Time Flies

Sorry in advance for the long post!! :)

Wow! How time flies!  It seems like just yesterday when I posted twice in one day...then I don't post for another 12 days.  Read on to see how much life has changed for us since the last time I posted!

The weekend after labor day the hubs had National Guard drill in San Antonio.  I had made plans earlier in the week to have a girls day/night out with some of the girls that I work with at the hospital.  So I slept in a little on Saturday and then just laid in bed and listened to it rain for almost an hour!  It was so relaxing!  After finally dragging myself out of bed I got dressed and headed to meet up with Kasey and head to Kerrville.  We started off the afternoon with a late lunch at Chili's and then headed to get pedicures.  I have finally found a great place and with a great price!  The chairs were the best ones I have sat in for a pedicure ever! They also used hot wax on our feet and then used a hot stone to massage our calves...Amazing!  And of course I find it a month before I move...  We then headed to the theater where we watched 'All about Steve.'  Sadly enough, it was the first time I've been to the theater since the hubs took me on our first date back in 2005...we watched 'Walk the Line'.  Hopefully we can make this an every other month thing!  After the movie we headed to Wal-Mart to pick up some stuff for supper and drinks and then headed back to my house where Regina and Mikayla met us for another movie, supper and Sangria!  We attempted to watch 'I Love You Man' but ended up talking and laughing more than watching.  So we decided we would get together again and 'watch' the movie sometime in October...we'll see how that goes!

I have been pretty stressed to say the least about the upcoming changes in our lives as we prepare to pack up and move me in with my parents, which also entails me quitting my job, leaving behind friends and preparing for Matt to deploy to Afghanistan as well as continuing with getting out of debt...I got a little stressed just typing all that! :)

So this past Thursday (the 17th) was my last day at Kimble Hospital.  I'm not sure that I have ever had a job that has stressed me out as much as this one did.  And the bad part is, it wasn't the job itself...I think alot of it was some of the people that I worked closely with.  Towards the end I started disliking the person that the stress of the job and my personal life was turning me into to.  I was very negative and got agitated, it seems, at everything that wasn't going right.  But that has all changed now!  I'm back to the happy-go-lucky person I was before that.  I still get stressed thinking about Matt leaving, but right now I'm just trying to enjoy the last little bit of time we have together. 

On Friday I slept in and then Matt and I met up with Regina and her husband Matt for lunch.  We had a great visit and then I headed home to get my stuff packed up to head to my parent's for the weekend and for Garden City's Homecoming - which I haven't been to in years!  It was great to get to visit with people from GC that I haven't seen in a while.  I even got to meet Mimi - the girl who is training in my Mom's office.  After a GC victory, we headed over to my Granny and Popo's house and enjoyed some more visiting and some great mixed drinks! (which you almost always have to have at Granny and Popo's!) 

On Saturday we headed outside after a great breakfast to do some work and get ready for a new storage container for Matt and I to put our stuff in while he's deployed...and maybe a little of Mom and Dad's! :)  We then got dressed and headed towards San Angelo.  Mom and Dad went to a wedding while Landon and I headed out to see some family friends of ours.  Mom and Dad met us out there and we had a great visit.  Thanks for letting us stay Micheal and Betty! 

On Sunday morning (after jump starting my pickup) we headed into San Angelo for church then headed to Henry's for lunch!  I can't remember the last time I ate there...and it was just as good as I remember it!  We then headed to Wal-Mart so that Dad could help me buy  a battery for my pickup.  After getting it installed, it was time to say good-bye for a while.  You may wonder why it was I and me....and where Matt was all weekend.  On Friday he headed to Shiner for a bachelor party for a good friend of his from high school, Lee.

My wonderful husband who never ceases to surprise me with his thinking, decided that it would be wonderful to be out of debt while he is still 25.  (Mind you his birthday is October 9th...so this gave us 3 WEEKS!)  AAAGGGHHH!!! I was ready to scream and wasn't really sure that we would be able to do this AND travel each of the weekends until his birthday.  And don't forget that I quit my job so we also would be short one paycheck...  But I am VERY HAPPY and EXCITED to say that with the 'gazelle intensity' and enthusiasm of my husband.....

We're  DEBT FREE!!!!!!

I am truly amazed that we were able to do it...and to do it within three days of deciding that he wanted to be debt free while he was still 25.  We would not have been able to do it without him being so money smart.  He's a wonderful man whom I admire and love very much.  We did it honey....we really are debt free at the age of 25!!  Now...on to the next step... Home Owners!  (back into debt...but owning a home is good debt...as long as we keep it within our means!)

So that about sums up what we've been doing the last almost two weeks.  I'm staying at home to get everything packed up and ready to move.  Back to packing....

Labor Day Weekend

WHOOP! for the Aggie football and the first win of the season!

On Thursday night Matt headed to Shiner because he had to be in College Station a little before noon to meet his old Department Head from when we were in college. Jennifer and Gary (his sister and her husband) were headed up Friday morning to visit some old college friends and so he rode with them so we wouldn't have two vehicles plus theirs in CS since I had to work until 5 on Friday. He had a good lunch and then the partying for Jennifer's birthday began! I didn't get to CS until a little after 10 and met up with them at Dudley's. We then headed to the Chicken where we ran into a few friends from college and had a great time visiting. After closing the Dixie Chicken down, we headed for the hotel.

On Saturday morning we slept late and got up and headed to Los Nortenos in Bryan for breakfast and then headed back to the hotel to get dressed for the game. Just so happened that there was a tent sale going just a few parking lots over so we headed over there and picked up a few Christmas presents. We then headed back to the hotel and met up with some friends of Jennifer's from college and went to enjoy a few frosty beverages at Taco Cabana. We then started a LONG trek from Taco C to the Dixie Chicken for a little pre-game fun. We had a few drinks in the Chicken and then we headed over to the Dry Bean Saloon for a few yummy shots! On the way back to the Chicken I ran into a few friends/cousins from the Rowena area - Blake, Bret, and Brad. (woah...all three B's, just realized that!) I haven't seen Brad since he was laying in ICU a few years ago after an acccident a gas pump. Blake and Bret - not really sure when the last time I saw them was. Come to find out that Blake is living just down the road from Matt and I in Junction and has been for a little over a month. We also met up with Brianne and Kit and had a few drinks with them.

We headed back to the Dry Bean right before we left to head to the stadium. The game was great. We won 41-6! (which means that I got to give Matt lots of kisses!) WHOOP! After the game we headed back over to the Chicken and ran into even more friends and thoroughly enjoyed visiting with each of them.

On Sunday morning we got up and headed to Shiner for the Shiner Church Picnic. It was great to see Matt's family as well as our friends in Shiner. We drank some more beer and had a wonderful meal of Shiner Picnic stew, sausage, and the traditional kettle fried chicken with trimmings and just visited all afternoon/evening.

On Monday we enjoyed a good homecooked meal by Matt's mom and then visited with his Grandma. We hated to have to get back on the road and leave family behind but had a great visit. And thank God that with as many miles as we traveled in separate vehicles that neither of us had a wreck or saw one either!

p.s. I'm kind of disappointed that we didn't get to sight in my new rifle (see post 'August' below) but will hopefully get to do that soon!

'Til next time...

Weekend in Fredericksburg

Due to a little bit of a stressful start to the summer and for us to spend some time together before he deploys, my amazing family got together and gave Matt and I a 'mini-honeymoon' in Fredericksburg.  We left Friday after work and headed to 'the big town'.  We got checked in and headed over to the Fredericksburg Brewing Co. for a little sampling and a great meal.  We then headed out towards Stonewall to go settled into the house.  Here's a few pictures of the house that we enjoyed for the entire weekend and are ready to head back to!

Front of the house

We sat in these rocking chairs most of Saturday morning

and enjoyed coffee (and Diet Coke).  I even learned to play chess!

The wall with the door on it was the first view after opening the door.

The comfortable couch where we watched a view movies

and played some more board games while relaxing with some Maker's Mark!

(notice the box under the table - see below)

The view when opening the bedroom doors that I

forgot to get a picture of. 

View while standing at the foot of the bed

LOVED the bathtub - minus the sulphur smell -

but still had an amazing bubble bath!

Looking towards the bathroom

The 'vanity' area in the bathroom - sorry for the mess

I forgot to take pictures until we were getting ready to leave.

The kitchen

After getting everything inside, I went to take a bubble bath and thoroughly enjoyed it!  We then sat around and enjoyed each other's conversation over some Maker's Mark then headed to bed.  We slept in on Saturday morning then just lounged around in our pajamas and enjoyed some coffee (yes even me, and I've actually had a cup almost every morning since then!)  and then I had a little Diet Coke. :)  We found that the little box under the coffee table in the living room was actually a bunch of board games.  We enjoyed playing chess, checkers, and Chutes & Ladders. 

Not only did our family give us the weekend away, they gave us a gift certificate to The Cabernet Grill at The Cotton Gin.  We got dressed up Saturday evening and headed over to the restaurant.  We enjoyed Peach-a-ritas, Bloody Mary's, Crab Cakes, and a Ceasar Salad for appetizers.  The hubs ordered a Ribeye and I ordered the Mixed Grill which consisted of a Beef Cap Steak, Pork Tenderloin Tail, and a Quail stuffed with a sliver of jalapeno and wrapped in bacon.  Then for dessert we had a Kahlua and White Chocolate Crème Brulee.  After eating everything on our plates and all of our desert we were stuffed.  I don't think I've ever eaten that much in one sitting - but it was delicious!

We headed back to the house where we sat down and enjoyed a few movies together on the couch and then headed to bed.  We woke up Sunday morning and got packed up and headed back into town to check out.  We then wondered in a few of the shops on Main St. then headed to church.  After church we headed out to a little antique-like road-side shop and did some looking around.  We will definitely be headed back there with a trailer once we buy (or build) a house!

We will never be able to say thank you enough to my family for this!  It really meant a lot and helped both of us to relax and 'get away' from the real world and all the stress that this deployment is putting on the both of us.  THANK YOU Mom, Dad, Craig, Tara, Jill, and Aaron!

We Love You!!

August

So I finally have time to sit down and write about our busy month of August.  It started out with an Army National Guard event in San Marcos on Friday and Saturday.  We got to stay at the San Marcos Convention Center and Embassy Suites which was really nice.  I learned a lot about what he will be doing in Afghanistan and places that will help me out while he's gone.  Saturday night he had to stay in Austin for a two-week training period so I decided to stay with him.  We had some time to kill before church so we stopped off at Cabela's in Buda.  The hubs has been wanting to get me a rifle to hunt with but we couldn't find one at a good price - til that day.  I got a Ruger 243 and can't wait to get the scope mounted and sighted in.  (which we are doing this weekend in Shiner!)    And yes, it is in my name and Matt even let me carry it out of the store! :)

Upon my return home I heard a funny noise in the kitchen so started looking around to figure out where it was coming from.  Something told me to open the freezer and let me tell you...it was probably the worst smell I have ever smelt!  It was horrible.  We had a freezer full of various things, but mainly meat.  I wasn't sure how long it had been out so I just decided to throw EVERYTHING out....hard decision but it's better safe than sorry.  So I spoke with our landlord and she set the wheels in motion for us to get a new fridge.  After what seemed like forever without a fridge, the new one was delivered on Wednesday afternoon.  I'm not sure I've ever been so excited to have an ice cold drink!

The second weekend the hubs was still at training so I spent the weekend relaxing and getting the house spotless for his return.  He came home Friday morning (of the third weekend) and we had a great weekend.  Friday night we enjoyed the clean house and watched a movie.  On Saturday morning we slept in a little and just had a slow morning.  We decided that afternoon to go purchase some tubes and float the beautiful Llano river here in Junction.  We had a good time and I really enjoyed finally getting out in the sun again!  (the first time this year was July 4th in Vegas with my family for my parents 30th wedding anniversary)

The 4th weekend we travelled to Granbury for the baptism of our beautiful godchild - Rayleigh Jean.  We had a great time visiting with her parents Brianne and Kit.  (Brianne and Matt actually our freshman year at Texas A&M and were good friends throughout college.  I met Matt through a mutual friend of ours during our Senior year.)  We also got to visit with my grandparents, cousin Cameron, and my godparents Mary Kaye and Doug (Brianne's mom and stepdad).  On Saturday after the baptism we went out and played 9 holes at the Country Club that Brianne works at.  I say 'we' loosely.  Alissa and I drove around behind the actual players (Matt, Kit, Cameron, and Bri) and drank beer!  We had a blast and hope to get to visit with them again soon!

This past weekend deserves its own post so check back for that soon! (hopefully)

First Post!

Howdy Blog world! This is my first post EVER. I've been wanting to blog for a while now but never really had the time the sit down and create one. Well, I finally MADE the time! (I know, I know...you are all SuPeR excited to read about my crazy life with my overuse of ... hope you're ready for it!) :) The month of August was a very busy one for us and I will post more about that later. For now, I just wanted to get a post up and 'decorate' the blog! Thanks for checking it out!