Fireproof

**Be sure and pause the music in the toolbar before watching the trailer!

Justin and I bought the book The Love Dare a while ago, not really knowing what it was all about. Mainly we just wanted something to read together, to help us grow as a couple. We soon figured out that it's not exactly something that is meant to be read together but it still had a lot of really good material. After a couple of failed attempts to see the movie Fireproof--one of which included getting stuck on a bridge for over an hour due to debris in the tunnel and missing the movie when we finally had a babysitter, I decided to just pre-order the dvd. I guess it was in November or early December sometime. Well, it finally came out this Tuesday and I went straight to Lifeway to pick up our copy. I was so excited to watch it last night, but then by the time Justin got home from the ship it was too late. Oh and to top it all off, my friend Felicia texted me last night during our dinner to tell me that we should see it and went on to explain how awesome it was. Nice way to rub it in :) Just kidding, she had no idea. Tonight, Alana went to bed super early (due to sleepy tantrums) and Justin and I finally got to see this movie we've been anticipating for so long. Before it started, I said "This BETTER be a good movie after all this"...and let me tell you, it was! I would strongly recommend it to anyone who is married, but even to people who aren't. It is such a great story of learning to love, the way Christ loves us. I literally sat and watched until the last credit was finished rolling...with a smile on my face! Justin said that EVERYONE should see this movie. I'm so thankful that people like Kirk Cameron (he's 38, by the way, we wikipedia-ed it lol) are willing to step out on limb and make movies like this one...

Peace, Love and I Dare ya to watch it...

My Whole Life is a Fog

I am posting this with the hopes that Justin actually comes home today...because if not he will see this before he gets home and the whole "surprise" will be ruined :) (His internet only works after 6 p.m. or so) But whatever, I'm posting it because I am being confident that the ship will return today. Once again, the day he is supposed to be home it is nothing but fog outside. Angie and I said our whole lives are a fog these days. We were only partially joking. If you've never been in a situation where your husband is here and then not for long periods of time, it's hard to understand...but we have to prepare in so many ways when they leave, but especially when they come home! A lot of the preparation involves cleaning and almost nesting...and a lot of it is also mental. So it's difficult to get your brain into the correct mode when there's so much uncertainty in the arrival...HOWEVER...we are hoping that the tides will bring them in :) I learned something new today...(thank you, Angie). Justin emailed and told me that they were gonna try to catch the tide later, and I was clueless as to what that meant. Apparently they can't come in if the tide is low because the ship could actually hit the tunnel. SCARY, right? I think I might never drive through it again...Oh wait, I have to!

Alana insisted we decorate for Daddy's arrival!

We tend to get a little goofy right before he gets home :)

Alana is making him a card...

And of course, we need fresh baked cookies...
Mmm...Peanut butter cups :)

Please baby, come home today...Because we miss you, but also because I can't afford to eat all of these cookies by myself. And if you don't come home, I might have to :)

Peace, Love and Praying for High Tides

Happy Birthday, Liam!

Happy Birthday, Liam! Wish I could be there, buddy :)
Aunt Allison LOVES you!!! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Alana's First Trip to the Dentist

This morning, Alana had her very first dentist appointment...well, the very first one that she actually went to :) Some of you know what I'm talking about, and for those of you who don't we will keep it that way haha. Other than the fact that it was time for her to go for her first cleaning, I wanted to talk to the dentist about her teeth-grinding. It is UNREAL how loud she grinds her teeth at night. I have had to wake her up to get her to stop...and trust me, if I wake her up for anything you know it must be bad :) I was concerned (as was Grammy) that her teeth were going to be worn down, even broken. I was most worried about it affecting her permanent teeth somehow.

So we went to my dentist...They are very nice, and I knew she'd be in good hands. She got to pick her flavor of toothpaste--she picked raspberry! Then the nice lady let her touch the brush and see how it would work and everything...She really took her time with her, explaining all that she was doing and why. Then she cleaned her teeth! The worst part for Alana was the light shining in her eyes haha. They counted her teeth--she had all 20 :) And they checked for cavities--none there! They also said her teeth are perfectly spaced. The dentist praised her for brushing her teeth so well (she brushes them herself, so I was proud too!) Then she got to pick out 2 prizes, 4 stickers and a new toothbrush!

As for the grinding, the dentist and the hygienist both assured me that it is normal (as awful as it may sound)...And they said it has something to do with the way baby teeth come in, and usually is outgrown with permanent teeth back there. I really hope so! They told me that her teeth don't show any signs of being worn down, but even if they were worn down to nothing she would be fine. So I can take a sigh of relief...and just have to sleep with ear plugs or something if she's next to me :)

After the dentist, I took her to Chick Fil-A for breakfast and to play on the playground...I told her that I was going back to the dentist on Friday to get my teeth cleaned. She immediately asked me what flavor of toothpaste I was gonna pick. I told her that I didn't get to pick because only special little girls like her did. So she told me she will go with me so she can pick for me then :) So sweet...and so clever! Oh, and next time she's totally picking orange!

Peace, Love and clean mouths

Nashville with Sweetikins.

We're baaaaaaack. Today I am trying to recover from the hysterical sobs that poured out of Alana's little body last night. We left Grammy's...what more can I say? It gets harder every time we leave. I love to go, but I hate leaving! While we were there, it was snowing and then warm, and then freezing again, but the time we spent there was full of all sorts of fun. It was lovely as always to be there with my family. My mom had to work some of the week in Philly, and we hung out at home with Grandma. Here's a few of the pics from the week...

Taking a picture for Justin :)

Ok, so this is Alana in her baby swing.
She sat in it more this trip than she did when she was an infant...She's a trip!

Grammy bought Alana this Horton Hears a Who game and it was SO fun! You had to pick up the clovers with your trunk and get back to the board before time ran out...Best $5 clearance buy ever! :) And sorry there are no pictures of me or my mom wearing the Horton hat!

Alana and I went to lunch with the Schnecks Thursday and then to the mall with Uncle Jonny and Liam. Those kids move too fast for my camera, so this is what you get :) It was fun...While we were sitting there, I thought to myself this is what life is now! I love me some Liam, too...
Friday night, we went to Pei Wei which happens to top my list of favorite restaurants. Alana is showing off her chopstick-ing skills. She was even eating the edamame two at a time!
Saturday we had lunch with Jon and Lindsay and Liam and then went to hang with them for a while. We won't be there for Liam's birthday tomorrow, so we took his gifts but he zonked out before getting to open them...On the way out of the neighborhood, we stopped at this fire hydrant. This is at the end of the street where my mom used to live. We took many-a-picture of Alana next to this fire hydrant to show how much she'd grown :) Let's just say the last time she was shorter than it...How time flies!
I am home now...Back to Port Norfolk. I haven't heard from Justin for 3 days now. It seems like a lifetime, though. It's bad enough when he's gone for so long, but when they take away our communication...let's just say I am hating on the Navy right now. I think he will be home in a couple days. I am ready to see my husband, and I am also ready to start planning my next trip to Nashville.

Peace, Love and Family Fun

My Friday Night Date :)

I'm sorry I don't have any pictures to guide me along as I tell you about my "date" with Angie last night. I guess this is what you do when your husband is gone and you need to get out of the house. You plan a date with your favorite friend instead. Angie and I had decided Thursday just what to do. We agreed upon Walmart pizza and a movie. Walmart pizzas are yummy, in case you haven't tried them. Then again, I've met but few pizzas that I didn't like :) I told Angie that I would buy and she could cook. Deal! Yesterday around 4 p.m., Alana and I packed up the ready-to-be-cooked pizza and movie (I'll get to that in a minute) and headed to Angie's. We just kinda hung out for a little while and then Angie decided to put the pizza in the oven. The kids were "cooking" for us in Jalen's Elmo restaurant, and I guess it got the tummies growling. Jump to about 20 minutes later. The oven starts beeping. Is the pizza done already? No! The oven is just on the fritz, no longer heating, and will not stop beeping even when turned off. It's now 5:05 p.m. on Friday. Right...like anyone is going to be able to come fix this. Angie turned the breaker off. It was quiet. Well, the oven was anyway :) The pizza was only halfway done, so I decided to take it (in the 20 degree weather) back to my house to finish cooking it. I laughed at the thought, because I knew once I took it back outside it would be cold in a flash...but hey, at least the cheese would be melted! When I got back to Angie's with the pizza (yes, I admit I felt a little like a delivery girl), we were then greeted by one of the maintenance people for our property. While he is quite possibly the nicest one of the bunch, he seemed to have been getting his weekend fun on a little early...that's about as much as I will say about that, but it gave Angie and I some good laughs for the night. He left and came back, saying that he had a brand new stove to put in Angie's apartment, and asked if it could wait til morning...Then he mumbled something about pipes and left :) We ate, (the pizza was basically cold again by now) and then decided we should try to watch the movie before the kids got too out of hand. What movie did we rent, you ask? Ha! Well considering our first, second, and probably a bunch more choices were out, we settled on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2. We'd both seen the first one, but I realized how much I forgot what happened in the 1st one about 20 seconds into the 2nd haha. I really wish we had like a camera crew to follow us around (not really, but) to show how ridiculous our lives can be at times. Angie had the tv turned up at the loudest it would possibly go, and we still could not hear it over the kids! They wanted Angie to blow bubbles during it, Jalen brought me a movie saying "ga-car, ga-car" (Madagascar)...Alana was tattling on Jalen for not sharing and Jalen was body slamming the dogs. It was a trip. Somehow we managed to finish the entire movie...luckily I don't plan on being quizzed on it anytime soon :) It's always a fun time hanging out with friends...Sometimes it's just a little more exciting than others. And that is not always a good thing! At least last night's drama is bringing Angie a new stove today! (hopefully it is NEW and not just new to her)...I still say I was slighted. The deal was I buy, YOU cook Angie :) JK! I woke up bright and early this morning to check-in for my flight to Nashville in the morning. Alana and I are spending this last week of Justin's trip to sea, at Nashville with Grammy and Gigi (my Grandma). I know it will be a fun time, as always...and on that note, I need to go pack!

Peace, Love and Date nights

Barbie Dog.

A few days ago, we received an unexpected surprise in the mail :) MORE Christmas presents for Alana! She quickly said, "I must've been a GOOD girl this year!" and began ripping into them. These were sent by Amy, Justin's cousin and her parents and then more cousins...gotta love the extended families! It was SO sweet of them to think of her, and I can honestly say they were right on with the presents they picked for her this year! She is SO into Barbie, and most of her Christmas presents consisted of something related to Barbie.

She got the Barbie "My Home" from Daddy and Mommy.
Yes, Ken is sitting on the toilet, what can I say?

Well, Amy and family stayed true to the theme and got her a Barbie PDA (this thing is hilarious, no joke) and then the Barbie dog, Tanner. She got another Barbie dog, but this one is special. Ooooh let me tell you how special it is...Actually, we are going to show you.

Sorry for the poor quality of video, but I was recording it on my regular camera...And yes, Alana is wearing a dress on top of her pajama shirt...what can I say?




Great, right? The food and the poop are one in the same. You put it in the garbage can which is connected to the food box! Thank you Amy for all the laughs :) I typically loathe the Barbie-playing time. I don't even try to fake it...but I'm loving the kicks we get from playing with the dog.

Peace, Love and Scooping Poop...and then Eating it?

Why? Why? Why?

Anyone who has watched tv in the past few months has seen this commercial...for the rest of you, I present...The Snuggie!



Honest to goodness...WHY do you need a blanket with sleeves??? And do these people not look like monks escaped from the monastery or something? Every time it comes on, Alana tells me "Mommy, you can get them in red or blue or even green!" or "You can even wear them outside!" I feel like she has been pulled into the Snuggie cult. I have to laugh. And I apologize to anyone who owns a Snuggie or thinks it's a good idea. What's wrong with a jacket? I just saw it and thought I had to vent somewhere, and what better place than my blog :)

Peace, Love and Infomercials

God Moments

I'm going to do something right now that I hate, which is post something rather vague. I just feel compelled to share something that happened to me today, sparing the details for the most part. I woke up this morning with what seemed to be an internal conflict...While my heart longs to feel that God is in control of all, my head tells me that I need to try and micro-manage every detail for Him. I was truly struggling with one issue in particular, to the point that I could think of nothing else...and then something almost supernatural happened. I got an email from Justin. THAT is not supernatural in itself. What IS was the content of his email. It spoke of the exact battle that I was having within myself...He had no way of knowing what was going on in my head at that moment. We are connected in a way that I have never known with any other person, but still...I literally had to catch my breath. It's not that I don't expect God to show Himself to me. I just wasn't expecting it right then and in that way. I am really trying to relinquish ALL control. I cannot be on the fence, saying that He is in control of my life--while still trying to hold on to what I can. AND...that's all I have to say about that :)

Now it's off to do the obvious spiritual choice and watch American Idol LOL. I had to flip back and forth between The Biggest Loser last night, but my top choice of last night (what I saw) was the 16 year old girl who sang Put Your Records On...

Peace, Love and Big Moments

New Hair Part 358473

This is the moment you've all been waiting for...and by "all" I mean "my mom and Justin" :) I am growing out my hair, but it was so gross! I decided there was no point in growing my hair out if it was going to look like this...it was really damaged from the bleaching last year. The ends were split and scraggly looking. I spent $12 on a haircut and $8 on some hair color...and voila. Here is the result:

BEFORE
(Everyone always has a sad face before, right?)

And...
AFTER!
Yes, my child is special :)

Maybe there will be better pictures to come, but as you can see this is all I could manage to get with a monkey on my back. All I know is my hair looks and feels 100% healthier. Oh, and by the way I didn't get the back cut, just the front...so it's more even now.

Peace, Love and Hair Care

Sometimes it's Just Meant to Be

Last night we had church...It was one of those sermons that sent chills up my spine at least once. Pastor Fred said things so specific and true to mine and Angie's lives that we looked at each other like 'WHAAAAAAT?!' Yes, we are deep haha. He talked about having an appetite for obedience. That, coupled with the dinner-time close, gave us an appetite for chinese food. Angie and I somehow managed to get through our meal, even though the kids were wild'n out. After we went our separate ways and put our kiddos to bed, we ended up back here. Here, being our computers. This is our life. We live around the corner from each other and spend much of our nights "hanging out" online--hey, it makes them not seem so lonely. Last night it struck me as being especially funny...Angie and I were online, talking to each other...emailing back and forth with our husbands, who were together on the ship. It's like one big happy family :) Allow me to shed some light (for those of you who might not be aware) on making friends in the Navy life. It is difficult. First of all, a good majority of Navy wives are catty and like to gossip for a living. I was warned right off the bat to stay clear of all of them, but considering I am part of this world now I have made a few exceptions to that rule. It is also hard to make lasting friendships, because we all come and go so quickly. When we first moved to Virginia, Justin left almost immediately for an 8-month deployment. I knew no one. I had a 2 year old. I felt alone. So what did I do? I went back to Nashville to stay with my mom! When I had been there a month or two, I got an email from Justin telling me about this friend he had made on the ship. He asked me to email his new friend's wife, because she needed some help making the move to VA as well. I was hesitant, but he insisted that she'd be "cool". Turns out, she was more than cool. She was AMAZING. She was one of the best friends I could ask for...and then, Justin and her husband broke up, er, uh had a falling out of sorts...so that made things sticky for me and my friend. We made it work, though :) So flash forward to last December. Justin and I had moved to Norfolk. It was definitely an easy transition. One day Justin tells me that he met this guy on the ship that he got along really well with...He thinks I should meet his wife. After all, they are friends so why shouldn't the wives be? I was extremely hesitant and less than enthused about meeting these new potential friends. Maybe it was partially due to the previous attempts at being forced into friendships! I specifically remember Justin telling me "but they are hardcore FSU fans!" (I went to college there for a bit and grew up in a family of Seminoles) But seriously, is that supposed to make me like them, sight unseen? Haha. I'm laughing, yes...Angie and I were talking about this last night. I can be open and honest about all these reservations I had because Angie had the same ones. It's obvious to most that we met and things turned out better than I could've ever expected. I am so thankful that Justin has Jeremy. While most guys on their ship spend time doing things I cannot begin to post due to the vulgarity, our husbands are doing Bible studies together and really delving into the Word with each other. That is, when they are not playing Madden on the PS3 :) It gives me a sense of peace, knowing that Justin has someone out there that he is equally yoked with. And of course, that leaves me and Angie here. I couldn't ask for a better friend. Angie is someone that I know I can count on in a heartbeat (and vice-versa by the way) There are few people I would trust with my child, and she is at the top of the list. We had this discussion last night about all the things we ultimately ended up having in common. I joked that when she added me to her myspace (before meeting her), I read that she liked General Hospital and I knew we'd be cool. It seems like everyday we find something else to agree on...We were naming some of the many things last night:

-We both watch the same tv shows...not a big deal to some, but when that accounts for many of your nights it does matter. We will watch tv "together" (while messaging on msn)
-Our favorite color is PURPLE
-Our middle names are the same...and in fact, we have the same (maiden) initials of A.D.S.
-There are a ton of similarities with our families...from Grandmas to Moms to MILs.
-Of course, both of our husbands are in the Navy and on the same ship.
-Let's not forget our mutual crush on Javy Lopez (of the Atlanta Braves) back in the day.
-The Reebok hightops...BLACK or WHITE, Angie? :)

There are so many little things. I can't even begin to name them all. Right now, Jeremy is awaiting his orders. They have been planning a move to Jacksonville in February-ish...but now it looks like the Navy may have different plans. Ones to keep them here, and to take Jeremy on this deployment. While it really stinks for them, Justin and I (selfishly, yes) couldn't be happier at the prospect. Truthfully, I want what's best for them...That's what friends do :) But as Pastor Fred reminded us so frankly last night, there are our plans...and then there are God's plans. He actually made the comment "when you are waiting for those orders to pass across the CO's desk"...God is REAL. And I thank God for giving us really good friends, the McKinneys!

Peace, Love and Lasting Friendships

What's YOUR Purpose?

For the last 4 1/2 years, my purpose in life has been being a mommy. In fact, that will continue to be my purpose for the rest of my life. Motherhood is the most rewarding, highest calling that there is (in my humble opinion). However, the time is drawing near for Alana to start school. While it is one of the most terrifying things I've had to deal with, I am also looking forward to the next chapter in my life...and perhaps finding a new purpose. Who says we can't have more than one?! Justin and I are trying to make 2009 count. With him being away for half of the year, and a lot of big changes taking place, it could be frightening. I am not fearful, though. I am at total peace, because I know that I am not in control. I am not God :) But He is the One that gives me the courage to take the leap I need to. He is the One that will get me through. He is the One that gives me purpose.

Justin's Grandma sent me this in an email last night, and I thought it couldn't be more appropriate or better timed...


In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:


People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond:
In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not
made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in
Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end
of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to
spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up
act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth
what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that
out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now,
you're just coming out of one, or you're getting
ready to go into an other one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your
character than your comfort.
God is more interested in making your life holy than He is
in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's
not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in
Christ likeness.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but
also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go
through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back
and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that
it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at
all times you have something good and something bad in your
life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always
something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is
always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your
problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into
self-centeredness,'which is my problem, my issues, my
pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is
to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of
hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal
Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has
strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping
other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him
and to people.

You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of
life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is
harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when
the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very
wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to
deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or
notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease
.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this
money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different
passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9
and Psalm 72

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not
change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a
salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call
The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the
poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the
24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back.
It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for
possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness?
Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's
purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed
and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I
want to know You more and love You better. God didn't
put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more
interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human
doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
God's Blessings on you today.


Peace, Love and Purpose

Never Alone

The topic of loneliness has been a big one here this week...not just in my own life (with Justin out to sea again), but with people so near and dear to me...This is one of my all-time favorite songs and it's been playing over and over in my head, so I wanted to share it.



Peace, Love and Barlow Girl

Pee Pee Days are Here to Stay

For now at least. I shall explain, not to worry :) A lot of you already know this, but I have had to take Alana to the doctor a few times in the past year for bladder issues. I have thought she had a bladder infection, because she will go potty and immediately say she has to go again. We were actually told she did have one back in August, and she was given antibiotics to treat it. When the antibiotics didn't cure it, I took her back for a follow-up at which a different doctor told me that the reason the medicine didn't work was because she didn't have an infection in the first place. Thank you, Navy docs. Then in November, I took her again...mind you, every time I take her for this issue they have her give a urine specimen...The first time she had to pee pee in a cup, it was hands down the most traumatic experience of her life to date. Now she is a pro haha. So this time I took her and the doctor checked her urine cultures and said that she still had no infection and that her frequent urge to pee was nothing more than "behavioral"...in other words, he said she was doing it for attention. I hadn't taken that into consideration. I thought about it...Alana is an only child. I am a stay-at-home mom. She has pretty much 100% of mine and Justin's undivided attention...so why does she need to pee pee for attention? I shrugged it off and was glad that there wasn't something medically wrong with her. In time, it kind of dwindled. About a week ago, it started up again...Full force. This time I paid close attention to how she was doing it...meaning, was she using it to get my attention...or to stay up later...that sort of thing. She goes potty by herself now, even getting up a few times a night to go. She will tell me she's going sometimes, but doesn't make a big deal of it. So I'm convinced this is not behavioral. I took her to the doctor AGAIN yesterday, and they finally have referred her to a pediatric urologist. The doctor told me that it's not uncommon for kids her age to have bladder issues. She's not having "accidents", she just goes a lot. They said it could be bladder spasms causing it. The doctor told me to call the appointment line today to set up the appointment with the urologist. This does not sound like a fun idea to me...taking my baby to a urologist. Ugh. So I called this morning, first thing...and they told me that they referred her out to a civilian hospital (no complaints here, except that) I have to wait to receive a letter in the mail in 7-10 business days with the phone number to THEN call to set up an appointment. I'll be in Nashville in 7-10 business days...for a week...so I guess this will just have to wait another few weeks. I just hope that she can hold it the duration of a 2 hour plane ride, because I can't bear the thought of going into the airplane potty with her. It's a space way too close for comfort for me. That's a whole 'nother story, though. Wish me luck.

Peace, Love and Taking stock in Toilet Paper

I'm heeeeeere.

This post is especially for those of you (Angie & Andrea) that want to know where I've been. I'm here. Right here. I wish I could say that I haven't been posting due to incredibly exciting on-goings in my life that have kept me too busy, but the truth of the matter is that I haven't been posting because there's not much to tell :) Justin had to be on the ship on Monday night to go out for a few weeks. This has created all sorts of emotions in our household. Alana misses her daddy. I miss my husband. Justin hates being away. The real clincher is that he's going out for a few weeks, to be home for a few weeks, to leave for 5-6 months. So yeah...the most difficult part is knowing that this is how it's gonna be for a while. No one knows. Unless you have been a Navy wife, you cannot relate. You might think you can...you might be in a situation that seems similar...but you can't understand fully without having lived it. Angie, help me out here :) Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with my time while he's gone...

This week has been full of even more new toys! On Sunday, I woke up bright and early and hit up Walmart to find my Wii Fit. This was a Christmas present from my mom...one that we couldn't find. Well, I found it. I paid for it. I brought it home. I used it. I love it! Some of it is a bit corny, but for the most part it does its job. It registered Alana as weighing 4 lbs, and consequently extremely underweight for her height (ha!) and it made my Mii plump out to the point of depressing me...Jon showed me this video, and I didn't think it was as funny then as I do now :)



Justin also decided to buy some of the amazing old school Nintendo games for the Wii. He got some for himself, like Bases Loaded and Punch Out, but then he also got Super Mario Brothers 1, 2 and 3. I kid you not, it's like a drug. I can't get enough haha. When I started playing the Mario games, it was like an instant flashback to childhood. I can remember the exact place I first played those games. It was hilarious to find that even though Justin and I have a hard time remembering what someone said yesterday, we could still remember all the secrets and tricks on the games from so many years ago! I'm still working on beat Mario 3!

Lastly, I have been consumed by primetime television this week. The good shows are back! I have never wanted to watch so many shows at once. Ok, so tv rots your brain...but whatever, it's keeping me entertained for now. One Tree Hill is back with new shows and it was AMAZING this week!!! The new Bachelor...Holla! Gotta love Jason, but if DeAnna comes back and steals him away I don't know how I'm gonna feel. Mixed emotions on that for now. The Biggest Loser was quite inspiring last night...Made me want to get up off the couch and do something...kind of :) I'm looking forward to American Idol next week. I don't have a DVR anymore, so something's gonna have to be watched online or skipped altogether haha.

That's it for now.

Peace, Love and Rambly goodness

Reso-mah-lutions for 2009?

We all make them...well, most of us. We all break them...at least I do :) I can honestly say some years I've even made a resolution to not make resolutions. I guess my goal this year is to at least work toward the resolution, even if I don't master it in 2009! Here are some of mine, in no particular order. Feel free to hold me to them, please :)

-Lose all the weight that I added to my 5 feet 2 inches in 2008...and some!
-Do everything in my power to complete the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon with my mom :)
-Read my Bible cover to cover (we are doing this with the help of our church)
-Take advantage of my time with Alana before she starts school in the fall!
-Find the good in Justin being gone on deployment (hard!) by being productive and visiting family

There's so many more things I want to accomplish but these are the big ones...

I hope all of you are having a happy and blessed 2009 so far!

Peace, Love and Commitment