Livin' in Lubbock...

I got here & we've had a great time so far! The trip here is SOOOO boring. The flattest, most boring drive in Texas. I was so bored, I made Chad's packing list for our cruise so he would actually have what he's going to need. How wife-like of me, huh? The funny thing is he doesn't mind that I tell him exactly what to wear, just so he doesn't to think about it himself. It works.

We've pretty much just hung around, gone out to eat 3 times so far, and plan to hang out with her step-brothers for their birthday tonight. Our friend Ben is from Houston & he came in last night. He & I planned to have his visit be a surprise to everyone else and it worked out perfectly. He got in at 1:00am and we stayed up until 5:00 talking. Crazy, tired kids we are. Therefore, today has obviously only consisted of eating and napping. Nothing wrong with that, I guess. But, my back is driving me nuts. It aches, ALL of the time. I'm about tired of this whole back ordeal. It needs to officially be dealt with.

Not much else to catch ya up on. Just enjoying a nice weekend of family and friends. That's all for now, folks.

I am now an Addict...

Thanks Cassandra, for showing me how to create my own backgrounds & fun pages on Scrapblog. Now, I have you to blame for my 'boredom filling' habit of creating new pages. As if I needed another reason to be on the computer more than I already am. haha. It's fun though. At least I'm not quite as bad as my friend Nicole who already has a Christmas one ready. lol. Although, I may have one soon after I post this, ha.

I'm currently craving chocolate in the form of Reese's, Heath, or Milky Way...or, all of the above :). Or, as an alternative, I could settle for some homemade oatmeal cookie dough and/or some chocolate chip cookie dough. Who needs the cookies when you have the dough?! Mmm Mmm! In my house, you're lucky to get any cookies out of the dough, lol. It's usually the dough that is the reason we even make them in the first place. Bad, I know. But, still, ohhhh so good!

I'm currently finishing up packing for Lubbock! Yay for seeing my sisters! I'm so excited! I'm heading out right after work, so we'll see how badly this day drags along. It's FRIDAY for me! Woo-hoo!

P.S. Survivor Gabon & Grey's Anatomy both premiere while I'm on the road tonight! I'm so excited and they're both going to be DVR'd at both my house and Nicole's so YAY! It's my favorite time of the year for shows!

Playing Catch Up...

Seems like Sunday is always the best day for playing catch up with friends and family on the phone. The weekdays are so crazy for everyone that it seems sanity finally returns to us all on Sundays, only to start over from scratch the next day. But, it's a fabulous day to spend hanging out, taking it easy, eating, or watching tv, football, or movies. It's Sunday...everyone's second favorite day of the week, right behind Saturday.

Today, I spoke to my in-laws. I love my in-laws. Chad's family (now mine too) is awesome. Found out they finally got all of their stuff moved up from Orlando to Myrtle Beach, SC & it is mostly all unpacked already. Good for them! Their new place can now feel like a home.

Then, I talked to my aunt Becky from Alaska to remind her that some pictures that I ordered and had sent to their Wal-Mart in Eagle River were ready for her to pick up. A man from the store called my cell phone and caught me off guard when he said my pictures were ready at their store there. I was like, no wait, I'm not Becky Finch, silly guy. hah. We got it figured out though. She's definitely my favorite aunt! :)

I caught up with my best friend Elya. We had our usual once a week long catch-up conversation. We played phone tag every day last week, which is very frustrating, but we got to get it all out & catch it all up today. And her 24th birthday is this coming Wednesday. Happy early birthday El!

I talked to Nicole about this coming weekend and my trip to see her in Lubbock & we finalized some NKOTB plans. We are very excited!

I spoke with my good friend Ben, who was my first kiss when I was 13. lol. He's ironically now Nicole's cousin through marriage. Funny how life goes. He's doing good and living in Houston. It was nice to know life is treating him and his family good, despite Ike making a ruckus in his hometown.

I talked to my brother-in-law Chris for a while about girls, his college work, and the potential of a job with SLED in South Carolina. An organization much like a statewide FBI. It would be very cool for him to do something like that. Especially with his military background and his love for that kind of work.

Then, I caught up with my sister-in-law Cathy and all of her stuff going on in Myrtle Beach. She's working hard as a waitress and going to class. Staying busy, busy as always. It was good to talk to her for so long.

Somewhere in there I actually talked to my husband a time or two. He went to the theatre on base to watch Hancock and then came back to his room, gave me a call, and went to sleep. He's finally recovering from his head cold. Hopefully his crew that he shared his sickness with is recovering also.

I should check the minutes on my phone, cuz there is a good chance I knocked a good chunk into them today! haha. I feel like I'm in the loop with things though, and I like it! Hope everyone I didn't get to catch up with today is living life happy and healthy! :) Have a great week!

Busy, Busy...

Well, life has been going along pretty good lately. Minus a couple back-related issues, we are definitely moving forward on the 'can't wait til Chad gets home' schedule. Yay for that.

This is what I have planned for the next month, to continue 'passing the time'. :)

*Work, work, work. It makes the days go by & it finishes off my contributions towards our cruise when he gets back. Gotta make the moo-lah, cuz cruisin' ain't cheap! :)
*This weekend we are celebrating my grandma's birthday, probably with lunch at McAlister's & maybe a movie...who knows?! September 20th is a very blessed day in my family. We have 4, yes that was a FOUR, birthdays on that one day...in one family! Craziness. My grandma, my niece-in-law, & two of my older brothers. It's nuts. Happy Birthday to you all!
*I'm going to visit Nicole in Lubbock next weekend. YAY! Her and her sister Kyla bought a house last spring and I still haven't gotten to see it. So, I'm very excited to see their place & get to spend time in their home. It's going to be a lot of fun! Their twin half-brothers Don & Jason have their birthday that weekend so we plan on taking them out for some eats and drinks. Fun, fun! Maybe I'll be there for a home football game too(?)...either way, Go Red Raiders! :)
*The next week I will continue working, including the weekend. Yuck, but what can you do. I've already committed...grrr. :)
*The next week is my birthday week. October 9th was a fabulously special and blessed day back 24 years ago. haha. Birthdays on a Wednesday are always just mediocre though, unfortunately. Stuck right in the middle of the week and usually forgotten about. My sis-in-law and I have been considering throwing a toga party though (which I've never been to), so it may or may not happen, but hopefully something will.
*Another birthday without my hubby around...nuts.
*The next week after that is the big NKOTB concert in San Antonio. I'm so excited! Still considering making neon shirts to represent each boy in the group & possibly spell it out on our backs, lol. We'll see if that follows through. Either way, it's going to be a fabulous weekend! I love San Antonio, and my girls! :)
*Then, the next week should be the 'glorious return' week!!!!! YAY! He's either coming home Oct. 16th or 21st. We'll find that out sooner or later I guess!
*The weekend after he gets here, we plan on using our friends at Cozart Photography to take a family picture for us. My mom has wanted us to all take a family picture together for a while now. Finally, we will get it done...and professionally at that ;)! I'm super-excited!

So, those are my plans so far. Gotta keep the wheels moving to make the time go faster! Our last month, thank GOD!

Weird...

My hubby is currently in Africa until Thursday. I've never been able to say that before. haha. It's really cool he gets to be there. They're doing some kind of mission that I really don't know anything about. All I know is his temporary location & that he missed calling me tonight. (Insert sad face) I'm just stuck here in good ole San Angelo while he's probably flying over a field full of lions, zebras, and wild elephants. Hmmm, I wish my job had something to do with foreign country exploration & cool stuff like that. Don't you?!

Bullets of Goodness...

*Just talked to the hubby, and a smile currently resides on my face. :)
*I just watched Baby Mama (cute movie) & now I'm back to having baby fever. Doesn't take much these days, huh?! :-P
*I'm really hoping I can fall right back to sleep here in about 10 minutes despite the fact that I took a fabulous 2 1/2 hour nap after work this evening. This rainy weather makes me TIRED...
*I'm dreading working again tomorrow. It seems like it just never stops, haha.
*My back is almost there. By that, I mean I'm only experiencing minor backaches and only on occasion. Working 10 hour days isn't helping it by any means, but I'm done with those for this week so we'll see if my recovery persists.
*I really want to learn to speak Spanish. I just don't really have the tools to make that happen right now. Hmmm (?).
*I'm confused about an extra bill that the Carnival cruise people sent me for an extra $178. I already paid for the thing people! Leave me alone!
*The hubby may get to come home on the 'rotator' which is the commercial plane (24 hour ride home) versus flying his plane back home (which is a 4 day excursion, with a good chance that the 50+ year old plane will break along the way, causing even more delay in his return). So, yay for quick, safe, & sooner returns!
*This hurricane Ike takes no prisoners, huh?! Wow, it's quite an amazing thing to watch. I hope those who were stupid and crazy enough to stay behind make it out okay. And for those who are losing everything they have (while they're not even there to watch it go), may God give them a BIG hug of protection & guidance. I can't imagine what they're going through.
*The infamous Miles Cottonfest is tomorrow. I can't decide if I'm attending or not. I guess it'll depend on the rain situation. I just don't roll with wet hair/clothes/body. haha.
*My bro & sis-in-law just got a new German Shepherd puppy. She's adorable and so easy-going. I wish we could have one, but our condo just doesn't support a big doggy like that. And, well, that might actually force me to stay in NC once in a while, lol......we'll wait another year and a half or so. haha.
*I'm starting a countdown for the days until Chad potentially returns. Yay for getting within a countable distance!
*NKOTB tickets are officially bought! I'm so excited. We're thinking about getting t-shirts made, haha. It's going to be awesome! :)
*That's all for now. Sorry for the bullets, but all my thoughts tonight were so totally random, I thought it would do the job best! Good night!

Thanks for the Shower...

I love a good rain in Texas. Thank you God for taking a shower over us :). It's beautiful.

BACK to Square One...

Well, I'm sad to report that my back, which I thought was close to complete recovery at the end of last week, has begun to bother me again. I didn't do anything to make it worse, but I am out of the muscle relaxers that the doc prescribed for me, so that might have something to do with it. I'm kind of lost as to what I should do next. I've done the massage and doctor visit for pain relief; now may be the time for a chiropractor to tell me if there is something more deep that is wrong in there. I have a vertebra that feels bruised (kind of) about halfway down my spine. Then all of my surrounding muscles are very tight around that spot. But it's also my lower back, connected to my hamstrings, that is giving me the most trouble. It's very frustrating. I just want my self back to normal. GRRRR. Not to mention, I'm working a whole lot this week (cuz I already committed) which opens the door for more injury. Pray for my recovery, please. I don't like being hurt.

Another Week Gone...CHECK!

Well, I really didn't do much this past week besides back rehab and work at Shipping Point. It seems as though my life has returned itself to the olden days. Same old thing it always was. Minus the athletics, skinny body, and desire to 'go out' all of the time with friends. I've kind of caught myself in a funk when it comes to hanging out with people lately. I could take it or leave it, to be honest. Is that bad? I guess I'm kinda being a recluse (which isn't really like me), but I guess everyone has their times of reclus(osity?)...right? haha.

The weeks really are passing by rather quickly. No complaints about that one! Maybe that's why I've been keeping to myself. Just letting the days slide by me so I don't have to think about how many we have left to go. I usually live weekend to weekend because of all the activity going on. There is usually something interesting going on, but not so much now that school has started back again. I'm just here. And I will be, for another good 6 weeks or so. Yay.

The best part about it all though, is getting to spend time with my family. I really do miss them when we're in NC. Most of the time, I just have to treat not seeing them like it's another deployment. Just, no one is going overseas. We're just split by about 5 states between us instead. I guess for a while, deployments are going to continue, both overseas and in-state. They must eventually stop.

Someday they will.......someday.

You Rock My World...

Sarah Palin! Seriously, you're awesome. I sat through her whole speech, yearning to know what was next. She's captivating, pretty (her family included), and SOOOO good at speaking publicly. I am so happy she got to finally shine! Maybe it will stop some of the ridiculous accusations and media-fed negativity towards her & McCain. I think she rocks. Like, so much, that I would be happy to just cast my vote right now and be done with this whole presidential debate thing. My aunt from Alaska is a 100% supporter of her because of all of the many things she has done for her territory up there. It seems like she is a woman who would get things done & do them right!

I think that's one of the first speeches I've heard where I actually laughed out loud quite a few times throughout. I appreciated the heck out of all of the below-the-belt knocks she took on Obama. And she did it so candidly & with a secret smirk that I loved. Awesome. Yay for a woman in the VP spot! She even has the sass to bring with her! Now, all we have to do is cast our votes and make it happen!

P.S. Did anybody see how stinkin' cute that was when her little girl was holding Palin's new baby, Trig? As if that wasn't sweet enough, she then took her hand, licked her fingers, and so 'professionally' used the spit to weigh down the baby's hair. Something tells me she's seen someone do that before...hmmm, maybe mommy?! haha. On national television and everything! Mom will be proud...later. :)

P.S.S. So, say McCain & Palin DO make it to the White House ( if any woman made it to the presidency), how will we refer to Mr. Palin (or, their husband)? First Gentleman...or First Man? Just curious if anyone knows?

Waiting for the Hubby to Call...

Here I am...sitting in front of the computer screen, not having anything to do but wait....and wait...and wait....for my hubby to call me. I know he's done with his flight for tonight, and he was headed to go back to his room, shower, and call me back.

But, I'm ready for beddy-by. So, I sit...patiently waiting. Typing about nothing, just to waste your time and mine.

(insert long pause)

Good news, the phone just rang! I love my hubby! Adios.

MM MM MMMM, Bullets!

--> I'm officially finishing off the large bag of M&M's and they are fabulous. I prefer the peanut, but I'm currently 'settling' for the original milk chocolate ones. Darn it, but still good!

--> I went back to work today. Grrr to my back being tight again and my eyes being tired from a very busy day. I would appreciate it if people didn't wait until right after a holiday to mail things. Seriously people, we're already busy enough without your procrastinating booties making things worse. I'm making moo-lah though, so I'll layoff on the whining for now.

--> I have a slightly sore throat. I believe it may be from allergies. Ere-go, I hate allergies!

--> I should give some of my San Angelo friends a call sometime soon to go hang out and stuff. I guess I've just been too busy or too lazy to do so so far...not sure which one. I only have about 6 weeks left to be here (yay!) though so its kind of now or never!

--> I wonder how the McCain/Palin ticket is going to go over. Maybe if our media leaders weren't all hard-core asses (Democrats, I mean), then we could catch a break here or there. I like the strategy they are using to try and accumulate the women votes. I think it's genius, I'm just not sure if it will work like that. We'll just have to see, I guess!

--> I had 'pasketti' for dinner and it was MM MM goooooood. I just love Italian food.

--> Speaking of, I REALLY want to go to Italy. I think it is the place for me! Maybe someday soon we'll make that trek across the big blue! I hope we do anyways!

--> I'm just thinking about all of the working out I need to do before the hubby returns. No wait, I don't want to think about that. That's depressing...ok, I'm done with that thought. Moving on...

--> My contacts are on fire & I'm going to go take them out, so that's it for now, I guess. Farewell!

Happy Labor Day Everybody...

Any day that you get to sleep in and not go to work is a fabulous day. So, I hope everyone gets to take full advantage of their free day of relaxation & boredom. It's a glorious day in the neighborhood.

Obviously, I am already back from the lake. Nicole, Kyla, & I came home last night so they could accomplish some stuff today. I, on the other hand, don't have much to do at all. I'm going to try and go to work this week, assuming my back is recovered enough by tomorrow. It's still a little in the tight and uncomfortable stage, but it's getting there. I think this past trip to the lake might be the first time I've ever been on the lake and didn't ever get in it. We had a good time on the pontoon boat though. And the hot tub was glorious. I gotta get me one of those! :)

What are we thinking about 'ole Gustav? It looks like a pretty nasty one. I can't believe how many people they evacuated in the past couple of days. Approximately 2 million is what it said on the last count I saw. Kinda crazy! I hope Aaron is staying safe and gets home soon. C-130's at their best, coming in to relieve people during hard times. Hopefully the levees do their job & another disaster isn't just around the corner.

The hubby is doing good. He's been flying quite a bit and the time is definitely ticking on by, which we LOVE! Only about 6 or 7 weeks left! YAY! I guess that's it. I might go watch one of my Blockbusters. Ta-ta.