The Richters

Blog Comments

2011-12-17T09:13:00.002-05:00

I just want to apologize to everyone that ever made comments on my blogs... apparently I never received notifications of comments cause I just barely read some from back in 2009. OOOPS!

South Korea

2011-12-17T00:49:00.003-05:00

With Devin gone and owning my own business I have the ability to leave whenever I want. Space A is my best friend. I love flying for free and I love that the military offers this perk to wives with soldiers overseas. I was planning on going to Arizona to see my friend Tonya and her two new beautiful babies and then hop over to Louisiana but I instead found a flight heading to Korea. I thought about it for 5 minutes then said no, there is no way I can do it, its too last second, what about my cats, what about my business, what about my mail, no cell service, how would I talk to Devin?, too many what abouts... well my dear friend Kristina was sooo excited that it was even an idea, and then I talked to Stephanie who said really when is going to be a good time if you don't just go. So I thought about it and she was right. If I didn't go, I never would. I tied up all the loose ends and the next thing I knew I was on a plane for Korea... Crazy! BUT its been a blast, Im having a blast, there are so many things to see, so many things to do. There is no way I can see it all and I know I need to leave soon so I'm trying to wrap up all the excitement. The Koreans are the nicest people. They are so sweet. I am not a fan of using elevators here since they cram in like sardines and you can barely breathe. I don't like being in too close of proximity as the older men cause most smell like vodka but the old ladies are priceless, especially with Kristinas 2 blonde sons, they LOVE them. Its very entertaining. The language barrier is quite exciting as well. You never know what your eating unless you get lucky to have the food written in english as well but its kinda scary. I experienced pure bliss yesterday when something hit me like a ton of bricks and I spent the night on the toilet. It was a party! Don't know what it was but I definitely feel better today. The shopping here is AMAZING!!! They have the nicest clothes ever. Some of the stores are actually somewhat affordable. I told Devin before he left that I was not going to buy any clothes before he left but I was wrong. Month 1 and I bought a bunch! Some were or him though. Ill post more when my trip is over. I should be coming home this next week!

Deployment 2011-2012

2011-12-17T00:04:00.002-05:00

When I met Devin I was very much into the whole military thing, given we met in an ROTC class! I really didn't know that much about the army still and was learning more every day. When Devin and I decided to get married I knew it was going to be a big sacrifice on both of our parts at different points in our marriage. I knew deployments would happen and I knew that my husband was going to be a soldier first and a husband second. In my mind it was manageable and one of those things you tackle as it comes. You learn to deal with it and adjust accordingly. I knew I loved Devin enough and that that should help carry us through the hard times. What I didn't expect is to feel a loss so indescribable, to feel a hole in your heart, to feel completely lost without him.

We had a date for a couple months, he was going to be on the first flight from his unit to deploy beginning of November. Thats when the denial hit me. I wouldn't look at the calendar, I wouldn't talk about it, it was just going to come naturally. That didn't prevent the stress. I was devastated. I didn't want to be alone for a year, I would go to sleep thinking of all the last things we were doing together, the idea of spending the holidays alone, the worries of getting sick and not having him to help me, eating alone, just mere emptiness. A couple weeks before he left I was so frustrated I remember yelling at him that I just wished that he would leave already just GO. Its so hard when there is this anticipation, a buildup, a packing list that needs to be filled, a list of things to buy before he leaves. The constant begging to buy more things just so he can stay entertained. The whole time I kept thinking what about me? I felt more alone than ever. The heartbreak august brought us, the heartbreak of another failed attempt to conceive, and knowing Devin was the only one who understands any of it and he's now leaving me.

The day he left. We woke up, it was sunday morning the 20th of November (his date was pushed back twice). We cuddled in bed and I cried. He told me it was ok and not to cry but how can you not when you know your saying goodbye for a very long time. He had loaded the car the night before, he got his toothbrush, deodorant and packed his last bags. We got in the car and drove to post. It was a very quiet drive, I couldn't let go of his hand. We went to his office and did some last minute stuff. I would not let him out of my sight. He went and got his gun issued and thats when it hit me like a ton of bricks. It was really happening. My husband was going to war. It made me wish I had joined in 2006 so I might be able to go with him. His soldiers showed up and all the guns were issued and all the guys were ready to head to the airport. We drove to the airport, it was all a big blur. They went to check their bags and I was issued a pass to go to the gate. The lady asked how I was doing. Wrong question. I tried to be ok but couldn't hide the occasional tear. We went through security, ate lunch with one of the soldiers Devin had to keep accounted for. Before I knew it they were calling for boarding his flight. Ive never felt so helpless before in my life. Its like you have to do something but your body doesn't want to so you can't move, you can't talk, you can't do anything but cry, lifeless and limp, he picked me up to hug me and I just sobbed. I thought I would fall to the ground if he didn't hold me. All I could say was don't leave me. I hugged him for a couple minutes before he told me he really had to go. I gave him my last tear covered kiss and let go. I had to leave quickly, I turned around to watch him disappear onto the plane. I hurried to my car and sobbed the rest of the way home. I got in bed and cried myself to sleep. I slept all day. It was like that for 4 days. Where did the strength go that I supposedly have?

Thanksgiving came, I had a good time with my aunt and uncle but I was so empty, my other half was definitely missed that day. Stephanie called me to see how I was doing. I can keep it together until someone asks that question. Especially her, I know how hard it was when Jeff left her and I now was going through the same thing. I cried again, I cried a lot that day but then it was over. The day was done, I knew it was time to move forward. Everyday has been getting better than the last. I have had a couple melt downs because its never fun to experience exciting things without the one you love. Its hard to sleep alone. Its a daily challenge still to not miss him like crazy. Ive filled some of the pain with constant emails and 5 care packages. Christmas will bring more challenges but hopefully Ill be with someone who can maybe understand and help me to enjoy the holiday.

As for Devin, he is all settled now in Afghanistan, he has his own little room with a little shelf, a little bed and a little closet. He has been working long hours for the last couple weeks now. He does not get holidays or weekends, he gets lonely, he doesn't get visitors, but he likes being over there. He says its not that bad. He has been training for so long so its about time he gets to see it over there again. He is crossing his fingers for mid tour leave. I am very hopeful, I would love to spend two weeks with him in-between this journey.

I am very grateful for the military, I am grateful for the men and women and their sacrifices every day, I am grateful for the families willing to sacrifice for their loved ones. I am proud to be married to an officer of the army. I am grateful that we have the next year to do a lot of reflecting, bonding, strengthening our marriage, paying off debt, making goals for the rest of our lives, strengthening our relationship with the lord, learning patience and so much more. I long for the reuniting and the excitement and anticipation that will come with it. I can't wait to feel like a 16 year old just falling in love for the first time all over again. I love my husband, I'm grateful for his service, I know he will come home safe, heres to the next year!

Leave

2011-12-16T23:50:00.002-05:00

We had the best time on leave! One more thing to be grateful for with the military is the wonderful breaks that we get to spend together. We didn't really have anything set in stone until the last second which was kind of fun. I love living on the edge. Devin on the other hand has a few anxieties about last second stuff. We were trying to get to Louisiana to see his family before he left but there just weren't any space a flights. We did get a flight to Washington though! My long lost aunt Carol lives in Washington and we were able to spend some time with her and her wonderful family. It was a blast and we did not want to leave. Their home is beautiful and very relaxing. You just want to put your jammies on and vege. Our favorite thing to do!

After Carols we stayed in a time share with one of our favorite couples. Stephanie and Jeff drove from North Idaho to Seattle to see us. It was SOOOO much fun. Another time that we didn't want to end. The time share was pretty nice, we were right in the heart of Seattle so it was a lot of fun. We did some shopping, went to a Seattle Sounders soccer game, and just had a good time catching up and reuniting since Jeff just got home from Iraq and Devin and him hadn't seen each other since their wedding in April 09. We won't let that happen again. The boys were able to go golfing together before we had to go our separate ways, they golfed for HOURS, apparently they got a little rusty! We drove down to Oregon and visited my aunt and uncle, cousins, my sweet grampy, my mom, ken, and then back up to seattle to catch another flight to California!

Devin had never met some family favorites... Chuck and Nance. We spend a few days at their house in Atascadero and loved every second of it. Devin couldn't get enough of them. He wanted to stay longer but we had already stayed longer than planned. It was an excellent way to spend leave. We caught a flight home (barely) and begun our descent to deployment.

Continued Hope

2011-12-16T23:39:00.008-05:00

After the unsuccessful pregnancy I decided to focus on Devin and work. I enjoyed helping us financially and spending more time with my love since the upcoming deployment was reaching closer and closer. We ended up having a doctor fall into our laps that was so excited to meet us and help us. We actually had time to do a round of IUI, its less extensive than IVF but still a good route to go apparently. We now have an amazing doctor who is very informative and wanted to help me out as best and quickly as possible before Devin left. She was heaven sent just for the way she cared for me. We went in and found out I don't have a polyp, thank goodness! Devin's deployment date wasn't set until November 7th and we had started with our new doctor beginning of October. It was tight but manageable! Everything worked great, it was way less stressful than IVF, the injections didn't hurt as bad, the doses were a lot smaller and it was less time consuming. Devin was able to see his swimming soldiers under the microscope which thrilled him to no end. He had to tell everyone! The round of IUI didn't work but we are still hopeful. We are focusing on the deployment now and building our marriage through Skype conversations, care packages and daily emails.

2 months of events.

2011-09-15T20:49:00.001-04:00

Devin left for JRTC in Louisiana on the 22nd of August. He was gone all of August doing his pre-deployment training for Afghanistan. I had the embryo transfer on July 23rd. I almost immediately felt pregnant. I had so many side effects it was incredible. I enjoyed every second of it that I could stay awake for. I slept sooo much for the first week. I left on August 2nd for the Scentsy Convention in Dallas and found out on August 5th that I was really pregnant. It was such a rush of emotions. I had been planning everything out right after the embryo transfer so I was so ready for everything to come. I left Dallas and headed to Louisiana to hang with the in-laws. I ended up in the ER on the 7th with massive bleeding and cramping, on the 9th it was considered an incomplete miscarriage, I was done miscarrying around the 11th.

I left Louisiana on the 9th and went to Las Vegas to hang out with Stephanie. It was quite depressing to be on vacation and have all this happen but we managed to have a blast. We went to the Phantom of the Opera and did TONS of shopping. I think that was the majority of our trip but it was a lot of fun. We checked out a lot of the hotels, took several cabs, swam in the resorts pool, got lots of sun, saw lots of dirty things and then headed out!

We left Vegas and Steph drove me up to Logan to my brother’s house where I was meeting up with my cousin the next day. When he got there he said my Grammy was in the ICU in Oregon. I didn’t know things were that bad so it was a very somber day. We found out on the 15th that she was leaving us. We made it through the week then drove to Oregon to face a very difficult occasion. I couldn’t have been happier to get home on the 27th of August. Devin came home on the 1st. Now we are just planning out how to survive the deployment. I am going full on with my businesses right now trying to engulf myself in something else. I am still hurt but am dealing with it the best I can. It comes out as anger quite frequently but I’m done tolerating peoples bull crap. I am sick of everyone’s drama and conflicts. It’s not my job to be a psychiatrist and it’s not my responsibility to be a punching bag. I’ll keep everyone updated on the next round if we can get one in before Devin leaves. I might have to have surgery in a few weeks. The doctor found a polyp in my uterus so well see. I am grateful for what I have and I am still keeping my fingers crossed for next time.

Egg Retrieval

2011-07-21T18:51:00.002-04:00

On Tuesday I went in to Soldotna to have my eggs taken out. They gave me some heavy sedatives and some anesthetics. I was soooo loopy it was awesome! The problem with anesthetics that im awake for is that I talk A LOT. I say the weirdest, crudest, and most embarrasing things. Devin was mortified but I cant help it! They took out 20 eggs! I am waiting for a call to hear when they want to put the embryos in and how they look. After the procedure I wanted to go salmon fishing so we headed to the Kenai. I limited out in 30 minutes. I was so drugged up I dont remember much but I wish it lasted longer. I LOVE fishing!

Hawaii Pictures

2011-07-21T17:42:00.005-04:00

HAWAII

2011-07-21T16:18:00.005-04:00

This was our first trip to Hawaii. We were supposed to leave Friday July 1st but we couldn’t catch a plane out. We were flying space A and all the flights were filled. We ended up being lucky enough to have someone get us one way tickets to Honolulu the next day. I had so much energy when we got there so we got the rental car and drove to our hotel room. The traffic wasn’t that wonderful. I didn’t realize Hawaii was so congested and had so many roads. The hotel was BEAUTIFUL! More than we had expected. We got unpacked and then headed off to dinner. I didn’t want to do anything too authentic on the first night so we walked to The Cheesecake Factory. It was delicious. There were soooo many people everywhere, and TONS of Japanese people. We both didn’t realize how packed Waikiki was in July.

Day 1 -July 3rd We ate breakfast at Eggs ‘n’ Things, it was AMAZING! I bought some coconut syrup cause it was sooo yummy. Then we went to Chinatown. Devin wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of going to Chinatown but I convinced him it would be fun. I had looked up online a good place to park that was relatively cheap well when we pulled in the garage was TINY. We could barely turn the corners in our long Toyota Camry. I tried a space but it was too narrow. Finally we found something. We wandered around Chinatown and really enjoyed the markets. There were fish everywhere of every species. There was pork and other meat chunks all over as well. It was interesting. I had looked up places to eat and found a place called Char Hung Suts with good reviews so we went and I ordered one of everything. It was a little too authentic. I thought I was going to be sick. We went back to the car after a couple hours and I went to pull out of the parking lot and accidentally rammed the car into the cement wall behind me. Not a great moment! We were both pretty ticked off but the damage wasn’t that bad.

After Chinatown we went to the Swap Meet at the stadium. It was only $1 to get in and it was HUGE! There were booths set up around the outside of the stadium that wrapped around the whole thing twice. It was crazy big. We found an ornament and a vase. Devin got a coconut. I was getting sunburnt so we decided to leave but it was pretty fun. For dinner we ate at Hula Grill and had the most beautiful view of the ocean. We ordered Ribs with a yummy pineapple mango marinade. They had this delicious dipping sauce for your bread too. We walked around a bit and found a guy who paints your name with all the cool little pictures so we stopped and had our name painted. It turned out great.

Day 2- July 4th We woke up early and drove to Kailua. We had a fantastic breakfast at Cinnamon’s. They had Red Velvet Pancakes with a white chocolate sauce. SOOO GOOD! We then rented kayaks and went from Kailua and headed out to Lanakai beach. It was beautiful out. We snorkeled when we got to Lanakai. I was surprisingly nervous to put my head under the water but I warmed up to it. I was done after an hour or so but Devin was way into it so I laid out and he snorkeled for a while longer. I started to feel my skin burn and knew I was in trouble. There was no shade and I only had a small towel to cover my shoulders. When we got back to Waikiki we were hurting SOOO bad from sunburns. We went swimming at the beach at our hotel and in the pools but decided to head back to the room. Our sunburns were way bad. We couldn’t touch each other, water made it hurt worse, aloe did nothing. It hurt to lay down it hurt to sit. Everything hurt! We went to the Ala Mona Mall to find out it was closing early because it was a holiday and there were fireworks across the street. We watched what we could from the car but Devin didn’t want to get stuck in the traffic so he didn’t stop.

Day 3- July 5th The next day we went to the ITR office to get tickets to all of the events that we had wanted to see. Post was pretty nice. I was impressed. After that we went to the Dole Plantation. It was a lot of fun. Devin did the Maui Divers Pearls thing where he opened up oysters and found pearls. He made me a ring and a necklace then I opened one up that had twins in it. It was pretty cool. They had this awesome maze where you have a little piece of paper and you are supposed to find 8 stations where you make a symbol off. We only found 5 and were hurting from the sun so we had to quit but it was an awesome maze. I would go back just to do that. The train ride was decent. There was a crazy long line which kinda sucked but it was fine. We enjoyed the best pineapple ice-cream with fresh pineapples on it. We went back to the room and napped then went back to the Ala Mona Mall. There were some beautiful views from the top floor of the mall. We went to California Pizza Kitchen then ended up buying Legos so we would have something to do since we were so sun burnt.

Day 4- July 6th The day was spent at the Seal Life Center. We initially wanted to swim with the dolphins but I am SOOO glad we didn’t. It was so commercialized that you get to spend like 2 minutes with the dolphins and it cost a ton of money. We are going to do it another time when it’s not so crowded and you get to spend more time with the dolphins. The Sea life center had a couple good shows but it was definitely somewhere we wouldn’t go back to. Sea World is much better. The drive to and from was beautiful. It was all on the coast. We stopped at the Hanama Bay Blowhole for a few pictures. It was gorgeous. Back at the hotel Devin took my pearls into the Exchange store where they had another Maui Divers Peal stand and he made them into earrings. They turned out beautiful.

Day 5- July 7th We left early and headed up north. We checked out BYU-Hawaii which was surprisingly small. I expected it to be much bigger. There weren’t very many food options either. I guess they have plans to expand which would be good. It was so small we were there for about 30 minutes. We went to the temple next. It was breathtaking. The visitor’s center was awesome. They had a video and a bunch of interactive stations. It was great for the public to learn more about the church and our temples. Next was the Polynesian Cultural Center. It was both of our favorite part of the whole trip. There was so much to see. It was so educational and entertaining. It was WELL worth the money we spent on it. We took a canoe ride to the different islands, tasted coconut bread, weaved some little fish, Devin climbed a coconut tree, we tasted poi, Devin learned how to make fire with sticks, we enjoyed a luau and then finished the day off with the show HA Breath of Life. It was super great.

Day 6- July 8th Pearl Harbor Day! We spent the morning looking at all of the memorials/monuments and walking through the museums. We both really enjoyed the Battleship Missouri. It was HUGE and they let you walk all over the thing. I was feeling especially crummy this day. Starting on the 1st I had begun my injections and I was having severe side effects. On the 2nd I started noticing bloating and nausea but then it increased to pain in my legs, trouble sleeping, migraines, cramping, and a couple other things that are gross. Through the trip everything was getting worse and the swelling was so bad it hurt to walk. While we were doing all of the peal harbor stuff I talked to my aunt and she said I should go to the ER because of our family history of blood clotting. So we left Pearl Harbor and headed to Tripler Army Hospital. I was there waiting from 1:20 until something like 7pm. It was ridiculous. They did an EKG ran blood work, did an ultrasound on my legs and ruled out blood clots. I gained 12 pounds in 4 days from water weight gain. NASTY! They said it was all side effects from the meds and if I could stand the pain I could stay on the meds. I wasn’t about to get off of them because we want a baby so bad so that wasn’t really an option. We decided we should leave in the morning though because the doc advised that I stay out of the sun, the heat, and off of my feet. All of which we couldn’t do while in Hawaii.

Day 7- July 9th We checked out of our hotel and went to Leonard’s Bakery one last time to enjoy their amazing Malasados. We went to the farmers market where unfortunately we couldn’t buy anything because it’s illegal to fly fruit out of Hawaii. We returned our rental car and headed to Hickam where we pretty close to the top of the list to fly out. It was wonderful that we got a flight out. We flew to California where we were lucky enough to spend some time with my friend Kristina, her two boys and her dad. I haven’t seen her in 2 ½ years. I’ve never met her boys so it was a lot of fun and kind of bittersweet. I hate living so far away from some of my friends. We caught a flight out of California and got home middle of the night on the 11th. It was nice to be home. I was able to get the swelling in my legs down pretty quickly and started feeling much better minus the two injections a day!
All in all it was a great trip.

I’m glad Devin and I were able to spend some time together before his upcoming deployment.

Im having a fun time trying to get my pictures up so ill just post a bunch on a seperate post.

Egg Retrieval

2011-07-18T02:01:00.002-04:00

Devin gets to stick me in the bum in the morning and give me my 10,000 IUs of HCG to trigger my ovulation. They are harvesting my eggs Tuesday at 5 pm! I am super excited! We are going to get some fishing in hopefully right after they take the eggs out so hopefully I dont hurt cause I really want to get some more fish. Wish me luck! Embryo Transfer should be Sunday the 24th!

Color Me Mine

2011-06-20T16:28:00.002-04:00

I have been wanting to paint pottery with Devin since 2008 and he always said the same things, "men dont paint pottery" and "it's not something that sounds like fun". He finally came through and even suggested that we go. We went and picked out our pieces and came up with our designs. It took us both quite a while but it was a lot of fun. I am pretty happy with how they both turned out. We picked them up yesterday and they had some new bisque... there is a GIANT PIG! Its even a piggy bank! Im so excited, I have to go back and paint one.

Another Camping Trip in May

2011-06-20T15:52:00.010-04:00

The last weekend of May we decided to go back down but spend a little more time. We didnt get a good chance to see Homer because of the time we got there so we spent Friday at Homer. We checked out all the little shops and the fish processing plants. Then Saturday we took the ferry over to Seldovia to explore the little town. I went there when I was younger and I had some great memories of the bed and breakfast we stayed at. There was an adorable cocker spaniel there. I remember this restaurant we went to that had the best quiche I had and have ever had since. It wasnt exactly how I remember it though. It was very quiet, not very many stores to explore. There was a chainsaw carving competition which was awesome, there was a kid that hooked into two king salmon from this bridge (he didnt land them though cause he didnt have good line), it was all in all a beautiful town but not exactly what I had expected.

After we got back to Homer we decided to head to Soldotna to grab camping chairs and camp by a river we heard had a good spot to catch kings. On our way Devin got a phone call saying he needed to get back in town cause he was needed in Fairbanks the following morning for work stuff. It was very dissapointing since he was supposed to have a 4 day weekend. We headed back though and on the way he got another call saying you can stay another night but we need you Monday. We had already driven so far back it wasnt worth it to turn around. So that cut the weekend short. We had fun though! I really really like camping in the car, we have a litte camp stove we cook dinner on the cooler and then have a nice big warm bed in the car. Its perfect!

May Weekend Camping Trips

2011-06-20T15:22:00.003-04:00

Our first trip was a very last minute event. Devin called home saying to throw stuff in the car so when he gets home we can get out of town and head south to the Kenai Peninsula. I got some food together and packed up some things. We decided to just sleep in the car so we didnt have to mess with a tent. It was a lot of fun. We went down to Homer, got there around 11pm, slept in the car and woke up for high tide. We went king salmon fishing with no luck but it was a beautiful day and it was fun just to explore new territory. Then we went clam digging which it was Devin's first time so that was pretty entertaining to watch him. He was like a kid in the candy shop every time I told him there was an air bubble he pounced. He got the hang of it and spotted his own. We didnt get a ton of clams but thats probably a good thing cause when we got home I didnt totally know what to do with them so we ended up tossing them. I did some research so now I think I'm good and I cant wait to go back and get more!

IVF/ICSI Cycle #1

2011-06-19T23:24:00.003-04:00

My IVF/ICSI Schedule to anyone that is interested!

Long Lupron Protocol

Day 1- June 18 First day of period. Call for scheduling.

Day 2- June 19 Do nothing

Day 3- June 20 Start Birth Control Pills (BCP) for about 21 days it will be shorter because Devin leaves July 24th for Louisiana

Days 14-18 July 1st-5th Last 5 days of BCP start Lupron 0.1cc between 6-10pm

Day 13- June 30 Pre-Ultrasound for ovarian suppression check

Day 19 July 6th Lupron 0.1cc

Day 20 July 7th Lupron 0.1cc

IVF/ICSI Cycle

Day 1 July 8th Lupron 0.1cc

Day 2 July 9th Lupron 0.1cc

Day 3 July 10th Lupron 0.1cc
225 IUs Follistim

Day 4 July 11th Lupron 0.1cc
225 IUs Follistim

Day 5 July 12th Lupron 0.1cc
150 IUs Follistim

Day 6 July 13th Lupron 0.1cc
150 IUs Follistim

Day 7 July 14th Lupron 0.1cc
150 IUs Follistim

Day 8 July 15th Blood Draw between 6-9 am and ultrasound between 8-10am
Lupron 0.1cc
IUs Follistim

Day 9 July 16th Lupron 0.1cc
IUs Follistim

Day 10 July 17th Lupron 0.1cc
IUs Follistim

Day 11 July 18th Lupron 0.1cc
IUs Follistim

Days 19th-23rd Possible Egg Retrieval Dates
Embryo Transfer 5 days after Egg Retrieval

HCG trigger shot 36 hours before egg retrieval, egg retrieval takes 60 minutes.
Start Progesterone the day after egg retrieval.
Embryo transfer in about 5 days after egg retrieval.

Once I get the rest of the dates I will fill it in as I go.

Infertility

2011-06-19T22:52:00.003-04:00

It has been a pretty long time since I have gotten on here but I figure it’s about time I let it all out! I have been carrying a huge burden on my shoulders for almost 5 years now. I didn’t know how to talk about it, I didn’t want to sound like a whiny baby, I haven’t wanted to possibly offend anyone, AND I didn’t want to seem ungrateful for what I have. For those of you who I have told, I hope that it didn’t come across as annoying or over the top, and I hope it hasn’t come up too often but it is something very hard to bear and I can no longer be quiet about it.

I was diagnosed September 2009 with endometriosis. I have been suffering from excruciating pain every month since I was 15. I had spoken with several doctors, been to the E.R. several times but still nothing. I was told I had ovarian cysts, I was told it might be appendicitis but to no avail I was always sent home with a hole in my arm and a prescription for pain meds. Devin and I were always looking forward to a family from the first day of our marriage. We knew the timing wasn’t really perfect but figured if it happened it happened. Well, nothing happened and it stayed that way for now almost 5 years. Devin was gone here and there doing military training and so whenever he was home we tried but still the same thing. I waited until a couple days before my period to anxiously pee on that dreaded stick for months on end. Every single time it was the same devastation. I would see my friends around me getting pregnant, girls that were 5 years younger than me getting pregnant, my own step-mother, the women at the grocery stores, the teenager that had sex once and bam she’s knocked up, shopping malls, baby announcements, baby showers, it was never ending. I sucked it up for 4 years and figured my time would come. I got annoying advice all of the time… “just relax, it will happen once you relax”, “it’s in the Lords time, just have patience”, “don’t have kids, their just a nightmare”, “your still young, what’s the rush”, “maybe you just weren’t meant to have kids on this earth”, “maybe its cause your marriage is unstable”. Let’s just say I wanted to scream at these people and tell them to SHUT UP! You don’t understand, you’re not in my shoes, you don’t feel the pain the loneliness, you aren’t the one feeling like less of a woman, like your broken inside. I can tell people about a problem at home but I don’t think it ever comes out that we are both going through hell inside and really how hard it is to both stay positive and happy when you both feel a little empty. I still feel this. Every single day that passes, my heart aches, I can’t sit through sacrament meeting without a tear in my eye, every single Sunday I am in pain. I pray every chance I get to be comforted, to make it through, to trust in the Lord, to have faith in his plan. We have fasted; we have gone to the temple so many times in search for an answer as to whether or not we are supposed to have a child and to ask what God has in store for us. I have faith in the Lord, I know that there is something in store for me but it does not change the hurt and emptiness inside of me. I want to be a mother more than anything in the whole world. I want to have a family, a busy schedule revolving around my children. I have accomplished so many things and have drowned myself into hobbies, education, building my businesses, doing service, cooking, baking, whatever else is out there, I’ve done it but at the end of the day it is not the fulfillment I’m looking for. It is all just a way to preoccupy my time.

I had a 4 hour surgery September 09 where they went in and found a lot of scar tissue and removed what they could, they checked me all over and afterwards said I should be good to go, they said I would be fertile and could have babies. Then when nothing happened 6 months later I went in to be told to do a bunch of testing, take clomid, do blood work, check sperm, have an excruciating procedure called an HSG where they put a tube inside of my fallopian tubes, pinched off the opening with a clamp and rushed fluid through them while the whole time I was awake but of course they found nothing. I did clomid for 6 months and then was told I fall into the category of unexplained infertility. I was referred to a clinic in Soldotna Alaska and a clinic in Seattle Washington. I was told the last chance of having my own child would be to try IVF (In vitro fertilization), a very expensive procedure with a 50% success rate. So now here I am, I am on day 2 of my mense cycle (the first part of the Long Lupron Protocol so they call it). I have a long road ahead of me and it will involve tears, pain, and heavy hormones but I am excited to take this step. I have my fingers crossed; my prayers and faith will hopefully prevail. I can only HOPE!

For now, I want others to know that unless you have gone through infertility don’t try to give advice, it’s quite annoying. The only thing that helps is love and support; it helps to have someone to talk to, to have a shoulder to cry on, someone who truly cares about you and your situation. One of my dear friends told me that everyone has trials, this is yours, God loves you, He is there for you, it will all work out in the end. She could not have said it better and I will always remember that. If you are not sensitive to the issue then its better you don’t talk about it because it is really painful to hear women talking about the blessing God gave them, how the Lord trusted them with a child, how they got pregnant on the first try, or it only took 3 months to conceive, they knew they were meant to have a family, and anything else of that nature. I understand it’s out of innocence and it is just how they are feeling or showing their gratitude but it cuts like a knife to anyone trying for years to conceive. My last words on this are don’t tiptoe around the issue, if you have a question about my situation ask it, if you are pregnant and don’t know what to say, ANNOUNCE IT! I hate when people wait because they don’t want to offend me. Your freaking pregnant, that’s exciting, I’ll be excited for you! It doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt a little but it’s something to get excited about and I want to share in those moments with my friends and family.

I want you all to know that I love you dearly, I am not trying to call anyone out, I am just informing you on my current situation. I know a lot of you know a little about what’s going on but I’m opening up to the whole scoop. I’m sick of having so much internal sadness and pain. Also, there have been rough roads in my almost 5 year marriage, we will work it out. We were married and sealed in the temple for all eternity for a reason and it will remain that way. There has been so much stress put on our marriage because of the military and infertility and this is just one more trial that we have to overcome. I am sorry for any sob stories I have told, I have had a lot of anger and hurt that occasionally comes out. I am not perfect but hopefully with the Lords help I can become closer to being perfected in Him.

Our Condo

2009-09-26T11:13:00.002-04:00

I have a hard time trying to type under pictures so I'll just explain the condo here. The place is 1550 sq. ft., 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 car garage, 3 floors. 1st floor is the garage, mud room, entry way, coat closet, 2nd floor is the kitchen, living room/dining room, guest bathroom, pantry, fireplace and patio. The kitchen has corian countertops, all stainless steel appliances, hard wood cabinets and a wine cooler (I don't know yet what we are going to use that for!). Upstairs is the laundry facilities, master bedroom, master bathroom and guest bedroom. The tub in the bathroom is jetted! Oh and the master bedroom has vaulted ceilings. I cant wait to move in! Only 2 weeks till we leave Maryland, 3 1/2 weeks till we arrive in ALASKA!

Our Condo

2009-09-26T11:08:00.004-04:00

Life

2009-09-26T03:03:00.002-04:00

So I guess maybe I should talk about what's going on in Devin and my lives cause its not all glitz and glam all the time. Well first of all, Devin is doing SUPER well in his training. He is #1 in his class right now with only 2 weeks to go. I have high hopes for him that he will be a distinguished honor grad. He has worked hit butt off here and I think he will benefit from it. I am looking forward to his graduation so we can finally get to Alaska. I am so excited and I have a list of about 100 things that I cant wait to do when we get there.

Now to the kinda crummy part. On the 11th I got really sick and had to go to the hospital, thats nothing new to me because something is always going on with my health. It was the same routine as always, blood work and pain meds. I asked for more extensive stuff cause I knew something was wrong so I was referred out to another doctor and to radiology. Anyways, I went to the doctor and I finally have a diagnosis. I was so happy but at the same time it was a little sad because its not going to result in a fun road for the next 20 years. Devin was in the field so I wasn't able to talk things over with him first. The doctor and I decided that I should have surgery as soon as possible. So I'm having surgery Wednesday, Im scared but glad that I can maybe find some resolve to problems I have been continually having.

While Devin was in the field I have a friend that put a post on facebook saying that she has a condo that she needs to rent out and it seemed pretty urgent so I asked her about it. Come to find out, she is moving out right as we are moving to Anchorage, I called the on post housing office and they are full right now and for Devins rank they fill up fast so we talked to the owner and we are going to rent it. The owner is in the military as well so Devin talked to him a little bit about the situation on post since his unit is in Afghanistan right now. The captain told Devin that he will probably be sent over when he arrives into Anchorage. Now I'm going through an internal battle wondering if I should live closer to my family in Wasilla because I know I'm going to have some rough days or if I just want to be a big girl and tough it out on my own. I still haven't decided because nothing is set in stone yet with Devin.

He called the post today and spoke with 2 people who both told him he would be sent over but still nothing is for sure because of timing. We are just planning that it will happen. I think it will be a great opportunity for Devin. I know that he is extremely intelligent and very well trained so I don't have any doubts that he will succeed overseas. Also it wont be a full deployment so that is a plus. I am hoping though that things go smoothly with our transition to Anchorage, a new ward, a new house, new job, and my health. Deep down I know things will be ok. So now its off to the next couple weeks of surgery, Devin's training graduation and the big road trip from Maryland to Alaska!

Baltimore with Friends!

2009-09-26T02:08:00.010-04:00

My First Oyster!

We have friends again! Brent and Meredith moved to the area and I have been pretty excited about it because it gets kind of boring without hanging out with friends. I had on my calendar a Red Sox vs. Orioles game so that was the start of the plans and then I just kinda did a little looking online at stuff to do in the area and put together a day of fun. I had a blast! (I hope everyone else did) We went to this fun little part of town called the Hampdens and walked down a street of little shops. I love little shops. I didn't get to buy anything cool but thats probably a good thing cause I become a little impulsive when I'm excited. We had some delicious pastries at this place called Puff Pastry (at least I think that was the name!). We went to the inner harbor and did the dragon paddle boat thing and then we ate at the scrumptious McCormick and Schmick. It was nothing but delicious. I had my first oyster and I was pleasantly surprised, it was so yummy. I stuck with what I know and ordered Alaska King Crab, Devin got Salmon with a ginger rhubarb glaze and I have to admit, it was the tastiest topping for salmon. I have had salmon in so many ways but this was a first and it was GOOD. Then it was off to the game. The Red Sox kicked butt, it was a great game. Lots of action. It was a good day spent with friends.

Slip and Slide

2009-09-26T01:52:00.004-04:00

I have officially become an insomniac, I cant get to sleep before 3 AM and this has been going on for about a month now. Its pretty awful but when I cant sleep my brain is on overload and sometimes I think of things that just make me laugh my butt off. So the other night this was the case and I wanted to make sure I had the memory written down because it was SOOO funny.

Summer semester 2005 I lived in a house in Rexburg, I had some BORING roommates (besides Steph). It was a hot day and I thought it would be so much fun to build a slip and slide in the front yard. I went to wal mart and bought a painters tarp and then went back and set it up. Meanwhile Steph and I coated ourselves with crisco butter and were all ready to go. When we went outside it was a little windy and the tarp was blowing around so the water wasn't staying on. I immediately thought that it needed stakes. We didn't have any so I figured butter knives would do, we could stab them in at an angle and it would hold just fine. So I proceeded to "stake" the tarp down.

Then it was time to test it out. I went flying down and it was SOO much fun, then Steph went and launched down into the street. Then I went again and I launched right into the stakes and I felt my stomach getting sliced open, the first thing I thought was CRAP my swimsuit got sliced off and Im going to stand up exposed. By this time we had a crowd so I was terrified to stand up. I checked myself and my clothes seemed intact so I just grabbed myself and ran in the house to look at the damage. I had sliced a good 6 inch cut into my abdomen. It hurt but man was that funny! The slip and slide was a hit, it was sooo much fun and it worked really well minus the butter knives.

Phillies

2009-09-26T01:23:00.009-04:00

This guy was a crack up, he had this eagle thing that he kept making the head move but the guy never smiled or anything. It was really funny to watch him.

So pretty much we LOVE the Phillies, the games are great, they have won all of the games we have been too, and they are just so fun to watch play. The feeling in the stadium is awesome, everyone has such Phillies pride so the excitement is great.

Labor Day Weekend- Maryland State Fair

2009-09-26T00:39:00.006-04:00

The weekend of Labor Day was my birthday weekend and after New York I didn't want to end my enjoyment. I went to bed that night thinking about the Alaska State Fair and how I was SOOO bummed I missed it because I love the fair in Alaska. Then I thought its Labor Day weekend and there are usually fairs around that time so I got online and sure enough the next day was closing day of the Maryland State Fair so I asked Devin if he would care to go and he was excited.

We got there mid morning and I thumbed through the program to find that they had live births in the livestock center and that is totally my thing so I was ecstatic. Devin saw that they had cows you could milk and I have honestly never seen him so excited to do something before. He said that he doesn't ask to do much but he HAD to milk a cow. Devin got in free with military ID and I thought hey you cant beat that so entrance was cheap.

We went to the livestock center and sure enough a calf had been born an hour or so before we got there and then there were piglets in 4 pens with 2 pigs in labor. I made Devin sit and watch for a while but I think he was grossed out cause they had a video camera all up in the pigs business so we went to the cow milking area and he stood in line. He was in line for a good 5 minutes when he realized that the line was full of little children and he was the only adult jumping for joy so he quickly decided that maybe wasn't for him. Then it was off for some good ol fair food. I had my first lamb gyro and it was AMAZING! We had peach sundaes and Devin ate a philly cheesesteak and we had cheese fries. LOTS of calories but tasty lunch.

We watched a cookware show, Devin is always fascinated by the amazing cookware. We walked around for a while and then went back to the livestock center. The pig had already given birth at this time but now there was a cow giving birth. I got to a spot where I had a good view and we watched the whole thing. I was pretty mad at how they did it though. They wrapped chains around the little guys hooves and shoved their arms up the mom and then yanked and pulled, it looked awful. They got him out and he was so cute. After all of that we went to some other exhibits, watched a chain saw wood carving thing and then it was time to head back to post. All in all a fun day at the fair.

New York/Birthday

2009-09-09T18:04:00.003-04:00

I was so excited to go to New York for my birthday that I couldn’t sleep the night before. I fell asleep around 3:30-4:00 am and we were supposed to wake up at 4:30, I hit snooze cause I was so tired when my alarm went off. We had to get gas before we left so I was feeling a huge urge to speed and get there. During the drive the GPS was taking me all sorts of places, I was confused and I had backup with mapquest directions but Devin didn’t know where we were on the directions and so he told me just to follow the GPS. I ended up driving through Princeton and Staten Island which was WAY wrong according to the other directions but I was very cranky so I just got frustrated and did what the GPS told me to do.

We started off at Baked, I have been wanting to go to this place ever since one of our friends made THE BEST cake I have ever had. It was situated somewhat inside of a ghetto and it was a little uncomfortable parking our car on the sidewalk unattended. When we walked in I just wanted to take my time and look at all of the goodies and enjoy the aroma, I was a little disappointed to find that they didn’t have very much out. I wanted to try their quiche but it looked burnt. The cake slice that I got was pretty good, not near as good as Meredith’s. I got this apricot bar with rosemary and the rosemary was a little overwhelming. Anyways, the good that came out of it is Devin bought me a cookbook, I had planned on getting it on amazon for 16.00 but he wanted to pay full price plus some I guess! It was very nice of him.

The next destination was Central Park. Again, the GPS took us all sorts of weird ways but we found the place where we were planning on parking. We got there before 10 so we only had to pay $12 the whole day, that is a steal! Because of the lack of sleep I was exhausted before I even got out of the car. The walk was uphill to central park and then the route I chose was not as short as I had thought. We went to the reservoir and it was beautiful. I could have stayed there and looked at the scenery for hours. We got a little mixed up with the trails because there were SO many and that put us out of the way from where I had wanted to go. We found Alice and Wonderland but I was not about to walk the extra mile to find Balto, as much as I had wanted a picture of Balto, I can always come back another time!

After Central Park we shot over to Madison Avenue to check out some designer shops and that was really fun but it made me feel extremely poor. I wanted to touch everything but I ended up only going into a couple of the shops. My favorites were Dior, Chanel, and Ralph Lauren. Michael Kors had some gorgeous bags but everything was SO overpriced. Devin got hungry during all of the walking and he got a hot dog but it just made him more hungry so we found this little Italian place called Il Restauranti, it was really scrumptious, Devin got the best dish. It was some noodle thing with cream and it was AMAZING. We shot over to walk by the trump tower and to go to Kate’s Paperie. The paper store was really nice, I bought some cards and paper but not much cause it was pretty expensive for paper! When I was walking around the store I kept thinking about Artco in Rexburg, I love Artco, its so cheap and they have some good stuff if you look. One small piece of paper was $1.60- 2.80, it was CRAZY. After the paper store I wanted to go to Times Square and do some shopping at Macys and then go to 7^th avenue/fashion avenue. We went to Macys looked at a whole bunch of stuff we couldn’t buy and then it seemed like it was time to go, it’s a little depressing going to a place where people spend lots of money and knowing you cant really buy anything. When we were heading to the subway H&M caught my eye so we stopped in. I found some really cute things but only walked out with a really cute gray sweater. Then we went back to the car and made our journey back to Aberdeen. The best part was the GPS took Devin right into the heart of NYC and he was in bumper to bumper for over an hour, the taxis kept veering all over and got close to our car a few times. At one point we were at a light that lasted 1 minute so we were there a LONG time since the traffic was so bad, plus the roads were merging after the light too. During the stop and go I decided to jump out and get us some hot dogs on the street. They were so small I could have gotten 3 for each of us but I didn’t want to look like a fool for a second time since we were in the middle lane and all. We finally got into New Jersey, filled up the car and were on our way. I fell asleep and then when I woke up Devin said HEY! I think I know why the GPS has been being weird…. When I took you to the airport I changed the GPS settings to avoid toll roads. All the main roads around here are toll roads for pete’s sake. So that explained a lot, didn’t make me the happiest but we changed it and it was smooth sailing to Aberdeen.

The most BEAUTIFUL designer shoes!

We were driving toward the Met-Life center and we drove through the building, it was pretty cool!

My delicious hot dog off the street.

My slice of cake from Baked and my Whoopie pie.

DC United vs. Seattle Sounders

2009-09-09T16:54:00.003-04:00

Devin had a Gettysburg trip to go on with his class and he had a 20 minute brief, he was gone all day and didn’t get back until 6:30 PM at night, the game was in DC and started at 7:30. Well, we got there at 7:45 but the tolls took our money and we didn’t have the 15$ to pay for parking outside of the ghetto. We drove to tons of ATMs and they were all broken, we went to a store that the worker said they do cash back but when we got to the front of the 10 minute line we bought a baseball and they said sorry no cash back. So we finally found an ATM way later, Devin was pretty scared getting out of the car in the crummy neighborhood but we finally had the money in hand and then went to park, by this time the game was so far in that parking was free. We parked and ran to the game, it was half time. The game was at 0-0 which was good because the 2^nd half was GREAT. I love Keller, he is so fun to watch. Seattle ended up winning 2-1 and the goal made by DC United was LAME, Keller’s teammates totally screwed him over, they botched the whole thing for him. The goalie on DC’s side got red carded and thrown out of the game, it was very entertaining. The field is horrible though, so old and rugged. Salt Lakes field is gold plated in comparison.

Liberty Bell/Philly Mint

2009-09-09T16:47:00.003-04:00

Devin got done one day at 11am so I said lets get ready and go to Philly, we had wanted to see the mint while we were here. We drove there and found parking then found out 1 quarter only put 8 minutes in so we had to find an ATM then get quarters, it took forever, we got to the mint and then they said no cameras were allowed and they had to go in the car, WHAT A PAIN. We finally got in and it was pretty disappointing. Too much to read, not a whole lot to see and a gift shop full of cool things that we just had to have! So we spent more than we wanted to all in one store. We spent a bunch at the liberty bell store and then we spent a ton more at this place called naked chocolate and then we bought sugar waffles which were nasty. Mine was all doughy and nasty. We did buy some cool souvenirs and Philly is a cool city to drive around in.

Utah Trip/Sealing/Family

2009-09-09T16:05:00.007-04:00

Utah was a very unexpected trip. I wasn’t going to go until my husband convinced me that I would regret missing the opportunity to see my brother get sealed. I think that he was right because I had a great time and it was so nice to be in the temple with family. I flew in on Thursday Aug. 27^th, my dad picked me up at the airport and whisked me to the zoo where the rest of the family was. I got to see my cousin again which is always exciting. I can’t stand being away from him for too long. We have SO much fun together. The twins always have the funniest things to say and I love hanging out with them. This time Jeremiah came up to me and asked me if I brought them anything. It was pretty funny cause I usually have something to give each of them. This time the only thing I had for all of them to share was zebra striped gum. Not too exciting I know! Hyrum is getting huge, every time I see him he is so much bigger than the last time. His hair is adorable, big blonde curly locks. So cute! After the zoo I got settled in my hotel room and then headed to the mall with Tyler, Andrew, Brenda, Destiny, and Abby.

Destiny’s birthday was the 28^th (the same as Devin’s) so Brenda was taking her on a shopping spree and to get her nails done for the first time. She was SO cute at all the stores; she acted like she didn’t know what to do because this was so out of the ordinary for her. I found some stuff at forever 21 and Hollister. Abby was as cute as ever, she was so quiet the whole time just chilling in her little stroller and Brenda wanted to run into Hello Kitty to grab her something and I asked her if she thought maybe Abby would want to go in, she didn’t think Abby would care too much but I pushed the stroller in and Abby pretty much jumped out of the thing, she was SOOO excited to see Hello Kitty stuff everywhere. She had to pee the whole time too but I don’t think you could have gotten her out of there to go to the bathroom. Cutest little girl!

My dad called a little later with news about a dinner and everyone was invited, he was a little frantic cause it was in 30 minutes and in a different part of town. We hopped outside to the curb and waited for the ride. I saw my mom and Ken at the dinner, the food was good, I was VERY stressed out and made myself pretty sick but it went away after we left the restaurant. I hung out with Tyler that night, we went to the pool and hot tub to talk. It was so nice to just talk. The trip was a little much for me since I haven’t been around a lot of people in a while I was a little unsure of how to handle everything. There was so much going on all at one. Friday I asked for a muscle relaxer just to help me chill a little. I got a little bit more than I bargained for. I was a staggering idiot all day. I couldn’t barely stay standing. I looked ridiculous. The sealing was great, I thought Emi looked adorable when she walked in to the sealing room and Brandon was beaming. I’m sure this has been long awaited for the two of them. Afterwards there were a few pictures taken and I almost fell into the fountain a couple times and I almost drug in Emi’s little sister at one point too. I hung out with my mom and Ken until the barbeque at their hotel. The barbeque was very yummy, I don’t really remember too much, I think that is another thing the pill did is it gave me amnesia! Brandon went nuts with the kids, I do remember that. Oh and the CAKE, The cake was amazing, I could have eaten 10 slices if it wasn’t so filling.

I wanted to go to Cabela’s after so I could get Devin a birthday present and so I could find my long lost worm tool. It was a struggle to get there since I passed out in the room for a couple hours and then the fact that I didn’t have a car came into play but my dad was nice enough to let me borrow his. I found some good stuff at Cabela’s but no worm tool. We had some dinner at the hotel, Emi and Brandon came over to visit, I grabbed ice cream with Tyler, more visiting and then bed time. Saturday I had breakfast with Rachel and Mark. I couldn’t stop talking, thinking about it now, everyone was done eating and I still had food left cause I couldn’t shut up. Maybe its cause this was the last time I thought I would see them for a while I don’t know. We are going on a cruise at one point though so I do have that to look forward too. I packed my stuff when I got back and it didn’t fit so well so I had to open up the present Rachel gave me which was SO much fun, I loved everything in the box, especially the chocolate cheesecake and the silly string. We had some fun in the room with the silly string, it was EVERYWHERE. It made such a mess but it was fun. The twins got my dad with it at one point as well, that was pretty funny. It was time for me to get to the airport but we all couldn’t stop talking, it’s so fun to have family together. I barely made it to my flight, my dad had to help me out cause I was like a lost dog with a 100 lb bag (not really but seemed like it) he made sure I made it to security and then I was on my way back to the dreaded hotel room! I didn’t really want to come back to be honest. I had so much fun in Utah.

For Devin’s birthday he went out to a Japanese place with some of his classmates, he loved it so we went when I got back. It was really tasty, the show was short but I caught the shrimp in my mouth, I was afraid of missing and getting it all over my face.

Another DC trip

2009-09-09T15:47:00.003-04:00

I bought us tickets to go to DC United vs. LA Galaxy a while back and it finally came time to go to the game. I made us plans to go early and see the last of DC that I had wanted to see. We went to the Museum of National History and the Air and Space Museum. The museum of national history was great, the crowds weren’t too bad and there was so much to see. I really liked it. As for the Air and Space Museum, I was disappointed, crowds stunk and it seemed less exciting than it was when I was 14. We went to this place called Fire and Sage for dinner and that was another disappointment. I got the house favorite of Bacon wrapped Scallops with Cheese Grits and yuck, the scallops were NASTY. The grits were good but I can make those at home. My meal was $28 and I hated it. Devin got a salad and it was amazing. I was jealous. I had pictures but they were on my phone and my phone died so they are gone. The restaurant was super fancy, it was very modern and crisp. Devin loved the knives, they were pretty neat, so was the seats and the color scheme. By the time we got to the soccer game I had a migraine and was ready to go home. Nobody scored, Beckham played like crap so we were pretty bummed.

Rachel/Zoo/Beach

2009-09-09T15:17:00.003-04:00

Rachel came into town and it was SOOO nice seeing familiar faces. We had dinner at her house on Sunday 8/16 and man Devin couldn’t get enough of the whole thing, the dogs, the fat cat, the food, the family, a real house. I didn’t think he would ever want to leave. It was pretty cute though; he made best friends with one of the dogs. I enjoyed being able to talk to friends. Mark mentioned hunting at one point and I seriously cannot stop thinking about hunting. I have picked out my new hunting rifle and now I just need to get to Alaska. On Monday we went to the national zoo in DC, I parked at Rachel’s house and we rode metro in. Mark got sick on the way there and had a some projectile puke on metro, it was a little bit of a surprise but he is such a good sicky, he wanted food after and we all felt horrible for him but he seemed fine. If it was me I would be whiny and probably want to go home. The zoo was pretty cool, I loved that it was free and that they had Pandas. I love Pandas.

On Wednesday it was my last chance to see Rach so I was going to wake up early and head to the beach to meet up with her and her fam. Well I woke up early and Devin said that his class should get done around 10- 10:30 and then we could leave for the beach. Needless to say we didn’t get out of here until after noon. I was VERY annoyed because she had to leave the beach at 3 and it was supposed to take a couple hours to get there. We ended up seeing them for a full 20 minutes oooh yeah!!! I was pretty bummed but it was ok cause I still had Utah. We hung out at the beach and went to the different little shops. We got TCBY (my favorite) and did mini golf where I whopped Devin’s hiney! We tried Five Guys for the first time and it was pretty tasty. We bought salt water taffy and at the same shop we found zebra stripes gum. That used to be my favorite when I was little so I had to buy some. I popped a piece in my mouth and within 2 minutes the flavor was all gone. It was a good little treat to give to the kids in Utah. On the way back we stopped at a street market and bought some butternut squash, it turned out really good in the toaster oven.

Brooks and Dunn

2009-09-09T15:02:00.004-04:00

Im going to be playing catch up for a couple days probably cause there has been SOOO much going on. Also I stink at this blogging business, I struggle with every picture and every post. Oh well! Around the middle of August Brooks and Dunn had a concert here on post and I had been wanting to go but Devin didn’t want to pay for tickets so we ended up sitting on some lawn outside of the concert and listened to the music. It was somewhat annoying because the opening guy Pat Green was a moron and he kept saying stupid stuff and it was dragging on. The concert was supposed to start at 7 but we sat there until 9 and FINALLY Brooks and Dunn came on. Some of the songs were good but most were new and then they had this stupid backdrop of half naked chicks dancing in the background. Totally unnecessary but whatever. We left after maybe and hour of listening to them. I was a little disappointed so maybe it was a good thing we didn’t pay for tickets. On the drive back to "the room" we listened to them out the windows and that was just fine for me!

Wildlife

2009-09-09T00:42:00.007-04:00

Aberdeen Proving Ground is loaded with animals and I love it. We try to go fishing a few times a week since its cheap and local and we are always taking pictures of the deer. They are everywhere. It has been fun watching them because you can see their antlers growing as the weeks go on and they are shedding their velvet now. Sometimes it gets hard when we see a gigantic buck, I get the hunters itch. And this might sound sick but I start craving meat. So far we have caught lots of perch, a couple striped bass, a blue crab, and a catfish.

Combatives Tournament/Baltimore Inner Harbor/Aquarium

2009-09-04T22:09:00.005-04:00

Devin had to work at a combatives tournament on a Saturday and I was invited to go along. I didn’t know what was in store but it was pretty fun. I didn’t want to sit in the VIP section and stick out like a sore thumb cause we were there early and I would have been the first to sit down so I chose to sit with a bunch of AIT kids that were in there civilians. That was a bad choice of seats cause they were punks and it was nauseating. The tournament started and I couldn’t see a whole lot but by far my favorite was the girls fights. The first girls that sparred were little and the crowd was screaming for this little short white girl. When they started the fight the white girl took off like a deranged animal and lunged at the black girl, grabbed her by her top and threw her on the ground. It was pretty entertaining. The white girl lost in the end and I thought that made it even better. Devin ended up getting to skip out on PT for a whole week because he did so well working at the tournament. I was happy cause he is so loud at 5:30 in the morning and this meant a week of good sleep.

The same day as the tournament we wanted to go out but somewhere close so we headed to Baltimore to check out the national aquarium. We got cheap tickets through MWR on post. When we got there we realized Saturday was probably the worst day to go, there were people everywhere and lines going all over. It took a while to get in and by then my feet hurt cause for some stupid reason I chose to wear heels. The lines inside were ridiculous; you had to fight your way through crowds to see anything. We saw the sharks and the stingrays but then it was time to find our way out. The way the aquarium is set up though you have to follow the crowd and you cant really just leave so we followed the crowd to the top then made our way down. By then my feet were about to fall off so we found some ice cream and flip flops at a local mall. Devin had been eying the paddleboats, I thought they would be too expensive but they were ridiculously cheap. It was pretty fun, the sun was beating down on us which I wasn’t the biggest fan of because I don’t have sunglasses but it was still fun. We had some good ol cheesecake factory after and then headed home.

Medieval Times

2009-08-14T13:08:00.003-04:00

We went to the Medieval Times dinner and entertainment thing at the Baltimore Castle. I have gone before in LA and I enjoyed so I thought for sure Devin and Jordan would have a good time. It was pretty fun, the food was amazing and the knight for our section threw a flower to me which was pretty awesome! The only thing that killed me was this little squealy boy behind me. He wouldn't shut up, he had to scream and holler at everything and he had such a squeaky annoying voice. I didn't let it ruin my night or anything but mad it was pretty bad. The horses that they use for these events are so pretty and they do the coolest things. The picture of Devin is with this guy that works with the hawk to get the hawk to do tricks during the show.

D.C. Trips 2 and 3

2009-08-14T12:31:00.004-04:00

The third trip to DC was to go to Arlington Cemetery. We got there just in time to bolt to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and watch the changing of the guard ceremony. It was very cool. Definitely something I would suggest everyone seeing at one point or another. The guards were very professional and everything was extremely crisp to perfection. The cemetery had such a sacred feeling to it. We didn't stay for too long because it was SO hot but it was way worth going to.

Our second trip to D.C was with Jordan and this time we made the itinerary small because we went on a weekday and its too hard to cram everything in just one day. When we got there we had set the GPS to the Air and Space Museum. We parked where it said the museum was and hopped out, paid and started looking for it. We were WAY FAR away from it. By the time we got there it was closed so we took a cab to the vietnam wall. We got a few really good pictures then we went to the Lincoln Memorial again and then this time we were able to make it to the White House. The White House was pretty cool except that we walked around the entire thing and it was a lot of walking and not much to see.

NEW YORK CITY

2009-08-04T14:51:00.006-04:00

The Train Station in New Jersey

Cruise boat to the Statue of Liberty

This is going to be a LONG post because this was a very long day! Devin's brother Jordan came to visit for a week and I had a lot in mind for us to do. I have been DYING to get to NYC so that was on the top of my list. I bought tickets online for everything because I remember how bad the lines were when I went forever ago. The day started with us waking up late, getting ready late and leaving late. I was somewhat annoyed but what can you do! We got to the train station in Aberdeen to find out that it is closed on the weekend so we got in the car and started driving. Devin asked if we should stay in Aberdeen and go to NYC another day but that wasn't going to work because I had everything planned and we had to go.

We drove all the way to New Jersey and I started getting worried that we were going to get stuck driving to the heart of New York and I knew that would not be good so I had Devin make a few phone calls to find a train station close to where we were. We drove to a train station in Jersey and rode to Penn Station NYC. Devin had major anxiety because of the crowds and the unfamiliarity of the area and public transportation. From there we took the Subway to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. We were 2 hours late for our ferry ride but I had a feeling that we would still be able to make it. We hopped in a line and it was the right line to the ferry, we were in luck. There were a bunch of signs telling you what you couldn't have on the ferry or the islands and that there was a security check inside of the building ahead. Jordan let us know that he had 2 knives on him, I was a little shocked because it's New York and most of the buildings have security now. But he didn't know that so he told us he just wouldn't go. We thought that would be lame so we told him to ditch the knives in a bush somewhere, he was extremely hesitant but ditched them anyways. We went to the Statue of Liberty island and walked around for a little bit, went to the gift shop took some pictures then I was done. I thought that Ellis Island was the island with the Statue of Liberty but there are two islands. I wasn't looking forward to all of the lines and waiting and Jordan just wanted to get back to his knives so we stayed on the boat and headed back to shore.

We went to ground zero after that, there was a very neat memorial on the wall of the fire station right next to where the twin towers used to be. They are in the process of building new buildings where the towers were so it was all closed off. It was pretty touching just being there. I discovered these guys that sell purses on the street, I think that some of the purses are knock offs but some of them are stolen real deals, anyways, I was ecstatic! I found a coach purse and a Chanel clutch that are pretty much the coolest and they were way cheap. I bought a Prada bag but you can tell its not real Prada, its still pretty though. The stores that we walked by were so pretty and all of the window displays were so enticing but we had such a strict schedule there was no time for shopping.

I thought the boys would like to go to Nintendo World so we took a cab there, the guy dropped us off somewhere close to it but we were lost for a good half hour and when we found it it wasn't really that great. There were too many people and it had way more hype than it deserved. We were starving so we found a pizza place in a wall and had some excellent over priced pizza. Then it was time to head to the Empire State Building. The lines were absolutely atrocious we were in lines to get up to the top and it was so crowded you had to fight to get a view and then there were lines to get down to the bottom. Devin and I were pretty stressed out and irritable by this point so we were not communicating well. I had more I wanted to see and he just wanted to leave. We walked briefly by time square then took the subway back to Penn Station waited for our train and headed back to Jersey and then we made our way back in the car to Aberdeen. We got home at about 3 in the morning. It was a very long day and we all needed some sleep.

The game that made us Phillies fans

2009-08-04T13:54:00.004-04:00

July 11, 2009 Phillies vs. Pirates. We had never gone to a Phillies game yet and were SUPER excited for this event. We drove the distance (I don't remember how long it took) through Delaware and on to Pennsylvania arrived in Philly and found out that the game was sold out. It was pretty disappointing until we spotted the line that led to the slight chance of a standing ticket. We stood in line anxiously for at least an hour and when we got to the front we were in luck. We decided to buy some tickets to other games while we were there except most of the games were sold out. We ended up buying tickets to 3 games in September which I CANNOT WAIT to go to!!!

We got into the park and since we didn't have seats it was a little awkward, hands full wandering around like lost puppies. It was ok though, we found a place behind home plate that was actually a really decent place to watch/stand. We bought Phillies hats because I really like baseball hats and I knew they would be a team I would like to watch and be a fan of. The game started and the Pirates were doing really good, 3 runs in the first inning, 2 in the second, it was looking good for the Pirates. Meanwhile I was scouting out seats that were open and in the 3rd inning we decided to sit in some great seats behind home plate. That lasted until the 6th inning! During the game I heard someone say something about the Vice President being there but I didn't really believe her until I looked down at this odd crowd of kids and then sure enough there in a red Phillies hat was the VP. He was nice enough to sign some stuff for the slew of kids that were dying to meet him. We took a few pictures and then I told Devin he should go down there and get a close up with him. I knew he had the guts and I didn't but I didn't really think he would do it. He took off with the camera to go hang out with Biden. During the 6th inning the Phillies scored 3 runs. It was exciting but the Pirates still had the upper hand. A couple minutes later Devin came back and he looked pretty embarrassed. He said he just walked on down to the Vice President until someone stopped him and asked him if he had special seats so he had to leave the are. We were only 30 feet from him so that was good enough for us.

When he sat down and got situated a few people came over to where we were sitting and started looking at their tickets and the seat numbers and we looked really stupid at that point. They asked if we were sitting in the right seats so we eventually had to move after an embarrassing display of trying to figure out where our seats were. In the 7th inning Pirates scored 2 more and then the 9th inning came. The score was now Pirates 7 Phillies 3. Tons of people had left so we scored some good seats to watch the rest of the game. 9th inning Phillies scored 5 runs, I can't remember all that happened but pretty much there were a couple home runs and the rest was a blur of screaming and clapping and crossed fingers and they pulled through with a victory. It was a great game. Devin didn't have a voice after the game, it was awesome!

Hershey Park

2009-08-04T13:14:00.006-04:00

I wanted to share a little bit of my past with Devin so I planned a trip to Hershey Park. From where we live its an hour and half drive so not bad at all. We went on the 6th of July thinking that since it was a Monday it should be a little slower but I don't think any day in the summer is a slow day at a theme park. It was still a blast. We got really cheap tickets with a military discount, I couldn't complain! I really like going to theme parks with Devin because he turns into a little boy right when we get through the entrance. I had a map in my hands and I was looking for good places to eat, little souvenir shops, and of course the Hershey chocolate attractions.

Devin was trying to race through the crowds to get to the rides. I was ready to relax and go slow so I asked Devin what the rush was and he just looked so confused and said I wanna ride the rides c'mon. It was pretty cute I must admit but man I can't keep up anymore. I waited in the ridiculously long lines with him but as we got closer to each ride I started having anxiety attacks, it wasn't as much of a thrill as I remember. There was one ride that I got so nervous I almost backed out but I'm glad I didn't cause it was the best ride there.

After a bunch of roller coasters I was way ready to hit the water park. I love water slides, I love the security of sitting on something and feeling a little bit more grounded then flying all over in the air attached to a couple nuts and bolts. We were feeling a little hungry so before we went to the water slides some good ol classic cheese steaks were completely necessary. I think that might have been a slight mistake because they were super greasy and I have a sensitive stomach. I didn't puke thank goodness but I didn't feel the best after eating. The water park was fun when you actually got to the ride but the lines were ridiculous and I hated that you couldn't look anywhere because all of the girls/women were half naked. It was really uncomfortable and I was getting annoyed because thats the last thing I wanted to look at let alone my husband looking at that. Devin saw this wave pool and he wanted to do it so he stood in line for about 40 minutes to ride 30 seconds. So worth it! (not really) I was so sick of the sun beating on me. We left the main water park and hopped in line for the lazy river. It was nice once we got in the water but by the time I got in I was roasted. My arms were so sun burned and I was so dehydrated that it was pretty uncomfortable. After the lazy river we called it good and then went to the Hershey World building. There was this fun little ride that took us around and explained how Hershey stuff is made. There were singing cows and we even got chocolate at the end. It was way fun. I bought a cookbook that pretty much has the best looking deserts ever in it so I cant wait until I have a stove so I can bake. That ended the trip to Hershey Park but I'm sure we will go again before we have to leave the area.

Wildlife

2009-08-04T12:58:00.005-04:00

There are so many animals on base, I love it. So far we have seen TONS of deer, the bucks are in velvet right now so its fun to watch for them and the babies are tiny and they still have their spots. We saw a baby fox the first Sunday we were here. There are a bunch of groundhogs. Everywhere you go there are groundhogs. They are the cutest little guys. The deer are very mild tempered, you can drive right up to them without them flinching. They sometimes hang out in front of our hotel and you can walk pretty close to them and they don't run away they just walk away slowly.

First DC Trip

2009-07-31T11:03:00.000-04:00

When we got here and found out how the base and living conditions were like we decided to make plans, LOTS of plans! The first was a trip to Washington D.C.. Devin had been dying to see the Vietnam Wall and some of the other things right there in the heart of D.C.. We had no clue how to use Metro or trains or anything like that. We have been strict vehicle owners and drivers so I thought how bad can it be to drive in D.C.. Well, we chose to go on 4th of July weekend, I thought since it was the day after the 4th it shouldn't be too bad but wow was I wrong. It took me so long to drive two blocks and our GPS took us right to the busy streets, then there were people everywhere so it was impossible to see much. We couldn't find parking and when we finally thought that we did some guy looked at us and shook his head so I asked him what and he said no parking. I got very frustrated because Devin didn't know what was going on or how to help and I was driving in circles so finally I started getting really mad and I just drove wherever the road took us, we drove past arlington cemetery and Jefferson Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Wall, and I just kept driving until finally Devin said pull over. So we regrouped and finally found parking. We were able to walk around most of the monuments. It was a little stressful because with all the crowds you have to fight your way through and there are so many people taking pictures it was hard for us to get any without people in the way. We went to the Holocaust Museum and that was painful. I loved it when I went a while back but you couldn't see anything because all of the walkways were crammed full of people. So we are going to make a trip in September when all of the kids are in school and the tourists start to die down. Devin loved the Vietnam Wall, we were there for quite a while because there were some guys talking about all of the different symbols on the wall and what everything meant. We did SO much walking that day but it was well worth it. To finish the day off we decided to go to a D.C. Nationals baseball game because they were playing the Braves and I've always liked the Braves somewhat. We didn't realize how expensive the game could be though! It was $25 just for parking. We also had to try the ballpark food, we had the best nachos ever. The cotton candy was a must and we couldn't survive without water even if it was $5 a bottle! After the game we decided we were hooked! DC Nationals really aren't good at all but if they are playing a good team its fun to watch the Nationals get slaughtered! The picture is of Chipper Jones, I was pretty excited to watch him play.

Washington- Maryland

2009-07-30T19:50:00.001-04:00

It took us 3 days to drive the distance. We got side tracked in Spokane and spent 4 hours on the way out shopping. That is one thing Devin and I love to do together and we do it well! We drove from Washington through Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then to our destination Maryland. I have this thing with taking pictures of the State signs as we go through a new state but the only one that really turned out was Indian since it was a little hard to miss. We slept in two hotel rooms and we were feeling a little cheap the last leg of the trip so we slept in the car at a rest stop the last night. When we got to Maryland I was a little let down I guess you can say. I didn't have the highest expectations coming into this but man it was bad at first. We drove in and the town is WAY ghetto, everything looked old and run down. We got on base and discovered that it was tiny. Devin was told to go to a building that didn't really exist and had to ask around to find the right one. He signed in and all of the officers were very immature and not very well put together. Also they were very unprofessional. We thought that it would be nice to check in to our room and take a nap but man that was a bigger let down. The room was so gross, it was old and smelly, the dresser drawers wouldn't stay shut without Devin propping the bottom up with his flip flops, the noises from the air conditioner were like a horror movie, the lights didn't hardly work in the bathroom and the tub faucet wouldn't stop turning to you had to be very careful so it didn't drip. I was trying to be optimistic so I said it would be ok if we got some stuff to make it pretty, we immediately left and headed to Target. We bought some cute stuff but the room didn't seem to change much. We went to the PX and it was so small and cluttered, not what I'm used to seeing at bases. Anyways, we made the room work for about a week and a half until I had a break down because I couldn't sleep. The housekeeping ladies would stand in front of the door and scream down the hall and the offices were right there so it was so loud all the time. The neighbor across the hall always had visitors and he would talk really loud and then there was a phone that would constantly ring upstairs from us and no one would pick up. After days of that I couldn't stand it anymore. They moved us upstairs to a remodeled room with a flat screen TV and a nice desk, there is even an extra drawer in the kitchen and an extra cupboard. So I cant complain although it would be nice to have a stove. Its ok though I can live without it for another 2 months. I think I'm going to go into a cooking frenzy when I finally have a kitchen. Well, we have both adjusted, I feel a little useless being here not working or anything and I get lonely being away from my friends but there is so much to see and I do enjoy showing Devin sights that I have seen from when I was younger.

The Bird

2009-07-30T19:37:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot, when I was in Washington I was driving to Spokane one day and this little bird that had a death wish seriously flew right into my car. I am seriously a freak about avoiding animals at all costs, I will swerve off the road if necessary but this little guy he was unavoidable. He was the first animal I ever killed with a car. Well I take that back, I ran over an armadillo in 2007 and I don't know if he survived or not, it was dark out and I was too scared to turn around and check on him. But they have hard shells so I like to think he made it. Anyways, this bird got stuck under the hood of my car and he was moving still when I lifted up the hood but he died pretty quickly. I was pretty sad for him but I'm ok with it cause I knew it wasn't all my fault.

House/ Pet sitting

2009-07-30T19:09:00.000-04:00

I house sat at Grandmas for a few weeks in June. I got there end of May to go through the routine then grandma and grandpa left for Alaska. I had so much fun, at first it was weird cause I had no one to talk to but then I found out that the animals were perfect companions so they heard a lot more from me than they probably wanted. I sun tanned like everyday, I had a nice routine of taking the dog out to go pee, feeding him, cleaning the litter boxes and feeding the cats, taking an hour or two nap, taking care of the horses, watering plants, lunch, sun tanning and then movies. It was a little lonely at times but Tyler was able to meet up with me in Spokane so we had some fun together with the time we had. I talked to him like everyday on the phone, I think of him as one of my best friends. I also was able to talk to Devin a lot so that was nice, he was out in the field quite a bit but it was ok, I struggle for the first week or two and then I just become numb and I do fine for the rest of the time. He found out that he could take some leave in between his training so we bought him a plane ticket to Washington so he could drive with me to Maryland. I was a little annoyed though when I got a last minute phone call from him telling me that the cats couldn't come with us. I thought the whole thing was situated and that we were going to get an animal room but apparently they didn't have any available. I was feeling very stressed thinking great I guess the cats will have to go with me to Alaska and ill have to find a place to stay. I hate the burden the cats present sometimes. Its hard having animals with the college life of moving around and now the army life. Grandma was very understanding though and offered that they stay with her and gramps so they are there and from what I hear the cats are loving it. When grandma and grandpa got back it was earlier than I thought it would be so I was able to hang out with them for a little bit before our big trip to Maryland. Devin flew in, I was so nervous to see him. I don't know why I get all weird but I really get weird. I feel so awkward around him whenever we have to reunite. At first when I saw him I wanted to run away and then he just wanted to hold me but I felt so strange. We spent the night in Spokane then went to see grandma and grandpa again and then headed on our journey.

Road Trip

2009-07-30T16:09:00.000-04:00

After graduation it was time to head to Utah for Steph and Jeffs wedding. It was a great time, everything went pretty smoothly except for the cake. Im still upset about how it turned out. It was a way dry day so the fondant kept drying out on me and then it shifted in the car so it started caving in on itself. I wasn't to happy with that. Also we were planning on leaving and going on a road trip to visit all of my family one last time before our big move to Alaska but then we found out our car was jacked up. The whole frame was bent and cracked and everything else that could be wrong with it was. Devin decided we should buy a new car. I was not excited about that AT ALL. I hate spending money on big things. But Devin won so we bought a used 2006 Lexus RX. Its really pretty and very nice, just a little more than I think was necessary.

Our first stop was at my moms in Cottage Grove, Oregon. We wanted to meet her fiance before the wedding. The next morning we went to Salem to see my Grammy and Grampy and also my Aunt and Uncle and cousins. Devin had to bring his guns to show Grampy so they had a lot to talk about for a long time. I tried to catch up with Grammy during all of this. We spent some time at Mike and Arel's new house. It was beautiful. When we drove up it was like we were driving up to a mansion cause it is on the corner and its huge. Everything was done with perfection and it looks amazing. I tried to get in some time with Tyler but it seems like quick family trips dont work too well for hanging out. We did get to go to the Woodburn Outlet Mall because Devin wanted to spend a day with Mike doing house stuff. It was way fun in Woodburn. Devin had fun with Mike too, seems like they get along pretty well. Devin is hilarious too, he was dying to go swimming which I dont think he knew at the time that Oregon water in April is FREEZING! He still jumped in and so did Mike. I wish I was there to witness it.

After Oregon it was off to

my Grandma and Grandpas house in Rice, Washington. While we were there we did some site seeing, Grandpa and Devin did a lot of talking, Grandma showed me the ropes of the farm so that when I house sat I would know what to do. We set up fencing and I wanted to ride Mr. T but Grandma couldn't find the bridle and she wasn't comfortable letting me just take off so she led me around for a while until I was bored. It's always so relaxing going to their house, the views are beautiful and its just a nice place to sit back and chill, also a great place to catch up on sleep.

The last stop was dads house to see the kids and spend some time with the family. I was greeted by the sweetest little Abby yelling sister sister as she jumped into my arms, it melted my heart. I think she is so sweet. The twins requested that we had a wrestling match so Devin and I tag teamed Josh and Jeremiah. It was loads of fun. I was so shocked at how much Hyrum has grown too. He is a crazy little boy with so much energy. I

couldn't believe him. He is everywhere all

at once. He is so fast and so mischievous. He always had this little grin on his face like haha see what I can do as he would grab a handful of hair and tug away. Or torment Abby and pour ranch sauce all over her. Funny little boy. We had a great time there but we were gone for so long it was time to get back to Rexburg and finish the moving process. Our plans were to get back to Rexburg, the movers pick up all our stuff and send it to Alaska, Devin left for Georgia for training, I went to my moms wedding in Oregon, then I went to Grandmas for a month to take care of her horses, dogs, and cats, Devin got back and we drove from Washington to Maryland where we will be at until beginning of October and then finally to our final destination for at least 3 years- Alaska!

Devin's Graduation and Commissioning

2009-07-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

I am so behind on updating my blog so get ready for a lot of updates. In April Devin graduated from BYU-Idaho with his Bachelors degree. There was a lot of family that came to the graduation/ commissioning. His brother Brandon came all the way from Shreveport, Louisiana to be his first salute. For Devin's graduation present I got him the gun he has been dying to have. He was a little surprised because he got a couple guns before he got the AR-15 which I really wasn't planning on getting but a store had it so it was a very impulse buy but I knew he would love it. I wasn't mistaken. He hopped on his phone to call his brother like 2 seconds after he got it. I wanted to do something creative for him to get it but I couldn't wait long enough so my dad and I came up with a plan to put in on the wall in our living room and see how long it took him to notice it. He was outside playing with the twins and was heading in, he walked in the door glanced over and pretty much looked like a kid in a candy store. He had a perma smile that didn't leave all day. It was a little obnoxious though cause he wouldn't put the darn thing down all day and it even ended up next to the bed that night. Graduation came and went quickly because he had no interest in sitting in the Hart building listening to speakers so he ended up walking in the Taylor Chapel to get his diploma cover and that was graduation for him. He was way more excited to commission then anything. The commissioning ceremony was great. There was a speaker that couldn't be topped. It was Comish's dad. He was excellent. There were four commissions so it took a while but it was a great experience and Devin couldn't be happier to be making the step and being able to move onto officer life. It was so nice for him to have so much family there as support. I always enjoy going to ceremonies or being a part of them, it makes me so proud of Devin and his accomplishments.

Just the Two of Us!!

2009-03-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

After the shooting range I decided it was about time to have a few new pictures of the two of us for Grandma's wall. So we asked Kenny and he was nice enough to take a few downtown Rexburg.

Shooting Range

2009-03-15T14:55:00.000-04:00

My new Springfield XD(M) .9mm

Our new hobby is going to the range with our friends when we have some free time, thank goodness this Saturday was open. Its been a while since I have spent a Saturday with my husband without the military interfering. We called up some friends and went out to shoot our toys. Guns were our obsession but now it is more Devin's obsession!

Devin shooting my Ruger .243

ROTC Military Ball 2009

2009-03-15T14:41:00.000-04:00

Friday was our last ROTC military ball. It was sooo much fun! It started out with a lot of prep work getting ready followed by standing in the receiving line with the worlds most uncomfortable shoes. Devin was the President so we sat at the special table with Jeff as vice and Stephanie. When the ball got started I had a laugh attack that was almost unbearable, I was gnawing on my cheeks so that I would stop laughing. We were in the front of the room with all eyes on us, I didn't want to look like the immature little girl who just didn't know when to get serious. We had an excellent dinner- Prime Rib! It was so yummy. There was a guest speaker and then the fun began. The skits were flaming hilarious, its pretty entertaining when the cadets are up there making fun of your husband. I couldn't stop laughing. The infractions brought up were pretty hilarious too, especially when Bethany's husband called her a wench! That definitely deserved a trip to the grog! After the formal part we had a lot of dancing and when I say a lot, I mean A LOT!!! We were one of the last couples to leave. It was so fun.

Utah Trip and Update

2009-03-12T14:20:00.000-04:00

So I figure its about time that I update everyone and actually use this thing! Last weekend was pretty much awesome! I was able to hang out with my cousin Megan before she leaves on her mission and to spend time with my brother and sis in law. The weekend started out interesting, we had a list of things to get done, we accomplished one thing and it was attending a reception of this girl that I didn't know. Very awkward situation but the food was good!

We were trying to do a session in the Salt Lake Temple but we could not seem to get there in time. We decided Monday would be the day so we got all ready to go, got to the temple to see the signs "Temple Closed" that was proceeded by a lot of laughter and annoyance! The rest of the day was quite similar but Megs and I did it together so it was fun and I enjoyed every second of it. Monday night I showed Brandon my handy dandy photo booth so I think everyone should see a glimpse of what happened next.Very entertaining. We were laughing hysterically! The dog was even included in the madness. I was there a total of 5 days and by the end was ready to see my husband. Megan and I stopped at Lexus to pick up some donuts and so I could say my goodbyes, then it was time to get our nails done and I was off. Back to the ice hole!

So quick update on everything in the past month... we found out we are getting stationed in Anchorage Alaska, Devin graduates April 10th and commissions as a 2nd Lieutenant, he leaves May 10th for training at Fort Benning Georgia, then he leaves July 5th for more training at Aberdeen Proving Grounds Maryland. And THEN... ALASKA in October! I cant wait to start the military life. The ROTC is consuming his life this month, he just had drill last weekend and then this weekend is military ball, next weekend is a battle-site visit, then lab, then drill, then GRADUATION!!! And then VACATION!!

Me and Megan, little photo shoot

Summer Fun!

2008-07-25T20:08:00.000-04:00

So this summer we have been very blessed. I was able to go back to school and Devin was at a military training camp for a month so he can further his progression to a Army officer. He came home and got a puppy since he has been begging for one since we got married. We are lucky now with the 7 week break to do a little vacationing. We are leaving on Monday for California for a week to see our friends Kristina and Kenny get sealed in the Oakland Temple and to travel a little while we are there. We get back and then shortly after we are heading to Alaska for 2 weeks and 4 days, I CANT WAIT!!! I miss my family so much and I cant wait for Devin to finally meet everyone. It will be a blast. I have so many exciting things planned that I hope all fit into our busy schedule while we are there. Anyways, a couple other exciting things are that I graduate in December FINALLY!!! Then Devin graduates in April and we are off to the military life.

2008-07-25T19:52:00.000-04:00