New Year...

Christmas is over and the new year is fast approaching. You know what that means! New Years Resolutions! I haven't quite figured mine out yet but the whole idea of having a resolution has me thinking about a lot of things. With a new year comes new things, new possibilities, new opportunities.... room for change! Lots of change! I'll be the first to say that I'm usually not very fond a change. Familiarity is very comforting to me but for some reason, I'm looking forward to some of the changes I'll be making in my life this coming year. Some of them are self-improvement changes like having more self-confidence, being an all around healthier person, to stop worrying so much about things I can't control, etc. Some of them are life-changes like finishing up school, moving to a new place, starting new jobs., etc.. And some of them are just changes I want to make for the sake of my own personal beliefs on having a happier, healthier life... like surrounding myself with loving, supportive, and unselfish people, welcoming obstacles as opportunities, and only focusing my attention on the people and the things that matter. Whenever I seem to be having a hard time or dealing with a difficult person, my Dad always reminds me that "Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Completely true. True family and friends accept you just the way you are... they accept your faults, your quirks... everything about you because that's who you are. I live my life the way I want to. I do the things I want to. I don't do the things I don't want to. If someone has a problem with any of that, why would I want them in my life? That is who I am and I only want the people who love me to be in my life. I am so unbelievably lucky to have grown up with such a loving and accepting family. I am proud of the family that my husband has become a part of... a family (most of which that have not met him yet) that accepts him and loves him unconditionally. I feel so privileged to have been raised with such high morals and values... something I will instill in my own family one day. I was taught the importance of The Golden Rule: "Treat others as you wish to be treated." All of these traits that make me truly proud of the woman I've become. All of these things that make realize exactly what I want in and out of my life. All of these things that I can easily achieve to make my life a happier and healthier place. I have so many things to be thankful for... a loving husband, an amazing family, great friends... the things that truly matter. Why waste my time on anything else?

Wrapping Up 2010

I hope that everyone is enjoying their holiday season. I know I am, but I'm also looking forward to it being over. Holidays are too hectic and busy of a time these days. It seems as if we can't slow down for a single minute to just simply enjoy them anymore. With the year 2010 quickly coming to an end, I wanted to take the time to do a "2010 Newsletter." Kind of like a quick wrap up of what's happened in our life this past year. Many things have happened, most of which you all already know about, but I thought that this would be a fun tradition to start now that I'm married and starting a new path in life.

So, we'll start with 365 days ago :) Wow. 365 days ago I was still trying to adjust to Ryan and Charly being gone. The three of us live together and each and every night, I had both of them coming home to me, I had both of them to cook for, I had 2 people to share everything with. On December 11th, 2009, Charly left for his 4th deployment and on December 15th, 2009, Ryan left for his 2nd deployment. Having both of them in Afghanistan at the same time was one of the scariest times in my life. It took a lot of adjusting and it wasn't easy. Many tears were shed and there were countless sleepless nights. But here I am, I made it through and I feel I am a much stronger person! More importantly, Ryan and Charly made it through! In July, both of them returned home from a difficult 7 month long deployment. They came home on 2 separate nights and I can honestly say that those were two of the best nights in my entire life. I will never, ever forget searching for Charly for what seemed to be forever and finally turning around and seeing him standing there with a huge smile on my face and finally being able to hug him. I will never, ever forget the way I felt when I finally saw Ryan pass by me as he and his platoon marched up. I screamed his name at the top of my lungs and began to run with his platoon, sure that right as he stopped and was released, I would be there to finally wrap him in my arms. 7 long months were over. 7 months of worrying were over. It felt so good to have My Marines home. Here are a few pictures:

My Homecoming Sign For Charly

"CPL Mabry, You are the best POG ever. Welcome Home"

 

Welcome Home 1/6 HARD! 

The Day Charly Came Home

My First Hug With Charly :)

I pretty much tackled him.

My Homecoming Sign For Ryan :)

"CPL Haley, Tonight I am teaching you the big bang theory"

Everyone tries to come up with something silly to say :)

My Very First Hug With Ryan :) 

It lasted for about 20 minutes.

 He's Finally Home. 

I couldn't stop smiling, even through the kisses :)

Wow, that sure does bring back some memories... and some tears for sure! So, that was a quick 7 month sum it. A few things happened in between there. I want to take a minute to remember our dear friends Tank-A-Roo and Willy Buddy. They were our English Bull Terrier's that passed away this year, Tank in May and Willy at the end of September. Charly got Tank when he was stationed out in San Diego 6 or so years ago and he quickly became a huge part of our family. Anyone who has met him will tell you what an amazing personality he had... how he could make anyone laugh. Willy became a part of our family in July, right after Charly came home from Afghanistan. We were skeptical about getting another English Bull Terrier... too many "what if's?" after losing Tank, but we got him anyways and were most certainly NOT disappointed. He had an amazing personality as well... brought so many laughs and smiles to our lives. Losing a pet is like losing a part of your family. They were both very difficult times. Especially because they both passed so unexpectedly. Tank was my rock while the boys were deployed. Always willing to listen when I wanted to cry, as long as he could lay under the covers. He was so silly. He was human like... such a personality. We still miss him every day but he's in a better place now... hopefully God is letting him play with all the socks that he wants because he sure did love that! Willy did a great job at filling up my empty heart after losing Tank. Wrapping my arms around him filled my heart with so much love. He was a cute little guy and there isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him or Tank. They will forever be in our hearts.

 

I miss you Tank and Willy. I love you boys so much. 

Thank you for bringing so much happiness to my life and so much love to my heart. 

Okay, I promise, the sad stuff is over. I'm going to try to wrap up the rest quickly since I'm going to make a big pot of chili for dinner and I forgot the cornbread mix and want to have it all ready before Ryan comes home.

On July, 24, 2010 I married the love of my life and my best friend, Ryan J. Haley. We had a very simple ceremony. It was simply the most beautiful day of my life. I relive the moment in my mind and tears fill my eyes. I have been truly blessed with the most amazing man to spend my life with. I don't know how I got so lucky, but I did and I am so unbelievably excited to spend every day of forever with him by my side. My brother put together a little video for us so we can always have a piece of Our Special Day. Watch it here. I hope that those of you that have not met Ryan yet, get to soon so I can share the most special part of my life with you. And for those of you who haven't met me, trust me, you'll be pretty impressed as well :) Haha. Here are some photos from our wedding day:

In November, my Dad and Kim came for a week long visit and we had a total blast. I wrote a blog about it if you want to read about what we did. It was awesome for him to finally meet Ryan... they got along great just like I knew they would. We were planning on going home for Christmas... to Arizona and Wyoming, but plans changed and we'll save that trip for sometime in early 2011. And well folks, that's about it. I'm sure I am forgetting 2/3 of the things I wanted to write about... if I remember, I'll be sure to write a part 2 but til then, this is all I have. I hope you are all enjoying your Holidays and keeping warm. We have had a rather cold winter here and are already ready for it to be summer. Many new and exciting things happening in 2011 so I will keep you posted!

Merry Christmas and  Happy New Year!

Military Widows

So, after telling one of my friends today that I was thinking about deleting my blog, I find myself here at the kitchen table ready to write again. I just realized that even if nobody reads this, I need this place to vent.


I just finished reading a few entries from a fellow Marine wife's blog whose husband was KIA just a couple of weeks ago. I don't know this woman personally, her blog was recommended to me by a friend, but my heart just absolutely breaks for her. It truly amazes me how strong these women are after experiencing something so traumatic. All I can think about is how bad it must hurt to marry the love of our life, expect to spend years and years with that person, and then all the sudden, at the age of 20, find yourself widowed. This girl wrote in her blog: "God chose me to be His wife because I am strong enough to get through this, and I will, for Him." Just rewriting it makes me cry. I wish that I knew this girl, I wish that I could be there to give her a hug... I just wish there was something I could do because I can not even begin to imagine the pain she is feeling. I feel so selfish because I want to update my Facebook status and say something about how I can't wait for Ryan to come home... I'm so lucky that he's even able to come home. She won't ever get to see him walk through their front door again. I feel so selfish because as soon as I close the door when he leaves for work in the mornings, I already miss him. I'm so lucky to even have a husband who I can walk to the door. She has to wake up alone. It honestly makes me want to get down on my knees and thank God from the bottom of my heart for bringing my husband and my brother home safely. It makes me think to myself, "I'm going to stop taking the little things for granted." I don't try to but sometimes it just happens. I complain about Ryan taking forever to text me back... those girls would kill to have just one more phone call. I just want to pour every ounce of love I have into Ryan because someday, he just might not be here. Life is so unexpected and so unfair and so cruel sometimes. I just wish there was something I could do for these girls. They are living my worst fear. They are living every military wife's worst fear. And most of them do it with so much pride. I have so much respect for the women who continue to honor their husbands even after they've passed. The ones who honor them with dignity. The ones who stay strong because they need to for their children, their families, for themselves. I don't know how they do it, but they do. I admire them for their strength and the courage they have to get up each day and face the world when their world has been torn apart. I don't even know what else to say except thank you. Thank you for being so strong. Thank you for standing proud. Thank you for your husband's unselfish service to our country and the sacrifices you are facing. I am so unbelievably sorry for your loss.

The Kissy Face & The Pouty Face

What is it with girls these days posting pictures of themselves making what I like to call the "kissy" and "pouty" faces? I have seen girls who don't have a single picture of themselves where they're not making that asinine face. Do you seriously think you're being sexy or that somehow that face makes you look cute? It looks absolutely ridiculous! I mean, I can understand taking a group photo with your girlfriends, joking around and making a funny face, but seriously... when you're taking pictures of yourself with your cell phone in the restroom while making that stupid face and throwing up a peace sign, it's a sure thing that you're NOT turning anyone on! If you're 14 a freshman and high school sure, take all the pictures you want, but I think there comes a time where you grow up and just SMILE!

The "I'm about the barf but I better make the kissy face" Picture

"Yo, yo, yo.. who wants to kiss this face!?"

I forgot this face... the "Oh my gosh, you just take my breath away" face

Put your damn peace signs away.

This guys "pouty face" looks better than yours.

Picture can't be complete with just the pouty face... someone had to double the amount of stupid and throw in the peace signs.

So, there you have it, my rant on the infamous "kissy" and "pouty" faces. Next time you enjoy your strawberry smirnoff, leave your camera at home.

Goodbye Thanksgiving, Hello Christmas....

Can you believe it's already December? Before we know it, Christmas will be over and we'll be welcoming in the year 2011!  It seems like yesterday the world was frantic and preparing for Y2K. Wow, time really does fly... whether you're having fun or not!

So, Thanksgiving was nice. Ryan and I made a yummy ham as we had planned and spent the day watching episode after episode of a TV series that we are following. And for the first time in my life, I did some Black Friday shopping! Not near as crazy as I had expected and definitely worth it (even though we woke up at 1:30 am)! We made out like a couple of bandits! We bought a really nice sofa, love-seat, and recliner from Ashley Furniture for $400! You can't beat a deal like that! We have decided to start buying little things that we will need once we move away from here so we have the essentials in our new home right when we move in... like a really cute new set of dishes, cups and glasses, some other kitchen supplies, and a few other things. Plus we already have a bunch of nice art work and pictures to decorate with, our bedroom set is amazing, our bathroom is complete, and with our new living room set and kitchen stuff we're pretty much set! I can't wait to get to wherever and just decorate my little heart out! I lovvvvve decorating and making things pretty and nice! I get so excited at the thought of it and then realize that when all of that takes place, I'll be in a completely new place without my brother :( I don't know what Ryan and I are going to do without him! Definitely miss him, that's for sure! I know I've rambled about this before... so anywayyys!

Our Christmas plans have changed and as much as I would have liked going home to spend it with our families, I'm slightly relieved that we'll be celebrating here in North Carolina. The main reason... trying to fit alllll of that traveling in a 2 week time span during the holidays was really turning into a nightmare... an expensive nightmare!! We've decided to try to head out at the end of January which will be way less stressful and we can spend as much time as we'd like and save lots of money! And this way, we get to spend Christmas here with Charly before he deploys to Afghanistan again. I'm so excited to eventually take Ryan back to Arizona! My bestest is going to try to make a trip out from California to see me and to meet Ryan! January will be a year since I have seen her and that is just too long so this is super exciting! I have so many things that I'd like to take Ryan to do/see. First thing is just showing him where I grew up. Taking him to all of my old forts around our property that I played in as a kid, showing him where I went to school, where I liked hanging out. I'm most definitely taking him to downtown Prescott. I love the historic feel of my town and I can't wait to share that with him! Then I want to take him to meet the rest of my family. They are going to go absolutely crazy over him! I have such a warm, loving, accepting family... we're going to have a great time. Oooo, and I can't wait for him to meet Grandma! That will be funny... she'll always be reminding him of how handsome he is, for sure! Then off to Sedona and Flagstaff and hopefully if we're there long enough we can take a trip to the Grand Canyon because Ryan's obviously never been there and neither has my Dad... a native to Arizona and he's never been to the Grand Canyon! Ha! So many things to look forward too!

Where did November go?

Is it seriously Thanksgiving next week? Where in the world did the month of November go? And October, September, and August?! Time has gone by so quickly these past 4 months. It's so hard to believe that this time last year, I was preparing for Ryan to deploy to Afghanistan. It doesn't seem like a year ago to me at all. Each month was a complete blur while he was gone. People ask what it's like being away from someone for that long or how the time passes.... The only way I know how to describe it is that the days went by extremely slowly but the months went by quickly. I know that doesn't make much sense when I say it but it's true. Every day seemed like a lifetime without him. Days drug on and on and on but then I'd wake up one day and it'd be April and for the life of me I couldn't believe that I had made it 4 months already. The 4 month mark is a crucial point in a deployment because you've made it over half way. It's a  great feeling. Anyways, I don't know why I'm rambling about that. Point is, I think back to this time last year and how very different things are now and it just simply blows my mind. I am so happy and unbelievably thankful for where my life is now.


Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. I think what I love most about it is how relaxing it is. To me, the holiday truly is about giving thanks and being grateful for what you have. It's the least selfish holiday, in my eyes. People aren't frantically running around trying to pick out the "perfect" gift for so-and-so or worrying if their gift is going to be good enough and all the hype that some of the other Holidays bring. It's just about being with the people you love, eating some yummy food, and taking a day to slow down and reflect on what's really important. Ryan and I were able to enjoy Thanksgiving together last year, just the two of us, and it was so nice. We made so many yummy things, the house was warm, it smelt amazing, we relaxed... just how I like it. Although we get to spend it alone again, this year will be extra special. This will be our first Thanksgiving as Husband and Wife. How exciting, right? I get to celebrate the holiday with a whole new meaning. What better way to spend my day than with the person I am most thankful for? I can't wait to cook all of the amazing foods... we had such an amazing dinner last year... I know this year will be even better! And every year after that, it will just keep getting better and better! And the best part... leftovers! Yes! I am a fan of Thanksgiving leftovers! Especially the ham (we cook ham instead of turkey)! You can cook it for breakfast, put it on sandwiches, make different kinds of soup... it's just the best! All this talk about food has got me hungry! 


Anyways. I hope that next year Ryan and I can spend Thanksgiving in Arizona... it's been a long time since I've celebrated Thanksgiving with my Dad and that makes me sad. When I think about the things I am most thankful for, he is most definitely one of the very first things that pops in my mind. I owe him all the thanks in the world because without him, I would be nowhere near the person I am today. He's the greatest. End Of Story. 


Christmas plans are still coming along. As of right now, it looks like we will be visiting Arizona and Wyoming. Pretty crazy, right? We will be doing tons of traveling within those couple of weeks hitting up 3 different states... I forgot to mention we're stopping in Colorado too. 


So, I expect December to pass by just as quickly as November did... and then it will be January and who knows what life will be life then :)I'll be sure to keep you updated though.


Enjoy your weekend!

Celebrating 235 Years of The Marine Corps

So, we're home from the Marine Corps Ball and it feels great! I can not put into words how unbelievably tired we were once we finally got home and settled. We played a game of Skip-Bo while we were waiting for dinner to finish and between turns I was seriously having to rest my eyes... I was soo exhausted! BUT I did manage to win the game! Go Me! Ryan almost always wins and if you know me, you know I'm a sore loser so it was nice to finally win and be able to prance around the house singing the "I won Skip-Bo" song for once! I absolutely hate losing and since Ryan is very well aware of this, when he wins, he makes his victory speech a little louder, a little longer, and a little more obnoxious. We have this playful competitiveness that is pretty darn funny and definitely makes for an interesting time. Anyways! We had a pretty good time at the Ball... not all that I had expected it to be but it was still a good time. It was nice to get dressed up and feel pretty for the night. Ryan looked handsome as ever in his Dress Blues. I'm so proud of him and when he puts that uniform on, I'm filled with even more pride knowing that I have the privilege to be married to one of The Few and The Proud. It's a feeling that only a Marine Wife (and girlfriends and fiancees too!) can feel... you can't really describe being in love with a Marine and all the feelings and emotions that come with it. All I can say is that I am so amazingly proud of my husband for everything he has done. So, here are some of the pictures from our night. You can find the rest on our facebook :)

gettin' ready to head out

 k, a serious one

 Caitlin, Nicole, and Me

at the ceremony :)

And well, that's about it. Back to the grind this week. I've been spoiled with so much time with Ryan lately that I missed him before he even left for work this morning. I don't think he's had a full week of work in the past couple of weeks so this is a bummer. On a positive note though, we are still playing the powerball and every week, we have a winning ticket... not "THE" winning ticket, obviously, but "A" winning ticket so maybe the big win is around the corner... keep your fingers crossed! 

Enjoy your week!

Hello, Winter.

Brrrr! Winter is coming that is for sure! Time to pull out all of my favorite coats, scarves, hats and gloves! Last week we didn't have a single day in the 60's! It feels like fall more so than winter today though, I believe it's 68 out right now which is pretty nice. It will get cold tonight though! I hope the rest of the week stays nice too since Ryan has a super long weekend coming up for Veteran's Day (Remember to fly your flag in honor of our Veterans) ! This weekend is also our Marine Corps Ball so it better stay nice so my hair doesn't go nutzo and get all frizzy! I hate when that happens! Anywho!


So, my Dad and Kim left last Friday and that was a total bummer :( We had such an amazing time while they were here visiting! I wish they could have stayed much longer but we're planning on going to Arizona sometime (hopefully soon) to see them again and so Ry can meet the rest of The Fam. While he was here we did a lot of fun things! We took him to the place we got married and showed him around Beaufort. We took him to the boat house where they were currently working on 2 new boats and also to the NC Maritime Museum which was so cool! We got to see actual artifacts from Queen Anne's Revenge... The pirate Blackbeard's ship! The ship sunk right off the coast of NC back in the 1700's. It was so amazing to see such a neat part of history! They're starting up their Fall 2010 diving expeditions again and you can follow their progress on their facebook if you're interested. My geeky side totally just came out :) Anyways! So, we did that and we also went to Fort Macon... another awesome piece of history (you can look that one up on your own). We visited the NC Aquarium also and had a blast. My Dad is such a cutie... he walked up and down our beach collecting bags and bags of seashells to take back to Arizona. Like I said in a previous blog, this was his first time to the East Coast so it was like seeing a kid in a candy shop once he got to the beach. The simplest of things make him happy and I just love that about him! We ate lots of great food, played several games of cards, and spent hours and hours relaxing and just talking away. All in all, it was a fabulous time and I am so happy that my Dad and Ryan finally got the meet each other!


Hmm, what else? Nothing really so off I go :)


Stay classy,
A.Haley

Upcoming Events

So, it's been awhile since I've written and I've got some down time and thought I'd write before getting back to the grind. "The Grind" meaning laundry, dishes, vacuuming, and whatever else I can find to do before the boys get home.

We've got some pretty exciting things going on in the month of November. To start things off, my Dad is coming to visit the 1st through the 5th and I absolutely can not wait to see him! This is an extra special trip for him (well for all of us) for many reasons. One being that he gets to see me after almost a year, yippie! Two being that he finally gets to meet Ryan, hooray! And three being that in his 57 years of existence, he has never been to the East Coast, whoa! I am soo excited! My brother and I are so very lucky to have such an amazing Dad! I'm not sure exactly what we're going to do while he's here, but what's totally kick ass about my Dad is that he is perfectly content just hanging out at the house and relaxing. Sure, we're going to show him around and do some fun things but it's nice knowing that we don't have to be on the go 24/7 keeping him entertained... He's happy just being here with us and I love that about him! We are going to have a great time!!

During the 2nd week of November we are going to The Marine Corps Ball! I've never been to one and even though Ryan says they're not all that they're cracked out to be, I am still so excited! I bought a super cute dress that I can't wait to wear! When we went dress shopping, I was buying a dress on two conditions... that it was long and not black.... I ended up buying a short black dress. It's not too short though; right above my knees. I think it looks classy. The only thing I don't like about it is that it makes me look skinnier than I already am... my main reason for not wanting a black dress since I'm super self conscious about being skinny. Oh well. It will be nice to get away for the evening and stay in a hotel ( for some reason I love staying in hotels, it's super exciting to me ) and get dressed up and get to see my husband in his Dress Blues because he looks so handsome in them!! It will be nice to have an extra memorable evening with our good friends, Caitlin and Christian, before we leave North Carolina (which I'm still not sure if that's happening or not). I know if we do leave, I'm going to miss them so much. It's hard meeting good friends in the military... well at least it has been for me, but I'm so thankful that we have them because they're the definition of true friends.

So I guess since I mentioned leaving North Carolina, I will touch base on that subject really quick. We still don't know what we're doing. Ryan may stay in the Marines, he may not. We may stay on the East Coast, we may not. He may get a Federal job, he may not... we're still looking at and considering all of the possibilities and trying to make the best choice for us. It's stressful knowing that our life could be completely changing in less than 3 months but I know we'll be okay no matter what. We are so excited for all of the possibilities. We talk a lot about going some place completely new and different... I think it would be so fun to live somewhere that we know nothing about... figuring out new fun things to do together, traveling to get to know the area together, just being completely alone together... little things like that excite us. We will see what happens! As exciting as moving sounds, we have both come to the conclusion that moving away from Charly is going to be pretty hard. He's the best brother I could ever ask for and he has most definitely become one of Ryan's best friends. When we went to Asheville we couldn't wait to get home and see him, we really missed him! Same with when he's gone... we look forward to having him home... all 3 of us make this house a home... It will be hard leaving him :( Ryan and I hope that we can all live close to each other for the rest of our lives... we're going to try to talk Charly into getting a job wherever we end up going so we can continue being 3 peas in a pod... maybe in separate houses though :) I don't think we'll have to twist his arm too much... I know he's going to miss us too :)

The Bitch Curse

You ever just have those days where you're a complete bitch? Well... I do and I don't know why. On those days, my bitchiness seems to be completely legit and I am 100% right about everything. By everything I mean absolutely everything. Sometimes this faze lasts an hour or two or maybe, like in todays case, 13 hours. Yes, I said it... 13 hours. That's every hour except one since I've been awake. The one hour that I wasn't being a bitch started 23 minutes ago when I realized what an emotional psycho I was all day. I wish I could come to my senses a lot sooner... I so could have enjoyed my day and enjoyed the time I had with my husband before he had to leave for his sleep study. But instead, I wanted to be mad and sad for who knows what reason. You know what's worse than being mad for no reason at all? Nothing because then you feel like a psycho because you can't even explain why you're mad. It's just this weird day that creeps up behind you and attacks you with a bitch curse. Let me stop here and address any guys that may be reading this: Guys.. I know what you're thinking and you can just stop thinking it already because you don't even know and not every problem a woman has is caused from PMS. K, thanks. So, anyways. Now that I'm over my bitchiness and thinking about how I could have solved things rationally, it's too late because it's past my bed time, I've got a killer headache from crying over everything, and my hubs is gone for the night at his sleep study and I have to sleep in this big bed all by my-bitch-self. I totally did not win this one.

My Husband

Grrr, he's so dang cute. I love him so much. He has duty today so he's staying at the barracks over night (way gay) and I miss him already. It'll be the first night I've slept alone since he's been home from deployment and well, I think I'll try to stay awake all night so we can sleep all day together tomorrow. We'll see how well that goes... I'm about ready to pass out and I didn't even get anything accomplished that I wanted to! Anyways. So, the procrastinator that I am has yet to go and get a base pass for my car. It's really not that big of a deal since I don't go to base much and when I do, I'm with RyRy and he has one on his car. Usually it takes like 5 minutes tops to get a temp pass and I don't mind waiting. But today, I was definitely kicking myself in the ass for not getting the real deal 2 months ago. Here's what happened. I had just left Taco Bell with some lunch for Ryan and  pulled up to the gate with my temporary pass that was good through "28 Sept 2010." Every other time I came to base on the day my pass expired it was never a problem. I was allowed through the gate and knew that at the end of the day, that pass was no longer good... blah blah blah we all know that. Well today, it was a problem. The guy just stared at me until I rolled down my window and said something along the lines of, "You obviously don't know what day it is,do you?" with the smirkiest of attitudes. I laughed and said "Ya, actually it's September 28th, 2010." He proceeded to tell me that my pass was no longer good and I'd have to get a new one at the visitor center. I was already irritated that he treated me like I was from outer space, but now my husbands lunch was getting cold because he wanted to stand there and be on some power trip with his M16... dude, get real, you're not that bad ass. So anyways. I rolled my eyes so he could see and I drove off to the visitors center. Knowing I was right all along, I took the pass that I already had inside and asked them if my pass was still valid for today. They said yes and sent me on my way. So, back in my car I go, rounding the corner to see the same guy standing there.

Guy: "I told you to get a new pass"

Me: "Ya and they said that my pass was still valid and I didn't need a new one"

Guy (doing an asshole smirk/laugh): "Ya, like I believe that."

Me: "Well, that's what they said. They just handed it back to me and said I was good through midnight."

Guy: "Let me see your registration and insurance"

Me (while thinking to myself, "who do you think you are asking me for my information!? that's not your job, your job is to wave your hand as I drive by" but giving it to him anyways because I wanted to get lunch to my husband): "Oh my God..."

Guy: "Ya see your insurance card is expired."

Me: "No it's not. It says valid through Sept 2010. There are still 2 days left"

Guy: "It also could have expired yesterday."

Me (as I'm speeding off ): "Whatever, I'll call my husband."

I had done a good job and keeping it together and keeping my attitude while I was talking to the guy, but as soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I started crying and called Ryan... who of course, came to my rescue :) I was still crying when he got there but that husband of mine is a great problem solver and brought a smile to my face almost immediately. We drove through the gate and that same guy waved us through as I smiled a big smile just for him. HA! I won :) Ryan laughed at me and said that I'm so spoiled.. I sat there and frowned-smiled, because he's right. I like knowing that I have him to save me... even if it's over something silly like getting through the gate. I know he'll always have my back. He'd do anything for me, as I would for him. He makes me feel so cute sometimes. I feel giddy and excited and yes, spoiled with lots of love. It's a fun feeling and I love it. Now if only he could come home so I could give him a kiss and maybe tickle him a little... oh my husband, he's so dang cute.

Willy

I don't even know how to start this one... I've typed about 15 things only to delete it and reword what I'm trying to say. Part of me wants to go on a rampage and use the F Word in every sentence to explain how bad this hurts. I want to scream and yell at God, as if it were somehow going to bring him back. I want to hit something because I'm so angry and I don't understand. But instead I sit here and feel this empty feeling all over again. I sit here and ask myself questions that I'll never get the answers to. I sit here and count the millions of reasons this shouldn't have happened. I look around the house and see all of the toys that he'll never get to play with again and think to myself how bad it's going to hurt to get rid of them. Ryan keeps telling me to think that Willy wouldn't want me to be sad but all I can think is that Willy wouldn't have wanted to die either. He was so young... too young to be robbed of a happy future. Too young to be taken away from a family who loved him. That's it, just too young. If God could read this, this is what I want to say...

You took Tank away from us 4 months ago. He was the greatest dog and had spent years in our family. You took him away so unexpectedly and in such a cruel way. He was just a month and a half away from being reunited with Charly, a reunion I was looking forward to so much because their love for each other was so strong. You took him away and didn't give us any answers... but then you gave us Willy. You brought smiles into our lives and hope into our hearts. The night before you took him from us, I thought to myself as I watched Willy play in the kitchen, "He'll never be able to replace Tank but he sure is doing a good job at filling up my heart." And then, you just took him away. You took him away without warning. All I want to know is why? What did we ever do to deserve this? More importantly, what did Willy do to deserve this? What are you trying to teach us? I don't understand the things that you allow to happen. What makes it even harder is that I never will. All I ask is that you cut us a break because we need it. We really do. I can't take much more.

Willy Bud, I love you and I'm going to miss you a lot.. I'll never forget the day we brought you home. You were so cute in the car ride back. I know you were excited to finally get out of the car after 7 long hours of driving. You know what we were excited about? You being a part of our family. You making our house a home. And in those short couple months that you were here with us, you did just that. You filled our house with laughter and love... and pee :) You were a good boy, buddy. You made my heart feel whole again. I don't know why you had to go but I hope that you're in a better place. I hope that you found Tank and he's "showing you the ropes." I hope that you felt so loved, because you were and you always will be. Rest In Peace my little Willy boy. I love you.

Let The Blogging Begin!

The idea of blogging has popped in my head a few times here and there... usually when I'm mad or irritated or I just plain want to bitch about something or someone without having to make anyone else listen to me... but I never really got around to it, until now! And I'm pretty darn excited to say the least. Writing has always been a good release for me. I seem to express myself more freely through writing, although I must say I'm also a pro at verbal communication... just ask my husband. Haha :) Please forgive me in advance if I talk about "The Mr." a lot. We're best friends and do basically everything together... besides two things. One is work because he's a Marine and well, I just don't have what it takes to be one of "The Few and The Proud" (but I am damn lucky to have married one) and the other is poop because that's just gross and I don't care to be a part of that. But other than that, I really do enjoy spending every minute I can with him. Anywho, 'nuff 'bout that. I also wanted to start this blog so our friends and families in a far away land (The Wonderful West Coast) could feel more "in-tune" with our life and just be able to read about some of the crazy, fun, not so fun, exciting, and boring days we have. Before I go I'll add a little about what's been going on lately...

I'm working a job here on Emerald Isle but since vacation season died down after Labor Day, unfortunately so did my hours so I've had a lot of free time lately to do not so much. As many of you know, Ryan is getting closer to his EAS date (Expiration of Active Service or something like that.) Meaning he can get out of The Marine Corps in January but we're still considering our options. Right now, he's looking at Federal jobs and has his eyes set on a couple that he'd really enjoy doing. He's also considered extending his contract and staying in the Marines for another year or so to give him some more time to apply for the MESEP program... that's the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program... meaning he'd go to school and become an Officer in the Marine Corps. Whichever path he chooses to follow, I hope and pray that it all works out for him because he's the best and truly deserves it. A cool thing about him choosing either one of those paths is that we'll have the opportunity to go some place completely new and do something completely different and we are so looking forward to that! Washington DC is a possibility and the only down side we've decided about that is that the traffic will suck but what could be worse than Camp Lejeune traffic, ya know? So, that's an exciting possibility. Also, some places in the southwest... CA, AZ, NM, TX which would be totally bad ass because the southwest offers so many things that we both enjoy doing and so many new things that we could explore together. Wherever we go, we need to be able to take our Kayak though because that is our newest hobby and it is so much fun! I don't care if we move to Maine, Arkansas, Tennessee, Nebraska... as long as we have our life together, everything will be just perfect *Big Cheesy Grin* 

Hmm, what else is up? The Holidays are coming! I'm really excited for them this year! I'm exciting for Fall to come and the leaves to start changing colors and the air to get a little cooler... and by "a little" I mean an itsy bitsy teeny weeny little bit cooler because we absolutely hate cold weather and there is really no point in freezing your butt off every time you want to do something. But for real, fall is such a nice time of year. Stores start selling their holiday scented things that I love so much and we can start making soup and we can use the cool weather as an excuse to stay inside all day and snuggle up and watch movies. We don't ever do anything crazy for Halloween... I can't even remember the last time I actually celebrated... but there is always a different feeling on Halloween than any other day and I like it. Last year we went to a restaurant in Morehead City and ordered a pizza and Ryan accidently dumped a whole glass of beer all over it right as the waiter put it on the table. Haha. It was funny. We sat there and just laughed and enjoyed our beer soaked pizza. Oh shoot, I almost forgot another reason I like fall. MY BIRTHDAY! If you want to know, it's on October 4th. I will we the big 2-2. Twenty two. 22. Double Deuces. It's exciting. I feel like people will take me more seriously now when I say, "Hi, I'm Ann and I'm 22." That sounds much better than "Hi, I'm Ann and I'm 21" because really all they hear is "Hi, I'm Ann and since I'm finally at a legal age to drink, I do so every single night until I puke or pass out... whichever comes first." Ya know what I'm saying? Even though I've never been that girl, it will be nice to not stereotyped when telling someone my age. I do enjoy a good glass of champagne that my wonderful Dad recommended to me though. Thanks Dad!

And, that's my post for today.. we got a new dog and she's barking at Willy so I need to go rescue my balding dog... he really is going bald, it's so sad but he's so damn cute he deserves lots of kisses! Adios Amigos.