Combat Boots and the Land of Oz

We're getting close!

2010-10-06T05:53:00.001-07:00

Well right now it is 7:53 in the morning. I have not been out of bed and up this early since Jon had surgery. Jon got up for PT at 5:20 and I usually wake up with him but lay in bed just to say bye and I love you. Not this morning. His alarm went off and I was more awake than he. So once he left I tried to fall asleep for about 15 minutes and then gave up and came downstairs to do my prego yoga.

I cannot believe my due date is just one week away! Where has the time gone? Thinking about how fast these last 10 months have gone by makes me very hopeful that Jon's upcoming deployment will seem to go by just as fast.

We got our maternity pictures taken and Angela did an amazing job. You can see them in my photos on Facebook or just wait until I post them here. Jonathan wasn't very into the idea at first but in the end he really enjoyed taking them. I think this is going to be something to treasure for sure.

So the big question lately has been "How are you feeling?"

I am feeling alright mostly. I wake up about every hour now throughout the night but I suppose that is just God preparing me for when baby is actually here. Exercise is definitely more challenging as I am out of breath quite fast these days but we still try to get out and walk at least once a week. I have been the queen of naps and I don't foresee today being any different (especially with being up so early this morning). A week ago my nurse did a cervix exam and she said that I was 1 cm dilated and about 50% effaced. I have another appointment today but I'm not sure if they will check again or not.

Any day now though! Can you believe it??

Oh baby baby!

2010-09-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

YIKES! Can you believe it?! We are already at week 37. I am amazed. People keep asking if I am ready for this thing to be out yet and right now no. I am not yet at the horribly uncomfortable stage yet. Getting there slowly but still enjoying being pregnant. The nursery is 100% complete with everything set up and not just the paint. My belly is gigantic in my opinion and still growing (which is good of course) AND most importantly baby is head down. Only a few more weeks to go and our little prince/princess will be here. I am so blessed to have the amazing support system I do here. Next weekend we are getting some maternity pictures done and I am super excited for those too. I'll be able to post some here once they are ready. For now, just pictures of this growing child.

Weeks 36 and 37 respectively

Our monkey decided to sit completely on my right side one night.

A look back at Easter

2010-08-10T19:36:00.001-07:00

BUNNY CAKE

Here are all my supplies to make my bunny cake. Rich and creamy vanilla frosting, red food coloring, blue food coloring (start with little drops and add as needed to get the pink and blue), twizzlers, cake decorating gel, and a spatula. *Normally there would be coconut with green food coloring around as grass but Jon does not like coconut so i left it out.

Bake two same sized round cakes.

I put one round cake on top of the other and used a fork to create an outline for the bow. I then moved it to the other side and did the same thing and then used a knife to cut the bow. The left over parts are used for the ears

All my pieces

I poked holes like I did before to know where to cut the ears

I put the pieces where they belonged so I knew how they would lay on the plate

I frosted the entire cake with white first and then used the pink to fill in the ears

The final product

UPDATE!!!

2010-08-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

Well I finally went through and cleared up the camera a bit. We have been busy painting baby's room and organizing things from showers and then now getting Jon ready to head to Ft. Polk for some training.

Tomorrow I will post more pictures from the past but tonight here are the progress pictures of our little Monkey's room:

So here are the blank white walls with all baby's stuff in the middle of the room.

This is what we decided to use for the main colors. The base coat is the same color as the rest of the house kind of a creamy tan. I think the official name was toasted cashew. We then went and got some dark brown to make a 5 inch boarder all the way across the walls.

The paint tape didn't do the BEST job with making a straight edge so I went back and put my perfectionism to a good use and straightened out the edges of the boarder.

Below are the colors we chose for the inside of the boarder

I created an outline on paper before actually painting and then put up stencils and wrote with pencil to trace over.

Then finally the finished product as far as paint goes.

Baby time!!

2010-06-03T15:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we had our official ultrasound. There are no gender showing pictures because I didn't want to know so I get to be surprised here in about 4 months. (I think it will be exciting not knowing!) Anyway here are the pictures from the ultrasound that we got to bring home. Enjoy!

Baby's legs are crossed. You can see the tops of our baby's knees.

Here's our baby's hand flat. You can see the thumb really clearly.

On the right you can see both nostrils.

Front views of baby's face

Baby's whole body

Camping

2010-06-01T15:18:00.001-07:00

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For memorial day weekend we went camping at milford lake. What a fun time. Jon and I stayed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. It was quite the learning experience for us being that it was the first time for us being the ones leading everything. (We've always gone with our families) We went with two other families that stayed overnight for two nights and one other family that stayed one night. During the day we had lots of visitors which made it a great time for the ladies.

The sunsets here in Kansas are beautiful and being out on the lake just emphasized how amazing of an artist God is.

Crystal and Nastassja in the shade.

During the days the guys would go out and fish while the wives stayed back at the site in the shade. Most of the guys got horrible sun burns. I think of them all Jon's was the worst. He has been blistering for a couple days now. We were lucky to pack up when we did because it started raining and thundering on Sunday. I went to church to great and Jon stayed back and packed up. For a first time camping experience together it was quite a success

Ryan, Audrey, and Rylie

Hottest day of my life!

2010-06-01T14:50:00.000-07:00

Alright everyone. The time has come and I finally have some pictures. But first for a little story.

So this past weekend was Memorial Day weekend and we decided to do a group camping trip. It turned out to be a beautiful weekend by the lake with some great friends. BUT right before we left we discovered that our Air conditioning is not working. There was nothing we could really do because as I said we were leaving to go camping. Anyway the guy has been here for a few hours running back and forth to get parts to fix this thing but to no avail. So we are sitting here miserable thank goodness it is only in the high 80's outside. I am really hoping this thing gets fixed tonight so that I can actually get some work done around the house tomorrow.

Now for a baby and life update.
I can finally feel baby moving (at least I think so). What a strange feeling to know there is a little baby in there moving around. Tomorrow, Wednesday the 2nd is our only 'official ultrasound' which means we get to see the little guy/girl. We are still on opposite sides of the fence on finding out or not but for now we are going to wait. There are CRAZY rules for me to follow tomorrow though. 1) empty bladder at 11:30 2) drink 1 liter of water between 11:30 and 12:30 3) nothing else to eat or drink after 12:30 and no using the bathroom. Not looking forward to that. But it must be done. They won't even see me if my bladder isn't full. It is amazing to think that I am already past the half-way point but good to know at the same time.

This picture was taken at about 16 weeks.
Not much of a bump yet

I have decided to take all my main belly shots in the same dress. 5 months and belly bearing :) Still a little hard to see though.

I fly home in a week and absolutely cannot wait!!! Jon is on night duty until the 10th which will be nice because we will have days together. His section is out in the field for the next couple of weeks and deployment talk has started again although nothing is ever for sure until there are orders in hand. We are just praying that Jon gets a little bit of time with our new baby before having to be gone for a year.

Other than that and this awful heat in our house things are going great for us out here in Kansas. We love and miss you all.

pics coming soon

2010-05-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I have been promising people for a while now that I would put up pictures of the belly. (Not that there is really much of a belly yet) Well in the past 3 weeks we have painted pretty much the whole house in Junction City, moved everything in, cleaned wonderfully at the Ogden house, and did the final walk through there. Needless to say I've not had a whole lot of time to write on here. So for a quick little update until I find the box the camera is in here you go:

*we love our new home. It is so much nicer than the Ogden house and just closer to everything (work, church, wal-mart)

*I had my first Centering Pregnancy appointment and LOVED it! The doctor part was done by the nurse and baby's heart tones were at 152... lower than 170= boy is what one friend told me.

*I make the ultra-sound appointment this week and we are still going back and forth and whether we are going to find out. We have the complete opposite opinion when it comes to finding out the gender or not. I want to wait on the first and find out on the rest, Jon wants to find out on the first and doesn't care about the rest. I figure we have about 3 weeks to come up with a solid decision on what's going to happen at the appointment.

*I came down with a cold over the weekend. :( not so fun but I also go to shoot my first gun. I went to this women on target thing and it was way more fun than I thought it would be. I shot rifle, shotgun, 357 magnum with 38 specials, a .40 semi-auto hand gun, bow and arrow, and muzzle loaders. What a fun day.

Alright that should hold you over until I am unpacked and can put up pics.

Will this pain ever end?

2010-04-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well week 15 is here and I feel like I am dying. Ok not really but I was almost in tears today. My lower back/lumbar/pelvic area hates me. It is out to get me and that is one thing for sure. Some days it takes a break from the torment but on days like today I really wonder what I did to create such bad feelings between me and my back. The pain shoots from one side of my bum to the other with no warning. Walking becomes difficult and getting up from a sitting position is crazy painful. This is part of pregnancy I had not planned on.

On the plus side I got some stretching tips from a chiropractor friend of our pastor that I can do on my own and that Jon can help with. It's amazing what counter pressure can do to alleviate the pain. I checked out his (the chiropractors) website today for some added tips and found this really interesting link: http://trinitychiro.com/media/Gods_view_of_Childbirth.pdf

Week 12

2010-04-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Our baby looks like a baby! I had my second appointment on Monday and it went great. The OB was so nice and even though it was an exam appointment (not so fun) she did not make it uncomfortable at all. After the exam she got the doppler out to listen to the heartbeat but couldn't really find it so she got out the utlrasound machine. I got to see our little one and wow was he/she moving. Before I could even see the screen my ob said "no wonder I couldn't get it with the doppler" Hands were waving and feet were kicking. Of course only being 12 weeks I couldn't feel it which is probably good with how much our kiddo was moving. After a couple seconds the little baby calmed down and we were able to get a pretty good picture.

I was excited to see the growth in only 3 weeks. What a miracle. God is so good to create us perfectly in the womb. I have always loved spring and watching 'new life' begin to grow but it is even cooler knowing that God had this little one planned out perfectly before I had even met Jon. So awesome! Anyway once the baby calmed down a bit we went back to the doppler and were able to get a good reading of the heart rate: 170's. I have some friends saying 'oh that means it's a girl' but I've still got no inclination either way.

It is good to know that everything is looking good and that the baby is healthy so far. I probably won't get another ultrasound until week 24 or so, and we still haven't decided to find out the gender or not. Either way I am looking forward to the enormous changes that will happen from now to then.

I still don't have much of a tummy so not me pictures yet. I'll post some next month probably.

Strep B

2010-03-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

I received a call from my OB yesterday informing me that I have Strep B. No it's not strep throat but it is a bacteria. So here is just a little bit of the information I was able to find on the internet.

Causes

By Mayo Clinic staff

Many healthy people carry group B strep bacteria in their bodies. Group B strep bacteria aren't sexually transmitted, and they're not spread through food or water. You may carry group B strep in your body for just a short period of time, they may come and go, or you may always have them.

Some individuals, such as older adults and those with chronic health conditions, can develop a more serious infection from group B strep. However, the reason this occurs in some people but not others isn't known.

Group B strep can also spread to a baby during a vaginal delivery if the baby is exposed to — or swallows — fluids containing group B strep.

From the AMERICAN PREGNANCY ASSOCIATION

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is a type of bacterial infection that can be found in a pregnant woman’s vagina or rectum. This bacteria is normally found in the vagina and/or lower intestine of 15% to 40% of all healthy, adult women.

Those women who test positive for GBS are said to be colonized. A mother can pass GBS to her baby during delivery. GBS is responsible for affecting about 1 in every 2,000 babies in the United States. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill.

What if I test positive for Group B Strep infection?

If you test positive for GBS this simply means that you are a carrier. Not every baby who is born to a mother who tests positive for GBS will become ill. Approximately one of every 100 to 200 babies whose mothers carry GBS will develop signs and symptoms of GBS disease. There are, however, symptoms that may indicate that you are at a higher risk of delivering a baby with GBS. These symptoms include:

Labor or rupture of membrane before 37 weeks
Rupture of membrane 18 hours or more before delivery
Fever during labor
A urinary tract infection as a result of GBS during your pregnancy
A previous baby with GBS disease

In this case your physician will want to use antibiotics for prevention and protection.

According to the CDC, if you have tested positive and are not in the high risk category, then your chances of delivering a baby with GBS are:

1 in 200 if antibiotics are not given
1 in 4000 if antibiotics are given

Baby Quick

2010-03-10T15:32:00.000-08:00

Well as most of you know Jon and I are expecting the first addition to our Quick family. We found out about a month ago and had our first appointment today. I am 9 weeks exactly and doing well.

I have had nausea here and there but no vomiting. I keep telling God that nausea I can handle and so far I think he thinks so too. I am very tired and hungry about every 2 hours or so but other than that no real crazy pregnancy stories yet.

We have started talking about names but have no conclusions or ideas even and are debating on whether or not to find out the gender. Jonathan wants to know really bad and I really want to wait. Luckily we have several weeks before a firm decision has to be made.

Today's appointment was pretty basic. We met with an OB nurse and she pretty much just went over our medical histories and gave us some basic information about what Riley has to offer for pregnant women. I am really excited because they do something called group prenatal care and it's where 8-10 women due around the same time get together and meet with a midwife, do mom and baby check-ups, have individual time with our health care providers, and the coolest part for me is that at the end there is a reunion where we all get together once our babies are born. I am going to learn more about it at my next appointment which is on March 29th.

We weren't sure if we were going to get to see the baby or hear the heartbeat today so we asked towards the end of the appointment. The nurse was very nice and took us back to the room where we got to see, that's right SEE, the heartbeat. What a good feeling to know our little one is beating away inside me. :)

SO here is our little one. Just the size of a peanut or a green olive. It is hard to believe that he/she is only about an inch but it is such a blessing to know our baby is doing well.

Kansas living

2009-10-31T09:15:00.001-07:00

Wow what to say? It has been a LONG time. Right now I am sitting at home while the boys (Jon and Kevin) are out riding the quads. Yes, that was plural, I gave in and we know have a quad. I just hope no other organs will be hurt by this form of recreation.

Jon has been home a month now, and it is still strange. People are always asking me how the transition is going and all I can say is it is bumpy. Things are not bad but only being married for two months and me not working at all before he left makes things hard to adjust to now. Overall though things are going ok. Student teaching is CRAZY!!!!! I never thought it would be this hard or demanding. Just last night I was at the school until 11:30 at night writing lessons.

Anyway here are some pictures of things that have been taking place over the last month or so.

The new car

Jon had just walked in

when it rains it pours, and hails

2009-08-22T21:43:00.000-07:00

So still no camera. But we had a crazy crazy storm here this week. I have seen hail before, but west coast hail. (So the small dip 'n dot size hail, maybe a little bigger) Well we had a flash flood warning the other day which means lightning and thunder too. I had been reading on the tv that some places had watches for golfball size hail then all of a sudden I heard klinking on the walls and windows of the house.

I had to go outside to see just how big the hail was here. Thank goodness for phones with cameras because i couldn't believe the size. It wasn't really that big, but the largest i've ever seen.

home sweet home?

2009-08-14T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is going to be brief, but I thought it'd be good to give a little update.

Currently I am horribly failing at falling asleep with a cold. Things are going well though. Re-deployment preparations are full force (and no that does NOT mean Jon will be getting deployed again already; it's the army's crazy way of saying they are coming home) and I could not be more excited. In fact, excited doesn't begin to describe it.

I miss my family terribly and quite honestly do not think I would do very well living on my own forever. The house is almost done, had it not been for my cold, I would have the flattened boxes out and ready to go to the recycle center and pictures ready to post... but those will have to wait.

Student teaching is complicated.... to say the least but I am looking forward to it. Jonathan is doing well for those that have been asking. He is VERY ready to be home! He even purposefully did not sign us up for the ball in order to spend a romantic evening with me, not the 1,000 guys he just spent a year with.

My camera unfortunately broke, so I will leave with one of my favorite pictures from the drive out to KS.
We stopped at Rocky Mtn National Park.. it was like 12,000 about sea level or something.

on my way...

2009-06-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

My room is close to all packed up. The only major thing left is my clothes. It is an interesting feeling; packing everything up for the first time. I am excited because it means I am that much closer to Jon coming home, but at the same time it is scary. Even going off to college it wasn't like I really left home. I mean 3/4 of my stuff was still at home. But now it is all coming with me.

I can't believe it but next month is our 1 year anniversary. I will be in our new home and Jon will be a short 2.5 months away from coming home. These certainly are going to be a crazy few weeks. I am headed out to Kansas on June 16th to look for a place to live. So far, I have a couple favorites, but nothing has been secured yet. I know God will provide us with the perfect home, I just hate the waiting!

I have 2 more days with my 4th graders. I am going to miss them SO much. Today I told them that I will be moving to Kansas next month and they all were very sad. It was really cute, they wanted to me stay and work at Tom McCall (The upper elementary school out in Forest Grove).

Anyway, I know its not much, but its at least an update. Maybe next week i'll post some pictures.

anyone there?

2009-03-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

Since no one reads this other than me, I have been less than motivated to write anything. Life has been alright, we are 6 1/2 months away from Jon's homecoming and I can't wait!

I found this on a friend's page and I thought it was pretty cute:

LOVING A SOLDIER

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t know adventure. You don’t know smelly gray PT uniforms that require a daily washing. You can’t understand green and brown camouflaged bags flooding your bedroom floor. They may seem like they are just thrown around, but move one thing the night before an important layout and expect to hear about it.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t understand the meaning of the phrase "going to the field" and the weeks you spend away from each other.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t understand what it’s like to have company every weekend that you will soon refer to as your "children" and they will need to be fed, so figure them into your grocery bill. You will need to teach them that you can’t fit 3 hampers of clothes into the washing machine at the same time, and that whites and darks are not washed together.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can never imagine the hole in your heart when that phone call comes. "Honey, I am leaving tomorrow to go overseas. I don’t know how long I will be gone or exactly where I am going, but I want you to know that I love you - always!" You don’t know the anxiety that comes with not knowing any specifics until it is already happening.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you don’t know what it’s like to say that final good-bye, to watch those buses drive away and wonder if you will ever see him again. You don’t know what it really means to be glued to the television watching CNN. You don’t understand fear and you can’t possibly understand the sleepless nights of endless crying wondering if you will ever see the love of your life alive again.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t understand why a computer must always be on full volume just in case. And why it is necessary to have one of every messenger... because you will never know when MSN messenger might work and Yahoo wont, or vice versa.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you don’t know the best brand of webcam and all of the features by heart and recommend them to everyone you know. You can fully utilize all of the emoticons on every messenger and even know the hidden ones on yahoo...

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you also won’t understand the importance of always having access to a cell phone charger. Or having that special ringer for "unknown" and 13 digit phone numbers.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you would never understand the bond that instantly forms with any woman you see wearing anything battalion-related.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, on the nights where we all come together and talk for hours about nothing but our men, and how even those little things that annoyed the crap out of us a few months ago are the things we miss so much. And then compare ideas on how to keep them... "entertained".

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t know the immense joy, the uncontrollable smile, or the butterflies in your stomach when you see your soldier march into the family waiting area upon redeployment or the end of basic training. You can’t understand the self-control it takes to stand on the other side of the room as some higher-up gives a seemingly endless welcome home speech while all the soldiers stand in formation. You don’t know what it’s like to have that second first kiss or what it’s like to experience puppy love all over again. You spend hours and hours getting ready so everything is in perfect place, just to have your hair ruffled and everything tousled up with that first embrace.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can’t truly understand how to make every moment count because you never know when that phone call may come again. You don’t understand why a secret bottle of cologne is kept in the medicine cabinet, or his deodorant left on the bathroom sink all year, just to smell when you want to feel closer to him.

If you’re not in love with a soldier, you can never really understand how very delicate life is! You don’t understand how fast one phone call, or a knock at the door can instantly change life for so many people. You don’t understand why the National Anthem will forever be something that we will STAND for and probably well up in tears, no matter where life takes you after the military.

Kansas here I come?

2009-02-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that I really only have two semesters of college left. What am I going to do with myself. As long as I can remember back i've been in school. I know I'm going to be teaching and therefore in a school still but it isn't going to be the same. I will no longer be a student in the classroom sense. As a teacher I will constantly be learning but I won't be a student, that's kinda scary.

Anyway, the point of writing is to let everyone know that I am one step closer to student teaching in Kansas. I had a meeting yesterday with the Placement director and my academic advisor at CU and we decided that it is best for me to student teach in Kansas. I have more responsibility when it comes to getting placed than I would if I were to do it here in Oregon, but that doesn't matter. As long as I get to be in Kansas when Jon comes home, I will do whatever I need to to get placed in Kasnas.

Also, We are 4 months down this month! 8 months to go......

R&R part 2

2009-01-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW! Portland was covered in snow the rest of the time Jon was home. We had a great rest of his leave just hanging out with our two families; playing the Wii and Rockband, Taboo, Spinners, and many more. There was an historic amount of snowfall and the news channels were calling it "Arctic Blast 2008." We are extremely blessed that we were able to celebrate Christmas together as well as with both our immediate families. Jon left on the 26th to head back to Iraq. It was hard to say bye again, but I think it was easier than the first time he left.

Snowed in at the Quick home in Vancouver, WA.

My great comeback during bowling. I jumped 47 points in 2 frames.

It was so cool to be able to have a snowball fight in my parent's backyard!

R&R part 1

2008-12-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

To start things off, the 15 days Jon got to be here was great. I am so happy that we got to spend Christmas together even if it means going a longer time apart.

Jon flew in on the 10th. His family met me at the airport to help welcome him home and we all had some dinner at Stanford's there at the airport. From there Jon and I decided to get a hotel room for a couple nights so that we could have some privacy.

We stayed at my parents over the weekend and on Tuesday we headed up to Mt. Hood to stay at a cabin for 3 nights. What and adventure! The first night we were there the outlets for water were frozen so we had no running water (which meant no toilet to use). Luckily the water was on by Wednesday morning. No hot water yet, but we had high hopes that it would be on by the time we were done at the mountain. I had never been snowboarding so I was a little nervous but excited to take on a new challenge. Jon says I caught on really fast, although it sure didn't feel like it at times. We were there from about 9:30 until around 3. Needless to say I was pretty sore that night. But Jon really wanted to go night boarding so after a quick meal we got on all our gear and headed up again.
We had spent the day at Meadows, and now we were headed to Skibowl. Unfortunately, only one side was open, and only one lift of that side was open. I only went down once, due to the fact that it was still my first day at it and well I think it took about an hour to get down the first time. It was fun though, and I really felt like I was getting it by the end of that run.

One of the best parts of the day was returning to the cabin to find we had hot water! From there on out things were pretty good. We did loose power on Thursday for a few hours, but my wonderful hubby made a huge fire that helped keep us warm. We went night boarding again on Thursday on the other side of Skibowl. Oh we had so much fun! I almost made it down the hill with only falling a few times, and Jon was able to land some jumps.

If we get stationed in Colorado ( where Jon would like to go next) we are hoping that we can make this a hobby for us.

and he's off

2008-12-26T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well, Jonathan left this morning to head back to Iraq for the remainder of his tour. We are still busy seeing family and stuff so I will write about his time here in a day or so. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, I know we did.

chutes and ladders?

2008-11-22T10:05:00.000-08:00

So everyone, at least anyone involved in military life, knows that you never plan anything until it is actually happening. Well, I have come to learn this over the short months I have been what is being called a milispouse (military spouse) however, i had quite the rude awakening this past week, when Jonathan was telling me about his "mid-tour" leave.

Monday morning while talking with Jon he tells me that he has secured the last spot for April, but that April is a for sure go... keep in mind I had already made plans to go to California for Christmas to see family that couldn't make it to the wedding.... so I am thinking GREAT! this will be perfect... I definitely landed on that huge ladder that takes you almost to the top of the game...

Three hours later however, I get thrown down the chute that sends you clear back to the bottom..
Jon calls saying he has bad news, the last two guys on April got kicked out.
"okay." I'm thinking this means he is coming home later...
"So I'm coming home in a month" he says.

"WHAT? You're joking." I didn't believe him at all. I thought he was playing one of his games.
"Nope, I'm coming home in December."

So Jon will hopefully be here all through Christmas and needless to say, I won't be going to California.

Just one more story to add to the evidence as to why you never plan anything until it's happening

How he's doing?

2008-10-28T12:56:00.001-07:00

The other question most often directed my way is 'how is he doing?'

First off, they got to their FOB earlier this week. Which means the address is set. If you would like to have it let me know and I will get it to you.

He said the FOB is a little run down, and right now it's a little hectic because the unit they are replacing is still there.

He is already asking for underwear and extra undershirts, so I am sure I will be sending LOTS of those in packages.

Overall though, he is doing well. We have been able to use our webcams a few times and although the picture is delayed at times, he says any sort of contact helps lift his spirits.

For those of you that do not have his e-mail address and might like it here it is:

soon2spool@yahoo.com

How I am feeling

2008-10-25T10:21:00.000-07:00

The big questions these days is "how are you doing with everything?" And that is really a rather loaded question. How am I doing?

Emotionally

1) Well, Jonathan has been gone for three weeks now and I am just about adjusted to not having him around. I chose to say adjusted because I still miss not having him around but I have learned to live with it. I miss him terribly some days, and other days I just miss him a little, but no matter what I miss him. Even though we only got three months together, and really were still learning how to live with each others quirks, I have found that it is the little things that I am miss most. So how am I doing with not having him around... alright.

2) I decided to come back to my parents house while Jonathan is overseas which means leaving the people and community I had come to call home. That is different because it really is a whole different world up here. Living around an Army post is something else, and certainly nothing like living in Portland, OR. I struggled a little at first wondering if it really was the right thing to do; come home or not. I still am not decided on how I feel. I wish I could participate in Family Readiness Group meetings and other support things they have for spouses with deployed soldiers, but at the same time, I am very glad to be around my friends and family that have known me for a long time. The adjustment period for being back 'home' is really taking longer than I had anticipated but I am making it work and trying to stay positive.

Physically

I am tired. That's all there is too it. I try and keep busy so that I don't have a lot of down time to just think about what could be going on for Jonathan but sometimes in keeping busy I wear myself out. Also, especially the last few days, I have been getting calls from him at very early hours of the morning. Which makes setting a sleep routine difficult because of course I am going to talk to him whenever I get the chance, but it has to be when he can call, even if that means for an hour at 2am. But also, I have found that sometimes anticipating a phone call can be tiring as well. When he hasn't called for about 4 days that is when I usually start to feel the repercussions of wondering or hoping constantly whether or not the phone is going to ring.

Overall

In the grand scheme of things I am so thankful that God knows our life plan... and that He has a perfect plan. Because Jon and I were only living together for three months a lot of this adjustment is getting used to the long distance relationship thing again. It is almost like I took a 3 month long vacation to Kansas. Yes, there is more emotional attachment and all the stuff I mentioned above, but overall I am doing well. I have my good days and I have some hard days but I trust that this deployment is going to strengthen me, Jonathan, and our relationship. I also have to trust that God is going to keep my soldier safe and remember the we are both being covered in prayer as well as all the others over there. Remembering that He has a plan is comforting even on hard days.