And So It Begins....

One thing that is for certain is that there is no certainty in life.

We've been gearing up for Q's 2nd overseas deployment and it seems to be moving at warp speed. He goes on training orders Monday, which will carry him through till their Active Duty orders begin. He'll be in Afghanistan before the holidays and won't be home again until the Fall of 2010.

And so...it begins.

A year of missing my husband. A year of worry. A year of trying to fill the void. A year of missed holidays, birthdays, and special moments. A year we'll never get back.

I don't want to do this again. I'm not sure I'm strong enough. But I know I have to. And I will. I will stand by my soldier, proudly supporting him and all of our troops. I will hold the homefront down. I will try to fill both my mommy shoes and daddy shoes while he defends our freedom. I'm proud of him. But none of that makes it hurt less...just makes the hurt worth it.

I've been keeping my thoughts in a private blog...not yet ready to open it up to readers, but soon maybe. For now, an occasional update will have to suffice. I'm trying to come up with a way to pass the time with two teenagers...something we can do each week and check off that we're one week closer to dad being home, but my mind is blank. I'm so open to suggestions!!

So that's the quick update. School starts in less than 2 weeks...so should have plenty to blog about then! Hope everyone has an awesome day!!

Welcome Back Internet

Oh, I can't tell you how excited I am!! I have been a busy beaver today...working on our office/exercise room and getting our internet up and going at the house!! It is so nice to be able to check messages and blog from HOME!!! It is definitely the highlight of my weekend...(I know that sounds pathetic)...so how about an update?

Friday, as you all know, my baby graduated from the 6th grade. We had no ballgames Friday evening, so we went out to eat as a family at TaMolly's (one of Mallorye's favorite restaurants). It really was great to just sit and relax and laugh together. Mallorye and I went with one of my friends, Misty, to a Stamp Camp. Actually, Mal went to hang out with Micah...Misty and I went to get away for some girl time. We made some really kewl projects you can check out on my friend Lisa's Blog.

Saturday was official work day ...although the guys somehow got out of that one. Quentin took Blake fishing while Mallorye went and babysat for Misty...which left me home for the official work day. Oh well, I was able to get all rooms clean with the exception of the dreaded office/exercise room! I worked hard all day even though the heat was starting to get to me. Oh, I haven't mentioned that...we still DO NOT HAVE AIR!! Hopefully, the insurance company will issue a check this week and we can have our unit installed. The Arkansas temp is now in the 90's most days and humid.

We spent Sunday morning at church. It was my weekend to sing which means up bright and early to be at church by 7am for warm up and sound check. Quentin and Blake came later for the 9:30 service and had lunch ready for us when we got home at 12:30. Our small group started the Homebuilders Series, "Defending The Military Marriage" and we ordered pizza instead of heating up the house with the stove. I have to say Kevin & Kim (our small group) were good sports about not having air. We will definitely meet at the church next week if the unit isn't installed by then.

Quentin had to go into work for a few hours this morning to open the pool up and he let me sleep! I slept in until 8am, which isn't that late, but better than my normal 5:30. After breakfast, I started in on the office. This is going to be a process...guesstimating about 2 weeks to get it completely organized and finished...but so worth it! The guys went fishing and took Q's dad with them and Mal helped me in between birthday planning. The kids have now gone to Q's parents to spend the night and get out of the heat for a bit, so it's going to be a quiet night with the hubs.

That sums up our weekend. Maybe now that the computer is up and running I'll have some more interesting posts...being able to think and all...lol. Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend! Take time to extend a thank you to those serving our country and those who have served in the past.

Weekend Update

Well, I think I'm on my way to recovery! I really thought I was going to have to cancel on my Girl's Night Out, but as you can see...I managed to "suffer" through it!! We (Lisa, Amy, and myself) had a blast catching up. We went and ate at the quaintest place...SanFrancisco Bread Company. This is a great hang-out for the girls! Great atmosphere, great food, and had it not been for the tornado that passed through (literally!!), it would've been totally stress-free!!

Me, Lisa, and Amy

Lisa posing with the "chef"

My turn...couldn't help adding a sense of humor

I think Amy was a tad embarrased....but I think she had let go of her inhibitions by the time we got to the mall

Trying out some exercise equipment at Bed, Bath, & Beyond

This was a great night! I can't wait to hang out again...SOON!! When I'm feeling better!!

Mother's Day was crazy!! We received a phone call during church from the armory that Q was mobilized to help with the tornado disaster in South Arkansas. This weather has been horrible around here! He had an hour to get his stuff together, so needless to say, we missed most of the sermon. He'll be home hopefully by the weekend and I guess we'll celebrate then. The kids and I spent the afternoon at my mom's and then I crashed...early...

I hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

*note (all pictures courtesy of Lisa)

Weekend Update

I can't believe it's Monday already! We had one of those whirlwind weekends, but it was so worth it!

Friday Night--Blake spent the night with a friend and Mallorye had a volleyball recruiting "thingy" to go to, so hubby and I went out for a nice dinner. We'd been given a gift certificate to eat The Candlelite Steakhouse (local restaurant, very classy), so it seemed the perfect opportunity to enjoy it. Q had steak and I had the grilled chicken and it was absolutely the best...either that, or I'm just way tired of Hamburger Helper and fish sticks..lol!

Saturday--busy! I worked till noon and then we all went to Blake's baseball game. My mom and Jack came and cheered him on. Unfortunately, the game went up as a loss, but the boys played well. Mom and Jack came back to the house and we just hung out for a little while. Mal babysat for us (Blake would kill me if he knew I said that!) while we went to see Sugarland and Little Big Town in concert with some friends from church. It was awesome!! I'd seen both of them in concert separately while Q was in Iraq, but together was just incredible. The highlight was the end, after the encore, this curtain came down and when it lifted there were these 2 huge clear beach balls...and they were in them!! They rolled themselves across the audience that had floor seats...which was us!...we were on the 7th row! Oh, it was just way too kewl! I wish I had pictures!!

Sunday--I was up bright and early...had to be at church at 6:30am for sound check and warm up...it was my weekend to sing. I was 10 minutes late, but we managed to run through all of the songs even with me being late. whew! I visited my friend Sydney and her daughter Kyleigh after church. I haven't seen them much since the guys got back from Iraq and I MISS HER! We became really close during the deployment and I just miss the comraderie that we shared. We promised to get together more often. I hope we stick to that!

Sunday Night--small group at our house. I'm really enjoying getting to know the Turner's. We're starting a new book in about 3 weeks..."Defending the Military Marriage." Please pray for us as we lead this discussion. Satan is already attacking and I don't want to give him the satisfaction of distracting us.

Well, that sums up the weekend. Today is a crazy Monday for us...busy, busy. Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend! Welcome to the work week!!