T.G.I.F.

I'm going to eat at Ichiban (the best Japanese steakhouse around) for lunch with Nicole & my sister today. I'm very excited. It's been like 8 months since I've been there. Too long in other words!

Tonight, Elya & John are coming in town from Abilene & we are all going to watch her little brother play football at Central, my alma mater. It should be fun. Maybe they've gotten better & actually won a few games since then? We'll see.

This weekend, I am going with Nicole to her dad's lakehouse in Kingsland again for a Labor Day celebration. I'm excited, although I won't be able to do any water sports like usual because of my back, but riding in the pontoon boat will just have to suffice! Better than sitting at home, where I've been hibernating all week. It's time to GET OUT! haha. Oh yeah, and he has a hot tub which will be good for me to soak my little bo-honkus in, so that will be fun.

Back update- still a little bit tight, but the drugs are doing their job and I have definitely noticed a vast improvement just in the past two days. It may just need a bit more TLC. Adios for now, I have to go shower! :)

Progress at Least...

Well, I'm not completely healed & upright just yet, but I went to the doctor yesterday and she prescribed me some muscle relaxers & basic back-care rules to follow & there is a definite improvement so far. I'm am SOOO ready to be over this & worry free about my back. It's been stuck this way since Sunday...I mean, seriously. We're pushing Friday & I have barely progressed from looking like an 80-year-old woman to a 60 year-old-woman. It's progress none the less though, so I'll take it!

The nurse that was writing down my symptoms giggled at me because I told her that I noticed something funny about myself right before I got into a hot bath. I told her I looked in the mirror & noticed that my belly button wasn't in line with my cleavage like it's supposed to be. No joke. My muscles in my back were so tight on the right side that it was forcing my left upper back to the left & the bottom right back to the right. I look zig-zagged. Kinda scary, no? Anyways, it was funny for a second. As of today, I would consider myself a lower case 's' when yesterday I was a capital 'Z'. So, like I said, at least we have made some progress.

Two Aleve twice a day, muscle relaxers (that put me to sleep) three times a day, back stretches, hot baths, & ice packs is what my whole week has been full of. Maybe one day I'll get to go out of the house again, haha. Lord, please heal me! :)

Broken Back...

I don't know what I have done to cause it, but I do know that I have crippled myself and been forced to walk hunched over for 2 straight days now. I think it might have been the culmination of walking barefoot all day at Schlitterbahn, sleeping in the car, standing up all day at work last week, & my coughing (from my cold) that broke my back. All of those things mixed equals a catch in the lower section of my back & pain shooting up every nearby nerve/muscle. I walked like a 90 year old woman yesterday and tried to do some stretches, but figured I needed to call in the reinforcements today, so I called a friend of mine, De'Aun, who is a professional masseuse & she worked it out for a good hour today. She definitely found the trouble spots, and I thought I was going to cry at one point, the pain was so bad, but I hung in there and it felt better. I'm afraid I'm starting to get tight again though so I hope I can keep stretching and work it out.

The back is the absolute WORST place to hurt on your body. Plus, I still have my cough which just adds an even more interesting aspect to all of this. This SUCKS! Anyways, that's why I haven't posted lately, and I should probably go now so I make sure to not be in this chair long enough to get stuck this way. Sometimes, I just don't understand how things like this happen, but I would LOVE for it to GO AWAY! Pray for me...:(

Yucky...

Describes how I feel right now. I picked up a little 'cold' the other day (how is that even possible in the summer?) and have been carrying around enough mucus and coughing germs for all to share.

I don't even know where it came from. I've been amazingly healthy this whole past year (plus some), but I guess sometimes the body just wants to win the "you're tired and need a rest" competition. It began as a sore throat when I woke up Wednesday, slowly progressed into that annoying tiny/wussy cough with mucus in the nose alongside yesterday, and has now taken shelter behind my sternum & surrounding bones; also known as my chest. Now it's mostly congestion & hurtful coughing, & by hurtful I mean phlegm-y. GROSS! haha.

Despite feeling poopy, I am leaving at the butt crack of dawn in the morning to go to Schlitterbahn (*bahn *bahn *bahn...like the commercial ;)) with my mom Kathy, sister Laura, niece Taylor, & brother-in-law Doug. My sis is a pro at winning radio contests, so that's why we are going. She called in the other day and won 4 free adult tickets to the parks, so off we go in a roaring attempt to keep the summer rolling & stretched out as far as we possibly can.

It's depressing how quickly the summer flies by. Even when you're NOT in school! I figured it always went so fast because I was always dreading the next semester, but I've noticed that the last one and this one were both quickies, too! I guess we'll just have to get more used to time flying by even faster as we get older and older. Depressing. Anyways, I'm going to go take care of some of that yucky congestion & bid you all a fabulous weekend full of prayers for happy semesters & good sleep, because it's important for your overall health and well=being. :)

A Response to All Teacher Friends...

I just want to thank all of you for generously reminding me of why I chose NOT to be a teacher. It is a profession for those who are patient, perseverant, & passionate. It is unfortunate, however, that each of you are so stressed and overwhelmed right now. I think we all just need to take a hot bath with lavender, soft music, a hubby foot massage, and a splash of champagne. Seriously ladies, lets take a breather & remind ourselves of how special each one of you is, how much of a difference you are going to make in each of your student's lives this year, and how blessed you are to have been chosen to take on such a rewarding position.

Although you're all stressed, it WILL get better. God IS with you, & through Him, all things are possible. Even turning ESL students into English book readers, getting the 'slower' children to stay up with the others, & guiding each one of them through a time in their life they will never forget.

With that, I give all of you women the best wishes for a HAPPY, progressive, & successful school year! Now, go teach 'em! :)

Cruise, cruise, cruise your boat...

I'm about to officially book our cruise for when Chad finally returns. Just a couple more clicks & it'll be a done deal! YAY! I love traveling! Check out the Carnival Ecstasy if you wanna see more here!

Besides that, the only other new news I know about is that my in-laws are picking themselves up out of Orlando & moving back to Myrtle Beach in the next couple of days. My father-in-law works for a timeshare company as a salesperson trainer & is transferring himself back to the Carolinas. My mother-in-law worked for the same company, BlueGreen Resorts, and is also transferring. This came as quite a shocker to us, as we thought they'd be in Orlando for a couple more years, at least. It's fine with us though cuz now they are only 2 1/2 hours away from us in NC. There's going to be a lot more family fun to be had now! It sure makes Thanksgiving & Christmas shorter trips too! Although we will miss visiting them in the city where childhood dreams come to life! haha.

Other than that, I'm just happy I'm not having to go back to school right now; while everyone else does. It seems that some people drag out their college experience and make it last WAYYY too long, but I'm personally glad I'm outta there! Four years, in and out. That's how I like it! haha. Anyways, good luck to those of you who are still hanging in there! Never settle for less than your best! (I saw that on a poster once, haha). Adios for now!

On the Downhill Slope...

Well everyone, it is official. Chad & I have surpassed the midway mark of this deployment! That is so very exciting! It seems like every day that passes by from here on out puts us that much closer to being back in each other's arms...for real. Yay!

On another note, I'm officially home for a while...finally. My travels were fabulous, but it's kind of nice to not be living out of a suitcase anymore. That was pretty much 3 straight weeks of no 'clothes organization'. It's enough to eventually drive one crazy. Haha. It's nice to be in my own bed again too. Although, I REALLY miss our pillowtop mattress in NC. Can't wait to get back to that one!

The hubby is finally back in the airplane. These first two months he was working at a desk planning daily flights & alerting crews when it was their time to fly. He said it passed the time, but he's super excited to be back in the air again. He moved rooms & got lucky enough to still be in one by himself & it also has a phone of its own so he can call me anytime he wants...FROM HIS OWN ROOM. That's just fabulous. I can't even tell you how great that is. Needless to say, we speak to each other multiple times a day. I love him. :)

His birthday just passed on the 18th. Happy late birthday wish on the blog babe! I hope it was all that it could possibly be, considering the distance and loneliness. I promise I'll have something for you when you get back! ;)

We have just recently decided that we are going on a cruise when he gets back, so I have now been put in charge of earning enough money to cover our trip. Looks like I'll be working my little tooshie off these next 7 or 8 weeks. Back to Shipping Point I go. Yippee. Starting tomorrow actually. GRRRR :). The cruise will more than likely be through Carnival again. 5 days, Western Caribbean, in November, out of Galveston, on a ship called Ecstasy. Now, there's just no way that you could have a bad time on a ship with that kind of name, so a perfect vacation it will be! I can't wait! :)

Seems like that's it for now. I'll be back soon.

Farewell Again...

On the road again, I go. Tomorrow Nicole & I (we should be tired of each other by now, don't ya think?! haha) are going down the road to Abilene for all of Elya & John's wedding festivities. We are helping them move into their house tomorrow and then we have a Bachelorette party to throw. It's going to include dinner at Little Italy, desserts at a coffee bar called Tuscany's, & a couple drinks from a cute little Martini Bar. I got her a cute red satin sash that says 'Bride-to-Be' & lights up. It's super-cute!

Friday we are getting our nails done in the morning, swimming in the afternoon, & rehearsal dinnering in the evening. Then, Saturday is the big day! We start out with a bridal brunch and end with a 'happily ever after' with sparklers lighting their way. They are definitely meant for each other and I'm so happy I get to spend their special day with them! Yay for undying love and happiness with one another. I will be back with plenty of fun pictures to represent a successful weekend!

Congratulations John & Elya Whitten! :)

Lilies are...

Officially my favorite flower. It was first the Daisy, then the Gerbera Daisy, then the Spider Mum, & now it's the Lily. It's just such a beautiful & happy flower. They grow BIG so I like that they are full & pronounced. I guess it's a good thing I had them in my wedding. I have a feeling they'll be my favorite for a long while, despite my history of flowery fickleness.

Campmeeting Synopsis 2008...

I will begin by reminding everyone that it has been 2 full years since I have been able to be out in West Texas. It was like taking a trip into happy-land. The mountains were still there (imagine that!), the rain still smelled fabulously clean, and campmeeting was just as refreshing as it always has been. I got to see people that are very dear to me for the first time in 2 years. Needless to say, there was quite a bit of catching up to do. I had to get everyone on the same page when it came to me and Chad & our lives together. Where we live, how much longer we're in the service, how he's doing over there right now, & mostly, how fabulous having him as a husband has been. It was wonderful getting to speak of us in such a happy and lovely light to people who still haven't had the pleasure of meeting him. The reunion was fabulous & church was good, as usual.

There were little children running around everywhere. It definitely helped to intensify my baby fever! The children that were babies a couple of years ago have sprung up & become big, little people. It's crazy. So many blondes with blue eyes, and happy, skipping kids everywhere! Awwww....

"I love the sound of rain on a tin roof, on a hot summer night". This is a true statement by Texas country music star Kevin Fowler. I wonder if he's been to campmeeting before (?), haha. Anyways, the rain on the tin roof was fabulous. It's so calming and pretty. Kyla & I enjoying God's beauty from our balcony.
Nicole & I played her step-brothers (Don & Jason) in washers every afternoon. We were holding our own, but still ended up sucking against them. We won a game that was amazing. It took us 45 minutes to play it and we busted 3 times in all. We all kept coming in with clutch plays right at the right time. Finally...Nicole & I took the 'W' proudly.

We ate a lot, we talked a lot, we walked a lot, we slept a lot, did puzzles a lot, and now we're sad to be home again. It seems like forever between one campmeeting and the other. It's beautiful because it is a complete escape from reality. No computers, barely any cell service, no t.v.s, & life as easy as it can be. I sure hope I can make it again next year.

Our very cool Globe puzzle that we completed the first night. You go girls! :)

Oooh-La-La...Lingerie!

We then woke up early Saturday morning to begin our trek to Abilene for Elya's lingerie shower. We were awake to see the beautiful sunrise over the Davis Mountains. It is so peaceful & pretty out there. Here is a pic of it from the road.

We arrived into Abilene and got together with the other hostesses to get decorations & plans all in line. It turned out super-cute using lime green, pink, & brown. We had a blast & sweated our little tooshies off, but it was definitely a hit! The centerpieces were probably my favorite part because they were so creative, thanks to Maggie. White Spider Mums were in vases inside of little Victoria's Secret bags. Cute, huh?!
We had 12 girlies show up, so it was the perfect size. She got all kinds of goodies and was awesome & fun enough to try it all on for us! That's where the 'Oooohhh-la-la' comes into play! :) We decorated granny panties for her and made her guess who did each one. Some were dirty and some were playful. Either way, they were definitely creative! She put them all on for us too, over her dress, haha. It was a great time & man is she going to be sexy on her special night! :)

We then got to go swimming at a friend's house and had a little slumber party. Just me, Nicole, & Elya. It was a lot of fun. The BIG day is approaching quickly...this Saturday! Woo-hoo! :)

By the way, I bought my first girdle today. It's depressing, I know. I just know that no one wants to see my extreme love handles coming out to play while I'm in my bridesmaid dress this weekend, so I'm hoping they will at least remain somewhat tame. The dress is black & really cute, it just hits me in my worst spot. Right at the love handle. Grrrr! At least I know I'm not alone though. Nicole bought one too, haha. Maybe we can make it work & be pretty anyways!

Where to Begin...

I really hate being gone from this thing for such a long period of time. There are just too many things that went on while I was gone to cover them all in one post. And let's be honest with ourselves, I'm usually too lazy to even post ONCE, it's even worse to post multiples! haha. I am officially home though, which is good. We had a fabulous 2 weeks away. I shall start with 'cleaning cabins'.

We had hoped that everyone else's cabin was going to be just like ours. Even though it's two story, it's mostly just dusting, sweeping, mopping (the concrete), & cleaning the toilets & sinks that is necessary. Ya know, the easy & quick stuff. But, no. That would have been wayyyy too simple. Instead, we had a cabin that had mud washing in during the rains (for the past year) and it took us 4 hours just to clean that one room. Grrr. Not to mention, we still had 5 other rooms to do in that one cabin. We set bug bombs off in each room because it was necessary and just to make sure we didn't get bit by any black widows or anything crazy like that. Yuck!

We moved on to another one story that must have had a mouse present somewhere. It sure did leave its remnants behind pretty good! Gross! Again, full of dust & I clotheslined myself on a tin window which knocked the air out of my pipes and left me with a red scratch on my neck. I walked straight into it. For some reason, I had no idea it was there. haha. Leave it to me!

Then, we had to hit up another two-story cabin which made for a fascinating 8 hours of work, again. We started on the upstairs which was surprisingly cob-web & bug free. Again, lots of dust, but pleasant none the less. It was the rearranging & unwrapping of all of their furniture that took so long. I swear these people were OCD about covering all of there belongings with plastic. I've never seen so much plastic in one place. Seriously, it was ridiculous. Nicole & I didn't really have anywhere to put it all, so we ended up stuffing it as tightly as we could down underneath all of the beds. Good luck to them for getting all of that out of there! :) We then moved onto the downstairs which had a leak in the bathroom faucet and bugs in each room. Safe to say the bottom floors of these cabins are the ones that get the worst creepy-crawlers. We came away without any bites, just a few girly screams, and money for our work, so all in all, it wasn't so bad. We are just both very glad it is over! :)

On Friday night, Nicole & I drove to Marfa to visit our friends Emily & Derek. We ate dinner at a Mexican Food restaurant called Mando's and it was fabulous. MMM MM to beef fajitas! They were sweet enough to cover the bill for us, THANKS AGAIN! :) And then we headed over to Dairy Queen for some Treats & Eats! haha. Blizzards of course! It was super-duper! We hung out at their house until Chad called & it started getting pretty late. So, we headed back to the campgrounds with full bellies & happy hearts for having gotten to spend some good, quality time with great people! I'll move onto our other events in the next posts. Stay tuned...