seriously...seriously!!!!!!

Ok, I know I'm not alone in this....but tell me why, why, why, why, why, is it that everytime my husband walks out the door for a TDY that things just fall apart! Aaron hadn't even been gone 24hours and both Morgan and I are sick, running fevers and coughing our heads off! And then bless our neighbor, Ryan, (who said it would be no problem to bring Aaron's truck home from the base since I couldn't drop Aaron off yesterday morning due to being sick,) who hit a patch of snow/ice only a mile from our house and hit the curb which resulted in a flat tire. So now the poor guy has spent his day trying to get the situation resolved, since the jack for the truck won't work to get the tire off! I feel so bad that something that should have been so simple for him has turned into such a mess! Heaven help me when Aaron has to be gone for 4+ months later on this year! Now, I have to make a quick run to Target to pick up some soup, gatorade and some cat food, definitely an interesting combination. I think I'm going to make " I Will Survive" my theme song for this year!!!

I know, I know....

I seriously need to catch up on some blogging! Sorry everyone! We really weren't home much throughout the holidays! We left for GA Dec. 10th to visit my family and to be home for my mom's wedding. It was a non-stop week, but it was fun to see everyone and spend some time with my sisters and grandparents. Aaron graciously watched Morgan and my little sister who's nine, so Sarah and I could do some shopping and errands. My grandmama retaught me how to crochet again which I picked up easily and then she tried to teach me how to knit ...I still can't seem to get the hang of it. But since then, I've crochet 3 scarves and have started on 2 throws, and so now the yarn section in hobby lobby now calls to me too! Poor Aaron! Anyway we got home right before Christmas. Aaron finished his 2opage paper for a Masters class and I finished edited a photography session. We had a nice quite Christmas day here, repacked our suitcases again and headed off to my in-laws in Mo (along with 1 kid and 2 cats in the car!) the day after Christmas. We had a really nice time, ate more food than I ever care to see again, and finally got to meet our 2 little nieces for the first time. I have to say that I fell in love with them and I fell in love with being an aunt! Both Evelyn and Brianne are precious, and it was wonderful to get some baby snuggle time. Needless to say both my sister-in-law and my brother-in-law are seriously sleep deprived, but they are doing an amazing job with both of them. It's hard to believe that they'll be 12 weeks on the 14th. I was also priviledged to be able to take their pictures, so I'll be posting some soon. We finally returned home this past Sunday the 4th and started back to the everyday rat race on Monday. So this week has been a catch up week as far as laundry, unpacking, sleep, grocery shopping, etc. And I still have to take down our 2 Christmas trees!! It will eventually all get done! I'll have a lot of pictures to post in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

Tired of being....

SICK!!!!! Poor Aaron was sick over the Thanksgiving holiday with this cold/sinus/congestion/killer whatever it is that is immune to any meds...and unfortunately it was passed to me on Sunday.UGH. Who knew it was possible to go thru a box of tissues a day, and that any kind of cold/sinus/congestion/etc. meds just give about 30minutes of mild relief until your head feels like it's going to explode again. So far Morgan hasn't gotten it. She and I have already had it once in Oct. It really wouldn't be so bad, if only I didn't have less than a week to try to get my whole entire December to do list done before we leave for GA next week for my Mom's wedding. Oh well, I guess I'll do as much as I can and the rest will have to wait until....who knows when! Tomorrow will have to be much better with hopefully many less sniffles and tissues!

So much to be thankful for...

The past two weeks have flown by and now I actually have a moment to catch my breath this evening before I tackle my next overwhelming to do list. I went to visit my friend Kim in TX 2 weekends ago and it was non-stop but a lot of fun. I helped pick out paint colors and flooring for the renavation of her clinic and we did a little shopping along with going the play "Guys and Dolls" which was extraordinary! Then back home to take care of my two and spend an entire week working on editing two photography sessions which are finally done. yipee! My in-laws joined us Thursday morning and we had a quiet mid afternoon dinner. I really enjoyed having them here, I just had hoped for even a few more people to share the day with. Aaron and I were both looking for extra guest this year...we checked with the squadron, church, friends, and even Morgan's school to see if there was anyone who needed a place for Thanksgiving without any luck...so next year I plan on starting a couple more weeks in advance to find some extra dinner guest to share the day with!!! Moving on, my mother-in-law and I did decide to go do the whole 6am shopping on Friday morning...and since I'd never been, I figured it was about time!! We had a ball! It was a little crowded but everyone was really nice and polite at Target and it was definitely worth it just to see at least 200 people lined up in front of Target. I did buy a small little point and shoot camera to carry in my purse (to capture the little moments) in case I don't have my pro camera with me, so Morgan and I have had fun taking pictures of this, that, and the other! Morgan is thrilled with taking pictures, so maybe there'll be a little shutterbug in the family. It's nice to see that she might have an interest in something that I love! Aaron's been sick the past 3 days, so he's been really low key. Hopefully it won't get passed around the family again. Well, I finally booked the tickets to go home to GA in December for my Mom's wedding. It's the first time that we've been able to go home in almost 2years which is definitely too long to be away. It's probably going to be a trip with some interesting dynamics, but it's good to be going home as a family. I think that about catches up on the past couple of weeks. Oh yes, God blessed us with another car 3 weeks ago that fit into our budget. It's a 97 Honda Accord, champagne in color with a sunroof (which Morgan adores). It's been very well taken care of by the previous owner and we are so incredibly thankful to have another car to drive. God has really taken care of all of the details and issues that have gone along with my accident. Oh, and just in case you might be wondering!....this car's name is Noelle! (Yes, we name all of our vehicle, and no there's not any reason for concern!) To all of our friends and family, we are so incredibly thankful for you and for what a blessing you are in our lives. We miss all of you that we're away from, and so grateful to be near the ones that we are.

Farewell to Grace, but oh how amazing is God's Grace.

This is Grace, she's been my car for a little over 8 years. She's the first car that I've ever owned. I was 21 and in desparate need for a car and had very little to work with financially. I received a small loan from my bank and off I went looking for a car. After a couple weeks of looking around and doing some research, Aaron and I (we were dating at the time) decided to take a trip down to Jacksonville, Fl and see what we could find there. This car was the last on our list to check out and it turned out to be the one that was for me. She was beautiful, in excellent condition inside and out and drove like a dream! I was ecstatic. God in his timing had provided a car that was just right for me! I know you're not supposed to get attached to things and I completely understand that. But I think since this was my first real car I did get a little attached to her, maybe it's not so much the car itself but the memories and history of my life that took place in her. The many trips to the beach, the multiple hours that Aaron and I spent talking in the car, dates, going down to Pensacola, Fl and picking up my best friend from college for the weekend and blaring Bon Jovi as we left the school campus. Visiting Aaron while he was in different training sessions, Road trips here and there and everywhere, Countless hours of praying and thinking while driving, Riding home from our wedding night, Driving to Savannah, Ga for our honeymoon, Multiple moves across country, Bringing Morgan home from the hospital, Picking up friends and family from the airport, Driving to and from the airport when we flew home, Picking Aaron up from TDY's, Taking Morgan to school on the first day, and the list can go on and on. Memories are an incredible part of our lives, and there were obviously a lot that took place in my car. Well three weeks ago... I was driving to pick up Morgan from school, it was pouring rain and I was taking my typical route on the dirt/gravel road. Now I have driven on dirt roads since I started driving so they're not anything new to me. I was going under the speed limit when I hit a huge mud slick and before I could gain complete control I skidded into gravel, completely lost control of the car, hit a ditch and flipped the car upside down. Sooo, I find my self upside down (thank goodness for seatbelts and guardian angels) and I'm thinking this is so not happening, I've got to pick up Morgan from school!!! And of course Aaron is deployed at the time. Unbelievably I walked away from the wreck without a scratch. God provided a complete stranger to take me to pick up Morgan from school and bring me back home and my friend Amy helped me with taking care of all the tedious things that go with an accident. (Thank-you so much Amy) Obviously I was stunned at the situation and it wasn't until seeing my car Grace at the impound that I really began to realize how seriously injured I could have been. And I am so thankful that Morgan was not with me. God's grace and protection are marvelous beyond words. I'm so grateful to Him for still being alive and in one piece. I will miss my little grey car, but I have the memories, and most of all God's wonderful grace!

My little stinker

So this year Morgan decided not to be a princess, or a fairy, or a cat, or anything frilly, but a Skunk. Once she made her decision she stuck with it and nothing would do but a skunk costume. I think she made quite a cute one at that, and of course I love the saying on the backside-so true!

I love fall...and so does Morgan

Thanks to a friends advice...I have finally found a place here that works beautifully for pictures. We had a lot of fun being outside this afternoon. These are just a few shots from the afternoon.