Sometimes being a parent is no fun at all. Don't get me wrong, I love my babies and I can't imagine my life with out them.
Before we got to the story behind the title, you need a little background information.
Because our upcoming move is considered an Overseas location, we have to be medically cleared to move. The Military wants to make sure that you don't have any conditions, or need to see any specialists that may not be available to you at your next location. It's not a big deal, especially for Hawaii. There is pretty much any kind of Dr. one would need over there, but regardless there is a lot of paperwork and hassle that you have to do anyway. Fun, fun. So this month I have been busy getting the medical clearance paperwork together for the three of us girls. This involves trips to the dentist and the clinic for checkups. After that we have to meet with some medical people and a "mental health" specialist so they can finish clearing us. I have been busy and exhausted, but I am almost done with my part! After this it is up to the military, and we are back to waiting. (The story of my life lately) We are hoping for orders soon, so we will have a date for our move. The next few weeks are big ones for us as far as moving plans go.
When I took Natalie to the dentist for her check-up they discovered that she has something known as External Resorption in her two front top teeth. Basically the roots and teeth are being resorbed. Like dissolved or eaten away. Anyway...this could have been caused from a trama to her teeth sometime in the past, like if she fell and hit them pretty bad. The dentist said that if we didn't have her teeth pulled, then it would spread to her other teeth and even damage her permanent teeth. Yipes!
So sitting in the dentist office I was in shock, and to clarify I asked,
"So you want to take those two teeth out?"
Yes
"And leave a HOLE in her mouth for a year or two??"
Yes
"And it's ok to do this??"
Yes
I had to come home and talk to Tony about it, do some research on our own, and make myself be ok with doing this. For some reason I had the hardest time making the decision to do it! How could I take the front teeth out of my baby's head way before it was time?? She would have trouble eating, and talking, and lets face it I was concerned with how she would look. I know kids are cute with missing teeth, but teeth that are missing for 2 years?! I was devastated. However the thought of damaging her permanent teeth, just to save these for a couple more years was stupid.
So we decided to have it done. Today I took my beautiful little girl to the dentist and had her teeth pulled. She's probably young enough that she doesn't know to care about how she looks with missing teeth. (Although the first thing she said to me when she got done was that she wanted to see in the mirror) :o) I think because her mouth was so numb she had no idea what had happened to her! She had to see that she was ok. She says that her mouth is "dizzy".
I got to thinking about how awful this was for me-and I realized that it really wasn't awful at all. So many parents are told so many things that are so much worse! What they wouldn't give to only have to have their kids teeth pulled instead of surgery, or chemo, or whatever other truly terrible thing their child is faced with.
It's not even as bad as when she was 2 days old and the Dr. told me there was a hole in her tiny heart....
So I will put on my big girl panties, a brave smile, and keep telling my little girl that she is a beautiful princess. (Because she still is!) I will put on my tooth fairy hat tonight and remember this milestone in my child's life even if it did come too early! I am thankful that she is healthy and whole, and we caught this before it was too late!
Now I have to go wake up both of my princesses, so I can go get my check-up. After this I am turning in paperwork and we are back to more waiting. I am DONE with Dr visits for awhile I hope!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Saturday, January 9, 2010
We Were Surprised
Yesterday Tony went to sign the papers to apply to trade bases. We were told it would probably take a few days to find out if it was approved or not. They were behind in the office and it would probably take longer than usual for us to hear from them. So we were very surprised last night, when Tony checked his account with the Air Force online and saw that our next base would be Hickam AFB! We were not really expecting the trade to be approved, much less in half a day! (Now why can't the Air Force always do things this quickly?!)
We did not go looking to trade bases. The guy Tony traded with came to him wanting California. We thought and prayed about it and decided to go ahead and apply for the trade, even though our chances were slim of it being approved. We didn't want to pass up an opportunity like this, just in case. We were happy with the possibility of either place. We just want to be where God wants us to be. So we left it in God's hands, not that we can ever really take control anyway! We were at peace with wherever He put us.
There are pros and cons to being there, of course. The biggest cons would definitely be that we would be farther away from from my family, and a lot of his family. We plan to take advantage of all the Space-A travel that we can though, and come back to visit as often as possible. I don't know that being in Hawaii would cause us to visit less often than we would if we were in California. It would possibly prevent them from being able to visit us as easily. However it doesn't cost as much more to fly there as opposed to California as I thought it would. It will all work out, as we are confident that God has a plan for us being there!
On the pro side, it will probably be easier to see Tony's parents than it would be if we were in California. The experience and opportunity that it would be for our family and especially for the girls is another pro to us.
I know that my family is not excited about this for us. That's ok, I understand. Even though it makes me so sad to make them upset. We have always seen my family pretty often, so this will be an adjustment. I'm praying that God will give them peace and excitement for us.
We have lots to do in the next 2 months to get ready for our adventure. I'm very excited to follow God in this next step. Our first order of business once we get there-swimming lessons for me and the girls!
We did not go looking to trade bases. The guy Tony traded with came to him wanting California. We thought and prayed about it and decided to go ahead and apply for the trade, even though our chances were slim of it being approved. We didn't want to pass up an opportunity like this, just in case. We were happy with the possibility of either place. We just want to be where God wants us to be. So we left it in God's hands, not that we can ever really take control anyway! We were at peace with wherever He put us.
There are pros and cons to being there, of course. The biggest cons would definitely be that we would be farther away from from my family, and a lot of his family. We plan to take advantage of all the Space-A travel that we can though, and come back to visit as often as possible. I don't know that being in Hawaii would cause us to visit less often than we would if we were in California. It would possibly prevent them from being able to visit us as easily. However it doesn't cost as much more to fly there as opposed to California as I thought it would. It will all work out, as we are confident that God has a plan for us being there!
On the pro side, it will probably be easier to see Tony's parents than it would be if we were in California. The experience and opportunity that it would be for our family and especially for the girls is another pro to us.
I know that my family is not excited about this for us. That's ok, I understand. Even though it makes me so sad to make them upset. We have always seen my family pretty often, so this will be an adjustment. I'm praying that God will give them peace and excitement for us.
We have lots to do in the next 2 months to get ready for our adventure. I'm very excited to follow God in this next step. Our first order of business once we get there-swimming lessons for me and the girls!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Hello 2010
I hope that this new year has gotten off to a great start for all of you. 2009 was a year of many changes for us, and there are a few in store for us in 2010 as well.
This time last year we had just decided that Tony would join the Air Force. Look how far we have come in 1 year! We survived the 2 month separation with limited contact for Basic Training. The girls and I moved 300 miles to be with him at Tech school. We are now half-way done with tech school. This time last year I would not have believed that I could go for 2 months without my husband, and move pretty much by myself! While it wasn't fun or easy, I wouldn't change anything about it. Everything we went through was used for learning and putting things in perspective. Our marriage and family as a whole has been made stronger and better because if it.
We look forward to our big move in the Spring. There is a possibility that we may not be moving to California after all. A guy that is in Tony's class came to him wanting to trade bases. He wants to go to the base in California that we have been assigned to. In exchange we would be going to the base that he was assigned. The base that he was assigned is Hickam AFB. I'll save you the time of Googling it and just tell you where it is....It's in Hawaii.
There are pros and cons to being in Hawaii instead of California. (More pros in my opinion.) :o) The biggest pros (aside from the fact that well, it's Hawaii) - are that I already have a friend there, and it would be a lot easier to see Tony's parents more often. They live in Okinawa. In the 6 years that we have been together Tony only sees his parents on average of once a year. They have seen Natalie 4 times, and Gabbie only twice. It would be harder to see my family, ( big con) but I would love the opportunity to spend more time with his parents. We would also make a little more money living in Hawaii as opposed to California. In the end we decided that you just don't turn a chance like that down. It may not happen again. SO, we are in the process of waiting to see if the trade will be approved. It may or may not be approved, but at least we aren't passing the opportunity up! We hope to know in the next week or two what the outcome is. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much...but some days it's really hard! :o)
Either way- whether we move to California or Hawaii- we have a big adventure awaiting us in about 3 months! I'm excited to get to our base and get settled. I'm ready to find a good church and make some friends. Natalie has also been asking about going to gymnastics lately-I think she misses it! Once we get settled we hope to get her back into it. She really loved it, and can still do some flips even though she hasn't had any classes in a long time.
I don't make resolutions, I never keep them so what's the point? Ha ha. My goals are pretty much the same every year. *Try to be a better friend, wife and mother than last year. *Learn to trust and follow God more. *Manage my time better. Those are a few of the basics. This year for sure I plan to... Do new things, see new places, and make new friends!
Blessings to you in 2010! Thanks for checking in with me as we start this year off. I hope we can end it together as well!
This time last year we had just decided that Tony would join the Air Force. Look how far we have come in 1 year! We survived the 2 month separation with limited contact for Basic Training. The girls and I moved 300 miles to be with him at Tech school. We are now half-way done with tech school. This time last year I would not have believed that I could go for 2 months without my husband, and move pretty much by myself! While it wasn't fun or easy, I wouldn't change anything about it. Everything we went through was used for learning and putting things in perspective. Our marriage and family as a whole has been made stronger and better because if it.
We look forward to our big move in the Spring. There is a possibility that we may not be moving to California after all. A guy that is in Tony's class came to him wanting to trade bases. He wants to go to the base in California that we have been assigned to. In exchange we would be going to the base that he was assigned. The base that he was assigned is Hickam AFB. I'll save you the time of Googling it and just tell you where it is....It's in Hawaii.
There are pros and cons to being in Hawaii instead of California. (More pros in my opinion.) :o) The biggest pros (aside from the fact that well, it's Hawaii) - are that I already have a friend there, and it would be a lot easier to see Tony's parents more often. They live in Okinawa. In the 6 years that we have been together Tony only sees his parents on average of once a year. They have seen Natalie 4 times, and Gabbie only twice. It would be harder to see my family, ( big con) but I would love the opportunity to spend more time with his parents. We would also make a little more money living in Hawaii as opposed to California. In the end we decided that you just don't turn a chance like that down. It may not happen again. SO, we are in the process of waiting to see if the trade will be approved. It may or may not be approved, but at least we aren't passing the opportunity up! We hope to know in the next week or two what the outcome is. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much...but some days it's really hard! :o)
Either way- whether we move to California or Hawaii- we have a big adventure awaiting us in about 3 months! I'm excited to get to our base and get settled. I'm ready to find a good church and make some friends. Natalie has also been asking about going to gymnastics lately-I think she misses it! Once we get settled we hope to get her back into it. She really loved it, and can still do some flips even though she hasn't had any classes in a long time.
I don't make resolutions, I never keep them so what's the point? Ha ha. My goals are pretty much the same every year. *Try to be a better friend, wife and mother than last year. *Learn to trust and follow God more. *Manage my time better. Those are a few of the basics. This year for sure I plan to... Do new things, see new places, and make new friends!
Blessings to you in 2010! Thanks for checking in with me as we start this year off. I hope we can end it together as well!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
I'm Still Here
As usual it has been way too long since I have posted. I have been busy.
The move went well. The movers didn't break anything. So far the only thing that I am missing is the front tray from my double stroller. I am not saying that they lost it yet, I need to look for it some more. However the more time that passes, the more it looks like I may not see it again and it must be riding around the country on a big orange truck or maybe one of the other military families got something new in their household shipment. I will be sad if I don't find it. It doesn't affect my ability to use the stroller, but it sure is nice to have.
I love our new tiny house. It is only 900-something sq feet, but somehow we have all the room we need. We even have a little bit left over! Its like one of the several miracles in the Bible where God caused something to multiply. (bread and fish, widow's oil, etc.) The space in my little miracle house just kept multiplying until I had all that I need. Somehow we have 3 walk-in closets. I love that, as do the girls. It's like an extra room to play in! I'm sure that I love the house more because we are all together here, but it really is a pretty nice house. It is old, and a lot of people complain about them. Maybe I've just never lived anywhere super nice, but I don't see what's so bad about it. The kitchen has been remodeled and it has new paint and crown molding. Other than the bad carpet and dishwasher I have no real complaints. The base is tiny, but I love it too. The Commissary and BX are super close and sometimes I will go at least a week without even leaving the base. My gas tank has lasted a month!! This again is something to love. We live withing walking distance to the playground, and the weather here is wonderful! We are still able to go to the playground often. It is (until this week anyway) still in the mid to high 70s during the day...and the wind doesn't blow!!!! I love that for sure!
It is a lot more wet here than in Amarillo. There are more trees too. There are Pecan trees everywhere on the base. There is mistletoe all over the town as well. I may have to go get me some for Christmas!
The day we finally got here. Yay, living in the same town again! (We were tired....not sure about the look on Tony's face!)
Our house. The pictures are a little blurry, they were taken with my phone.
Living room
Girls' room
Dining room
Kitchen
Tony is doing great in school...no big surprise there. I'm so proud of him. His classes are not easy for most people, but he is sailing through them. He is enjoying most of what he is learning so far, and is looking forward to actually doing the job.
Natalie loves the new house and going to the playground. I have started her in preschool (home school) We haven't done it very much yet, but she likes it so far. She already knows most of what is taught in preschool, and she is only 3. So by starting now I am able to take our time and not push her. I don't have to worry about getting behind when we move in the spring either. We have a year and a half until kindergarten to learn the rest of what she doesn't know. We are working on writing letters and their sounds right now. I am amazed with how much she already knows and how easy it is for her to learn things. She loves it. Just like her Daddy. I hope she is always this way!
Gabbie is like me when it comes to learning...there is just so many better things to do with your time! She doesn't like to sit still long enough. We are working on potty training. It is a lot harder than it was with Natalie!! So far she has learned to run to the potty AFTER she wets her panties, and to say that she needs to potty when she should be in bed. She will sit on the potty for about 5 seconds before she says "done!" One night we had 2 successful trips to the potty, and I was SO excited! That was I got though. Gabbie knows more than she lets on though. She won't talk much at all, but every now and then she will let a few words out in the form of a sentence! She gets a look on her face like, "oops!" Then she goes back to acting like she doesn't know how to say those words. Silly girl! One of these days she will probably just start talking in perfect sentences and surprise me. Maybe that is her plan with the potty too...someday she will go from acting like she doesn't have a clue, to perfectly trained in 1 day. I can only hope. The military doesn't pay enough at Tony's rank to afford pull-ups, so I hope that day is soon!
The girls love their new big room. They play together all day in it! They get along about 90% of the time too. They love each other. The first thing Gabbie does when she wakes up in the morning is look for "Nat nat".
I am just trying to adjust. Adjusting to my babies getting so big, and adjusting the learning and discipline that goes along with that. Adjusting to the "stupid rules" of the Air Force. Most of the rules make no sense and are harder, more time consuming, and cost more than doing things another way. Nonetheless, we (especially Tony) have to follow them. I don't mind rules if they just had a purpose and made sense! It will be a lot better once we are permanent party in the Spring, but even then there will be things that don't make sense. Oh well, such is my life now. I'm not complaining at all, just trying to get used to it. I'm adjusting to getting up at 5:00am in the morning with Tony to help him get ready to go to class. I'm adjusting to him being gone from 5:20 in the morning until 5:30 or later at night. Some days I feel like I am adjusting better than others! I am adjusting to a new church. I miss Trinity Fellowship SO badly! There isn't really a good selection of churches here, so I am glad that we are only here temporarily! We have found one that will work for now. I am adjusting to a new town. I can make it to Wal-mart and the rest of the shopping I might need (they are on the same street. shhh, don't tell ;o) ) without my GPS now!
We went back to Amarillo for Thanksgiving weekend. It was good. We look forward to going back over Christmas. We had fun with family, and it made me realize that I consider here to be home now. Home is wherever my family (Tony and the girls), and my house is. I can make anywhere be home. That will come in handy over the next several years I think!
We are so blessed and Thankful this Holiday season! It has been a big year for us. We have done things that we never would have imagined for ourselves. In it all we know that we are exactly where God wants us, and we are headed down the path He wants us to travel! We are so happy where we are right now, and excited for where we will be next year!
Enjoy this wonderful, blessed season!
The move went well. The movers didn't break anything. So far the only thing that I am missing is the front tray from my double stroller. I am not saying that they lost it yet, I need to look for it some more. However the more time that passes, the more it looks like I may not see it again and it must be riding around the country on a big orange truck or maybe one of the other military families got something new in their household shipment. I will be sad if I don't find it. It doesn't affect my ability to use the stroller, but it sure is nice to have.
I love our new tiny house. It is only 900-something sq feet, but somehow we have all the room we need. We even have a little bit left over! Its like one of the several miracles in the Bible where God caused something to multiply. (bread and fish, widow's oil, etc.) The space in my little miracle house just kept multiplying until I had all that I need. Somehow we have 3 walk-in closets. I love that, as do the girls. It's like an extra room to play in! I'm sure that I love the house more because we are all together here, but it really is a pretty nice house. It is old, and a lot of people complain about them. Maybe I've just never lived anywhere super nice, but I don't see what's so bad about it. The kitchen has been remodeled and it has new paint and crown molding. Other than the bad carpet and dishwasher I have no real complaints. The base is tiny, but I love it too. The Commissary and BX are super close and sometimes I will go at least a week without even leaving the base. My gas tank has lasted a month!! This again is something to love. We live withing walking distance to the playground, and the weather here is wonderful! We are still able to go to the playground often. It is (until this week anyway) still in the mid to high 70s during the day...and the wind doesn't blow!!!! I love that for sure!
It is a lot more wet here than in Amarillo. There are more trees too. There are Pecan trees everywhere on the base. There is mistletoe all over the town as well. I may have to go get me some for Christmas!
The day we finally got here. Yay, living in the same town again! (We were tired....not sure about the look on Tony's face!)
Our house. The pictures are a little blurry, they were taken with my phone.
Living room
Girls' room
Dining room
KitchenTony is doing great in school...no big surprise there. I'm so proud of him. His classes are not easy for most people, but he is sailing through them. He is enjoying most of what he is learning so far, and is looking forward to actually doing the job.
Natalie loves the new house and going to the playground. I have started her in preschool (home school) We haven't done it very much yet, but she likes it so far. She already knows most of what is taught in preschool, and she is only 3. So by starting now I am able to take our time and not push her. I don't have to worry about getting behind when we move in the spring either. We have a year and a half until kindergarten to learn the rest of what she doesn't know. We are working on writing letters and their sounds right now. I am amazed with how much she already knows and how easy it is for her to learn things. She loves it. Just like her Daddy. I hope she is always this way!
Gabbie is like me when it comes to learning...there is just so many better things to do with your time! She doesn't like to sit still long enough. We are working on potty training. It is a lot harder than it was with Natalie!! So far she has learned to run to the potty AFTER she wets her panties, and to say that she needs to potty when she should be in bed. She will sit on the potty for about 5 seconds before she says "done!" One night we had 2 successful trips to the potty, and I was SO excited! That was I got though. Gabbie knows more than she lets on though. She won't talk much at all, but every now and then she will let a few words out in the form of a sentence! She gets a look on her face like, "oops!" Then she goes back to acting like she doesn't know how to say those words. Silly girl! One of these days she will probably just start talking in perfect sentences and surprise me. Maybe that is her plan with the potty too...someday she will go from acting like she doesn't have a clue, to perfectly trained in 1 day. I can only hope. The military doesn't pay enough at Tony's rank to afford pull-ups, so I hope that day is soon!
The girls love their new big room. They play together all day in it! They get along about 90% of the time too. They love each other. The first thing Gabbie does when she wakes up in the morning is look for "Nat nat".
I am just trying to adjust. Adjusting to my babies getting so big, and adjusting the learning and discipline that goes along with that. Adjusting to the "stupid rules" of the Air Force. Most of the rules make no sense and are harder, more time consuming, and cost more than doing things another way. Nonetheless, we (especially Tony) have to follow them. I don't mind rules if they just had a purpose and made sense! It will be a lot better once we are permanent party in the Spring, but even then there will be things that don't make sense. Oh well, such is my life now. I'm not complaining at all, just trying to get used to it. I'm adjusting to getting up at 5:00am in the morning with Tony to help him get ready to go to class. I'm adjusting to him being gone from 5:20 in the morning until 5:30 or later at night. Some days I feel like I am adjusting better than others! I am adjusting to a new church. I miss Trinity Fellowship SO badly! There isn't really a good selection of churches here, so I am glad that we are only here temporarily! We have found one that will work for now. I am adjusting to a new town. I can make it to Wal-mart and the rest of the shopping I might need (they are on the same street. shhh, don't tell ;o) ) without my GPS now!
We went back to Amarillo for Thanksgiving weekend. It was good. We look forward to going back over Christmas. We had fun with family, and it made me realize that I consider here to be home now. Home is wherever my family (Tony and the girls), and my house is. I can make anywhere be home. That will come in handy over the next several years I think!
We are so blessed and Thankful this Holiday season! It has been a big year for us. We have done things that we never would have imagined for ourselves. In it all we know that we are exactly where God wants us, and we are headed down the path He wants us to travel! We are so happy where we are right now, and excited for where we will be next year!
Enjoy this wonderful, blessed season!
Thursday, October 1, 2009
We Are Going...
So I said that we should find out any day where we will be going for our permanent Duty Station. Well, it was actually that day! :o) Tony texted me that night with the news.
He will be graduating March 17th from his tech school, and then we will be going to BEALE AFB, California! That was not one of our top choices of places we wanted to go, but as soon as I found out that it was a possibility I had the strongest feeling that we would be going there. I was right! So I can't say that I was super surprised when he told me. Sometimes I just know things like that.
I have been praying for this-our first duty station- from the moment we signed up for the Air Force. I have been praying that God would put us at the best base for our family, one that wouldn't deploy Tony's job very much. I told Him I didn't care where we went, as long as it was His will, I just wanted what would be best for our family. From what we can tell with the little info we have on the base so far...it looks like Tony may not deploy very often from that base! So while we are a little nervous, and obviously very sad to be so far away from all our family here, we are very excited to see what God has in store for our little family!! We are at peace about this, and we totally feel God's hand leading us down this path! We will just take it one step at a time and hold tight to Him on the next stage of our adventure! We may not know why He is taking us to California, but I know I can't wait to find out!
But for now, the movers will be here in the morning to take our stuff to San Angelo. The next part of our adventure is upon us! I am so excited, and I know that the next 6 months will be a wonderful, happy time for us! For now, California is on the back burner and I am looking forward to embracing our time at Goodfellow! I will say that I am so happy to know where we are going next, but I also plan to soak up where we are now.
Your prayers are very much appreciated for the next couple of weeks, as we will be moving and getting settled into our new home. It will be at least a week after we get there before Tony is able to live with us, but we are still excited to see him everyday. We miss each other more than we thought possible! We will be living a few days without all of our stuff as well, so pray that the girls adjust and handle it well. The movers will be here early in the morning, and I must be up earlier than that, so I will say goodnight! I will be back in a few days to let you know how our adventure is going!
He will be graduating March 17th from his tech school, and then we will be going to BEALE AFB, California! That was not one of our top choices of places we wanted to go, but as soon as I found out that it was a possibility I had the strongest feeling that we would be going there. I was right! So I can't say that I was super surprised when he told me. Sometimes I just know things like that.
I have been praying for this-our first duty station- from the moment we signed up for the Air Force. I have been praying that God would put us at the best base for our family, one that wouldn't deploy Tony's job very much. I told Him I didn't care where we went, as long as it was His will, I just wanted what would be best for our family. From what we can tell with the little info we have on the base so far...it looks like Tony may not deploy very often from that base! So while we are a little nervous, and obviously very sad to be so far away from all our family here, we are very excited to see what God has in store for our little family!! We are at peace about this, and we totally feel God's hand leading us down this path! We will just take it one step at a time and hold tight to Him on the next stage of our adventure! We may not know why He is taking us to California, but I know I can't wait to find out!
But for now, the movers will be here in the morning to take our stuff to San Angelo. The next part of our adventure is upon us! I am so excited, and I know that the next 6 months will be a wonderful, happy time for us! For now, California is on the back burner and I am looking forward to embracing our time at Goodfellow! I will say that I am so happy to know where we are going next, but I also plan to soak up where we are now.
Your prayers are very much appreciated for the next couple of weeks, as we will be moving and getting settled into our new home. It will be at least a week after we get there before Tony is able to live with us, but we are still excited to see him everyday. We miss each other more than we thought possible! We will be living a few days without all of our stuff as well, so pray that the girls adjust and handle it well. The movers will be here early in the morning, and I must be up earlier than that, so I will say goodnight! I will be back in a few days to let you know how our adventure is going!
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
We Made It!
It has been a long time since I last posted. I haven't been all that busy really. I've just been focused on surviving! Tony being gone has definitely been the hardest thing I have ever done! I thought I was prepared for it, but I wasn't! There is no way you can prepare yourself for your husband to be gone with very little contact at all! It was like he didn't exist for those 2 months. I wrote him a letter everyday, but the most I heard from him was pretty much once a week. I went the last 15 days with no contact at all!
I met a great group of 4 other ladies online who's husbands were graduating the same day as Tony. God brought us together for sure! It was so much help to have someone going through the same thing at the same time! We knew exactly what the other one was going through and how we were feeling. They made these last 2 months so much better. We were able to help each other through the dark days of BMT.
It got a little easier at the end, but that's when everything started going wrong! It was the longest 2 months of my life so far! While he was gone I only got one real phone call, and 5 letters. I got a couple of other "official" calls where he was getting or giving me information, but we didn't get much time to talk on those calls. Not like we had a long time to talk on his 1 "real" call either....only 15 minutes! Well...
WE MADE IT!!!
Tony graduated BMT on September 18th! That is the Air Force's birthday, which was pretty neat. I am sooo proud of Tony! He graduated as an honor graduate! Only up to 10% of the 799 people graduating were handpicked for honor graduate! He also got a perfect score on his final exam! He did awesome, and I am so very proud of him.
I left here on the 10th of September and went to Wichita Falls to see my best friend. I left there the next morning and went to Houston to see my sister and her husband, and then my aunt and uncle. I left Houston on the 16th to go to San Antonio!
We had a blast in Houston, in spite of my car getting towed from the parking lot of my sister's apartment! My aunt took the girls and I to the Houston zoo, and the downtown aquarium. The girls had a blast and they got to ride a train at both places, which they thought was pretty neat. At the aquarium we rode the little train through a tunnel aquarium where dozens of sharks swim all around and above you. I thought that was pretty neat!
When I got to San Antonio I picked up a friend of mine from the airport. Her name is Jennifer, she is one from the group of ladies I met online. Her fiance was graduating the same day as Tony. We finally got to meet the day before graduation, and it felt as if we had always known each other! After we got to town we went and explored the base a little bit, and then we split a hotel room that night. We got up super early the next morning to be on the base by 7:00am.
Thursday was the Airman's run in the morning. It was so neat to see! I couldn't pick Tony out of his flight, so I was a little disappointed about that. Then after what seemed like a very LONG time of waiting it was time for the Coin Ceremony and Retreat. All of this waiting in the hot sun was not fun with two toddlers, let me tell you that!! It was so worth it though!! After the retreat they tell you to go and find your Airman!! They have to stay in formation on the grounds, and all the families get to go and find them. I had managed to finally pick Tony out of the crowd I thought during the ceremony. Well they told us to go find our Airman, so the girls and I took off to where I thought he was standing...but when I got there it wasn't him!! I thought "Oh no! Now what do I do? I don't know where to look!" Then I looked closer at the person that I thought was him...and I read his name tag...and it WAS him!!! I didn't recognize my own husband!! He had lost 20 pounds, which wasn't all that noticeable I don't think. He was so tan! And the way he stood and carried himself, and he had no hair. I guess all of it combined made him look so different. Let me tell you though...he looked goo-OOD!!! :o) (Check out the pictures on the side) We got to hug for the first time in two months! But only for a second. There are very strict rules about any kind of PDA while he is in uniform. Plus we had to hurry to get to the ceremony honoring the Honor Graduates. After all of that he finally got "released" to us. We had some lunch at the mini mall. Natalie would not leave her daddy alone!! She would not let me sit by him, or by her for that matter. That was "for my daddy to sit" We had such a good time being back together! I was able to stay at the hotel on base, so we were able to go back to the hotel and have some family time. I got to get a real hug and kiss! The kiss was better than our first! :o) The weekend went by way to fast though.
Monday morning at 3:30 Tony was on a bus to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo(about 3 1/2 hours from San Antonio) Tx for more training. I met him there that evening to give him some of his personal things that he is now allowed to have. I left the next morning to come home, and left him there. Finally after 12 days and a little over 1400 miles, the girls and I were back home! We were all sick our first few days back. (Big surprise, huh?)
Because his school is so long, the Air Force is moving us to be with him! He will be at that base for 25 weeks. The movers will be here Friday! (Oct 2) I am so very, super excited! It could still be a couple of weeks before he is allowed to live with us, but we will be in the same town and be able to see each other every day starting this weekend! I'm happy with that for now! We have been able to talk everyday since he graduated which makes things a million times better than they were during BMT, but seeing each other everyday will be even better yet! I am working on patience for the next step- him being able to live with us! Each step is better, but I really want to be living in the same house again! Because of the no PDA rule, I am not allowed to even hold his hand in public when he is in uniform. So unless he is able to get permission to come to our house in his free time, there will still be no hugs and kisses for me for a couple of weeks! So will be able to see him everyday...but not touch him! So please pray for favor from his higher-ups, that they will grant him permission to come visit us at the house before he is able to live with us, and that the day that he is able to live with us is very soon!
I better run. Gotta get back to getting things ready for the movers to come pack it up! I don't know when we will have Internet after we move, but I will be in touch as much as possible. We should be finding out our orders for our next location any day! That is very exciting too! These next two weeks have a lot going on, and so much of it is unknown! That is the way my new life will be, so I am trying very hard to get used to it. I am so excited to take this next step! This week has been dragging!
I met a great group of 4 other ladies online who's husbands were graduating the same day as Tony. God brought us together for sure! It was so much help to have someone going through the same thing at the same time! We knew exactly what the other one was going through and how we were feeling. They made these last 2 months so much better. We were able to help each other through the dark days of BMT.
It got a little easier at the end, but that's when everything started going wrong! It was the longest 2 months of my life so far! While he was gone I only got one real phone call, and 5 letters. I got a couple of other "official" calls where he was getting or giving me information, but we didn't get much time to talk on those calls. Not like we had a long time to talk on his 1 "real" call either....only 15 minutes! Well...
WE MADE IT!!!
Tony graduated BMT on September 18th! That is the Air Force's birthday, which was pretty neat. I am sooo proud of Tony! He graduated as an honor graduate! Only up to 10% of the 799 people graduating were handpicked for honor graduate! He also got a perfect score on his final exam! He did awesome, and I am so very proud of him.
I left here on the 10th of September and went to Wichita Falls to see my best friend. I left there the next morning and went to Houston to see my sister and her husband, and then my aunt and uncle. I left Houston on the 16th to go to San Antonio!
We had a blast in Houston, in spite of my car getting towed from the parking lot of my sister's apartment! My aunt took the girls and I to the Houston zoo, and the downtown aquarium. The girls had a blast and they got to ride a train at both places, which they thought was pretty neat. At the aquarium we rode the little train through a tunnel aquarium where dozens of sharks swim all around and above you. I thought that was pretty neat!
When I got to San Antonio I picked up a friend of mine from the airport. Her name is Jennifer, she is one from the group of ladies I met online. Her fiance was graduating the same day as Tony. We finally got to meet the day before graduation, and it felt as if we had always known each other! After we got to town we went and explored the base a little bit, and then we split a hotel room that night. We got up super early the next morning to be on the base by 7:00am.
Thursday was the Airman's run in the morning. It was so neat to see! I couldn't pick Tony out of his flight, so I was a little disappointed about that. Then after what seemed like a very LONG time of waiting it was time for the Coin Ceremony and Retreat. All of this waiting in the hot sun was not fun with two toddlers, let me tell you that!! It was so worth it though!! After the retreat they tell you to go and find your Airman!! They have to stay in formation on the grounds, and all the families get to go and find them. I had managed to finally pick Tony out of the crowd I thought during the ceremony. Well they told us to go find our Airman, so the girls and I took off to where I thought he was standing...but when I got there it wasn't him!! I thought "Oh no! Now what do I do? I don't know where to look!" Then I looked closer at the person that I thought was him...and I read his name tag...and it WAS him!!! I didn't recognize my own husband!! He had lost 20 pounds, which wasn't all that noticeable I don't think. He was so tan! And the way he stood and carried himself, and he had no hair. I guess all of it combined made him look so different. Let me tell you though...he looked goo-OOD!!! :o) (Check out the pictures on the side) We got to hug for the first time in two months! But only for a second. There are very strict rules about any kind of PDA while he is in uniform. Plus we had to hurry to get to the ceremony honoring the Honor Graduates. After all of that he finally got "released" to us. We had some lunch at the mini mall. Natalie would not leave her daddy alone!! She would not let me sit by him, or by her for that matter. That was "for my daddy to sit" We had such a good time being back together! I was able to stay at the hotel on base, so we were able to go back to the hotel and have some family time. I got to get a real hug and kiss! The kiss was better than our first! :o) The weekend went by way to fast though.
Monday morning at 3:30 Tony was on a bus to Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo(about 3 1/2 hours from San Antonio) Tx for more training. I met him there that evening to give him some of his personal things that he is now allowed to have. I left the next morning to come home, and left him there. Finally after 12 days and a little over 1400 miles, the girls and I were back home! We were all sick our first few days back. (Big surprise, huh?)
Because his school is so long, the Air Force is moving us to be with him! He will be at that base for 25 weeks. The movers will be here Friday! (Oct 2) I am so very, super excited! It could still be a couple of weeks before he is allowed to live with us, but we will be in the same town and be able to see each other every day starting this weekend! I'm happy with that for now! We have been able to talk everyday since he graduated which makes things a million times better than they were during BMT, but seeing each other everyday will be even better yet! I am working on patience for the next step- him being able to live with us! Each step is better, but I really want to be living in the same house again! Because of the no PDA rule, I am not allowed to even hold his hand in public when he is in uniform. So unless he is able to get permission to come to our house in his free time, there will still be no hugs and kisses for me for a couple of weeks! So will be able to see him everyday...but not touch him! So please pray for favor from his higher-ups, that they will grant him permission to come visit us at the house before he is able to live with us, and that the day that he is able to live with us is very soon!
I better run. Gotta get back to getting things ready for the movers to come pack it up! I don't know when we will have Internet after we move, but I will be in touch as much as possible. We should be finding out our orders for our next location any day! That is very exciting too! These next two weeks have a lot going on, and so much of it is unknown! That is the way my new life will be, so I am trying very hard to get used to it. I am so excited to take this next step! This week has been dragging!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Missing Daddy
Before Tony left we took the girls to the Bear Mill and got them puppies in an Air Force Blues uniform. I put Tony's cologne on them so the girls have a little reminder of Daddy while he is gone. They love them, and Natalie is always saying "It smells good! It smells like my daddy!"
Daddy and his girls and their "Special Dada puppies"
Gabbie and her puppy watching Veggie Tales
I got my first phone call from Tony yesterday! This is the dreaded 30 second scripted call where he gives me his address. We actually got to talk for 2 min and 11 seconds! Yay! He was not very scripted, and there was no one yelling at him in the background. He sounded really good! Now I can write him letters. That makes me feel better, but we still miss him a lot.
Daddy and his girls and their "Special Dada puppies"
Gabbie and her puppy watching Veggie Tales
I got my first phone call from Tony yesterday! This is the dreaded 30 second scripted call where he gives me his address. We actually got to talk for 2 min and 11 seconds! Yay! He was not very scripted, and there was no one yelling at him in the background. He sounded really good! Now I can write him letters. That makes me feel better, but we still miss him a lot.
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