29 days, what?!

You heard it, 29 days left. Actually 28. Dylan will be home the week before my bday weekend and every SINGLE time I think about it I get giddy.

I planned to keep up with this blog more, but life took over and I couldn't help it :)

We've shared plenty of letters between one another... And emails, Skype dates, texts, etc. so I don't feel like we've neglected our relationship or anything. He's still in the know with what's going on here at home, and that's what the whole point of this blog was in the first place. :) he just found out other ways! Ha.


Pictures to come soon.

August Already?!

The lack of blogging is not due to laziness… believe it or not… iphoto just SHUT DOWN on me for the past few weeks and I couldn't even launch it. Talk about frustrating. Ugh. What fun is a blog post without pictures?? none at all.. so I didn't feel much like updating.

Besides, a lot has been happening….

First of all, Dylan is fine. I feel like we have finally settled into a routine and that is good for both of us. He works 7 days a week and I get to talk to him still at morning and at night. If we're lucky we get to skype at night, and that's always a treat. I've been sending him A LOT of goodies lately…

I think I have sent him a total of 8 packages so far… Most of it was food items so he can have something to eat while he is at work during the day.

The other reason I've been so busy is…

I GOT A JOB!! I can't even BELIEVE it.

I'm working at an elementary school that is pretty much 2.5 miles from where I live (it was actually the elementary school that I went to, there are still some familiar faces around there, too!) I am a vision specialist aide for a little boy who is completely blind. We'll call him J for privacy purposes.

School started on Monday because they are a year round school, so I already have a week under my belt. I love the school, I love the people I work with, and I love J. He is so witty, and sweet, and has a great sense of humor! He's so smart and other than the blindness, he is just a normal kid. He is awesome and I am so lucky to be working with him this year!

The only bad part of my job is waking up SO STINKIN' EARLY! But I'll get used to it!

Now that iphoto is cooperating, I hope to be updating a lot more! As of today, only 60 days left until my man gets back!

Happy weekend!

House sitting

I've been house sitting for a few days now, and will continue until the middle of the week next week. The people I house sit for have a very nice house and pool house (and pool!) And fortunately, they are doing renovations on the big house, so I am staying (with the two 60 pound bull dogs) in the pool house that looks like it was pulled right out of a pottery barn magazine- beach edition. It is really, really nice. On the days where not a lot is going on there, I just throw on my suit and lay out by the pool all day. I have been keeping up with my 2.5-3 mile walks every day though and I've lost 2lbs since Dylan left on July 2nd! I'm hoping to loose 15 total by the time he gets home. It is working so far and I'm feeling great about myself!

I get to talk to Dylan a lot. Like, way more than I did in his last deployment. Sometimes I feel guilty that we talk so much, but I should simply just be thankful. I don't know if I've said it yet, but we talk in the mornings through Viber and we Skype at night between 7 and 8:30. I just feel the need to document that, so sorry if it is repetitive :)

You wouldn't think it was possible, but you can still get upset with your significant other, even if they're on the other side of the world… Dylan and I are working through some communication issues right now. Remember when I said that this deployment is going to make our relationship stronger? Well, I forgot the part where you have to go through a whole bunch of not-so-fun stuff before you get to the "we achieved something!!" part. Right now, it is communicating. We haven't found a balance in what we talk about and what he can handle hearing from me. I don't feel like I can vent and/or tell him the things I'm doing without him without upsetting him or making him miss home. He has a lot on his plate right now and there isn't much room for me to be selfish and want all of his attention. I need to focus on him and help him get through the next few months. We'll get there. We've just hit a rough spot.

Here is what life is looking like the past couple of days… This is Bama and Chubbs, the bulldogs. I know they are missing Dylan for sure, because he always plays with them when I housesit.

Skype. Viber. Facebook.

There has never been a greater invention than Skype. Dylan and I have only done it twice since he has been in Afghanistan, purchased Internet, and settled in his room. It is great to see his face and look around his room. On the packing list that the base gave him, they suggested he bring Christmas lights. He chuckled and said that was silly but bought some patriotic lights from Hobby Lobby anyway. When we skyped for the first time, his whole room was lit up. Turns out the guy who had the room before him left a log of stuff for Dylan to use- including Christmas lights ;) dyl loves them.

The main way we've been communicating is through an app called Viber. It is free. It allows us to text AND call for FREE. No charge. He just needs wifi. Can you belive that?! Now of course, he's awake while I'm asleep and his work schedule interferes because he can't talk unless he's in his room, but this is pretty stinkin nice. I never thought it'd be so easy to get ahold of him.

Facebook is another way we communicate. Messaging is quick, and writing on eachother's wall is good for a little flirting. We don't use it as much as Viber, however.

I usually gef to talk with Dylan around 9am before he goes to sleep, and then again around 7pm when he wakes up (around 4:30am his time) to get ready for work. He gets up a little earlier so we can Skype :)

The days are moving right along! I'm so glad I can talk to my boy as much as I have been!

Today

Today I got to talk to Dylan for a few minutes while I was out in the rain storm. He said his first day at work went well and that he is SUPER tired.

Today I went to brunch with the wife of one of Dylan's supervisors. Her name is Crystal. We ate at Common Grounds and then walked up to the Farmers Market and did a little shopping. I loved it! I'm glad I made a new friend, and I'm glad it is her because we have a lot in common. Her husband is deployed with Dylan right now… so that is the main thing we have in common ;)

Today I had to do a little more shopping for Dylan… because it makes me feel better. I bought an air freshener for his room from Bath and Body Works. I think it'll make him feel less home sick.

Today I am thankful that Dylan took care of me, and put RainEx on my car windows before he left because it rained for the first time here in over a month and it POURED. Hail, wind, lightening, thunder, POURED. And I really missed him being here because then I had to put gas in my car in that storm… and I was wearing a dress… and it wasn't pretty.

Today, I am still missing my boy like crazy and I'm wishing it was October already!

Day Four: Settled In

I had a hard day yesterday (Friday.) I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I kind of walked around most of the day with tears in my eyes.

Dylan called around 3pm my time to tell me he arrived safely and that he was all settled in. He had his "privacy curtain" up, he had purchased internet, and had made is bed. I hadn't heard from him in over 24 hours, so it was sweet to hear his voice and chat for a while.

Maybe I was a little off yesterday because everything was becoming real and settling down. However, that means it is getting closer and closer until I get him home!

Day 3: Missing this Man

Day Two: AMERICA Misses You, Dylan! Happy 4th!

{This was us in 2012 when Dylan came home from his first deployment. I can't wait for that day in October!}

Today I slept in a little bit. Woke up and went on my almost three mile walk in the 100 degree heat. Yuck. I'm sure Dylan doesn't miss that at ALL.

Around 1:00 Mom, Dad, Kate and I packed up the car and headed to the lake house to spend time with aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents for the 4th.

I was nervous about this. This was the first outing without Dylan. I was going to have fun without Dylan. I was driving our backroads that have been made so familiar to me because of Dylan, but without him. And I didn't like it. But my family being there helped.

We even brought Lexie

She did really well on the way out there and we were surprised because we don't take her out much :)

The drive out there was LONG and on bumpy dirt road. But it was worth it to see this view

I immediately grabbed a beer and my towel and went to relax in the sun on the doc. It was so fun to be around the family and have fun on the boat with all of my cousins. We haven't been to the lake house together since we were kids, so it was really neat to kind of relive our childhood.

{My mom and all of the girl cousins, minus one}

Lexie even got to go swimming! She didn't like it at first, but she hates being away from my mom, so she suffered ;)

Kate got a great tan last week in Florida with Cody!

We got home late and I was exhausted, so I hopped in bed pretty quickly. Dylan called around 12:30 and I missed it, but he sent me messages letting me know everything was OK and that he'd call me in the morning.

I am missing him every day, but the days are getting easier.

Day One: Trying

I spent the entire day trying to stay busy and develop a new normal. And while I don't like it and wish my boy was here… I know it is something that I have to do. I don't want to document EVERY little thing I do every day for the next 3 months, but I do think that Dylan will take comfort in knowing I'm carrying on when he checks this blog for updates. Plus it might be comforting for him to see little reminders of home and how much I miss him.

I woke up at 5:40 to a text from Dylan at 4:00. He said they arrived at the midpoint in Germany and that he didn't have data so He'd call when he got to their next destination.

I laid in bed for a long time, snuggled up to his worn T shirt from Sunday night that smells like him. Since I last talked to him late yesterday afternoon, I have emailed him 4 times and written him one letter. It is getting easier. I still feel sick to my stomach and sad, but I know it'll get easier as time passes.

I got up around 6:30 at put on my tennis shoes to take a jog (walk :) I went around the neighborhood and the park for about 40 minutes. 2.70 miles. It felt really good to get out and clear my mind. I also started eating better today- I've got to work off those pounds I've gained eating at all of Dylan's favorite restaurants.

{Lunch}

After doing some cleaning and organizing around the house, I went to run some errands :) I told a friend that I'd watch her daughter while she went to work this afternoon, so with time to kill I drove up to Mt. Sequoyah to get a picture of Fayetteville to send to Dylan. I said a prayer for him and all of his friends and their families that are also going through this deployment.

{Fayetteville}

It was good to get out of the house for a bit, but weird not having Dylan there in the passenger seat! We've spent a lot of time together in the last few weeks… maybe that was a bad idea ;)

I sat outside with my parents tonight and fed the animals and watched the sunset.

{Momma chicken and her chicks}

This is a new app I downloaded that counts down the time between two dates. For Safety reasons I probably shouldn't put his arrival date out here on the internet, however, if there is one thing I know about the military, its that NOTHING is certain. That date will change, it is only a matter of time.

{Isn't that cool? I can't wait till the whole thing is GREEN!}

I just got off the phone with Dylan, he is doing good and his voice sounds calm. In true Dylan fashion, he is already complaining that my emails are too long :) But I still love him.

Dylan's Gift

Sasha and Justin were so nice and got Dylan some snacks for his trip and some magazines to keep him entertained. Being sneaky, Sasha put a bridal magazine in his gift bag, too :)

No Pressure, Dyl :)

Dylan Deploys

Dylan and I made the drive to Fort Smith on Sunday night around 11. I drove 65 pretty much the whole way. Dylan would say, "Babe, the speed limit is 70," and I would say, "I know." I knew the drive back home would be long and hard without him, so I wanted our last little drive to last.

After settling in the hotel, we got to sleep around 1:30. He woke up around 6:35 and started to get ready. I dropped him off on base at 7:45 after buying him a quick breakfast at Braums. He had to wait in a LONG line of others to get checked in. It took him almost an hour. While that was going on, I was back at the hotel getting pretty to see my man off!

I met his parents at a parking lot across the street from the base and they rode with me to park the car and find Dylan. He must have been bored because he was waiting on a corner for us shortly after we got past security. Poor guy. He jumped in the car with us and told me where to park

We sat with him in the "hanger" I think they called it… It was like a big garage where they usually hold the airplanes and work on them.. from 10:30ish until 12:45 when they called his group to load up. It was probably one of the hardest goodbyes I've EVER made. I HATE goodbyes. Hate them

After that he went into a holding room where we could still peek at him. His boss, Sarah, came over to comfort us after he left. ALL of his coworkers and their wives were so helpful and comforting. I came home with several new numbers in my phone that they gave me incase I needed anything. I think they all think very highly of Dylan, and that makes me happy.

I couldn't bring myself to leave Fort Smith after I dropped his parents back off at their car. I went to get an iced tea at Chick Fil A and then I sat in a parking lot close to base and waited for the plane. I know this picture is terrible, but it happened so quick, I had literally 2 seconds to jump out of my car and take it

I held it all together pretty well until that plane took off. I got back in my car and just cried. I didn't know how I was going to make it home.

It has been really hard since he left (yesterday) and I've had minimal contact with him. I woke up to a message from him this morning that said they made it halfway there. Sometime this afternoon I expect a phone call from him. I can't wait to hear his voice. I miss him so much already.

Catch Up

Dylan was supposed to report (work) in Fort Smith on base last Thursday and Friday. Well, he did work on Thursday, but they got everything done so he called and said "Surprise! I'm off on Friday!" Which I was happy about… and sad about… I was dependent on spending time that Friday preparing for his SURPRISE GOING AWAY PARTY! I had no idea how I was going to get it all done, but I did know that spending time with Dylan was a priority. So I packed up and headed down to Fort Smith to go on a date with my man! At his request, we ate at our favorite Indian restaurant and then went to see "That's My Boy" at the movies. He laughed through the whole thing- that whole movie was full of "dylan humor" and I was glad to see him enjoying himself. On Friday we drove back to Fayetteville, did a little shopping at the Promenade, did some driving around the lake and such, and then we went to visit my Aunt Mary and Uncle Richard. Dylan was really sweet and requested to visit a lot of people before he left. I just love him.

On Saturday morning, I made up an excuse to go home and help my mom bake a cake for a party that she was going to that night. I had been texting Cal, Dylan's best friend, and planned for him to entertain Dylan so I could get some stuff done for his party. They went on a motorcycle ride and swimming at the lake. I was so thankful that he was preoccupied that day, and also that she was able to spend some time with Cal, doing what they loved, before he left.

Meanwhile, I was preparing stuff like this:

Meanwhile, his mom texted him and told him that she made reservations at a restaurant here in town for 7:15 and that she and his dad wanted to take us out to dinner for one last big meal before he left. He texted me about it and we both agreed that we'd go… little did he know.. :)

My mom and dad worked so hard to host this party. I'm so thankful that they love Dylan and wanted to do this for him (and me!) I had lots of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins that were here helping, too! I can't say enough how lucky I am to have those people in my life. Between them, Dylan, and my friends, I'm just THANKFUL.

Dylan got home from his little journey around 4pm and decided to shower and nap. Perfect! I was still getting everything ready!

My Uncle Kevin grilled up some delish tritip and steaks. He's the best! And my mom made everything else you could ever dream up. She goes all out when she entertains and I LOVE IT until clean up time ;) NOBODY was going to walk away from that party hungry- and they didn't! I wish I would've taken more pictures of the goodies.

Around 6:00 all the peeps started showing up! I was getting SO nervous. Over 30 people came. Dylan's parents, sister, brother, and brother's girlfriend. Pretty much my whole family, and then 3 of Dyl's friends and their wives/girlfriends. I knew he'd love having everyone there, but I wasn't sure how he'd do being the center of attention… that worried me a little because I didn't want to embarrass him.

The boys passed the time waiting for Dylan by drinking beer and playing horse shoes

I loved having everyone there! Around 6:30 I started texting Dylan (I couldn't call him because I am a TERRIBLE liar and it was hard for me to even "lie" about as much as I had already) and telling him he better hurry up because we couldn't be late for the reservations! At this point, everyone was there snacking, drinking, laughing, and waiting. Around 7ish, my boy pulled up the driveway…

We were all standing there on the patio in front of him, waving and cheering. He pulled up a little further, smiling ear to ear, then in true Dylan fashion, he jokingly put his truck in reverse and acted like he was going to back down the drive way… :)

He was SO shocked, and to tell you the truth- I was, too! I had NO idea I could pull something so big off for him without him even being suspicious! I was so excited! He walked around for a few minutes just taking it all in- he was so out of it because he was so surprised.

sweet cousin, Jared there to show his support!

Aunt Florence, Dylan and myself

Thankful for Sasha and Justin!

Couldn't have pulled this off without these two… so so thankful!

(I realize this post is getting a little too long, but I want all of this to be documented for Dylan. Also I realize that the pants I'm wearing in these pictures make me look like I'm not wearing pants at all. I got teased a lot by my loving family for that :)

I'm just so THANKFUL for this guy and glad I could do this for him and make him feel special and appreciated- because he is. It brings tears to my eyes how much my family loves and supports him just like I do. We are so lucky to have the friends that we do, too!