A Month Long, A Long Month

I love Saturdays. I wake up, feed AJ, get dressed and sit down with a cup of coffee as I go over my computer addictions. (hehe) Im enjoying these days as I know I will not have many more of them as this deployment comes.

A whole month has gone by. Labor day 96 wasn't too bad. We didn't do much the entire weekend but we did go to the beach with some friends. Jack & Amanda (OIF), and thier friend Adam & his wife Morgan. Plus we asked Mitch and Misty. So we spent the day hanging out, playing volleyball, and getting a great tan. Wow did I get dark =)

Drill weekend wasn't too bad. I got to the unit at 6:30 am. Everything was planned out. Who was going to take what truck and when, but some idiot messed it all up and rather than get out of Orlando at 9:30 we didnt get out until almost 11:30. By then it was raining. I drove the Ambulance HMMMV w/ our Corpsman on the second stick. It was so hot and we have no AC and no fan.(ICK) So by the time we got up to Jacksonville, FL around 1700 I was soaked in sweat. We staged our vehicles in our make shift motor poole and we humped our way to the squadbay. They always try to separate the females from the males so our squadbay was spaced pretty far from the males. Kind of ridiculous if you ask me. I mean if you want to do it, so be it, but there were plenty of other squadbays closer. We got to bed around 2200. At 2400, the rest of the unit showed up and then we got the bad news. One of our vehicles broke down. Luckily Im not a Vehicle Recover Operator. Those guys got no sleep. Saturday morning we prepared for the Gas Chamber. I remembered not to shave anything but my sunburn was going to be a problem. I got everyone's canister on and then rushed to get mine ready. I was in the first group of 15. Our 1stSgt was in the chamber setting off CS Grenades. (Please note: grenades are for open environment situations and release enough gas to feel the effects over a football field.) So in I went as capsules and grenades going off. A room not larger than a normal size living room. Then I realized my canister wasn't on. I was breathing in all that gas... I tried to stay in but I was getting sick. So I ran out like a little girl. (You can laugh. I know I did) But thenI had to go back in... I was completely freaking out. I couldnt get my hair to stay in place and it kept breaking my seal. But I did it. I went back in, ran around, did jumping jacks, broke the seal and held it in front of my face. Once we were told we could put the mask on, we did. I couldn't get my back on. My hair got stuck in it. So I ripped it out of my hair, placed it on my face and held it there closing my eyes. Then we were allowed to get out (thank goodness) and i did. With snot dripping out of my nose and tears pouring out of my eyes. My skin felt like it was on fire. Some guy got a bloody nose. We drove back, got cleaned up and had classes to do the rest of the day. We didn't get to bed until 1am and had to be up at 3:50 am. I got to A-drive in the LVS. It was my first time. I have always been in the 7ton or HMMMV. Cpl Stehle (OIF PLT) drove and my job was to keep him awake. We headed out of Jacksonville and got to Orlando pretty early. The day was over around 5pm.

Rob now has AJ home everyday. It works out better and we save so much money. About $900 a month between tuition, gas, and tolls.  Rob leaves for NY October 5th to go finish up testing and comes back the 11th. I took leave for the week so I could take care of AJ. Hopefully we have more info about his academy by mid Oct.

TIMELINE: October 13th, the group Im going to Iraq with gets mobilized. The 17th we leave for Camp Blanding up in Jacksonville, FL and we are there until October 24th. Then I leave for 29 Palms October 26th. I get home Thanksgiving Day. Then December 15th I go on leave and Rob's friend Rich comes down. Colie will also be down to help. We pack up the house and head to NY. I stay on leave until Jan 3rd. Come home to FL and leave for Camp Lejuene Jan 7th. Im there until mid February and then we leave for Iraq. So I should be getting home mid September of 2009. Not too shabby.

AJ is doing great. He's so smart and he has this great imagination. I hope the school that Im sending him to in January can help broaden his horizions. Now I just have to find a babysitter for the mornings while Rob goes to the Academy until 7. So if you know anyone let me know. This is my son so I'll pay whatever to make sure he is taken care of.

Im not trying to lose all that weight anymore. Im 23 yes, but im not as superficial as I thought. I discovered that after reading a friend's blog. Like her I just want to be healthy. Yo-yo dieting isn't healthy and I will be losing plenty of weight while deployed. So my goals have changed. I want to be at a healthy weight. I want to be fit and have plenty of energy. Im going to the doctors next week to make sure that I am cleared for Operation Fitness LOL. I want to be healthy inside and out. Tanning everyday, barely eating and working out is so unhealthy. I don't drink heavily and I don't smoke. I eat red meat in moderation and well I want to be healthy for Anthony and any future babies we have.

I actually want a girl really bad now. I already have the name picked out. The name is a mixture of my favorite name and my mother's confirmation name. But if I have a boy I also have a few names picked out.

My life isn't perfect. Money is really tight. But I still have my family together. There is food on the table, clothes on our back, and a roof over our heads, and most important love and support. Money will come. We just have to keep working hard. OK this blog is long enough. I need to get my stinky man dressed. Smooches

P.S. We made a trip to Universal and we got AJ on spiderman and he loved it and then he met Spiderman. He was starstruck

P.S.S. Sex and the City movie comes out Tuesday =)

Birthday wishes, butterfly kisses

So currently it looks like when I go to Iraq, Rob and AJ will be going to NY to live with my father. So plans have shifted again. We gave Florida a shot but its not working. In the end you need family and friends.

My 23rd birthday. Not really a milestone. I went to work. Got some cards in the mail and headed out to dinner. I just didn't feel like cooking. Rob, AJ and I went to Macaroni Grill, got a smoothie and headed to Target for bottled water for preparation for Hurricane Fay. My dad, Tia, and Nawny sent me a card with $$$ in it but Im not trying to spend it on stupid stuff. Of course my lover Stephanie sent me this great package in the mail. Of course it made me ball my eyes out. She really is the best. Other than that it was just a regular day. Next years bday will be spent in the desert.

Drill weekend went pretty well. The mornings started early but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might be. I gave a class to about 200 Marines on audits. Powerpoint and everything. They also had to take a PFT. It's amazing how out of shape they are. Geez I hope I don't get like that when I am a Reservist. Unfortunatley with this stupid storm they closed work and made us use our comp days for it. Luckily the weekend is approaching.

While an attempt was made to grow out my hair I just cannot do it while Im on Active Duty. So it will be kept short for awhile. The people I used to babysit are down and I havent been able to see them =(

I've been in such a mood lately.YUCK! There hasn't been too much to look forwad to. I guess you could call it a rut.

Fed up with Florida

 

So I had to work Rob's Bday but I think I made up for it that following week. Wednesday Rob, AJ and I got up early and headed off to Disney's Magic Kingdom for the day. It was fabulous and AJ loved it. It really was exited to see all the characters and we went on over 20 attractions. Awesome right? Plus we saw the parade on Main Street. Thursday AJ went to daycare and Rob and I headed off to Aquatica. Seaworld's waterpark. It was a lot of fun. Kind of expensive but we did ever attraction there was. I brought my camera and got some good picks. To bad Im too fat too post them. Friday we left around 1 and headed to Clearwater. We had a great weekend there. I definitley want to go to more places on the coast. Im thinking a weekend in Key West.

So Rob and I were talking and I think we might be moving bad to NY. FL is beautiful but we have no one to share this wonderful place. Plus with Rob's new job we really dont get out much.

August is my birthday month, my mom's anniversary and drill weekend is the 16th&17th. We dont really have any plans but I found out today some family friends of mine will be in FL the 15ththru the 23 so I plan on meeting up with them while they are down here.

I was planning cutting my hair short but Im thinking of growing it back out. If it gets annoying I can always cut it short. Im at the fatest I have been in years (pregnancy not included).Hopefully I can snap out of this mood soon.

AJ is doing great. He's been so helpful. We started doing alphabet letters and writing numbers. We still try and read about 20 minutes every night. Since Rob is gone at night I try to fill my nights up with as much productivity as possible.

Rob pretty much works, sleeps works out, takes care of aj and works more. Hopefully he can get rid of this second job soon. He has some huge perks with this job so hopefully we take advantage of it while we live down here.

Training starts soon. Im training for PFT for the next two months and then we have Rob's family coming down. Then I leave for Jacksonville, FL for weapons traing and head straight to 29 Palms, CA for CAX training.

Well I gotta get AJ ready for bed. night night.

Working Weekend

OK so I worked extremely hard this weekend. Saturday morning I had to be at work no later than 4 am. I had 26 Marines leaving for Annual Training. Of course one was late and drunk and didnt show up until 530 am. I got home finally around 615. I got some sleep but had to be up at 745 to get all my stuff ready for that funeral. Mike Musto of Lecanto, FLdied in a motorcycle crash killing him and a 16 year old girl. It's always devastating. It was his fault. He was speeding. I didn't cry though. I didnt know him and well I have done so many funerals these things don't really phase me. I had to be at work by 10 and I got home around 6:30 pm. Rob wasn't feeling well. AJ was driving him nuts and well there wasn't much going on. It was Rob's 28th birthday. This is the 4th birthday we have spent together. This week I took leave and I am really looking forward to it. It's going to be great. Hopefully the weather holds up.

Today I had to be at work by 5:30 am to take more Marines to the airport for Annual Training. Of course someone was late and didnt show until 7:30. So I got home around 8:30. Total ICK! Then it rained all day today. Tomorrow I have to work late but luckily tuesday @ 8 am I start leave. I have so many errands to run from now until Wednesday. I better get to bed its midnight. sweet dreams =)

4 Years Now...

 

July 4, 2008 marked our 4 year anniversary. On Independence Day of 2004 Rob and I went to Disney and at the end of the night decided that we wanted to be with each other. Scared of letting go of the past but excited to try something new. Now 4 years later we are where we need to be. Honeymoon phase? Maybe. I hope the next 60 years are like this. As I write this I start to look at other young married couples that did things out of order. You know. Baby, then marriage. I watch other marriages fail around me. I think I have found my answer to making a marriage work. I've said it to a few people and they said it makes sense so I'm going with that. If the separating couple would have put as much effort into the marriage as they do to separate and hurt each other maybe they would enjoy their marriage more. But then again everything happens for a reason. So I will count my blessings.

 Tia came down the last weekend in June.  This usually a hard month. The 8th would have been my parents 29th anniversary and the 10th was my mothers 47th birthday. I really do miss her more and more. Luckily I have my Tia. She came down from Friday noon until Sunday afternoon. We hung out, went to dinner, drank wine, and talked about EVERYTHING!!!! Plus we saw Sex and the City. I think I could see it like 10 more times and be just as excited as the last. I always enjoy here visits.

 

My dad's, my mother-in-laws, and Rob's birthday are this month. Rob and I decided that we aren't going to be doing so much that weekend but starting that Wed the 16th through the 20th we are celebrating his birthday. Each day something new. I have something planned that he has no idea so I'm kinda excited. Father's Day was cute. I took Rob out to dinner just me and him. Anthony stayedat Pop and Nana's. The next morning I took everyone to breakfast, and we bought Pop his father's day present.

Rob's doing really well. He's lost some weight but most of all he has lost inches and is definitely getting in great shape since he started playing basketball like every night. I'm really so proud of him. He even has me starting my new regiment. Lets see how long that lasts. I usually go on spurts.  

AJ is in the BIG boy room and loves it. They have computers and he plays his computer games and LOVES it. Plus he's got big boy friends. He loves to sing even though he cant carry a tune. He loves to dance but has no rhythm. LOL but it's adorable. Best part we are officially POTTY TRAINED! No accidents, no leak, no oops I missed the toilet my hard work  and patience is paying off.  

July plans... As of right now we have no visitors for July. So sad. But that's fine. I'm finding great ways to enjoy my summer. I mean I'm in Orlando, Florida. Life could be worse. We never did get other doggy :o( I was sad but it was a shady situation. I have deployment training Oct 20th-24th, then more training Oct 27th through Nov 27th YUCK No Halloween and no Thanksgiving. But I do get Christmas and New Years.

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Everything in Time

 

Memorial Day was nothing special. I had to work two events but it was no big deal. Drill weekend approached quickly. The girls and I went out to City Walk Friday the 30th. It was the Sex and the City premiere. We did dinner at Hard Rock and then headed over to the movie. We woke up early Saturday and had drill. Saturday I had a Tuskegee Airman Luncheon and Sunday was at the shop all day.

AJ's physical went well. He's 39 inches,37 lbs and in the 75% for both. He advanced in his age group for talking and what not so I need to not give in.... He's in this stage in his life where he's trying to outsmart Rob and I. He's extremely fickle and he remembers everything. All those time when parents tell their kids later or tomorrow... Well AJ will remind you later and first thing when you wake up tomorrow he is going to tell you. He likes doing things by himself i.e.. taking off his shoes, getting his own juice, going potty, and feeding his fish.

Currently we have one dog and 10 fish but now we will be adding to that. Coco will be our newest addition. He's a mini pin and only 6 months old. His all chocolate with hazel eyes. He should be arriving this week. Pictures will be posted.

Deployment still seems to be a go. Luckily I have some friends going with me. Pictures of all the work ups will be posted too. I might even be going for a pixie haircut also. Yikes that's short.

There's not a whole heck of a lot going on here. I miss my Stephie. She's somewhere in Southeast Asia. I got my postcards from Malaysia, Singapore and one from Macau. I miss her so much. Hopefully I will get to hear from her soon. OK I need to go make dinner TATA

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May Madness @-->-----

Quick recap~ Girls night was awesome. We hung out at Heidy's and then went out dancing. Its fun doing just the girls!!!! It was so much fun that on May 30th we are going to Universal to have dinner and see the Sex and the City movie YEHHHH!!! You know Im excited about that. Rob and I also went to our first Florida State Fair. I think that was my first state fair ever., even if it wasn't it was the only one I can recall. AJ loved it for the prizes and ride and Rob and I loved the food. (Yummy in my tummy) My bro and his g/f came down here for a few days and I LOVED every minute of it. They took AJ out all the time and we did a few fun things together. I was so upset to see them leave. Now if only I could get my father down here. AJ turned 3. He's the potty pro now and Im loving the fact that I get to watch him grow up. Its going to be hard this year. I have all this training I have to get done and then I head out to Iraq at the end of the year. I would have loved the opportunity to expand our family but it's just not in the cards. Everything in time. Im only 22. I still have plenty of time in my life to bear more children. Other than that I get more AJ, Rob and me time. We went to Universal Studios last weekend to try out the new  Simpsons ride. It is really cute. Nicole is going to be coming down here for father's day so hopefully she will do the rollercoasters with me. I stil have not been on the hulk!OK time to get moving I worked out and totally need to get cleaned up. Im still no where near bathing suit ready!