end of March

Wow, today is the last day of March!! YAY :) We've been pretty busy around here. Dawn was home for a week for spring break, we have been sorting through things to keep, donate, throw away and pack up for IN. There are a lot of things the movers won't pack up, so I need to make sure that we get those things home so that when we do our final trip home we actually have room for us and the animals! :) Chelsea had her state competition for SkillsUSA, she did excellent work but did not place in the top 3. We are very proud of her and all of her hard work. Todd got the first anthrax vaccine in the series yesterday. I have been working VERY hard to be healthier, and lose some weight! I found muscles I forgot I had :) it's rather exhilarating (even with the pain)!!! Megan has been spending a lot of time with her friends and being a little social butterfly, plus some babysitting for extra cash. We also found a new, loving home for the birds that were part of the mini zoo. I learned that I am just not a bird person, not inside the house anyway!! They are just too messy and too loud for me to deal with indoors!! Other than several different appointments in April and a trip home, April should be a fairly calm month compared to the ones coming up. True to form, March came in like a lion for us and is leaving like a lamb! Maybe I can get back to regular posting soon, but don't count on it :)

Thankful Thursday

First of all I am glad that all my friends and family back home didn't have to build an ark to survive all the rain they've had this past week! I am very thankful that our basement didn't flood, it had some water, but it could have been much worse. I'm also thankful for the internet and different social sites that have allowed me to keep in touch with family and friends, not too mention find some old friends that I have missed, it's great to catch up with them. I'm also glad to hear that so many people in various areas have seen robins (we had a big one in the yard today too) and other signs of Spring FINALLY coming!! So here are a couple of pictures to help make us feel like winter is leaving :) Think Spring!!! Hope everyone had something to be thankful for this week and Happy Birthday to Theresa out in Arizona!!

Spring-like Saturday

What a beautiful day we had, high of 73 and we even had a heat index for awhile!!! Just last weekend we were getting around 7 inches of snow. Crazy, crazy weather!! We are supposed to be in the 70's again tomorrow, 60's on Monday and then 50's and below the rest of the week. I opened windows today and aired out the house, it was wonderful and very refreshing. Now early in the morning we get to do that lovely spring forward junk with the time. That was one of the hardest things I had to get used to when I moved away from Indiana, then they had to go and join in the stupidity. I really think it is time to do away with this changing of time twice a year, I know A LOT of people who agree :) Let's just figure out what time it should be (and what time zone we should be in, cause IN is in the wrong one) and leave it that way ALL year long. OHHH WAIT, that would make sense and there seems to be a huge deficit of common sense lately. Ok, done with that complaint now :) I skipped Favorites on Friday this week, cause I had such a great week that I really didn't feel like doing it. If that doesn't make sense, that's ok, see above ;) hehehe Hope everyone had a great Saturday!!

YAY!!

I got the best birthday gift yesterday and didn't even know it!! Todd was off from his regular Army job yesterday because he had overnight duty from Tues. at 3:30 p.m. until 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday. Well we have been waiting on his PCS orders outta here and they came in yesterday!!!! So what does that mean?? Well tomorrow we will go to transportation to set up the packing dates for his stuff that will go to Korea and for the rest of our Household Goods (HHG) to go where?? Everyone scream INDIANA BABY!!!! We will also get his actual flight date in August to head to Korea tomorrow or next week, depending on how things go tomorrow AND we can also print up are notice to vacate housing here, excuse me while I do a very, very Happy Dance!!! I can't wait to take that paperwork to the Picerne people!!!!! YAY!!!!! My favorite part of his orders are the following: family separation allowance, shipment of HHG and family travel to a designated location is authorized. What does that mean??? Well...it means we get paid for being apart while he is in Korea, and that the Army will pay to move my stuff to our designated location, and I can FINALLY go HOME!!!!! They also approved his 30 days of leave, YAY, plus he has 10 business days to out process here at Fort Hades and with the 4th of July holiday thrown in, that means his last day of work will be 25 June!!! So we will actually get lots of time together before he has to fly!!! What a glorious day this is, God is good!!!

Thankful Thursday

Well this week Thankful Thursday is very, very easy to do :) I would like to thank ALL of my family and friends who sent birthday wishes for my 39th birthday yesterday!! I am thankful for each and everyone of you. I had a great birthday! One of my dear friends said that she hoped my birthday was the beginning of my best year ever, and that got me to thinking, which can be dangerous as most of you know :) Since this is my last year in my 30's I have decided to do everything I can to make this my best year ever. Of course there will be some challenges with that since Todd will be gone for 7 months of my 39th year. Of course challenges can also make me more determined :) I have been working on getting healthier (also thinner), by exercising more and eating better and trying to find healthy ways to deal with stress and the negativity some people seem to want to throw my way. But I am determined to be healthier and happier and make this my best year!! I think my favorite prayer will be a wonderful guideline to help with that:

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change:

The courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time; enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as the pathway to peace;

Taking, as He did this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that he will make all things right if I surrender to his will.

That I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

Amen

My special post for the day ended up being posted before the other one because I started it first today, saved it, then went back tonight and changed it, and it got posted by the time I originally started it. Just wanted to let you know what happened and make sure if you want to see it that you know where it is. Sooo there you have it.

Snow Day

Well the girls have their 2nd snow day of the year. It's hard to tell just exactly how much snow we did get because the wind has been blowing and drifting it since early this morning. We are guessing that there is at least 6 inches out there, and it has quit snowing for now. Todd also got a day off work. They cleaned out the court we live in around 8:30ish and they did a good job, we have to shovel the sidewalk and in front of our carport so we can get out if we need to, hopefully we won't need to :) It looks like the snow won't start melting until Wednesday when we are back above freezing. I'm happy we didn't get nearly as much snow as they thought we would. Sorry if this seems to be a little off, but I have a million things running through my head right now. I will be back on here later with a special post about today as soon as I figure out just how I want to do it.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Today is my Grandpa's Birthday, he has been in Heaven for 13 years later this month. There are some things I wish I could have shared with him before he was gone and some things that have happened recently that I wish I could share with him. All day today I have been trying to figure out how I wanted this post to go and exactly what I wanted to say and I have cried a lot. So this is letter I would send my Grandpa W.

Dear Grandpa,
I can't believe it has been so long since I have been able to sit and listen to the wonderful stories you loved to share about your life in Kentucky as a boy, and then your life after you moved to Indiana. I loved hearing about all your adventures and learning about our family. I bet you are still telling your stories up there, and I bet you have a very captive audience. I hope you have told Grandma some stories about me and my family as well. Give her a hug for me. Megan is very honored to be named after you and she loves listening to me tell her stories about you and your farm, and how I used to love to pet the cattle and how much I loved playing in the barns, Dawn and Chelsea also enjoy hearing the stories. I always thought it was so cool that my birthday was just 2 days after yours, it made me feel closer to you. It still seems weird to go home and not see your house or the barns, but they live on in my heart and my stories. I love it when people tell me that some of the things I do, say and just how I am remind them of you. That is the best compliment :) I didn't get the chance to go on a trip to Kentucky with you like so many others in the family did, so I am hoping that soon I will be able to go their with my Dad and he can tell me some stories about you. He is a pretty good story teller too :) I hope you are having a wonderful Birthday in Heaven and I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I miss you.
Love,
Christy

Sunday Catch Up

I managed to miss Favorites on Friday, anyone surprised??? I'm not :) Todd and I had the whole night (til midnight) after he got home from work by ourselves!! We had Chinese, talked and watched some TV, it was my favorite part of the week, plus we played with Chelsea's Wii Fit. We did some shopping yesterday, the girls both needed clothes for the state DECA competition, they will be in Annapolis from Thursday morning until Friday evening. Todd got the oil changed in the truck (which took 2 freakin hours) at our favorite Chevy place, NOT! Hopefully that is the last time we will have to go in there. We had some wonderful family time last night, and poor Chelsea kept having coughing fits :( This stupid cold just won't leave her alone. Of course Friday we got up to 64, and yesterday it was cold (around 38ish). Last night we had some snow, now today starting at 2 p.m. we are under a winter storm warning until 2 p.m. tomorrow. We are expected to get between 9-14 inches of snow!! I hope they are WRONG!! But it would be nice to have Todd and the girls home tomorrow! :) So March is definitely coming in like a lion this year around here. Now hopefully this is it for us (of course we have hardly had any snow) and spring will show up sooner than later and actually stick around!! So today I shall do laundry, watch the NASCAR race and watch the snow fall. Everyone have a great Sunday and Happy March!!!