Ten on Thursday

I'm going to hop on the "Ten" train! Lots of my friends have been doing this lately, so I thought I'd try to come up with 10 interesting tidbits about our lives, too. Well...I said I'd TRY to make them interesting! Ha!

1) We try to take advantage of long weekends, and this one is no different! We're heading out to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, VA tomorrow. I'm super excited b/c there is a Sesame Street section there, and I think Elli will have a blast! PLUS, our little family gets in free thanks to our military man :)

2) Chris's dad & Donna will be joining us on our Virginia adventure...which makes me even more excited!

3) I heard Baby D's heartbeat again today. Such a sweet sound!

4) Only 3 more weeks and we find out if Baby D is a girl or a boy. WooHoo, I can't wait!

5) I made King Ranch Chicken Casserole for the first time last night, and we all LOVED it! Click on the link for the recipe :)

6) After a brief hiatus, I'm going to be turning on my sewing machine again. I know, crazy! I have so many pregnant friends right now that I just can help but drag out the fabric, scissors & thread to make some fun baby gifts!

7) It is my opinion that window treatments really "make" the house. We finally got the last ones hung last night and I can't tell you the difference it has made!! It finally feels like home.

8) We went to a "base brief" last week at Chris's squadron. We heard about the upcoming deployment schedule, and got a preview of all the bases that are available to us. I gotta say, I didn't leave that brief with warm fuzzies! These past 2 years of Chris's training have really spoiled us both (& Elli!). In 5 short months, we'll be back to the "real world" of long days, deployments, TDY's, and typical military life. I know we'll adjust, we always do...I'm just not really looking forward to it.

9) Elli's vocabulary is exploding! She is such a little mimic, and it makes me laugh. Her current favorite words are: boo boo, shoes, choo choo, up please, and Daddy. She says new ones every day, and she knows many more than just these...it's just that she says these particular ones so often that if you're not careful you'll start banging you head against the wall! And she gets louder each time she says one, until she's screaming SHOES and nearly falling down from the giggling. Who taught her that?! Cracks me up!

10) HUGE shopping weekend in store for me! Well, mainly Monday, but I think 1 day of the crazy sales will be plenty. Did you know that Gymboree has everything in stores and online for $12.95 or less? EVERYTHING! And Carter's is having a 60% off sale. Coach has everything 30% off at the outlets, Crazy8 has everything in stores and online at $10.99 and under. It's nuts I tell you...and I plan on being right in the middle of it!!

Happy Memorial Day weekend, friends!!

March ~ A Good Month!

March has proven to be a really good month! We started it out with a visit from Grandad & Grandma Duncan, which was super fun!! Elli loves attention from her grandparents...good thing she has a lot of them :) The 2nd & 3rd week was dedicated to packing up our home for our latest move; this time to North Carolina!! My mom (aka Nana), came to help us with the packing/movers/Elli entertaining, and got to come with us on a quick little vacay to Charleston, SC (our reward to ourselves for 6 moves in as many years!). I LOVE that place...definitely a "must visit" if you haven't already! After that wonderful trip, we dropped my mom off at the airport and started our 4 hr. drive to our new home in NC. We hit the ground running as soon as we got here, and were blessed to have GG & Grandaddy (Chris's mom & step-dad) come out to help us with the move-in. Oh, and we celebrated my 30th birthday in the middle of all of that too!! It's been a crazy, but wonderful month. A new house, meeting up with old friends, lots of family visits, & a birthday!! What could be better?!

Grandad, Grandma & Elli...in front of the dog fence. She's going to miss those little puppies!

"Whoa!! Did you guys see that?!" This is what she did after she bowled for the very first time!! She was so tickled with herself :)

Nana, Me & Elli at Ft. Sumter
Chris & E at the Magnolia Plantation...in the petting zoo!
In the park on the Battery in Charleston

At the Charleston Children's Museum...we couldn't get her out of the water!!

In the middle of moving, and while staying in a hotel, I thought that there was pretty much no way that I would be getting a birthday cake. I was so sure of it that I went out and bought myself a cupcake :) And what did I find when I got back to the hotel that night?? My sweet husband had surprised me with my favorite cake (red velvet!!) & candles...I felt terrible for doubting him!! He's the best :)

Elli playing in the fountain in front of the Charleston Aquarium.

On my heart...

I don't usually go crazy with blog hopping. I'm more of a "stick with what/who you know" kinda girl. But today, for some reason, I found myself reading the blog of a blog friend. Does that make sense? Anyway, the blogger is a fellow military spouse and her post was about her husband (who she doesn't name, before the OPSEC freak-outs start). Did I just lose anyone there? Stick with me, I promise not to use any more military lingo :)

As I was reading, the tears just started pouring. I mean, pouring. This sweet woman's husband is dealing with PTSD, a Traumatic Brain Injury (which he got while gone on a 15 month deployment), and several other issues from his past. He's hurting. She's hurting. And it made my heart hurt...for our soldiers, our families, and our country.

Unless you live the military life, you will never quite understand what it's like. Trying to explain deployments, or feelings about deployments, to people who have never experienced them is hard. And honestly, it just doesn't work...there really are no words to describe what those months are like for the families of soldiers who are away. It's not just the separation. It's the fear that holds your heart like a vice from the moment you see your loved one step foot on that plane/bus/transport car, to the moment they return again, that is so difficult. "Oh please, Lord, please please please let him return safely" is a soft prayer that I know all too well.

This isn't a woe-is-me thing. There are a million things about the military that I love, and I honestly think that the good things usually outweigh the bad. Plus, who doesn't love a man in uniform?! What reading that blog made me realize though (once I pulled myself together!) is how important it is to be informed. I realized that I hide behind the fact that my husband isn't (and never will be) on the ground, and it gives me a little sense of security. I cloak myself in a blanket of "well, that could never happen to us" because, well...sometimes I just have to. But the fact of the matter is, our country is still at war. Sometimes the ones we love don't come back. Sometimes they do, but they're not the same as they were when they left. And it's hard...all the time.

The blog, for me, was a wake-up call. There have been several changes this year regarding military benefits, and we need to be informed. We need to elect officials who have military experience (if they will be dealing with military affairs), and we need to get involved in our own future. I didn't know that there was so little available for families who have soldiers suffering from PTSD. I can't imagine how alone this woman must feel knowing that she can't help her husband. But I can pray for her, about the situation, and for our government officials. I can get involved by writing letters. And I can be a friend, maybe not to her specifically (though the Lord may be working on that!), but to other women in my community who I know may be suffering as she is. And you guys can do that, too. I think it's the least we can do.

Another Adventure!

As many of you know, C & I have been anxiously awaiting finding out which plane he'll be flying once Pilot Training is finally over. And with the plane assignment, we would find out our new base as well...double exciting!! Well, Friday FINALLY rolled around and we found out...

We're going back to North Carolina!! I'm a little leery of putting his jet on the blog (paranoid much?!), so I'll borrow the description that his barber used the other day and call it the "pointy-nosed fast one" :) I'm so proud of him. He worked hard this year, unbelievably hard...and it has paid off tenfold. We're thrilled with the plane, and the base, and we're absolutely giddy about the prospect of getting back into the community that we left.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I get antsy when we've been in a house for more than a year. The ideas start churning for me, and the furniture starts getting rearranged. So, though I know it will be hard work (especially with a baby), I'm actually really excited about moving. And I'm soooo happy to get to see some of our friends again!! Plus, we really loved NC the last time we lived there (about 3 years ago), and I know that we'll enjoy it just as much this time around.

So, we're off on another adventure. This time, as a family of 3!!

I Will Never Forget

"Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they can not touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we are the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world.

And no one will keep that light from shining."

President George W. Bush

9-11-01

Thank You

My father-in-law showed this video to me today, and I thought I'd share it with all of you as well. It captures the very raw and real emotions of those who patiently wait for their loved ones to return home from war.

Thank you, brave servicemen, for your commitment & sacrifice. Thank you for your dedication to this great country, and for your unwavering faith in our flag. Thank you for defending our freedoms, honoring our Constitution, and pledging your lives for America & all that she stands for.

I am proud to be a soldiers wife. I am proud that we are a military family. And I am so very, very proud that my husband serves this nation that we love so dearly. Exercise your freedoms...speak out for what you believe in!! Men & women fight every single day so that you are able to do so.

Happy Memorial Day from our family to yours! Now go out and hug a soldier :)

Remember...

Spirit, that made those heroes dare
To die, and leave their children free,
Bid Time and Nature gently spare
The shaft we raise to them and thee.
– Ralph Waldo Emerson

Not So Wordless Wednesday!

There is something about Springtime that makes me incredibly happy. I love the blooming flowers and the budding trees. We've been opening our windows lately because the weather has been so gorgeous, and I love listening to the birds in the mornings and the crickets in the evenings. We finally have a house with a garden, and I've learned that I truly enjoy working in it...which is pretty surprising considering how much I loathe getting my hands dirty! I'm looking forward to getting a little baby pool for the backyard, later in the season, so that Elli & I can play in it together. I can't wait to see her splash around in it! Everything just seems new, exciting and fun in the Spring, don't you think?! We have the whole year to look forward to, and good weather to enjoy. I just love it!

I've been working a lot lately. I'm trying to get caught up on data entry, as well as getting lots of crafting in so that something super exciting can happen in May!! More on that later :) But here is what my desk looks like at the moment, what a MESS!!

We're also gearing up for our trip this weekend to see some of my most favorite girls in the world!! The Hilburns!! I can't tell you how excited I am to see them...9 months is way too long in my book! They've never met Elli, and I'm hoping that when they do, they'll all be fast friends :)

Chris's training is winding down, too. He'll be moving on to the next phase in about 2 weeks, and we're anxious to see which "track" he gets. What we're NOT looking forward to is the long hours again...boo! He's at a place right now where he goes into work for about 9-10/day; and though that might seem like a lot for most people, it's a welcome shortening for us! When the next phase starts, it's back to 12 hr days, every day...ughh. And when he DOES get to come home, he has to study for 2-3 hrs/night to prepare for the next day. I have to admit, it gets me down sometimes. On the other hand, I am so thankful to have him here with us at all. We have countless friends who are without their husbands (or wives) at this very moment, and while 12 hr days often seems disheartening, I try to treasure every second that we're together. I guess when you're in the military (or married to it!), you try to "save up" all of those morsels of time that your family has together in order to make it through all of the long months that you know you'll be apart in the future. It doesn't ever make you feel better in the midst of the separation, but I do believe that it keeps you from taking time together for granted when you have it. At least that's the Duncan Motto :)

What has Spring brought to your house this year? Besides lots of yellow pollen, that is!