Thank YOU!

I checked my blog this afternoon for the first time in a couple of days (I love how busy and back to normal life is lately- between visits to see Andrew, working, job searching, planning a wedding and getting ready for a move, blogging seems to be the thing being left behind) and was absolutely astonished when I saw that it had over 15,000 hits.

MY blog! My little itty bitty corner of the internet.  (What's even more amazing is that the several dozen email subscribers never even opened the URL, just got updates right in their inbox. Imagine the numbers I would have without that feature!) That's pretty impressive, if I do say so myself, for a blog that has only been public for just over a year.

It's pretty darn cool to think that what started as a way to journal my thoughts and our journey while Andrew was in Ranger School (because honestly, it's a million times faster for me to type than it is to write with a pen) became what it has. I needed this venting mechanism over the past year. I needed a place to (try to) be positive even when things weren't looking so great; when I felt scared or lonely, or just sad. And when those times hit, sometimes it felt really good to put on my happy bloggy face and pretend like everything was peachy-keen for that moment in time.

So thank you, whoever you are, and wherever you may be, for letting me share our story. The feedback I have received from friends and family, along with complete strangers has been truly a gift, and has given me such strength.

Leap!!!

Well it only comes around once every four years, so I always think February 29th is a great time for reflections. Four years ago I was living in beautiful Florence, Italy and Andrew was on a transatlantic flight to come visit me and explore my new home.

I can honestly say that four years ago I had no earthly idea that I would be living in Hershey Pennsylvania today. Or that we would have just finished a full year away from one another- that's "deployment" and "platoon" stuff Andrew was always talking about. We also had no idea what branch he would be in, or where we would be stationed (although, one time, very early on, Andrew asked me "so how do you feel about Kentucky, babe?"-- funny how things unfold).

So here we are, with a lot of the same questions about Leap Day 2016. Where will the army send us? What friends will we meet there? What will be going on in the world?

I don't know about you, but I'm excited for the ride and the adventures ahead of us!

A Different Take on Olde Glory

Last month, before Andrew came home to Pennsylvania for his first block leave, I wanted to do something different but fun for when he got back. Shannon saw a fun wreath handmade by one of her cousins online, so she and I and Mom Dolan decided to take a stab at it.

We started with what seemed like hundreds of 3 x 3 inch felt squares in red, white and blue.

Then we marked off our foam ring to make sure we didn't get too carried away with a certain color

This part took a little trial and error. First we tried putting pins in the middle of the squares, but then they didnt stay up.

So we folded them into triangles and pinned them from the side

It worked like a charm!

In just over an hour, we had our wreath!



Shannon added stars, and then it was ready to hang on the front door, just in time to welcome our favorite soldier home, sweet home!

Love, Valentines, and Learning to Share Again

Considering the fact that on valentines day last year we were approximately 8,000 miles apart and not even 30 days into our first deployment, celebrating Valentines 2012 a few days early made me one of the happiest girls in the world. As military families will tell you, we don't ever miss holidays, we just don't always celebrate them when the calendar tells us to. So for Valentines Day this year, we had a fabulous dinner, I was showered with lots of thoughtful gifts, and I got to spend time with my man. Not much can top that.

However, I made a mistake long ago. Once upon a time, before I understood what "army life" really meant, I told Andrew that flowers were a waste of money. (I know ladies, what was I thinking?) So guess what, every birthday and holiday I drop hints for how pretty flowers are (because I do love flowers, I just don't think they are necessary all the time, especially when you see each other day in and day out... But for special occasions, holidays, birthday, feeling sick days, I think they are a beautiful way to show somebody you care) and every year Andrew reminds me that "you always agreed they are a waste of money". He doesn't even allow me to argue that he is taking this completely out of context before the conversation is over.

So imagine my delight and surprise when real-valentines day rolled around, and these beauties were waiting for me on the kitchen table!

I am one lucky, and very in love girl!

My first reaction was to call my favorite boy and thank him for completely warming my heart and making my Valentines Day special. The second thing I wanted to do was take pictures!

Problem.

Our nice camera is in Kentucky.

It was my camera for a whole year. But now Andrew is home and I spend a lot of time with him below the Mason-Dixon line with him, so it just made sense to have it there.

But in that moment, I wanted it here. I wanted it to be my camera again, and not have to share.

It took about .25 seconds for me to snap out of it (and take another look at my beautiful roses) before I realized how silly I was being. A year ago I would have given anything to call up Andrew just to say hi and thanks, all while knowing I would be seeing him in two weeks.

Six weeks into post-deployment life and real-life is back! It's so nice to not have every thought revolve around the deployment, or the fact that Andrew is home (and feeling stressed if I wasn't spending every.single.second. with him). It's so hard to explain, but I spend so long, praying for my life to be "normal" again, and now, seemingly in the blink of an eye, it is- and I couldn't be more thankful.

So yes, there are changes going on, and new situations to get used to. But they are wonderful changes, and I am grateful for them. We are at a healthy point in the reintegration process, finally back into the swing of our lives-- both separately and together-- and pretty much loving every moment of it. As I wrap up my final project with my job here in Pennsylvania, I'm really looking forward to the job search process and the promise of new challenges and adventures once I move to Kentucky in a few months.

Reunited and it Feels so Good

As our first Post-Deployment Block Leave comes to an end, I wanted to take a look at a list I made early in the deployment regarding all the things we were missing and wanted to do when Andrew returned home. My original list is below in black, and my 2012 updates are in red next to them. Without trying to (infact, I had almost forgotten that I made this list), we nearly accomplished everything on this list.

1. Get every single hug and kiss in that we can- currently enjoying this
2. Go to Dinner and a movie- done and done
3. Text and call whenever we want to without being charged an arm and a leg- loving this
4. Have SUSHI and experiment with all new kinds of fish- Three sushi dates under our belts in the first month- great success
5. Catch up on How I Met Your Mother and Entourage
6. Fall in love with new shows together- ummmm... every heard of The League? and Jimmy Fallon. Actually this is fun because we are introducing each other to new shows!
7. Go to McDonalds and get 50% off when he wears his uniform- In all honestly, I just can't see us doing this
8. Have a lazy day watching movies in our PJs- if lazy = slightly hungover :)
9. Wake up to the smell of his home-made Chocolate Chip Pancakes- I'll never get enough of this
10. Have a wedding food-tasting day to decide what will be served at the wedding! - TOMORROW!
11. LOTS of Country Concerts!
12. Take a picture of Andrew with his cardboard cut out clone- We actually did this over leave, and it was creepy, but awesome
13. Trips to Boston
14. ... and eating at Fire & Ice- (still planning these two)
15. Watching Andrew catch up on all that missed time with his nieces and nephews- one of my favorite things to do! "Uncle AJ! Watch this!" "No, Uncle AJ, look at me!" Ah they can't get enough of him!
16. Pick out wedding bands (jewelry, not musicians)- soon
17. Long rides in the truck with nowhere in particular to go, just talking and singing along to country music- still remains one of my favorite passtimes
18. Motorcycle rides on winding back country roads in the springtime- springtime, dead of winter... same thing, right?
19. Getting the motorcycle out of the apartment.... - GIANT check mark in that box!
20. Celebrate every 2012 holiday together- not sure I remembered that Andrew is in the ARMY when I wrote this...
21. Finally become a family on August 4, 2012- love
22. Road trips to explore new cities
23. Maybe go to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl- I thank the Good Lord that we did not do this. I don't think my heart could have survived such dispair.
24. Dinners at Chili's started off with Kickin' Jack Nachos- "Chachi's"
25. Red Sox games