Wow baby!

I left out some details of the days leading up to deployment....I didnt mean to keep everyone in the dark but it was our little secret, and by little...i mean really little! Like an apple seed side little...

2 days before Kale left, we found out were expecting! Were so excited and if you could cross your fingers and toes, were hoping he will be home for the birth! On deployment day we took a picture of him kissing my 4 1/2 week along belly so then at homecoming we can take the same picture but Ill be 8-9 months pregnant or carrying a newborn around! 

Nothing else has been going on, Im such a planner that Ive been doing lots and lots of research...Im fascinated by the different types of cloth diapers and Im excited to see what will work best for us.  Car Seats are so overwhelming! I feel more pressure to buy the right car seat then the right car, and Ive done about the same amount of research! 

The next couple weeks are going to be super busy! This time next week, I will be in Vegas with my Dad! I'm so excited! And, so far, no real morning sickness! (knock on wood)

The puppies totally know...I think Coop caught on right away, he couldnt be more then a few feet away from me and if he was, he would cry and cry and cry! Hes also a lot more protective, way more barky when people are around and if people are over and they are sitting close to me, he has to sit in between me and my guest! Cujo took a little longer to catch on but now he is totally in tune with "something is up"...he normally sleeps without touching people, if you try to get close to him, he would get up and move, even off of the bed...now, Ill wake up to him sleeping on my stomach, or we will sleep forehead to forehead! I cant be out of his line of sight without him running to me, which is COMPLETE OPPOSITE  of what he used to be like! 

I think it might be a mix of them sensing something is up with me and noticing that Kale isnt coming back anytime soon! 

So, there you go, a quick update and Ill leave you with a picture!

I should be in the Bahamas...

So, remember how I said I wouldn't bring up the fact that I should be in the Bahamas but I'm not because of the deployment...well...I lied, this post I'm going to bring it up and then back to being over it!

Sunday morning I woke up, got ready for Church and was feeling great...it just felt like it was gonna be a great day...then I go out to my car, sit down and realize "man, it STINKS of cigarettes"...I don't smoke so that was really weird, then I look to the passenger seat and realize that my glove compartment is open, and I have papers thrown everywhere, then I grab my purse...my wallet...GONE! I jump out of my car and run back inside...

I do what every adult would do that just realized that her car was broken into...I called my Daddy and the second he answered started hysterically crying while explaining what just happened! Hahaha...no denying I'm a Daddy's girl! So he keeps yelling "I cant talk to you while your crying! Calm down!!!" and finally I stop hyperventilating and then I call the police, file the report, and all that jazz...

From what the (amazingly nice) officer gathered was that neighborhood kids went down the street "flicking" handles to find an open car door...I am 100% sure that I locked my car after the commissary from 3pm Saturday but I had a bunch of things in my hands when I shut my door so it must have not shut all the way and just been open a crack so all they had to do was jam their hand in between the door frame and the car frame and yank it open...in that process they chipped a ton of paint which is how we could tell that happened that certain way...

They took my wallet which had my IDs (drivers license and military), all our debit cards/ credit cards, and about $200 worth of gift cards, they also got my Garmin GPS, but what most upset me is that in my wallet was this little plastic "I love you forever" card that Kale got me when we first started dating...in 2004, and now its gone! Everything can be replaced...except that card! It really bums me out...

They didn't take my actual purse which was a $500 Coach bag so I was thankful for that! I'm also so thankful that nothing else happened, they had the garage door opener in the car and could have came in through the garage and kicked in the house door (I had the alarm set but still!) 

I wasn't okay yesterday, I think it was just a combination of emotions, I hadn't cried since Kale had left, I had felt really in control of everything and this I didn't have any control over...I felt so scared, what if they come back at night and try to get into the house this time! I felt so violated, every time I went out to my car was a reminder of what happened because it smelled so bad of smoke! I drove around for an hour just to get the smell out (and to eat ice cream for dinner...don't judge, it made me feel better!) But as the night came, I calmed down a lot...I wasn't randomly bursting into tears over what had happened, I canceled most of the cards (all but 1 because the call center is closed for the holiday weekend), had a friend bring me some cash so that I can live off of it in case I needed anything before my new cards arrived...

At night I realized that  I was glad Kale didn't call during the day, if he had, I probably would have panicked him enough to have him jump off the boat and swim all the way home to be with me! I was that crazy....but now I'm calm and am anxiously awaiting for him to call so I can tell him what happened and to warn him that none of his cards work except one and to get money out now since Ill have to send him his new one, but other then that I'm doing what I need to and hey, I learned a lesson...

A lot of you are probably thinking- "YOU LEFT YOUR PURSE IN YOUR CAR! YOU DIDN'T DOUBLE CHECK TO MAKE SURE IT WAS LOCKED AT NIGHT!? ARE YOU INSANE!"....and my answer, Ive never had to think about it before...I have always lived in very safe places. Growing up I lived in a neighborhood where you would keep your keys in the car in your driveway...there was legitimately no crime in my neighborhood...when we moved down into our first apartment it was VERY safe as well...one time Kale and I left our Wii sitting on the curb for 30 minutes (we both thought the other one had brought it up, we had lots to carry in) and once we realized we thought it would for sure be gone but nope- sitting right there...a lot of neighbors wouldn't lock their cars at all either at the apartment complex...then we moved to this neighborhood and its very safe as well- I always lock my doors so I don't mind leaving valuable things in it.  I always keep my purse in my car, I never thought to bring it inside each night...I never had to think of it! 

I guess that was me letting my guard down, I got TOO comfortable with my surrounding which is always a Marine Corps no-no...I can tell you- I will never leave my purse in the car ever again, nor will I feel safe at night without the alarm set.  It was a big reality check...even the safest neighborhoods get their occasional shocks of crime...but, I'm okay and that is all that matters...

but, then again...I should be in the Bahamas right now! (with my non-robbed purse!)

A day of sadness...

I was woken up by my phone ringing at 8am, it was my friend LeShea but I was still out of it and tired so I just ignored the call...then she called back 5 minutes later...I knew something was up...She goes "Kale is trying to get ahold of you! He has been calling your phone and had Taylor call me to see if I could get ahold of you" (Taylor is her husband...deployed with mine).  Great, so I look at my phone...no missed calls! So I tell LeShea that and she said that if she hears back from her hubby, she will let him know...and then my Mom calls..." Colleen, Kale is frantic, he cant get ahold of you and is worried something happened, are you okay!" so then I explain to her how my phone doesnt have a missed call so the call must not be going through...so annoying! My heart skipped a beat knowing he was so frantic thinking I was hurt or something...what a worrier!

So, about 30 minutes later my mom calls again and Kale had called her back, she explained what was going on and he was saying how when he would call it would just keep ringing, not even go to voicemail...so something is up, the phones must not like each other! So, he said if he has time later he will call my mom who will then call me and I will go to LeShea's house and he will call their house...that seemed like a fine plan, until I realized Earl will be battering my area at that time lol

Anyway, I then promptly went on facebook and complained about my lack of phone call, what a crappy way to start my day!! Can you say pity party?

Then minutes later, I realized a friend posted an interesting status on her facebook, her boyfriend was deployed and I figured that he got moved to a different base or something with less communication because she was talking about that the previous week, then another friend posted a status referencing that first friend I mentioned...I then made a heart-breaking discovery...her boyfriend was KIA...my heart sank, just minutes ago I was complaining about not getting a phone call when my friend was getting the worst news that one could imagine...

I havent been able to get her out of my mind, I wish I could take her pain away, I can only imagine how she is feeling...any little bit of drama going on right now suddenly seems completely insignificant and all I want to do is give her a big hug!

Please keep the troops in your prayers...they are not statistics that we hear on the news, each causality has a family that they left behind to deal with the pain...Many thoughts and prayers are with my friend, her family, and his family...

All gave some, Some gave all...

Things to look forward to...

Kale left Thursday, Ive just been relaxing and trying to enjoy having alone time since for the past 6 months we have had roommates, house guests, and family here constantly.  So, I am just enjoying being on my own schedule right now...I figure this will last a week until I get really bummed that he is gone...Im already bummed but at least I am able to distract myself with enjoying the quiet...

That being said, in the next few weeks, I have a lot to keep me busy...and military ladies know..when you are busy, time flies by! So, I thought I would list all the things I am looking forward to in the next couple weeks to keep my spirits up!

Sept 22-26: Vegas with my Dad, we always watch those car auction shows on TV and he wanted to go to this really big one at the MGM Grand and asked if I wanted to go...um, of course I want to go to Vegas!! Ive never been so Im really excited...the blackjack table and the pool are calling my name already! We are staying at Circus Circus...it has an amusement park inside!

Oct 1-4: Family Reunion, I looooove this weekend and look forward to it all year.  We don't have boring family reunions, I am blessed with an amazing family who can always keep me entertained! We all rent cabins in the middle of no-where Pennsylvania (Cooks Forest) and we do all sorts of fun activities, and each year is always the same. Friday- everyone arrives, sit around camp fire and catch up Saturday- canoeing, hiking, perch fry, grave yard trip Sunday- some people leave but we are staying an extra night and we cook a big brunch, hike some more, and make smores Monday- we leave....although we do the same thing every year, it is so much fun!!! The "worst" part is that there is no cell service which is great since we all get to "unplug" and relax but having no way to communicate with a deployed hubby is no beuno!

Oct 6-10: Fort Myers FL! My 2 best friends- Dani and Ashley and myself will be flying down to FL and we are so excited! Dani's parents have a condo down there that we get to stay at (aka FREE LODGING!), they have a car down there that we get to use (FREE TRANSPORTATION) and they said we could charge their account at the club house for our meals (FREE FOOD!)...so basically all we have to pay for it our tickets (130 bucks round trip!)...can you think of a better vacation!??! Its going to be a lot of sitting by the pool, tanning, and enjoying time with my lovely ladies!

(This picture cracks me up...its from my bachelorette party...I was cheesing!)
Oct 16: Dani's bachelorette party- we are going to do a spa day (AMAZING!) then go out to a dueling piano show! We aren't doing the traditional bar crawl, because Dani doesn't drink so we thought a relaxing but fun day would be perfect! I mean, who wouldnt love massages, pedicures, etc!

October 22-24: Dani's wedding weekend!! She is getting married on Saturday! Im her Maid of Honor...she was mine too! I am so excited for her, and to be a part of her day...now if only I can come up with a great speech!

October 31- Halloween...I love Halloween, enough said!

So, as you can see...Ill be pretty busy for the next few weeks...here is hoping it flies by!

Busy Weekend Coming Up!

We have a pretty busy weekend ahead of us...

In about an hour (Friday at noon) Kale will be dismissed from work and not have to go back in until Tuesday night!! This will be his "pre-deployment leave" and although it doesn't make up for the 2 weeks that was planned but its better then nothing!!

For the rest of the day today we are going out to lunch and probably picking up the house (fun right??)

Saturday- my parents arrive! We will probably just hang around and catch up with them.

Sunday- DATE NIGHT! This is what I am so excited for! We get to go on a date night with the Vogels!! We are going for sushi and then out for drinks! I'm so excited about this because we never get to go out just the 4 of us! We are their baby sitters so if they go out, we watch the kids! But my mom is going to watch their children so we are so thrilled to get that "couple time" together actually out and not at one of our houses! Oh and in the morning, Kale's 2 friends- Matt and Shawn arrive!! They are so much fun that I know we will have such a great time with them!! We will be busting at the seams of our house though! Were gonna put the guys in the man cave since we only 2 guest rooms and my parents and sister will be here! 

Monday- Lake Leamon! We will be going to the lake to enjoy one last time swimming and the guys will be jumping off that tower that they love so much!!

Tuesday- Kale goes back to work at 6pm so Matt and Shawn will be going back up to PA so after saying bye to them I hope we can do something fun- like go bowling or putt putt.  

And then, full speed ahead to deployment, yuck! But I'm gonna enjoy the weekend and enjoy time with our family and friends and make some memories that I will look back on throughout deployment!

The Marine Corps strikes again...

All military wives have millions some moments where they feel that they are completing getting RAN OVER by their perspective branch...so in my case...right now, the Marine Corps is KILLING ME!!

I used to think this saying: "The Marine Corps is my husband's mistress and sometimes that b**** gets all the attention!" was cute...until last week...

I'm sure I have talked about it on here...you know, our 8 day 7 night vacation to Sandals Royal Bahamian, all inclusive, honeymoon concierge room, spa day booked, zip lining, private dinner on the beach...ah...sounds wonderful doesn't it? Who wouldn't want to spend a week in paradise....

I bet you all want to be on that beach in the Bahamas too...well....

WE DON'T GET TO GO ANYMORE!

I should have known not to open the email that started "The Department of Defense has..." because then I wouldn't have known that the end of the sentence ends with "activated the 26th MEU to deploy no later then the end of August"....

um, say what, Department of Defense? You mean end of September, right? Because they are supposed to leave at the end of SEPTEMBER....NOT AUGUST!!!

Yep, they are deploying our guys early....I mean, I should have expected it...our unit always gets thrown for a loop, heck last deployment to Afghanistan was supposed to be a deployment to Iraq up until 3 weeks before they left...

So, I might not be around too much...I'm ready for this deployment- it'll be our 3rd, I'm a heck lot more calmer then I should be but that's life...I'm not gonna let it get me down, I know I will be fine once he leaves, but darn it...I JUST WANT TO WHINE ABOUT NOT GOING TO THE BAHAMAS...

This was supposed to be our honeymoon (belated) and now, it will be even more belated...almost 2 years belated! That wouldn't be a honeymoon then...!!!!!!

So, I'm done complaining...complaining about my lack of vacation wont let my vacation happen....and I have 2 best friends (hi Ashley and Dani) who I am going to FL with in October that say that we can pretend we are in the Bahamas to make me feel better, so now to get everything on my check list for pre-deployment done and then to tackle getting a refund from Sandals (easy, I bought the insurance) and from the airline (not so easy, I HATE dealing with airline customer service) so that we can have an even NICER vacation when he gets back...

Semper Gumby....(the Marine Corps wife motto meaning "Always Flexible")

So, BRING IT ON DEPLOYMENT,you might have won the battle of pre-deployment leave, but I will win the WAR!

**Oh and before anyone goes freak out on me for breaking OPSEC, all of this information (about deployment, not about my sad canceled vacation) was reported on multiple news media sources so it is not classified information that they are leaving early, actually, the news articles give more information then I did...**

Making It Monday: August 16th

I swear, I will do "Making It Mondays" that are not about making food...but not this week, or probably next, I will probably wait until all house guests and family are gone before I can really dive into my craft-making ness so hang tight to see my interesting creations and adventures learning to use my sewing machine...

But until that day arrives...more food! And on today's menu...CHICKEN POT PIE! It brings back lots of childhood memories, but I remember my Dad would feed them to us when Mom was working late or had a meeting.  Not the homemade kind, but the individual frozen ones...I loved them, I loved breaking the shell and then would eat all the veggies out of it first, then the chicken, then all the crust! Yum...

Now that Im older, the thought of the nutrition panel of said frozen pot pies makes me not want to get within 5 feet of it...so I make my own..minus the day and a half worth of sodium!!

So, to start, gather:

-1 box Pillsbury pie crust (or you could make your own...no way I was doing that though!)

-1/3 cup of butter

-1 medium chopped onion

-1 carrot diced fine

-1/3 cup of flour (i use whole wheat- because I can)

-1 large garlic clove (I had really TINY cloves so I used 3)

-1 3/4 chicken broth

-1/2 cup milk

-3 chicken breasts cooked (I had leftover grilled chicken from the night before)

-1/2 cup frozen peas

- parmesean cheese (optional)

Directions:

1. Cook the bottom crust following the directions on pie crust- mine said bake for 10 minutes

2. In saucepan over medium heat, melt butter.  Add onion, garlic, and carrots until softened- mine took about 4 minutes. 

Then, stir in flour, and season with salt and pepper, stir until blended and the flour doesn't look "raw" anymore.

3. Stir in broth and milk- cook until bubbly and thickened.

4. Add chicken and peas.   I cooked it for a few minutes to warm the chicken and peas though then spooned the mixture into the pie crust.  I put Parmesan cheese on top just for some extra flavor. Top with second crust, seal edge, and cut slits into the top crust.

5. Bake 30-40 minutes until crust is golden brown.  I add tin foil to the sides of the crust so they do not burn and remove them where there is 15 minutes left of cooking time. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. 

ENJOY!!  Its simple yet yummy!!!!

Jane Wayne Day 2010

or as I like to call it "Take Your Spouse to Work Day"

The hubs unit had Jane Wayne Day in July, and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E!! It was all of the "fun" things that come with their job and I had a blast...I kept joking throughout the day "When does the playing video gaming or napping begin?" since that is seemingly all they do during the day when they aren't training...

My husband is training to go on the 26th MEU so Jane Wayne Day not only featured the Infantry stuff that my husband does but other equipment that will be on the MEU as well...

When we got there, we signed those waiver (if you die, don't sue us...) and we got a dog tag to wear that our FRO had made for the day! Then, they had the "war paint" station where you could choose to put on...

Most wives were passing up the station, or just putting those 2 little lines under the eyes (you know, like football players!)...but that was not good enough for the Wpns Co husbands...THEY DECKED US OUT!!

After that, we loaded up the buses and headed over to one of the ranges...there was so much to do! They had lots of displays, we could climb in and around tanks, helicopters, mine sweepers, humvees, etc. And my group of friends and I took full advantage of that opportunity! We climbed on everything, put anything on that we could, and pressed lots and LOTS of buttons! 

In addition to all the static things, they also were offering LAV (Land Assault Vehicle) rides so of course we HAD to do one! So you had to wear a flack jacket and a helmet for the ride and as we suited up, I noticed the guys weren't gearing up- they refused to go...and said "You'll see why!" And with that, we loaded up and off we went....

Man, those guys were right...it was so bumpy! I think the driver was steering it a little crazy too though!!!! That is something I could go the rest of my life without doing again...Up next...COMPETITION!!!! The FRO had set up a competition so a group of 5 wives from each company competed to see which company would win Jane Wayne Day! We had to carry ammo cans, take apart then put back together a gun, throw a fake grenade into a box, crawl, then run back with the ammo cans! 

The guys from the husband's company always say "If you aint Weapons, you aint s***"....so we knew we couldn't disappoint them...so of course....

WE WON! AND WE WON BY A LOT!!!!! After that, we were starving...they had burgers and hot dogs but the guys said we couldn't eat them and that we had to eat....MREs! The guys helped pick out the least disgusting good ones and off we went to start cooking our lunch...I had the pot roast, it was...interesting....

Then came the fun part...WE GOT TO SHOOT STUFF!!!!!!!!!! We were able to shoot a SAW, M-16, and the little grenade launcher thing! It was awesome, although after 100 rounds in the SAW, I was over it...I thought it stunk!! So the hubs jumped in finished the last 100! 

All in all, it was an awesome day! One of the best Jane Wayne Days that I have ever heard of!! For all those military spouses, have you ever gone to a Jane Wayne Day? What was yours like?! I hope we have another one next year after deployment!

Making It Monday!

I think from now on Mondays will be "Making It Mondays" where I share what I am making (tough connection, huh?!) whether it be crafts, home decor, food, whatever!

So, since I havent had any time since coming home to do any of my craft projects that I have on my to do list, Ill start with what I am making for dinner!

Its pork tacos with pineapple salsa...I got the recipe from Family Circle magazine that I stole borrowed from a doctors office waiting room and it looks super delicious! Ill post in my normal blue font the recipe from the magazine and then since I suck at actually following recipes I will post any changes or addition in pink

There are 3 main parts- dressing, salsa, and the pork tacos

Dressing:

- 3/4 cup lime juice one large lime

- 1 teaspoon sugar

- 1/8 tspn salt seriously, who measures that tiny amount? I just do a pinch

- 1/8 tspn pepper

- 3 Tbsp EVOO

- 2 Tbsp cilantro, i just grabbed a small handful

Salsa:

- 2 cups diced pineapple I used 1 can of pineapple and just ran my knife through real quick

- 2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

-2 cloves garlic, minced

-1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced I got a tiny one, as in it was 99 cents a pound and mine cost 1 cent!

Pork Tacos:

- 1 to 1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin sliced in a 1/2 inch thick slices

- 1 package white corn tortillas i just had the normal flour tortilla already!

1. Heat grill, while it preheats mix up dressing until blended well

2. Mix together salsa ingredients and 2 tablespoons of the dressing

3. Combine remianing dressing (about 1/3 cup) with the pork in a resealable bag and marinate 15 minutes I had mine marinate for 6 hours.  Grill pork about 6 minutes turning until desired doneness.  Slice into thin strips.  Wrap tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave 1 minute.  

4. To serve, fill a warm tortilla with a few pork strips and some salsa and sour cream, enjoy!

Pictures I Promised!

Crap- I wrote this post yesterday and forgot to post it :( Oh well...looks like I will have 2 posts today!

Like I said, I have some pictures from the wedding Kale was in, and our cake eating- 1 year later!

 

With the hubs before the ceremony, he looks so cute in his tuxedo!

 

The Bride and Groom, Im so happy for them!

  

Cake, 1 year later!  

The cake fight!

And with that, my month long trip to Erie PA had ended! It was a fun time but I am so glad to be home!

Home Sweet Home

Were back in our house...it feels so good! I forgot how much I love my King bed!! I also enjoyed (kinda) the cleaning that took place the day after I got back!! Now, we are just hanging out!


I really need to garden because it is FULL of weeds...I don't even think it is salvageable! I'm going to just take it all out and see if I can find some cheap annuals to fill some space until it gets cold and everything dies...again!

On my agenda for the weekend:
Friday- well, I dont have the keys to my car so NOTHING!
Saturday- baby shower, grocery shopping, and Sams Club is having free entry with no membership so I want to go there to check it out!
Sunday-  babysit baby Braxtyn and big sister Kylea because my friend LeShea and her hubby Taylor are celebrating their 1 year wedding anniversary!

I'm pretty excited and I haven't forgotten about the pictures I need to post, I will get to them next week...PROMISE!!!

Wedding Weekend

Kale was in a wedding this weekend! His high school friend was getting married to another one of their high school friends! Joe and Kale played football together and he was also in our wedding too! Kelley was in the same group of friends but they didn't start dating until a couple years after high school graduation.  

The rehearsal went well and we were excited for the big day, Kelly looked amazing and while everyone else was watching what the Deacon was saying as he was greeting everyone, I was watching Joe stare, open-mouthed, at his wife while whispering to her "You look so beautiful".  He couldn't take his eyes off of her, it was so sweet!

During the sign of peace, Kale walked back to where my family was, to share a sign of peace and he was looking FINE in his tux! Then he commented on how pretty I looked, I melted...hehe

The homily was a little weird, it started off with "The Joe and Kelley you once knew, is now DEAD...we are morning the loss of Joe and Kelley but..." then he went on to talk about how they are reborn as one and all that jazz but it was just so weird the whole death reference! The rest of the ceremony went off without a hitch and it was reception time!!

The room was awesome, light pink and green were her colors and although it sounded to me like it could easily be overdone, she totally got the perfect amount! So Kale's cousin (way older cousin...) was the DJ and when they were announcing the wedding party in, he said his name wrong!! I couldn't stop laughing! He called him Kyle, but Kale said "at least he didn't call me Kayley" which he has gotten many times! 

After the dinner, it was everyone's favorite part of the reception (well the favorite of our group of friends)...DANCING! We danced and danced and probably burned enough calories that all the drinks we had were burned off (almost...).  One of the most exciting parts was that Kale and I made it past the 1st round of the Anniversary dance!

So after lots of drink (LOTS!) and lots of dancing, the reception was over, we stumble walk outside and bam! we are hit with SUNLIGHT! It was so dark in the hall, that we all forgot the reception ended at 7pm! A lot of comments were being made "Oh man, were drunk before the sun goes down" and it was so funny! 

We ended up hanging out with the big group of Kale's high school friends, that since we dated for 2 years of high school I became very close to them as well so I guess I can say our friends, for the rest of the night and it was so fun to catch up! It seems now that everyone has jobs that we only really get together at weddings! Ours was last summer, Joe and Kelley was this summer, and we have a couple planned for next summer!

And once again, I haven't had a chance to upload the pictures yet so you'll have to wait until I get around to it, which may be a few days because..

I GET TO GO HOME ON WEDNESDAY! I am so ready to be back in my house, in my bed! I loved spending time with my family but I WANT MY PLACE!

My dogs are awesome!

Man, I love my pups...they amuse me to no end and I love watching the weird things that they do it better! I try to catch as many as those moments as I can...so I thought if I find them amusing, so must everyone else! (kind of like parents with their kids...) So without making you wait any longer to see the worlds cutest dogs...enjoy!

Cujo lacks serious personal space...unfortunately this is a common occurrence during nap time! And my husband who also enjoys the crazy antics of the pups, is always willing to grab the camera and click away! 

Again, personal space is non-existent in our house! I love how I dont wake up when he is covering my face with his body anymore!

 Coop was NOT happy about having to be in this while we flew! He was BEGGING to get outta it!

Coop sleeps in the most uncomfortable looking positions! Oh and this was when he was really sick and had to get an IV hence the bandage! 

PUPPY RUN!!!!!!!!!!! 

Cujo wedged himself in between the pillows, then slept that way....

All ready to move to our new house!!! "Helping" pack! 

Coop was not thrilled that it was Halloween....my little Devil!

Anyway...those are some of my favorite random pictures of the pups!!! Im sure yall will quickly get sick of my how many pictures I post of them...but hey! They are my kids!!!

As I promised yesterday...

Pictures from my crazy busy week!

Emma came to visit, we went and watched the sunset one evening! It was a great night to watch the sun sink into the lake! 

This is Potato, Emma's cute new puppy...she was mistreated and malnourished and Emma rescued her- she is an Irish Setter/Lab mix!

Dani's Bridal shower was so fun, for the centerpieces we had flower pots with cookie flowers, then heart shaped spoon favors that say "scoop of love", and as you can tell our colors were pink, orange, yellow, and some green!

We had a great dessert table- cupcakes, cake, chocolate covered pretzel drizzled with colored chocolate in our colors, cheesecake bites, fondue fountain!

The cute cupcakes I made, see how cute the flower ones are...I give myself props for how well they turned out!

And, last but not least- with the bride! It was so hot in the house- it didn't have air conditioning and it was 90 degrees and HUMID! We all looked so sweaty!

Eek, its been a week!

Man, I havent posted in a week but surprisingly I havent had time too! Monday-Thursday one of my great friend's Emma came to visit...she just got a new puppy, her name is Potato! We had tons of fun and I showed her around Erie and introduced her to various Erie customs such as 50-50 tickets, Stag and Drags, Pepperoni Balls, Sponge Candy, and some other random things! 

Then once Emma left, it was full speed ahead for setting up for my best friend's bridal shower! We had 2 crazy days of setting up, baking, cooking, assembling, etc.  But the party went off without a hitch and everyone really enjoyed it! 

I of course havent uploaded the pictures yet so youll just have to wait! But on an exciting note- Kale gets to come home on leave for the wedding he is in! He will get in late Wednesday night and we will hopefully get to stay for a full week! 

I'm ready to be back in my house but more importantly Im ready to be back with my husband!

Stay tuned this week for pictures from the bridal shower, and I want to take Coop swimming now that he got groomed!

I never thought I would say this...

but I miss the chores of my house! As much as I HATE (seriously, I cant think of many things I dislike doing less) cleaning my house, after being away for 2 weeks...I have the incredible urge to clean and rearrange my house...if only it wasn't 700 miles away! 

(and please dont remind me of this desire when I actually get back...I'm sure the moment will have passed haha)

I guess this little forever long trip to my parents recharged my domestic batteries! The few weeks before coming up I had no motivation to clean, do any of my DIY projects, gardening, go the gym, or cook (which I love to do!), I just wanted it to magically do itself!

When I get back in August, my goal is to get the painting of the bathroom done- we are big University of Kentucky fans (Hubs wardrobe consists of UK shirts and shorts, then a handful of "nice clothes", on any given day- you could bet that at least 1 of us is wearing something UK-ish) and our upstairs bathroom is ugly..so I think I'm going to make it a UK themed bathroom! Its the upstairs bathroom right near the man cave so it would be perfect! 

I figure, go big or go home although I am having some trouble picking out paint colors...I would love to do "Kentucky Blue" but so many of the accessories will be that blue that I think it might be too much of a "blob of blue" So I was thinking maybe just doing a stripe of blue with the rest being white walls...I dont know...any suggestions?

As for accessories, itll be ALL UK, ALL THE TIME! 

Then I will decorate with some of the pictures I have from various games that we went to, I figure frame them and hang them up...

So that is my project for when I get home in August...and hopefully my domestic-ness doesn't go away again!!