheated out of the opportunity to be upset about all this. Everything is happening so fast. The divorce will be final in a few weeks. I start a new job next week. I even went on a date this past weekend. I am still trying to figure out how this became my life. Today was even worse. The movers came and loaded everything. Now my house is half empty. It was strange to open his closet and nothing be there. I am just trying to keep myself busy right now so I don’t stop long enough to process what is really going on. I went shopping after everyone left and bought new furniture for my house. Usually shopping makes me feel better but not today. I went to 4 diffe

OK Gang…I know a lot of you have been worried about me recently and I wanted to pass a long a status update. Believe it or not, life is good for me right now. I am handling things a lot better than I thought I would. I was planning on staying in Killeen for a while but, as we know, the only constant is change. I have accepted a job in Austin doing government contracting accounting. It is basically the same job I am doing now only more money and better benefits. So I will be moving to Austin in the next few months once I can sell my house here. I am excited about the prospects in my future. So thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. They have been greatly appreciated.

Well, I know my last blog shocked many of you in blog land. Trust me it has been a shock for me too. All I can do now is pack up and drive on. I am amazed at how quickly this has all progressed. But I am trying to make the best of a bad situation. I have been trying to organize Shawn’s stuff into central locations in the house to make it easier when the movers come. I am ready for his stuff to be gone so I can redecorate the house. I know that sounds selfish but it is the one thing I have to look forward to right now. Well, I don’t have anything interesting to tell so that it’s for now.

Well, I have been fussed at because I haven’t been updating regularly and I do have a lot to tell. But, to be honest, I haven’t wanted to talk about what is going on in my life. That probably has to do with the fact that all I seem to be doing right now is talking about what is going on in my life. I could make a list of reasons I haven’t been posting recently like Mal did but I really only have one reason. My life is falling apart around me and I am doing everything I can to hold myself together. I guess the first thing to say is that I will have to change the name of my blog soon. In 60 days, I will no longer be an Army Wife. For that matter, I will no longer be a wife. Long story short, Shawn is moving back to Alabama for his next assignment and I am staying here in Texas. Once the shock of the whole thing wore off, I got really sad for about a week but now I think I am going to be OK. In many ways, this is the best thing for us and has been coming for a long time. Howeve

I know it has been a few days since I have posted anything but that has been because I haven’t had anything to say. We have to attend a Hail & Farewell this evening. It kind of feels like a death march going to your own farewell when you don’t know what your next move is. Branch is still giving us the run around on Shawn’s next assignment. Every time he has talked to them we have been pushed back a week on getting a real answer. So it has now been two months and Shawn still doesn’t have a job. I am frustrated because I am staring a promotion in the face that is pretty much mine if I want it. However, I have to tell my boss that I might not be able to take it because I might have to move. The thought of moving is both scary and exciting. I am trying to look at it as an adventure for Shawn and I to go on but I don’t want to leave my friends and my job and have to start over again. I am just now adjusted to this place. I am not ready to pack up and do it over. But then the

Shawn missed my birthday by 25 minutes. I arrived at the gym to pick him up at about 12:45 on Thursday morning. We finally got home an hour later. I was exhausted Thursday at work. However, I was excited because part of my birthday present was a trip to Fredericksburg for a little R & R for us. So we got the plans in place and headed out of town after my doctor’s appointment on Friday. It was nice to escape for a couple of days. Fredericksburg is a great little German community about 2 hours from here. We had no idea prior to moving here that there was such a strong German influence in Central Texas. It is actually quite interesting. Shawn did the husbandly duties of carrying all my bags while we shopped on Saturday. I think we both enjoyed the laziness of the weekend sleeping to nearly 9 each morning. I was ready to head back on Sunday since I missed Maverick very much. He has been having a hard time being boarded recently and was very happy to have Shawn home. I was

OK…so today is the day I have been dreading for the last year. I am officially 30 today. And you know what…it isn’t so bad. As a matter of fact, I think everything is going to be OK. It will actually be better than OK. I got a reminder why I married my husband today. Shawn is not the best when it comes to picking out gifts for me so I didn’t have high hopes this year with him being so busy before he left for NTC and currently being gone. Recently things have been tense between us due to job stress and not enough time together. But he made me forget all that without hardly trying. He hid my birthday present in his closet before he left for NTC last month. So when he called this morning and gave me the location of my present. I must say I was surprised that he had been able to hid it so well since I never saw anything clear the bank account or the credit card. So I ran home from work and this is what I found hiding in the closet: He did really well this year! Also, we are

This is going to be one of those random blogs that is just me talking about something that makes me happy. I obviously live in a military town. Fort Hood is the largest military installation in the United States. I grew up having respect for the military but not ever really thinking much about it. Then my brother joined the Army right before I graduated from college. I then was able to stand a little taller because I was the sister of a soldier. After 9-11, fear hit me. I realized then that war was inevitable and I was scared about how it was going to effect my brother and my family. Then I met Shawn and my whole perspective changed. Clay went to war in OIF I. During the time he was gone, I got engaged and married to Shawn. Shortly after our wedding, Shawn deployed for the first time. It was during that time that I began to get frustrated with the lack of understanding from those in the civilian world over the life we lead as a military family. Shawn and Clay overlapped in

I already posted a blog about my trip to Mobile last weekend. I am happy to report that the rest of my stay was much better than the process of trying to get there. It was so great to see Ronda and her little one as well as Auntie Martha and Suzanna. We stayed busy but we still found time for wine and popcorn as well as a lot of girl talk. I got some much needed perspective on some things I have been dealing with recently. That is the great thing about being around people who really know you. They understand you enough to know how you truly feel about things. I am not going to say I got all the answers I needed but I am at least headed in the right direction now. Baby Scout and I hit it off and became fast friends over the weekend. After all, she takes after her Auntie Ju Ju in so many ways. I do miss being home and being around all those I love. I will have to plan a trip home again sooner than this one was. Mom and I headed back to the Lone Star state on Sunday afternoo

As you know if you read my last blog, I was really excited about my trip home for the weekend. If I had known the ordeal I was going to go through just trying to get out of Texas, I might have reconsidered the trip. The day started out innocently enough with IT guy taking me to the airport since we both live on that side of town. However, things quickly turned ugly when I walked into the airport and saw the line waiting to check in at the American Airlines counter. After being dropped off I realized I had left my cell phone at the house and had to send IT guy back to my place to get said cell phone. Little did I know how much I would need the phone later on during the day. Once I had my cell phone in hand, I proceeded through security expecting to be boarding a plane at any minute. That minute did not come until four hours later when my flight to Dallas finally arrived at our local airport. After finally arriving in Dallas, I discovered that I could have made the original fligh

So…I am going home tomorrow. I am really excited about the trip home mostly because I get to see my friend, Ronda, whom I haven’t seen in two years. In that time, Ronda had a baby and I haven’t ever met my adopted niece! I really can’t wait. I am also excited because it has been nearly six months since the last time I went home. That may not seem like a big deal to most people but to me it is huge. Last year I went home 6 times while Shawn was deployed. That was over an 11 month time period and two of those trips were more than a week long. I never thought I would be able to handle going this long without a visit home but I haven’t had much of a choice. However, that being said, I can’t seem to bring myself to finish packing. I started last night by lining up all my clothes and shoes on the guest bed to make sure I had everything. It has taken me four hours tonight to complete the task. I just can’t seem to get motivated and my flight leaves at 8:30 in the morning! I am ba

So I mentioned before that my wonderful friends have found an abundance of things to keep me occupied during this temporary separation. This week has been the perfect example of that. I think Monday has been the only night that I came home and stayed home. Poor Maverick probably thinks Shawn and I have both left him. Tuesday night was dinner at the Olive Garden with Jenn and Ginny. Two and a half hours of girl talk over pasta and drinks really does the soul good. I don’t think we stopped laughing the entire time we were there. When my TV Guide arrived earlier this week, I discovered that the Dancing with the Stars Tour was coming to Austin Wednesday night. So online I went to purchase tickets. I dialed up Jenny (my sister-in-law in Austin) and last night I was off to the land of the longhorns to partake in one of my passions in life. I must say seeing the dances in person was 100 times better than watching them on TV. Tonight it was off to a local high school with Jenn and D

It has been nearly a week since Shawn left for his 5 week stay in the desert. I have to say that I am realizing more and more what a fabulous (or, as Jenn would say, fantabulous) bunch of friends I have. My schedule for the next couple of weeks is cram packed with events and gatherings that will keep me busy and help the time past quicker. In addition to my trip home in two weeks and Mom’s subsequent visit to Central Texas, I will hardly notice that Shawn is gone. I am truly grateful to be surrounded by such wonderful people. Maverick, on the other, is noticing Shawn’s absence. I caught him sitting in front of the door to the garage the other night just staring waiting for it to open. It is sad because he doesn’t understand. He is used to it being just me in the house with him since Shawn was deployed when I got him. Actually, I would think he would be a bit relieved to have Shawn gone since I am clearly the favorite pet parent. We have been getting in some good quality t

The day finally arrived for Shawn to depart to NTC at Fort Irwin for 5 weeks. As is fitting with all things military, drop off time was 1 AM. So here we were scrambling at 12:15 to get to his office before said drop off time. Fortunately, we live close to the installation so it doesn’t take long to get there. Leading up to today, I have had mixed emotions about him leaving. After 2 deployments, 5 weeks isn’t that long but it is still hard to have him gone. Part of me was ready for him to leave so I wouldn’t have to deal with the late nights at the office anymore. Then I think about everything I have to take care of in his absence. I feel like I am running on autopilot right now. We said goodbye in the gym parking lot and I got in my car to drive home. We have said goodbye so many times now that I get numb when the time arrives for us say it again. The trip home was a blur. I made it home safely but I didn’t even notice what was going on around me. The car knows the path fr

13 Things that Made Me Smile Today 1. Talking to IT Guy 2. IT Guy’s son paying a visit to my office 3. Jason’s Deli with the girls 4. All things Pampered Chef 5. Leaving a note on someone’s car 6. Changes at work 7. Text messages 8. Puppy love 9. Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies 10. Play time 11. Being alone with someone special 12. Pink 13. Completing this list

10 Occupations You Wanted to be When You Were Young 1. ballerina 2. teacher 3. nurse 4. dance teacher 5. pharmacist 6. writer 7. psychologist 8. fashion merchandiser 9. doctor 10. stay at home wife and mom Notice the one occupation that is missing from this list?!?

So I decided to jump on the bandwagon since I haven’t posted anything in a while and try my hand at a Saturday Shuffle. I am still pretty new to the ITunes world so I don’t have a big variety yet. And some of what I do have, I am embarassed to even admit it is there. But…here I go: 1. Luckenbach, Texas - I had to add this song since Luckenbach is about 2 hours from where I live. Shawn and I visited there last year after he returned from deployment #2. 2. Not Me from Aida - I saw this show three years ago in NYC and absolutely feel in love with it. 3. Americans We by Gramercy Brass - A flashback to my high school band days. I have a special love for a good Sousa march. 4. Son’s Gonna Rise by Citizen Cope - Not too sure how I ended up with this on my playlist. It came from an album I had to download to get the one song I wanted. 5. My Home’s in Alabama by Alabama - Pretty self explanatory for anyone who knows anything about me. If you don’t, read my 100 things about me list

Things have been pretty tense since I got the news about Shawn leaving his current unit. I should be happy because the change eliminates deployment #3 for the time being. However, the Army, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to replace the deployment with a year-long hardship tour overseas. OK…so it isn’t a war zone so I shouldn’t complain but it still means a year separation. Another year by myself…Great! I am an old pro at the married yet single military lifestyle. There are a few good points to this whole thing. I won’t have to move or leave my job. The not moving thing is great because I was just starting to get comfortable here in Central Texas so I won’t have to start over and make new friends. Plus all my friends from Shawn’s current unit will be going through a deployment while he is gone so I will have my semi-single friends to pal around with. I am mostly glad about not leaving my job. I just moved into a new position in the accounting department and there is talk

Somehow in the midst of my company’s trip to Dave & Buster’s, I over looked the fact that last Friday was Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Last year was the first time I was aware that there is such a day. At the time I wasn’t working so I was able to participate in the MWR (Morale, Welfare & Recreation) hosted trip to a neighboring town for a day of shopping. Military Spouse Appreciation Day was created by President Ronald Reagan as a way to recognize the silent ranks. It falls on the Friday before Mother’s Day every year. The sad thing about Military Spouse Appreciation Day is that away from the military community you won’t hear anything about it. So, I feel it is my job to make the rest of the world aware of Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Do me a favor and find a military spouse and thank them for everything they go through. The soldier, sailor, marine or airman’s job doesn’t end with that individual. It carries over to the family who have to carry the burden of

Here it is 2:25 in the morning and I am sitting here with a glass of wine trying to figure out why I can’t sleep. Is it because Maverick decided that snoring in bed would be fun tonight? Or is it the wonderful news that Shawn gave me that we might have to move this summer? I am devastated right now. I should be happy but all I can do is cry. Shawn was told two days ago that he was being moved from his current job to another position in another part of the unit. OK…I was a little sad by this because I would be leaving all the friends I had made in the current unit and the volunteer position with that unit to move to another unit. That I could handle because I would still be able to see my friends. However, this evening I got the news that the other position won’t be available to him. Unless the Army can see it in its cold heart to give him another position with another unit here, we will be moving. Just when I was starting to be happy and comfortable here. Man, I love the Arm

I am pretty sure I have mentioned on here before that I have no desire to be a mother. I am not going to say that those feelings have changed but I will say I am starting to feeling guilty about it. I am fortunate that I married a man who feels the same way about children that I do. I still can’t help but wonder what is wrong with me that I am not genetically predisposed to the “Mommy Gene”. Being in a military town only makes matters worse. Women try to fit pregnancies in between deployments so that means there are a ton of pregnant women around within the few months following the return of one of the installation’s major units. A perfect example of that is the fact that I was out shopping for baby gifts for three women in my Sunday School class today. Now our class runs about 20 people on an average Sunday. We are not talking a huge number. Not to mention the two showers I have been to already this year for other women in the class. And that is just at church. That doesn’t

OK…so it really wasn’t a surprise when my mom called yesterday and told me she saw a report about the Department of Defense releasing a list of the troops that will be deploying soon. Of course, Shawn’s unit was on that list. While that information may be a surprise to the civilian world, it is no big shock to those of us who have been living the life of preparation. We have known since Shawn changed units in September that this was on the horizon. No orders didn’t mean it wasn’t going to happen or that something might change. I have tried telling that to my mother-in-law but some how she doesn’t believe me. The funny thing to me is my mom was one of the many people in the US who missed the annoucement about the troop extensions. I guess I take for granted that the news that is important in the military world isn’t as relevant to those on the outside. I just hope that the extension is a sign that this crazy situation will be coming to an end soon. On a side note: I want to ap

It is not often that you will find me addressing something that is political in nature. That is a subject that I try to stay away from simply because it annoys me more than it benefits me. That being said, I do vote and take part in the democratic process. However, I am a military spouse and I speak up when something happens in Washington that effects my life and my husband’s career. A friend of mine who is also a military spouse posted this bulletin on MySpace yesterday. I believe it says everything that all of us as spouses are feeling right now with the Pentagon’s announcement to extend the length of tours in Iraq. I want the war to end for reasons that are purely personal and selfish in nature. I don’t agree with the protestors or the politicans who want to end this. I don’t know if I think their arguments are valid. I simply know that I have watched my husband leave twice and everytime I fear he will not return. I know that I am preparing to go through this process all

OK…so I finally finished the list. Here it is! I was born in Alabama I currently live in Texas I have a Masters degree in Business Administration I graduated from two different Southern Baptist colleges I am a huge college football fan (ROLL TIDE!) But I only discovered the joys of pro football this year (Go Cowboys!) I don’t have any children Nor do I want any children But babies love me I love my dog I love the water But I hate the beach (sand, yuck!) My favorite color is purple I hate the color orange My favorite flowers are roses (pink especially) I want everything around me to be neat and organized But I hate to clean my house I am a true shopaholic I love all things Pampered Chef I own more than half the catalog I bought the majority of it since I moved to Texas a year and a half ago I am a volunteer for the Army I work full time as an accountant I do my own taxes I watch entirely too much TV I have a Tivo and a DVR to help me with that I am extremely competitive I will be 30

Our accounting program has been down for two days at work so I am doing everything I can to occupy my time since I have to sit here until 5. I figured now would be a good time to catch up on my blogging since I have nothing better to do and I have been delinquent in advertising my oh-so-exciting life. Shawn returned from the field a week ago still damp from the downpours we had all week including a few tornadoes that apparently were near my house. The weather was bad enough that my boss sent us home early that Friday. I guess I was napping while the tornadoes were circulating because I missed them on the news report I had on all afternoon. That crazy weather led to a beautiful weekend only to be followed by freezing temperatures for Easter. Yes, it snowed for Easter in Central Texas this year. I am not a fan of cold weather or snow for that matter. I prefer warm climates for that reason. Shawn wasn’t as uncomfortable as I was. He didn’t seem to understand my anxiety once I re

Last night I had what Shawn calls a “hen party” better known to me as a Pampered Chef party. (Oh, how I love Pampered Chef products!) Apparently, in my husband’s world, women are hens and when we get together it is a hen party. However, much fun was had by all. There is just something great about getting a bunch of women together to just be women even if you don’t all know each other. A few weeks ago, my church sponsored a ladies’ retreat at beautiful conference center in a nearby town (somehow everything is nearby in Central Texas!) It was the most refreshing and relaxing weekend I had had in a long time. Shawn and I had been dealing with a lot of stress about the upcoming deployment before the retreat but life was much happier afterward. It didn’t hurt that he greeted me at the door with flowers upon my return and I had only been gone for 24 hours. The other ladies and I that planned the retreat are already talking about what to do for next year’s retreat. I would love an e

I borrowed this from Psycho Mommy because…well…I thought it was an interesting way to get to know me even more! Bold the ones you’ve done… 01. Bought everyone in the pub a drink 02. Swam with wild dolphins 03. Climbed a mountain 04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive 05. Been inside the Great Pyramid 06. Held a tarantula. 07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone 08. Said ‘I love you’ and meant it 09. Hugged a tree 10. Done a striptease 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14. Stayed up all night long, and watch the sun rise 15. Seen the Northern Lights 16. Gone to a huge sports game 17. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa 18. Grown and eaten your own vegetables 19. Touched an iceberg 20. Slept under the stars 21. Changed a baby’s diaper 22. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon 23. Watched a meteor shower 24. Gotten drunk on champagne 25. Given more than you can afford to charity 26. Looked up at the night sk

Today has been a typical day in our little world. Shawn left me and Maverick in bed this morning as he headed off to the gym before church. Once Shawn returned, I was showered and partially dressed. Thinking we were good on time, we didn’t rush and as is typical, ended up being about 10 minutes late for Sunday school. After big church (yes at 29 I still call it that), it was off to lunch and a quick trip to the grocery store. Shawn is currently weed eating the front yard while Maverick sunbathes in the back. I should be finishing the house cleaning we started yesterday since I will be having company over tomorrow after work. Shawn will be in the field all next week so I will get some much needed me time. As much as I hate when Shawn is gone, I get really used to having time to myself and being able to follow my own routine. Everything changes when Shawn is home. It took me three months to get Maverick back on track and not waking us up in the middle of the night when Shawn re

I will be turning 30 this summer. With turning 30 comes a lot of thoughts of getting old and whether or not I have accomplished all I wanted to accomplish by this age. I keep hearing that life begins at 30 but I doubt the truth to that statement. My body is telling me on a daily basis that I am not that young anymore. I have my sore knee and my bad back. However, I have been able to convince myself up to this point that I still looked younger. That was until a couple of nights ago when I had one of those moments that all women (and some men) fear. I was going through my nightly routine preparing for bed. You know, brushing the teeth, washing the face. My part was off so I picked up the brush to brush my hair when I noticed something shiny catching the light in the mirror. At that point, panic set in. So I reach up and grab the offender out of my head and proceed to show it to Shawn. Now my first thought was that it was a residual blond hair from my days of highlighted blond

I got one of those calls today that you are never expecting and dread once you know what they are about. An old friend of mine was found dead in his apartment Monday night. Stephen and I met in high school when I was dating his best friend but continued to be friends even after Jason and I broke up. As a matter of fact, we went to his prom together junior year. Imagine my shock when Mom called me at work to tell me that she had heard on the news last night that he had died. Of course the circumstances of his death are unclear. He died from a single gunshot wound and was found by his roommate. Stephen was a police officer in Daphne, AL. My hope is that it was an accident because I don’t believe that Stephen was the type of person to commit suicide. While we hadn’t been close in years, Stephen was always a happy person. I just can’t imagine him being in such a pit of dispair and wanting to take his own life. But then you never know. I haven’t seen Stephen since my wedding thr