30 Days of MeMe, Day 8

Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad

The date on the picture is wrong. It was the last day of school June 8, 2009.  I had made the decision to move on in my life after a what I would call a tumultuous relationship.  I learned many things from that relationship.

I was forced to make plans. For my future. For Minny. This picture was taken at my moms. I drove up to my moms for the night with the dogs and Minny and we spent a few hours there before finding out that the ex was finally back in town after months of being away and wanted our dogs to take with him. So, just so I understand, you now want the responsibility of animals you never once cared for and abandoned when you went south months ago?  I was so incredibly angry. Malibu and Jager were 4 years old in this picture. This was the last picture of Minny and her puppies that were taken. Those dogs loved her and protected her faithfully.  She had helped Malibu when she delivered puppies and loved on Jager for being her best friend. It broke my heart to give them to him, knowing he wouldn't take care of the dogs but someone else would be forced to. 

I learned in February that our "Boo-Boo" girl was left unattended and outside, only to be hit by a car and killed. I think a part of my heart was ripped out and chewed up only to be spit out and stepped on by the jerk who had taken them from a good home where they were taken care of.  I prayed for Jager, because without Malibu he would be lost.  They've been together over 4 1/2 years, they were so precious together. I am in the end very thankful for having Scotch boy back in our lives. Scotch is one of the pups from Jager and Malibu. He's a beautiful reminder of his mom and dad.

Getting To Know You Sunday

Or in my case Monday! oops!

The Q's.



1. If you accidently knick a car in a parking lot..Do you leave a note or do you get the heck out of there?
I did it once, I was so mortified!  I left a note, but they never called!  It's me that causes my own knicks in my car! 

2. Love your body or plastic surgery?
It's my body! I do love it. But I would like a lift, after more kids tho.

3. What about your favorite blog(s) continues to drive you back?
Relate-ability. Is that even a word?  I love reading about good news in others lives too!
4. What percent of your blog is BS just to make your life seem more interesting than it really is?
That would be a BIG ZERO. I don't care for fabrication.

5. If you had to give up one type of meat for the rest of your life, what would it be?
WHAT?! I am such a carnivore, please pass the cow.  Man, I would say pork, but I love the bacon!  Tough choices...

6. How often to you eat out?
1-2 times a week. 1-2 times too many in most cases.

7. Skinny jeans or boot cut jeans?
Skinny, on you!  Boot cut on me!

8. If you caught your spouse cheating would you forgive, divorce, or plan your kill?
Tough call!  I grew up in the home that made it work no matter what. Sooooo, whoever she is, she better just move along. We'll get through it!

30 Days of MeMe, Day 7

Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy

My daddy and my Minny. My father was amazing and supported EVERYTHING that Minny did and always was her biggest cheerleader right next to me. I decided to sign Minny up in 2007 for the Robbinsdale Junior Ambassador program so she could make new friends and be part of something that made a difference not only in her life, but others. I don't think either of us realized what an AMAZING opportunity it would be for her to grow. In one years time there were over 60 parades, countless volunteer activities and friends she will keep for a lifetime. My dad passed away a few months after she was crowned, rather unexpectedly. HE was so proud of her this day for her accomplishment and all of the time nonetheless. 
While I am crying my eyes out writing this, this picture makes me happy. It is a fabulous memory. Because Papa could be a part of this day and a few events after this.
Damn I miss him, and his stupid jokes, and his stone face in front of the real teddybear and his wise advice and his love and dedication to me and his granddaughter.

30 Days of MeMe Day 6, late!

Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy

Ahhh, the amazing man himself. He really tickles my fancy everyday. This is a picture from a fabulous night back in January when we reconnected after ... well forever.  He was in town on leave. We hadn't seen each other since HighSchool. And if I say he's been in the Navy 13 years, maybe that will help your math plus a year. We had such a great time this night, on a whim none the less.  It was the beginning of something wonderful. I just don't think either of us realized it yet at that point.

I love the fact that his family is here, and Minny and I have an opportunity to get to know them better, it helps the ache of being apart. I had the opportunity to spend a few hours between karaoke shows with his mom at the State Fair. I made sure to fulfill Chiefs request and try the Spaghetti & Meatball on a stick. Chief gets a F for it, but if it's something he really likes, then he can have it next time!  His mom and I spent our time wandering around the fair, just talking and getting to know one another better. She is a truly fantastic lady, and I really enjoy her company. She misses her son every day. I look forward to spending more time with his family thru out the years.

30 Days of MeMe DAY 5

I'm a little late, but I worked at the Great Minnesota Get Together all day!
Day 05 - your favorite quote

I have a few!

"The Best is Yet to Come"  I live every day reminding myself of this...It relates in so many ways, and am just amazed how every day this surprises me just a little bit more.

"Honesty is the sexiest thing a man can give a woman" Grace from W&G


"You want a knuckle sandwich?" - my daddy

"I'll knock your head up between your ass and make a pygmy out of you" my daddy

"You know what a paradox is? It's two doctors, how about a parallel? It's two lell's. Do you know what a paradox is?  That's two doctors"  from none other than my daddy

What Would You Be?

If I were a month, I would be April.


If I were a day of the week, I would be Friday.


If I were a time of day, I would be Evening.

If I were the weather, I would be Sunny and in the 80's.


If I were a direction, I would be South.


If I were a scent, I would Captivate.


If I were a tree, I would be a Cherry Blossom.

If I were a flower, I would be a Stargazer Lily.


If I were an animal, I would be a Minx.

If I were a fine bone china, I would be used daily.


If I were a car, I would be Classy & Reliable.


If I were a painting, I would be in the center of your favorite room.


If I were a drink, I would be a Caribou Cold Press with a half shot of White Chocolate.


If I were a fruit, I would be a Pineapple.


If I were a dessert, I would be Wedding Cake.

If I were a perfume, I would be Versace Crystal Noir.
If I were a gemstone, I would be a Diamond.


If I were a castle, I would have a Tower.


If I were a musical instrument, I would be a Piano.

If I were a sound, I would be a thunder clap!  Surprising!


If I were a song, I would be Taking Chances by Celine Dion.


If I were a colour, I would be Pink.


If I were an emotion, I would be Love.


If I were a taste, I would be a Pretzel M&M.

If I were a museum, I would be the Smithsonian.


If I were a country, I would have a meditteranian flair.


If I could be anyone, I would be a DJ on an old school funk, r&b station.





What would you be?

Five Question Friday!

1. How many pets do you have?

3 little Monkeys.  Really, There's the Man of the House, Scotch. I love this boy and couldn't be happier to have him back with me. He's a white Dobie. I heart my Scotchy boy.  Timid, yet has the bark of the scariest dog ever.  Tiki the bird. We're not sure what it is. Tiki is most often referred to as the bird who needs to hush up. He's a Sun Conure and very pretty. (a boy = pretty)  And the there's Peanut. What a good kitty. Peanut belongs to Sarah Pants. She tells her mom when it's time for bed. And Tiki tells us ALL at The SHF when it's time to get out of bed. 

2. If you could switch places with anyone in the world for one day, who would it be?
Are you kidding me? I love my life!  Okay, fine. Gwen Stefani!

3. What is your favorite money saving tip?
Grocery Game Stockpile.  I dislike shopping with out coupons. Another is, find a local Farmers Market!!!

4. What do you want your kids to be when they grow up?
The BEST they can be and happy of course!

5. What is your favorite quote?
"The Best is Yet to Come"
"Honesty is the sexiest thing a man can give a Woman"  - Grace on W&G
"Do you know what a paradox is?"  It's 2 doctors - my Daddy

30 Days of MeMe Day 4

My Favorite Book:

"I cannot go to school today"


Said little Peggy Ann McKay.

"I have the measles and the mumps,

A gash, a rash and purple bumps.



My mouth is wet, my throat is dry.

I'm going blind in my right eye.

My tonsils are as big as rocks,

I've counted sixteen chicken pox.



And there's one more - that's seventeen,

And don't you think my face looks green?

My leg is cut, my eyes are blue,

It might be the instamatic flu.



I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,

I'm sure that my left leg is broke.

My hip hurts when I move my chin,

My belly button's caving in.



My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,

My 'pendix pains each time it rains.

My toes are cold, my toes are numb,



I have a sliver in my thumb.



My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,

I hardly whisper when I speak.

My tongue is filling up my mouth,



I think my hair is falling out.



My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,

My temperature is one-o-eight.

My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,



There's a hole inside my ear.



I have a hangnail, and my heart is ...

What? What's that? What's that you say?

You say today is .............. Saturday?



G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

MILS Friday Fill In #10

Another of my favorite things to do - post MILS Friday Fill Ins!  From Wifey at Wife of a Sailor
*Don't forget to link up over at Wife of a Sailor *

1.What secret indulgence do you act on while your spouse is away? (from Devil Dog Darling)
I sleep in the middle of the bed of course with Mr Snuggles!  And there are A LOT of girls nights with movies and giggling.


2.If you were a spice, what would you be? (from New Girl On Post)
Cinammon, spicy with a kick!  Also, cinammon gives a very warm and at home feeling and it's sweet. I like to think I am very welcoming, loving and full of a little kick!

3.Where do you go for support when your significant other is deployed? (from Texas Meets Washington)
This is a very important question for me...I am surrounded by friends and family. Being Chief and I live so far apart I am very thankful for the support system I have here in the Mini-Apple.  I am very thankful. When Chief and I make a decision to move with his next set of orders there will be A LOT of skyping. But I have to say, he will be on shore duty for a few years, so I will be thankful for that too.

4.What is the oldest thing you own? (from A Troop’s Girl)
My "Wooby"  Yes I still have my blanky from being a kid. It has been covered and recovered.  It was Raggedy Ann & Andy when I started. It goes with me when I travel. I sleep with it, still. I snuggle with it on the couch. When Chiefs around it doesn't stay out... Maybe another secret indulgence!

5.How did you vision your future pre-military? (from Daddy’s Duty)
Hmm, wow. When asked by a girlfriend if I was going to make a go of it with him long before there was ever conversation, I said no. She said, he's such a great catch.  Realistically, I knew that, and I still know he is.  I thought we would just stay friends. I had just bought a house, none the less a fixer upper, and thought my house, my daughter and my business were really it for me and I was okay with that!  I am so friggin happy about the relationship we have. While I know that right now isn't ideal for either of us with living so far, and now with deployment, but it's not worth it if it's easy either. He's a dream come true really!

Thursday 5

From Mrs. Jambizzle the amazing jewelry gal!
It's time for Thursday Five again lovely readers! It's my favorite way to reflect upon my week and make sure I find the things in life I have to be grateful for. All you need to do is think about the last week, and list five things that have made you feel the following emotions....



1: I am "happy" that my city inspection went fantastic and the inspector rocked!

2: The girls at The SHF make me "giggly" with all of our nonsense

3. I am "excited" the house is coming together so well. And even tho I don't care for the new curtains hogging up my windows, they really do look great!

4. I feel "loved" knowing that my opinion matters in the big scheme of things.

5. I am "thankful" for the amazing people in my life during this time of deployment.

The SHF

So this week has been a week at that. I have been working on my home that I bought late last fall, and there's been a lot to do.  The most recent project from the outside, Phase 2 as I refer to it.  It required me power washing the front steps and all of the brick "planters aka weed growers" and walls that were put up. I chipped paint off and repainted. Did I mention they look SUPER FAB now?  Yes, I am very happy with the completion of them. I finally after 9 months have living room curtains, thanks to Rach for having curtains she was no longer needing and them matching perfectly. After fighting with the lack of using a measuring tape to figure out what size I really needed and 3 trips to The Home Depot for a correct sized curtain rod that had all of the necessary parts.  What store takes a return from a customer and puts it back on the shelf not knowing if all the parts are there? DUH! My living room now feels like that, a living-able room. I have to say, I was almost enjoying not having curtains! 

I suppose I should explain a few things before you continue reading. As I wrote above, I just bought a house, and have some really AMAZING people in my immediate life that I will miss DEARLY when Chief tells me where we're headed. 
1. Sarah mommy "Pants" a friend I have had since I was pregnant with my Minny. She moved in with me in May. 
2. Krista "Sprinkler Girl Ninja" We've been friends since the word go too, and she's finally back from husband number 3 and hell, aka Kentucky-Ana. (on the border of Indiana) who has also moved in. 
3. John aka "Minty" (don't eat the mints in the urinal) who helps as the Man of the House getting stuff done and amusing us ladies and letting us ramble to him amusing stories as well. He does NOT live with us.
4. Minny, is my 8 3/4 year old daughter who is our Rapunzel as her Princess Palace is her bedroom upstairs, BUT SHE"S COMING WITH! 
SIDEBAR : 4.1 There are many more people I am sure I will write about, like my BFF, Mai-vin. Her hubs and family are 4 that I already miss.
5. We have coined our household as The SHF. Please read...
Words/phrases of the week brought to you by The SHF (The Sorority House on France):
"Crotch Broom" another word for mustache. I don't know how many of you have men with these said things on their faces. But I know Chief has told/shown me that the guys on the sub have these, and will keep them for the entire deployment.  He wrote me a couple weeks ago and said there were a bunch of them that shaved their heads. Chief is the one growing a beard every time they are underway, until they port of course. Now I don't know about you ladies, but I know seeing my man bald with a beard is just...unthinkable. 
"I'm going to fart in your *ss" brought to you by Pants.  We watched The Back Up Plan with Jennifer Lopez. It is a must see if you haven't already. We giggled so many times and so loudly that if we had been in the theatre, we would have been asked to leave.  tee hee!  At the end of the movie as they're rolling through credits one of the ladies from the "single moms group" was making goat noises. I am not sure what possessed Pants to say this, but what she REALLY meant to say was "I'm going to fart in your face"  This phrase will be a much laughable quote for years to come.
You have to remember that as The SHF, there isn't much we don't do, say or express in front of one another.
"The Home Depot"  There was an arguement in my office yesterday about how I was talking about "going to The Home Depot" 3 times within 3 days. I was laughed at and told even by my boss, it's not The Home Depot. It's Home Depot. Well, daheck it's not!  This went on for over an hour. I finally pulled up YouTube and looked for a commercial. AHAHAHA  The Home Depot Commercial I forgot about this commercial. Priceless is all I can say. What would YOU do?  Needless to say I won the arguement when Minty and I met there and you look up and the sign SAYS???  Can you guess?

30 Days Day 3

My Favorite TV Program

Wow, I have to admit I don't watch nearly the TV I used to, I always forget when my shows are on and am usually doing something else. Does anyone watch tv in the summer?!  I have been watching movies. And quite honestly the TV goes on to the music channel, no videos, just music! 

Hands down, one that I could watch over and over and over, Will & Grace. My BFF and I joked about if Chief takes a job in Japan, we'll have to Skype and watch it together.  Which also means we'll have to buy all the seasons of it so we can watch it together since right now we live two miles apart and can watch the same channel.

30 Days Day 2

My Favorite Movie:  Pretty Woman

I hate having to pick just one...Chief and I just exchanged our Top 10 movie lists. We'll be working on watching each others during this deployment.  You have to remember, we don't live together as we're in completely different time zones without the deployment.

His goes something like this:
- Godfather

- Shawshank Redemption
- Inception
- The Fifth Element
- Lord of the Rings (all 3)
- Gladiator
- When Harry Met Sally
- Casablanca
- Love Actually
- Saving Private Ryan

Mine goes like this:
Pretty Woman

Little Mermaid
The Hangover
Braveheart
White Christmas
Gremlins
(are you waiting for something with substance?)
Waiting
Transporter (all 3)
When Harry Met Sally
Death Race
7 pounds
Step Up (all 3) OR Stomp the Yard (DID YOU SEE #2 was coming???)
PS I Love You

Hmmm, mine's longer than 10 now that I am looking at it. Tee hee!  I think it's great that Chief is such a romantic. I would have never guessed Casablanca to be NEAR his list. I can't believe I've never seen it!

30 Days of MeMe DAY 1

Here goes nothing! I found this, and am totally looking forward to participating! 

Day 01 - your favorite song

Wow! For Chief and I, I'm Yours by Jason Mraz. After attending the luau in April, we were headed back on the tour bus, and the guide starts playing his eukalale (how the heck do you spell that word?!) The most obnoxious lady on the bus decides she needs to sing along, in her soprano / falsetto voice. Oh heavens. It made for a great romantic moment until she started.
For my Minny, Hollaback Girl by Gwen. When she was little she used to sing "the sheep say bananas" AHAHAHAHAH

Whirlwind

Over the next few months you may find me vent, rant, ramble and talk aloud on here on Chief's options. (well I hear me talking aloud!) 
He's out to sea, well seems like forever. They have made it to port twice and he has had 3 job offers.
 I am so friggin proud of him. He is up for his "review" soon and will talk to the BIG D soon. BIG D being the Detailer.  Now while a lot of you are already with your significant others, wherever you are stationed, I am in Minnesota and he is stationed in Hawaii. And no I don't talk like Fargo. ;) 
The new jobs would be Guam or Japan. WOW. Nothing like getting an email asking what I think and having every possible emotion run through me at that very moment. Have you experienced this? 
First and foremost, I will support Chief with whatever decision it is that he makes when he talks to the Big D.  I know that the experiences in another country would be AHHHHHH-mazing for many things, to include travel, history, culture, food, etc.
Second I have never lived anywhere but MN. Chief and I are both from here, but he has been in the Navy 13 years now, and lived in 5 different states. So initially, leaving everything my Minny and I know, scares the bananas out of me.  This is where our support system, family and lives have been.  As long as we can all be together I know this will be great. If he chooses Japan it would mean shore duty followed by yet his last 3 years before retirement - ON SHORE DUTY.
 We all know with our men gone on deployment how fabulous this would be!!!!!!!!!!

Again as I said, I will support Chief NO MATTER WHAT decision he makes. And I know when the three of us are finally together again, nothing will seem to matter - even the location.

So I must ask YOU:
1. Where are you stationed with your significant others?
2. Is anyone in either of the above mentioned places?
3. If you moved far, what was the easiest and the hardest thing about it?

Thanks for just letting me get this out.

MILS Friday Fill In

1. If you could be a fugitive from the law for whatever reason, what would your crime be? (from It’s a Hooah Life)
Oooh!  Pierce Brosnan in Thomas Crown Affair, that's who I'd be.



2.How long do you think you will be a military family? (from Julie the Army Wife)
2,619 more days unless there is an amazing offer! 


3.What’s your favorite recipe? (from Keep Calm and Soldier On)
Mom's hotdish, yes I am Minnesotan!  :)
Get your dutch oven out ladies...
No heat yet.
1 pound bacon, lined across the bottom
1 pound hamburger spread over bacon
6-8 average potatoes cut up however you like to eat them
1 small bag of baby carrots (1 pound I think)
1 onion
Pepper and Salt as desired
Layered just like that, onions on top :)
Cook on stove top at medium for 1 hour, DO NOT STIR.
Serve with homemade biscuits. Yum!

Enjoy ladies!



4.What would you want your last five words to be when you leave this life? (from My Goal is Simple)
Where are my pink stilletos?


5.Where do you hope to retire? (from Pennies from Heaven)
From the Navy?  Back to Minnesota.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the seasons.  In all honesty, I think it would be nice to be able to travel whenever and still call MN home.

Thursday 5

My FIVE for the week! 

One:  I am "happy" to have found a great group of ladies experiencing the same things.
Two: Looking forward to the "glee" of Sunday service this week!
Three: The SHF (Sorority House on France) is full of "exuberance" with the garage sale that started this morning
Four: I am so very "proud" of Chief being offered the Group 7 electrician job while in port this week.
Five: I am "giddy" knowing that my jewelry hostess tonight has $300 in pre-orders.

Have a great day!

124 Days left

I was super excited to see Chief had made it up, and into port a couple evenings ago, I couldn't stand it. We learned quickly that his internet is the only thing that worked from his phone, so Facebook is the only way we could get in touch with one another. I miss his voice. It's been...2 months tomorrow since he went out to sea. I couldn't sleep early this morning, waking up to an email saying they would be headed back out soon and unable to communicate for a whole month. Ugh. A whole month?  I barely made it a week and a half. All I can do is remind myself that after that time we will be that much closer to seeing one another again.
I was very excited to learn that he was offered yet another postition. Each time they have ported he's been offered a new job. I am very proud of him, and pleased he is doing well.

Bear with me, the next month might be a lot of up and down!  I will try and focus my attention on my jewelry business along with my blog and getting the house ready for winter. School will be starting soon, so my Minny and I will be busy with that too. 

What do you do when you know you won't be able to communicate with your SO?

Getting to Know you Sunday

Getting to Know you Sunday from www.southerndomesticgoddess.blogspot.com/

1. What kind of athlete has the hottest body? Hockey players.


2. Are you a planner or a procrastinator? Depends on the situation I suppose.  I plan, and then sometimes I wait to the last minute to do it!


3. Diet or regular (soda)? DIET!  Diet Dew and Diet Dr Pepper are my favs.


4. What's your one "must have" for Fall? More Jewelry!  Easy to update the wardrobe with. Did you know you wear 20% of your wardrobe 80% of the time?


5. What's your favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy's.  Mmmm, the fries are my favorite.


6. What do you think is the sexiest profession for a guy? Who doesn't love a man in uniform!


7. Did you wear braces? Nope, always wanted to have braces and glasses. I wish I would have thought glasses were as cool as I do now that I really need them!


8. Would you rather have a guy that's super sexy or kind? Kind. It makes them sexy. :)

Hooray!

I love when I get the message that says - we made it, I am on land!  Chief is now in port in the Far East. I am just ecstatic that even though there is a 14 hour time difference, I know he is in port, safe and I will hear more from him soon. That is the most terrific feeling!

You have Mail!

I finally upgraded my phone the end of April from a dinosaur, which I was more than happy with, to the cool phone that I can do everything on except bathe and cook and raise my daughter. Really, it was peer pressure. Did I mention today is Blame it on Someone Else Day?  Hah!  I can access my jeweler email with the touch of a button on the go. I am with my friends after work today and was asked, have you heard from Chief?  Sadly, no, it's been a week and a half and I haven't. I said to Annie, "When you check your email and you have new email, you go, ooooh I hope it's an email from Chief!"  At least, that's what I say.  Later after a great dinner on the patio, I grabbed my phone, can you believe it, I HAVE EMAIL!  And it's from Chief!  I instantly pull myself out of the conversation to read what he has said. I have asked my movie buff beau for a list of his top movies to see, something for the girls and I to do while I am on my countdown. I am so excited to hear from him I just get goosebumps. I can hear him telling me every last detail, and when I reach the end, there's still one more to read! 
I email him a few times a week and write in a journal I am keeping for him when he gets home. Funny thing, home to me is Minnesota. Last I checked...Yep, nowhere near a port. Home to visit after his deployment. 
I read the next email, and just am so happy. Even if it's once a week I get an email. I struggle with this, and have to remind myself, he's working and will write when he can. I get excited every morning to check my email to see if there's a message, or my phone to see if they've made it into port. My favorite is the sly "poke" on facebook. That's usually what reaches me first and with the time change he hates to wake me.
He has had several week long excursions prior to this, but this deployment is something bigger to me. To grasp the concept of the military email system, which I am so very thankful for on a sub, is difficult. People are so used to the instant gratification of email and communication, that this has really taught me how to be patient & understanding.
I LOVE getting email from him. It really feels like a gift!

Thursday 5

Adorable!  Love this idea, thanks Mrs. Jambizzle!

One "Ecstatic": I have found so many great blogs to keep up with!
Two "Gay": It's the weekend, and I get to see a lot of favs
Three "Giddy": How I feel when I get an email
Four "Happy": To be working towards my goal as a business owner
Five "Content": Seeing my daughter smile and crack a joke

I will keep doing these, and would love to do more stuff like this!  Anyone have any other great blogs to check out?

MILS Friday Fill In

1.What is ONE thing you’d like civilians to understand about being a military family?
I am learning now! I don't know where we will go, but I am up for the challenge, so to speak.
MILS = Can you share with me 1 thing coming in that's most important?


2.What is your favorite mistake?
Flying to him for a weekend away, I wouldn't change it.
Never have Regrets.

3.What indulgence could you give up for a year?
Whew!  Not Facebook as it's also a business tool.  I could give up eating out. I love to cook and bake, so why not bring it out full force.
4.If you could be a winged animal, what would you be?
A Flamingo!  I love their colors and think they are so unique.

5.What is one question you’d like to see asked in a future MFF?
...I may have to ask later, can I get a rain check?  There's so much I want to learn.

The Beginning...

Everyone has a story, you do, she does, that person you smiled to at the grocery store today.
I am a daughter, sister, granddaughter, mother, girlfriend, aunt, BFF, worker bee and Business Owner.  I have some of the most amazing people in my life and wouldn't change it. I have an 8-3/4 year old daughter, who is sure to remind me that she's NOT just 8.  (I love how they want to grow and be older, don't you wish you could relive that time of your life again?) I am a new and proud homeowner, they forget to send instructions after you sign paperwork, WOW!
My Navy story is just beginning...  Chief and I were in band together back in High School, oh forever ago. Where do you think we reconnected?  YES!  Facebook. He had posted something about coming back to the midwest for the New Year, and to get in touch if interested in grabbing a beer. I had been couped up working on my house and needed a night out.  A night out sounded great.  So we exchanged numbers and agreed to meet up a couple days later.  I brought my girlfriends Sarah Squared (because yes, there were 2 of them!) along to the local dive up the street that I had previously hosted karaoke at for just over a decade. (Wow, does that word make me feel like I need wrinkle cream!)  There were other people out that sat with us throughout the night.  We all had great conversation, shared in shots together and well, had a great time. Chief and I were able to catch up on the past 14 years (13 of which he's been in the Navy), and enjoy the company of others.  I just am not sure why we waited until the night before he flew out to get together?  We stayed in touch here and there, as he is out to sea quite a bit. An email here, a text there.
Then I got a message one day, "please call me later, I need to talk to you"  Well how would any warm blooded human react?  I was caught off guard, worried he might not be ok. So I sent a text message, are you ok?  Yes he was just fine, but to please call when I had time. Being 5 hours ahead depending on Daylight Savings, I have to be very careful about calling. I call, we chat, he asks if I would come to visit in April. Of course, I would love to. In the back of my head thinking...holy crap, what am I saying? We talk about the particulars - schedules, flights, availability, my daughter, pets and home. Then he says, well, I want you here for THIS specific day. Oh. My Birthday?  Ummm.  Tell me what woman wouldn't love that.  Did I mention I would get to wear a gown and be on a wonderful mans arm?  Yes, the Submariner Ball. I have no idea what I am getting into, a. by going halfway across the world, b. being this mans date. I have been told by my girlfriend - he's a great catch, yep you're right he sure is, but...he's halfway across the world and I don't even know that he's interested!
I fly out, am nervous, excited, feeling like I am never going to make it there. When I arrive, he is waiting for me right out of the gate. That smile. Those eyes. I get the biggest hug ever. We check into the hotel and both freshened up since he'd been in class most of the day, and I on a flight. We ate at this tasty Japanese place, I had Sushi. Yum! I was hooked. We had a couple of drinks before calling it a night.
I woke up the next morning with him before he went to his final day of class and we said our goodbyes. What in the world am I going to do here? I made coffee and got ready for the day. Who wouldn't want to wake up with a great man, halfway across the world, to the sound of waves crashing against the shore on their birthday. I shopped for awhile and found myself a great place at the hotel to have a drink. Mmmm, MaiTai's, right off of the beach.  I can't wait for Chief to be done with his class, so we can share conversation and a drink before getting ready for the evenings festivities. The Ball was interesting, fun, and really I couldn't hear anything going on around me when we talked. He had promised to do the Thriller Dance at the Ball, so of course, it's my birthday and I am sure enough asking!  HE DID IT!  I loved it. Totally was the highlight of the evening. Well, besides getting my picture with the girl who had a Submarine piece IN her hair. After we left, we hit a couple of establishments, and headed back. The rest of the weekend we spent roaming the island together, taking in show and enjoying our time together.  I don't think either of us we ready to say goodbye.  Really the 1st of our goodbyes.  We promised to stay in touch and see each other after his forever long deployment.
I made it home after having such a great time, still on island time for weeks to come. We stayed in contact, as much as we could with his crazy schedule in from and out to sea and our difference in time. At one point there was an exchange about relationships and within a week we had made the decision that even though the next 7-8 months would be difficult, not to mention the obvious space between us, we were willing to make a go of it.  We've emailed, I've learned patience in regards to emailing. It's difficult to explain to friends and I love the friends that have helped make this easier. From the funny stories they share, the xcel spreadsheet of 180+ things to do during my daily countdown, to simply the company. 
And while I love nothing more than sending a note via email or snail just to brighten his day, I love to send packages and fun things for him.  I have never met someone like him, he's incredible in every way to me. His family here is phenomenal and I have gotten to know them and participated, even in his absense. It's comforting that while he's underway and even when he's not, I can get to know them and learn where he came from. 
I am looking to meet more MILS' and SO's as I write and read, and learn your stories.  I fell upon Wife of a Sailor and her blog and felt so ... at home. I am going to start participating in the Friday Fill in, and while there may be things I don't have the know on, I'll be honest and you'll know!