I hope you all have had a blessed 2010!
My 2010 was full of change and many blessings and I can't wait to see wait God has in store for Sean and I in 2011!
Wishing you all a wonderful New Years and a blessed 2011!
This week is Pet faces over at the I Heart Faces blog. Here is my entry for this weeks pet entry.
This past weekend my husband and I were able to escape on a little snowshoe adventure in Yellowstone and brought along our Kaine Dog. He was so happy and excited to be out in the mountains. He ran all over, usually leading the way. As usual, I was bringing up the back of the line, slowed down taking so many pictures of the area. I stood at the top of the creek bed area overlooking my husband and Kaine; you could see the light bulb click in Kaine's head when he realized I was on the hike as well. He came flying up to me as fast as his snow shoed feet could carry him. Needless to day, he was one happy and tired dog by the end of the day!
Head over to I Heart Faces to check out all the other beautiful pet entries!
It was a weekend of drama, but the husband finally made it home!
He left North Carolina Friday afternoon and had 2 plane changes - one in Atlanta and the other in Salt Lake City. All was going well until 8 PM-ish when I get the call: "my plane is delayed for about an hour and a half, call everyone to let them know not to be at the air port at 9:30".
Easy enough. I made a few phone calls to family and friends and told them I'd let them know when Sean was expected to arrive.
I got home from dinner and a movie with my mom only to receive the worst call of the night. "Flight is cancelled. The plane we are waiting on is stuck in Kalispell, MT with bad weather. They are putting me up in a hotel for the night and I don't know when my flight is tomorrow."
All my energy was drained by then. I had no emotional reaction because I was so excited all week, that the bad news just made me tired. I crawled into bed and passed out for the last time without a husband in my bed.
The next morning, I got a call from Sean saying he didn't know when his flight was because of bad weather and broken plane drama. About 11:20 i get a call that he is getting on a plane and will be home around 1. So I make a few calls to friends and family notifying them when to be at the air port. I do a few last minute touch-ups on the house and left at 12:20 thinking in the snow and bad roads, it'll take me 25 minutes to get to the air port leaving plenty of time for me to greet Sean at his gate. I was half way across town when I get a text from Sean - I've landed!
WHAT?!? NOOOOO!!! His plane is 15 minutes early and I'm not there yet!! Turned out that no one had made it to the air port on time to greet him getting off the plane! HAHA!
But all was well. He was down at the baggage carrousel waiting on his 2 bags when I found him. My mom actually made it to the air port before me, and was the first to greet him. A few friends joined us a few minutes later, and it was a happy Welcoming Home for Sean.
Upon walking out of the air port, he went into almost immediate system shock - it was 70 degrees the previous day in NC; Great Falls weather was 3 degrees with a 25 MPH wind. Needless to say, he was shivering instantly. But in the 2 days being home, he's slowly acclimating to the cold. Today's his 1st day of work on the flight line up at the MANG, so he should be issued cold weather gear and shouldn't be as miserable.
Life is good and I finally feel whole. 7 months without a hubby is HARD work, but having him home is the best thing in the world! Thank you all for the sweet words of encouragement and prayers. We love you all!
Yeah! i will have my husband back Friday night!
I'm going a little stir crazy sitting around the house waiting on friday to get here. So for a little motivation, I am making a To Do list to keep myself occupied!
Scrub the floors - I HATE this job mostly because 3 seconds after getting floors clean, I let 2 dirty dogs in the house and no one would believe I had cleaned the floors.
Mow lawn - I'm really hoping it snows today so I can skip this one
Pick up dog poop - must get done before it does snow
Straighten up the garage and shed
Wash 2 dirty, stinky dogs
Wash bed comforter because of dirty, stinky dogs sleeping on it when I am at work
De-fur furniture because said dirty dogs sleep on it when I am at work
Stock up on groceries
Get Sean's truck running and in the garage before the snow comes
Watch Harry Potter movie
Dust and vacuum whole house
Laundry
Put clean laundry away - I hate folding and hanging clothes; I'd just rather them sit in a pile on top of my dryer until I need them.
Replace furnace filter
Oil change on my truck
I am sure I will have more items to add to this list, but these are the most important ones right now.
Prayers for patience as this week slowly ticks by!
YEAH! He is almost home!
I'm a little more than excited! I'm already having troubles going to sleep every night. It feels like Christmas Eve right now!!
Say some prayers for us!
I am looking into getting a cargo bike to become a little less gas-dependant. I want this one!
Check out Madsen Bikes by clicking on the picture!
I got the best birthday surprise last Friday. Some back ground info for those who didn't know: Since mid September, Sean's orders were changed twice; with the latest change he was going to be in Texas until middle of November and not going to be back until December 10th.
Alright back to Friday: Sitting at my desk, before I left for lunch with my parents, my cell phone started ringing Sean's 'International Harvester' song. I was a little surprised to actually hear from the husband in the middle of the day, but I'll take every phone call I can get from him! He had graduated the day before from the 1st part of tech school, and had most of the day to hang out and out-proess.
The conversation started with the usual, Happy Birthday, I love you, how is your day conversation. Then he followed it with "well I have some bad news and some good news" Good news, I sent you some flowers for your birthday. Bad news, they have changed my orders again. '
UGH!!! I was so frustrated and immediately started wondering if I had to change my Thanksgiving plane tickets to DC and when will he actually be home. Then Sean says "looks like I am going to be back home around November 19th." My wheels immediately started turning how we were going to work out being together for Thanksgiving since I was going to be DC with his family and he was going to be home--then it hit me SEAN'S GOING TO BE HOME EARLY!!! It took a few seconds for the whole surprise orders change to set in, but once it hit me I was beaming the rest of the day!!!
I did have to cancel my plane ticket out East, but it will be worth the $100 hit to have the husband home finally!
Now let me tell you about how proud I am of this man. Not only did he rope up to a Red Rope in the student leadership program (very few airmen get to the Red Rope) but he graduated top of his class too! And to add to his student leadership, he organized a boot drive for the squadron. Sean's boot drive got over 500 pairs of shoes to donate to the SonShine House in Wichita Falls. And once the PR Department of the Air Force found out about his efforts phone calls were made and newspapers interviews were given. Yeah, I'm pretty proud of my guy. And on top of that, he's taken it upon himself to come up with a squadron workout regime that would keep people motivated to stay in shape. Tonight he told me about something pretty cool that happened today: Sean was having a meeting with his 2 NCO's discussing his workout program when, who of all people came walking thru his meeting but the base commander. Sean was able to give a little overview of his plan to the commander and will get a quick meeting with him sometime this week to discuss in depth his vision for the program. And the commander gave him the best compliment ever; he had mentioned that there is a program that allows Commanders to, on the spot, appoint a person to a higher rank. Unfortunately, Sean is in the guard and not active duty, but it was a fabulous compliment.
Alright enough bragging--Sean will now officially be home November 19th-ish, and I couldn't be happier! Keep him in your prayers as he leaves Sunday for his 2nd part of Tech School in NC. Yeah he will be home soon!!!!
I was in my dorm room, getting ready for my 2nd class of the day. I had an early morning class and was let out extra early and had decided to take a shower and actually fix my hair for the day. I was standing in front of the little TV in my shared room, brushing the wet tangles out when a news flash broadcast that one of the towers had been hit. There was little information and much confusion as to what had happened; at the time it was kind of assumed that a plane hit it accidentally. I stood there kind of numb, but not yet realizing the significance of the 'accident'. I grabbed my books and headed over to the gym for my class. Walking down the little corridor that paralleled the teachers offices, I saw my professor, standing with his jaw dropped. I walked into his office in time to see the 2nd plane hitting the 2nd tower. It wasn't an accident, it was terrorism.
He herded us into our class room and hooked up the TV for a few minutes. One of the guys in the class started crying--he has a brother who works in one of the towers. We turn off the TV to try and lecture, but no one is really paying attention. I later learned that my classmates brother had been running late to work; he was a block away when the 1st plane hit. But other students were not as lucky. There were 8 students who lost someone they knew and loved when the towers crashed.
Class is over, and the whole school was on their way to chapel. We sat among the benches, comforting people and praying for safety and understanding. I remember walking out of the building after chapel and looking up--there was nothing in the usually busy sky. And it was eerily quiet out; not even the birds chirping their usual happy tunes.
The Pentagon got hit--I remember wondering and praying for safety of an old boyfriends father who was working at the Pentagon. He was home safe; I learned later that he had taken the day off to tile a room in their house. 7 years later, this man would be my Father-in-Law.
I remember the confusion and fear that quickly sprang up among the students and the strength and wisdom that came forth from our professors. We felt violated. Not understanding the what was going on so many miles away; wondering if a town in the middle of no where Nebraska could be next; the calming and soothing voices of professors guiding us through a situation no one had ever experienced.
I remember. And I'll never forget what happened September 11, 2001.
I was able to make a quick trip over the Labor Day weekend down to see my hubby. I flew into OKC to spend a little time with my sister and her family then borrowed her car to make the 2 hour drive down to Wichita Falls where Sean is currently stationed. I was so excited about seeing him, I left in the early morning and drove faster than I planned. I got there around noon and had to find a place to hang out until Sean was released from class sometime between 4 and 5--the couch in the library and I made quick friends as I caught a quick nap and read almost all of "The Hunger Games" book. (I highly recommend the series by the way).
By 4:30 Sean was released and we were finally able to see each other after 2 long months of separation!
We spent the night in WF and ate at a awesome BBQ place. The next morning we were off making the 2 hour trip back to OKC--there isn't much to do in WF, so we opted for a big city to hang out in. We met back up with my sister and headed out to the zoo. It was fun to hang out with Jourdan, Brandon and Jacob. Love my little Shark boy!
The weekend was overall good--ate good food, walked around Bricktown with Sean and overall caught up on each others lives. Life is good! Only have to make it to Nov. 22nd to see him again! Yeah!
Yup. I've got my 1st wedding under the belt. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous when I first started shooting, but having such a fun and laid back couple made the day roll along.
Look at this beautiful couple!
Check out sweet Ryan--the little guy was just having so much fun with his hat! 
Love is simple and pure.
One more to go! Yep, just one more month until I get to see my boy! God has really blessed us with timing our quick visits--exactly 2 months apart so far! Over labor day weekend I will make a quick trip to OKC to stay with my lovely sister and her family, borrow their car and make the quick 2-hour trip down to Sheppard to pick up Sean. Then we travel back to OKC for the long weekend--really who would want to stay in Wichita Falls when you have the huge metropolis of OKC just 2 hours away?
In the mean time, I've been keeping busy!! Let me count the ways: 
1. 2 trips to Glacier National Park! The first trip was with my friend Meagan. We camped out at Apgar Village and met up with some people from Helena for a rafting trip down the Middle Fork of the Flathead. Then I took a trip to Glacier with my good friend Joleen where we camped out at St. Mary's and saw a black bear and her cub grazing along the road; We also saw many mountain goats on the trail.
2. Building bikes! I have finished my 1st bike and it is good! I try to ride it to work regularly in the afternoons. I am also working on a bike for my mom. I just can't get the rear derailleur to adjust correctly. But it is almost finished! Yeah! 
3. The garden is busting out of the seams! HOLY COW I didn't know hops, spaghetti squash, zucchini and lettuce could literally take over a garden! I've also got tons of tomatoes that are not ripe yet. I just need a week or 2 of solid 85+ degrees and sun and I think I will have enough for tomato sauce! It has been a weird weather summer here in MT--right now it is 68 degrees and cloudy. Not optimal for gardening!
4. I am training for a 5k this coming Sunday; I tried to sign up for the Harvest Thunder triathlon but it was already full, so a nice 5k it is!
5. Jam time! My parents buzzed up to the Flathead area and picked almost 70lbs of cherries last week! I currently have made cherry syrup (I will have to reheat the syrup and try to make it gel up correctly) cherry raspberry jam, blueberry peach jam, and blueberry apricot jam. My neighbor down the street has blueberry plants in his greenhouse that bloom multiple times a year and had a surplus of them this year; he knocked on my door and offered me as many as I wanted. What a nice guy!
6. Photos Photos Photos! I have been blessed with 2 more family sessions in the past few weeks. And August 20th I shoot my first wedding! YEAH! I also have at least 3 families from church scheduled for fall/christmas time pictures! WOO!
7. I got attacked by a bunny rabbit. I know you are laughing right now, but a bunny rabbit really did try to kill me. About 2 weeks ago, around midnight, I heard this thumping every once in a while and assumed it was my dog dream running and kicking the bed in his sleep. Once Kaine joined me on my bed, I realized the noise was coming from outside my egress window. There was a baby bunny running laps around the window well. I went outside, in a thunder and rain storm mind you, to try and catch it. I would have waited until morning, but every time it thumped the window, the dogs would wake up and growl. So there I was, down in the window well cornering the bunny and almost had it in my hands then the unthinkable happened. It attacked! It ran up my arm and all I could see was it's teeth; I had a flash back to a movie I had seen when I was little where the rabbits grew to the size of cars and ran through a town killing everyone. Needless to say, I screamed like a little girl and jumped out of the window well as fast as I could. I ended up getting a bucket from the garage and dropped it on top of the little bunny and was able to scoop it out and release it. I think next time I will just drop Kaine dog down the hole and let him work his magic! 
8. Sean and I are starting a new endeavor together--Life Group Co-Leaders. This year, Sean and I were asked to co-lead a small group every other Sunday with some good friends of ours. I know it is our goal, once Sean is back in Great Falls, to work more with the church. It hadn't crossed my mind to try and start this journey without him, but God surprised us with his perfect timing. I can't wait for our first meeting in September!
9. Work, oh work...some days I think it will be the death of me. Other days, it is quite enjoyable! My current job is about 10 months AHEAD of schedule. Yes, I said AHEAD! For a construction company that is GOOD!! For me that means this job will be over sooner than we planed for. There are always other jobs with my company I could move to, and it's possible for them to get one more contract here, but you never know! I am a little nervous to see what God has planned for me in the future, but for the time being, I am not going to worry about it and just try to go with the flow!
Alright...that is about it for now. Keep us in your prayers as you all are in mine! God bless!
It was a rough 8 weeks, but he survived! YEAH! He worked hard, lost 20+ lbs and even managed to graduate with honors! He is now in Wichita Falls at Sheppard AFB studying and learning his job. And the best part is, I don't have to sit around waiting for a phone call--I can call him almost any time I want! These next 5 months should be a breeze!
Here are some pictures from my trip down to San Antonio!
Look how serious they all are!
Just received his Honor Graduate Coin.
The 1st time we got to see each other.
Love my Airman!
almost. Tuesday will be the day I head down to see the hubby! YEAH!! I can't wait!
Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging words! It has been a long 2 months, but it will be worth all the hard work, letter writing, and 5 phone calls just to see the skinny little hubby in Texas! I'll update you all on the trip when I get back on the 4th of July!
God bless!
It's Baby Week at I ♥ Faces, and I was recently blessed with my first baby session just 2 weeks ago. Yeah! Here is sweet baby Coen and his beautiful mama! 2 month old babies should not have such intense eyes!! 
As Always, Head over to I ♥ Faces and check out all the other beautiful babies!
It's been a little over a month since I've seen the boy. And Saturday is our 2nd Anniversary! YEAH! I am a little bummed that we aren't together to celebrate it, but I will keep with our tradition and go out for sushi at our favorite little Suki Cafe. It is only 20 more days until I make the trip down to San Antonio to see him! And I am so excited I want to leave right now!! But I can't. So in the mean time, I will be keeping BUSY!!
I've been able to be behind my camera every single week since Sean has left. I've mostly been taking pictures of the garden and our trees so I can show Sean how everything has changed while he has been gone. 
But my favorite thing is that I've had 2 photo shoots!! Both were so much fun and both entirely different from each other. My first session was with the beautiful Benton family of 9--yes, I said 9! It is the most people I've ever shot at once and was a little challenging keeping 7 kid's attention, but it was a success!
My second session was with my good friends, the Nate and Alyssa Bosch who are just starting their family! 
Look at little Coen's eyes! They were so intense the whole session!
I've also been out kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, helping friends move, and entertaining family up from Arkansas. I've got plans to go rafting on the Middle Fork of the Flathead next week with my friend Meagan, and I'm hosting a Pampered Chef party 2 weeks from now. On top of all that, I'm busy at work, running a few times a week, pulling weeds and watering the garden, and keeping up with the house chores! Man do I miss having Sean around to split the chores with!
So needless to say,I've been busy busy busy! And these next 20 days are going to fly by as I have many things planed to keep me occupied.
My biggest project has been a bike build. Sean and I found an old Raleigh M-30 frame in a dumpster the day before he left, and I have been occupying myself fixing it up and researching what parts I need to put on it to get it up and running. I am waiting on a few more parts to come in, and I will blog about the build once it's finished.
As always, keep Sean and I in your prayers as we are so far apart from each other and only have 20 more days left!!
God bless!
Sean's made it half-way through Basic! Yeah! Only 30 more days until I get to see him and I can't wait! WOO!!
So keep us in your prayers that all things go as planned for him to graduate on time and that this month quickly passes us by! June 30th can't come quick enough!
No, I'm not talking about the smelly little black and white skunks that like to spray you if you get too close. I'm talking about the skunk when you are left with nothing on the end of your fishing line. 
Yep, Tuesday morning, 6:15 am, I send the boy off for 7 months. Yikes. I am a little excited and nervous and when he gets home from his last workout I will probably be a wreck! So I ask that you all say a quick prayer for the both of us. Pray that Sean has a safe travels; pray for an easy and painless 2 months of Basic for Sean; pray for his leadership opportunities during BMT; pray for my sanity and ability to adapt to living on my own for 7 months; pray for our dogs--I know, it sounds silly, but they really LOVE Sean and will miss him horribly. Finally, pray for all our military--there are so many wonderful and talented young people in our military who are giving their all, every day, for the freedom of our nation.
It's time to Shape Up! Well at least for Sean. As I write this, he has just 15 days left before he heads off to BMT. And the reality I think just hit him last night--he is not in the shape he thinks he is. There is a little weight for him to lose, which he will drop in about 10 minutes--seriously, why can't a woman drop weight by just thinking about it? But the rest of his fitness is struggling. We ran a little over a mile last night--him jogging behind me while the dogs and I ran ahead. When we got back to the house, he was huffing and puffing and said "my legs feel really good. The bike polo is helping me with that, but the rest of my body does NOT feel good at all."
It took all my will power to not start an argument with the 'I told you so' statement and ended up giving him the 'I told you so' face without repercussion from it.
Sean is a master procrastinator for sure! He has known for at least 6 months now, that he needs to get into shape for BMT mostly so he doesn't look or feel like the '28 year old man' around all the 18-19-20-year-olds he will be training with. He was serious at first--going to the gym a few times a week to begin with, but when he realized how much time he had until May 4th, he put it off. He has now waited until the last 2 weeks before he leaves to try and get into shape. We have hit panic mode for sure!
Last night, we made a promise to run every day until he leaves. Hopefully this will help him not only lose some weight, but get his lungs and legs into shape. It is also helping me to commit to my promise to myself to continue training for a marathon at the end of the summer. My first 3 Mile race is this Sunday--the annual Great Falls Ice Breaker. Hopefully it will be as nice and warm as this past weekend!! So keep Sean and I both in your prayers over the next 2 weeks. We definitely need them!
It seems recently that there has been a HUGE push for people to pay more attention to their families diet. With the increase of obesity, it is understandable. While some reports point to diet others point to lack of exercise. Personally, I believe it is a combination of poor diet and over-stimulation from our culture. So many people, myself included, have become over-stimulated by all the new toys technology and entertainment is bringing us, that we overlook our personal health.
iPods, Facebook, WI-FI, Twitter, Cellphone apps. and of Reality Shows have drawn us indoors, and made us lazy people. How disgusting is it when a woman's greatest ambition in life is to set a Guiness Book Record for weighing 1000 pounds. And how much more disgusting is it that people are supporting her in this endeavor by sending her food and McDonald coupons!
I am appalled by how we have allowed our culture, or lack of culture for that matter, to direct our lives.
Well it's not for me anymore!
After a little consideration, I've come up with a list of things I am going to do, starting today, to change my unhealthy lifestyle!
1. Give up my web-surfing for a month. While I'd like to give up all computer contact, my work relies on a computer, so I must sit in front of it for at least 9 hours a day, but I don't have to allow the easy internet access to consume me. I will give it up at home with the exception of looking up new recipes to try.
2. I LOVE to garden, so this year I am going to dedicate some of my hard work to Plant a Row for the Hungry--while some people are so self-absorbed with becoming famous (the previously mentioned 1000 lb. woman, or the whole cast of 'The Hills') there are some people who are truly struggling in life. Plant a Row for Hunger is a nation-wide program dedicated to growing fresh produce for those who can't afford good healthy food--homeless, jobless, shut-ins, and the every day family just struggling to make ends meet. I'm planting 2 of everything this year, with all produce from 1 plant going to the Food Bank or the Mission. And the overflow once my pantry is filled will go to Meals-on Wheels.
3. I am running a marathon. I've been saying 'I will train for one this year' for the past 3 years! I get out and run for a few days at a time, but it's easy to make up an excuse and allow technology to distract me, and I fall away from my goal. Well not any more! It is on paper now, and I will do it.
4. I LOVE photography and have been playing around with it for a while, but haven't had the courage to step out and pursue it. I would love for it to be a full time-endeavor, but right now I know that is not realistic. So my goal is to get out and shoot at least once a week--faces, places, beings and things. I'm going to take some classes to hone my skills. And if anyone reading this wants a free photo session with me, I'd be glad to pull out my camera to shoot your beautiful face and family! I think I will look into selling my scenery pictures as well.
5. The Great Outdoors is calling me. And I am answering. Every week for the next year, I will spend at least 1 day out in God's good creation--and I don't mean working in the garden or the yard. But out of town, on the river, in the mountains, on a trail away from the constant buzz of every day life. I am going to get out while I still can!
6. Bible and study--I think in the past 6 months, the only time I've opened up my bible is at church on Sundays and Wednesdays. I MUST change that. I need to fall deeper in love with God and his word as I think all Christians should.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg! I am sure there will be many more ideas to add to this list in the future. I encourage anyone reading this to come up with a simple list for you and your family to start your healthy living today.
I just read this article in the Washington Post about a man in the D.C. area who has made the decision, after he was laid off from his job, to give $10 to a random person he runs into each day. I'm not going to lie, I'm deeply moved by his simple action.
You can read his Year of Giving blog here.
I hope this simple idea moves you as it did me to find a way to give back to the people around you.
Can I just say, I LOVE shopping at the commissary! It will beat Walmart's prices any day, there are grocery baggers and checkers that are happy to be working and it is never crowded! I love it!
I can't believe it's been 2 months since I updated this thing! I check it almost every day to read other blogs, but I never feel inspired to write. So here I am, updating the 7 people following this blog as to what has been going on these last 2 months. So here goes!
At the end of December, Sean and I went to D.C. to visit his parents for Christmas and New Years. It was so much fun as I have never been in a 'BIG' city outside Seattle, Denver, or Salt Lake. It was a fun new experience, but I was very glad to be home in Montana snowshoeing the day after we got back.
As much as I love this little house, there really is no where to store things. My current 'pantry' is a small cabinet about 10"x 2' with 3 little shelves. Can't buy in bulk because there is no room to store it. Buy the end of this weekend, i will have a 7' x 6' pantry to store all the garden goodies I plan on canning this summer as well as other items we like to buy in bulk.
