He's home!!!

He's back!!! He's back!!! He's finally back!!! Oh I can't tell you how good it is to have my hubby home... these last few weeks have been killer for me and the kiddo, not knowing and not being able to share with anyone what's been going on. Not only that but the every day stresser's of her starting 1st grade and going back to school with a new teacher and everything else. But he's home now and I know we can accomplish anything now that he's home. You never really realize how important that person is till you don't have them around anymore... and trust me... my appreciation has been shown ever since he stepped off that plane! I wish I could tell you I had a pictures to share but I don't... I know... how could I forget that right?! But I did get all caught up in the moment, so I apologize... :)

The Military Child

Just in case some of you didn't know... April is month of the military child. All across our nation every branch of service is celebrating our little hero's and things are no different around here. I'd like to take a minute to thank my child for being a little hero as well. Her courage, understanding, patients and resilience never cease to amaze me. She is six years old, and in those six years she has had to move four times to four different house, four different states, had to be the new kid on the block four different times. She has made new friends from moving and had to learn how to say goodbye to those same friends. She has endured over 10 different TDY's with various time frames as to when her dad comes home and most recently a deployment which she will have to endure for quite some time. She has learned to use a computer, send e-mail and skype since she was four years old. She has attended 3 different schools and she had the pledge of alligence memorized before any of her other classmates. She knows what it means to salute someone and why we do it. She understands that daddy leaves because duty calls and she might not always know where he is, but that he loves her and will come home as soon as he can. Yes, my child is amazing; she never asked for this kind of life, and was never given the choice to choose it, no... she was born into it. She never got a say so, yet she endures the hard times with a smile and knows how to make the best of every situation. She is part of amazing group of children that will one day undoublty grow up to be some of the best adults, she is a military child and this time it's me who is saluting her! I love my amazing Air Force brat and she makes her daddy and I very proud! :)

All about being a "Millie" Quiz

So I see this military spouse quiz has been floating around the blogging world for a few days now, I'm not sure where it origninated from but I am stealing it and doing it LOL! I stole this one from a friends & fellow "millie's" blog at NH Girl Displaced Check out her blog, she's pretty hilarious and shares my sense of humor :)

How did you and your spouse meet?

Well... actually I've known him most of my life... you see our mom's are friends and pretty much grew up together in Germany. They married our dads and came to the US in the 1970's. We were born in the early 80's and they kept in touch over the years, so him and I would see each other over the summers since we didn't live in the same city. It wasn't always so peachy though, we both were married before and it took us a while to "find" each other again after we grew up but never the less... here we are... happy :)

See... here we are watching tv together on his parents old 1907's couch... the photo is around 1987 I believe.

How old were you when you two met?

In the beginning? We were just babies... later in life when we met up again and started to date we were 22 & 24

How long have you been together?

Since 2006

Where are you and your spouse originally from?

Were both from Florida. He grew up in Jacksonville and I grew up in Ft. Myers.

How did you feel about him joining the military?

He was already enlisted but I needed a change after my marriage to my ex had ended and boy did I get one LOL! To be honest, I was excited... and proud and excited LOL!

Where did your spouse go to Basic Training?

At Lackland AFB where all the Airman go LOL!

Has your spouse ever been deployed?

Yes. Once, his second deployment is coming up soon.

Ever been to his promotion ceremony?

Yes, and I got to "tack" is stripes on... that means the Airforce allows me to actually punch my husband (don't worry, I didn't do it hard) it was pretty awesome! :)

How long have you been a military wife?

Officially... like registered with DEER's... its been 5 years.

Did you marry him before or after he joined?

After

How did your husband propose?

It wasn't really a proposal really... we were just sitting on the floor of our old house in Oklahoma right after the movers came and packed up all our stuff to move us to Georgia and he looked at me and said... "so do you have any plans next week?" and I said; "no, not that I can think of, why?" He said; "well then I think we should go get married" LOL! How romantic right? LOL! It totally caught me off guard ;)

Where did you get married?

Richmond County courthouse in Augusta Georgia :)

How old were you two when you got married?

I was 24 he was 26

Did he wear his uniform on your wedding day?

No, as I recall we both wore jeans t-shirts LOL! I think I even wore flip flops! LOL!

Where are you and your spouse currently stationed?

Keesler AFB, Biloxi, Mississippi

Do you live on base?

No, but we do live in Base Housing... if that makes sense...

How long were you married when you had to go through your first separation?

A week... and then he was gone to school for 2 months, it sucked... we had just moved to Georgia and hadn't even unpacked our first apartment (that was pretty much in the ghetto) I had no friends, no family and a 13 month old baby to take care of all by myself. I was pretty much scared out of my mind!

What is your favorite base so far?

I actually like them all for different reasons... mostly the friends we had and the good times we shared.

Does your spouse look good in his uniform?

Um YEAH! Duh! LOL! I like his ABU's better than his dress though ;)

Do you think military life is more advanced than civilian life?

I think life is a bit more challenging and complicated but it's life. Everyone has different things to overcome in their lives.

Do you like the benefits you receive as a military dependent?

Sure... commissary shopping is nice, gas on base is usually cheaper and the CFR does a good job of helping you out when your hubby is gone.

Do you have a lot of military wife friends?

No, other than my military friends on blogger I don't have many. I have a few here and I do mean a small few... it's mostly because the people I live around suck ass. They like to stir up trouble and gossip and I'm just not into that...

What is the hardest part of being a military wife?

I'd have to say the alone times, whither he's gone for two weeks or 6 months it never gets any easier... I always put it this way, if I didn't love you I wouldn't care that your leaving. It's not that I can't handle it on my own its just I prefer to go through life with the one I love by my side every day. Unfortunately being a military wife that is not always an option. The other part that sucks is living in the unknown... you just never know when you might have to move or when a deployment will come up... it kinda sucks. First rule as a mil wife... write down everything in pencil!

Do you own any military wife stuff?

He bought me a silver pendent right after we got married that says air force wife and there is a little silver dog tag that has a heart in the middle that is also on the same chain. I wear it from time to time...

Do you support your spouse as a member of the military?

Of course! Without a doubt! I am proud of my husband no matter what he does and I will always support him in everything he does.

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day!

Thank you to all the veteran's I know and especially those I don't know. All your sacrifice, courage and valor is greatly appreciated not just today but, every day I live in freedom and every night I sleep in peace while you stand watch.

A proud U.S. Army Veteran who thanked my husband for his service and carrying on the duty to our country, this photo was taken in 2009 by me at Augusta's Veterans Day parade and its one of my favorites.

My husband reciting his oath and re-enlisting in the U.S. Air Force

One of my favorite pics of me and my Airman

My husband (middle) my brother in law (left) and my father in law (right)
all proudly have served our country.

I am an American Airman.
I am a Warrior:
I have answered my nation's call.

I am an American Airman.
My mission is to fly, fight, and win.
I am faithful to a proud heritage,
A tradition of honor,
And a legacy of valor.

I am an American Airman,
guardian of freedom and justice,
My nation's sword and shield,
Its sentry and avenger.
I defend my country with my life.

I am an American Airman:
Wingman, leader, warrior.
I will never leave an Airman behind,
I will never falter
and I will not fail.

My Dad who served proudly in the U.S. Army (Yup, I'm an Army Brat who married an Airman)

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and a member of a team.
I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.

I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.

I am disciplined, physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills.
I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am a guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

My Grandpa who served in the U.S. Army during World War II.

My Grandma & My Grandpa during World War II
She was a U.S. Army nurse and he was her soldier.

We are a military family through and through. I have also had an uncle who served in the U.S. Navy and another uncle who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during Vietnam. I have cousins who serve in each branch of military. I have friends who went off to war and have not come back, you are missed and shall not be forgotten.

He had news

He came home tonight for dinner and walked in with a grin on his face ear to ear... I just knew something was up. Thank god for the grin because usually when he says "Ive got news" I get that feeling like your gonna throw up and your heart suddenly jumps up into your throat... oooh I hate those moments! And usually the news is bad or something I don't want to hear. Tonight it was good though, I can't really go into detail about it all (believe me... I WANT to so bad!) but I will say that it involves a job change and possibly a PCS. The most exciting part is that if he gets to have this new "job" he will be extremely happy it will be a very strategic career move! I'll put it this way... if you were to look at a resume and it said "Bodyguard of Mr. T" wouldn't you want that guy? LOL!

BTW... being Mr. T or anyone's bodyguard is not what the job is but just a reference as to how cool the job is. ;) LOL!

As for right now hes going to do everything he can to see if he can get into this new "job" and see what all it requires, its a big deal so there are quite a few stipulations and hoops he will be having to jump through. I will post what I can when I can. ;) But for now cross your fingers and hope for us please... along with all the baby hopes... Oh come on 2 1/2 week wait! LOL

30 Days of Me: Day 7

A Photo that makes you happy.

I took this pic when the kiddo was about 2 years old. It was right after the hubs got his new ABU's and I wanted some updated photos ;) This is my favorite pic of my daughter and my husband. These two makes me ultimately happy :D

Last week the circus came to town

Last week was our squadron’s summer picnic and it actually turned out awesome. Im glad its over with, the hubs had been stressing out about it for weeks.Hes part of the Booster club which was putting it on. It was alot of fun, the top 3 grilled hamburgers and hot dogs and then everyone else just brought stuff. We had games for the kids like ring toss, duck hunt, water gun shoot out, face painting and a bounce house. There was also sumo wrestling and a cut throat scavenger hunt musical chair type thingy… Which was hilarious. Hubs literally ran hauling the munchkin around on his shoulder… and he was worried about the run with a ruck sack! Ha, I think hes covered! We also had the unveiling of our new 338th Dark Knights merchandise.

And as always here’s the pics.

So the item was “shoelace” and he wasn't allowed to use his own and since I wore flip flops he had to do something… and what did he do? I grabbed an Airman! The conversation went something like this…

Hubs: “AIRMAN, COME WITH ME RIGHT NOW! I NEED YOUR SHOE!”

Airman: ” Yes, Sir!”

Hubs: “AIRMAN TAKE YOUR SHOE OFF! I NEED IT!”

Airman; “Yes, Sir! Here Sir.”

Hubs: ” I’ve got a shoelace!” *waves Airman’s shoe in the air*

Hubs: ” Thank you Airman, that is all.”

Airman: “Yes Sir, Thank you Sir, Glad I could be of assistance Sir.”

LMAO!!

During the scavenger hunt. This is how he hauled her around… while running.

All suited up for some sumo!

She tried to go save her Daddy…

Some AFI airman “selling” popcorn, peanuts and cotton candy

Watermelon Eating Contest!

Little Miss Cutie Erin!

I wear his t-shirts at night so I can feel him hold me, thats how much I love him.

So the hubs has been TDY this week to Alabama (its only for a few days) its not the first time he’s had to leave, and it definitely wont be the last, it isn’t the shortest time Ive been without him and it isn’t the longest time either, but never the less I miss him. Every time he has to leave it reminds me of how much I love him, not because Im lonely, not because Im bored, not for lack of adult conversation… its just simply that I love him. I miss him when hes not around, I miss looking over at him on the other end of the couch and catching his smile or seeing him come home from work, giving me a hug and a kiss and then talking about our day. I miss his smile, I miss his hugs, I miss his kisses, I miss his smell… I miss kicking him off the bed at night…. yes, our bed is TOO big without him. I wear his t-shirts at night so I can feel him “hold” me… thats how much I love him. Cant wait to see him on Friday.