In 2010.....

We had a long year. It was amazing in some parts and gut-wrenchingly hard at others. I'm proud to say that I survived this year without a mental breakdown!  I'm ringing in the new year with my son and husband. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Here's to an amazing(deployment free) 2011!

Here is our yearly recap:

January

• I celebrated my birthday alone again due to an underway. But the hubs more than made up for it!

February

• Landon turned 5!

March

• Underways got back in full swing before deployment.

April

• Many family activities before deployment. (picnics, drive-in movies, circus and a fair!)

 May

• Family pictures that would have to get me through deployment.

• Deployment started.

• Landon lost his first tooth!

 June

• On my anniversary I found my dream picnic basket at an antique store here in New England!

• My sister-in-law came to visit us for a few weeks!

July

• Went home to Washington
• Took Landon to the sprint car races

• My nice Peyton was born!

• Took Landon for the first time to the campground I'd been going to every year in WA since I was born.

 August

• Girls trip to Forks, Wa & LaPush(met the cast of the Hillywood show)

• Got the last 3 on my Quad list (Washington is the only state that has all 4. Ocean, Desert, Rainforest and Mountains(Volcanoes))

• Landon learned how to fish with his Papa

September

• Landon started Kindergarten!

• And started Soccer! He also got his first belt in Karate(I have pictures but I can't find them at the moment)

 October

• Trick-or-treating at our favorite place here in CT!

 November

• Decorated the tree to get ready for Daddy to be home!!
• Justin made 1st class!

December

• He came home!!

• Polar Express train ride in RI with great friends!

• I got baptised!

I hope everyone has a great new year! I'm blogging while the boys play games! It's the life!



BBC: The Hunger Games: Week 2!

So since I haven't gone to bed yet, it's still technically Thursday...right? This is the most fun I've had reading a book with the BBC. I hope you all like the prompts! Let me know if you have some next time and I will add them in. OR feel free to add yours onto your weekly post!

Lol. I hope everyone is loving the book! I have to say this book reminds me so much of a cross of two movies. The running games(it's older...I might be the only one who has seen it) and City of Ember. Anyone seen them? Am I nuts for thinking this?

Week 2 Prompts:

1. What do you think about Katniss getting an 11? Did they give her an 11 for her talent or simply to make her a target and teach her a lesson?

2. What do you think about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his interview!?! Is it real, or just for show?

3. At one point Katniss is trying to think of where the games are going to be. She thinks of a desert, swamp and a frigid wasteland. Where did you imagine it would be before you read it in the books? Do you think they picked the "right" place?

4. First thoughts when you found out Peeta was with the career kids?

5. I have a love for Rue from the start, What do you think about her "helping"(read: not killing when she could) Katniss? Should Katniss trust her?

6. "Favorite" part of the book so far?



My Answers

1. What do you think about Katniss getting an 11? Did they give her an 11 for her talent or simply to make her a target and teach her a lesson? I think a little of both. What she did was ballsy and they know it. BUT she has major talent.

2. What do you think about Peeta confessing his love for Katniss during his interview!?! Is it real, or just for show? Once again, both. I think he's always had a little thing for her but was pushed to confess it to the world.

3. At one point Katniss is trying to think of where the games are going to be. She thinks of a desert, swamp and a frigid wasteland. Where did you imagine it would be before you read it in the books? Do you think they picked the "right" place? I pictured a forest. Mostly because I compare this book to the running games. I think any of the other places would have been harder. A desert doesn't have places to hide and somewhere cold would pick them off too quickly.

4. First thoughts when you found out Peeta was with the career kids? I was crushed! It really made me think the in-love thing was really just an act.

5. I have a love for Rue from the start, What do you think about her "helping"(read: not killing when she could) Katniss? Should Katniss trust her? It's hard for me to answer when my answer is the question. Haha. I have loved Rue from the start. She looks up to Katniss and wants to be around her.

6. "Favorite" part of the book this 100 pages? By far when Haymitch sent Katniss the medicine.

Wreck This Journal

I've seen a few people on here(and in real life) talking/posting about "Wreck This Journal".  I think it's an amazing idea! When I was younger I kept a sketch journal and a real one. I've lost it after I grew and got married. I've lost the want to do it. I have a hard time doing anything everyday....

I also have this strange obsession with not "hurting" books. I like them looking nice and untouched for the most part no matter how many times I read them. I even have rules when I lend them out to people. Sad, but true.

So in 2011 my goal is to wreck this journal. I ordered it on amazon(which by chance it's half off right now!).  I'm excited to do this. By reading about it(on amazon and other people) you do things you never would have thought to do to a book. You jump on it, wipe your feet and someone said at one point they took a shower with it! I'm excited to do this! I'm going to do it at least once a week and document it on here for everyone to see!

If anyone wants to do it with me please do! I would love to have others doing it with me! I will post on here once a week regardless of how many times during the week I did the project. I will start the first of the year!

Wish me luck with the wreckage!

What I'm Lovin' in December!

Music! Playlist for the month!

F**kin' Perfect by P!nk

Shark In the Water by V.V. Brown

Grace Kelly byMika

Gypsy by Shakira

Alice by Avril Lavigne

Hold My Hand (Duet with Akon) by Michael Jackson

Coming Home by Diddy

Cheers (Drink to That) by Rihanna

Fading by Rihanna

Complicated by Rihanna

Awake My Soul by Mumford & Sons

Books! What I read and LOVED!

The Hunger Games

Fallen

Vampire Academy

Up next

Wizard of Oz

I am Number Four

 

T.V! Shows I Love this month!

GLEE!!!!!!

Vampire Diaries

Top Chef

Movies! That we are lovin'

Easy A(soooo funny!)

Grown Ups

Chronicles on Narnia

Places we loved to go this month!

Polar Express

The PIER!!!!

Family date nights

Places to eat!

Cracker Barrel!

Truly wonderful

I would be lying if I said it all went perfect. We have been busy since he got home and have had things to do everyday, which lead to us being so busy we didn't stop to really think about the coming holiday. On Christmas Eve we were running errands instead of getting things ready.  I wish we would have taken the time to slow down and enjoy everything.

In the end it was perfect. I got my sailor home in time to spend Christmas with us and I don't think I could have asked for anything more. We spent the night wrapping the last of Landon's gifts and watching movies together. We went to bed at a decent time knowing we would all be up early.

The next morning J and I woke up to finish getting everything set for Landon to come down.(J was up before me to wrap my gifts since he never wants me to see them the night before.....I like to shake things....)

Hundley was ready to go! He's such a funny little dog. He gets so excited when we are getting things ready. He runs around and bounces off of everything. I love it.

This was the tree on Christmas morning before the madness started. We had presents packed all the way around this thing! It was nuts!

We always do the same thing. Landon has to wait upstairs until we tell him it's time to come down. I love watching his face light up when he first sees the tree and his gift from Santa.

Checking out his new house he got.(which took me FOREVER to put together...and about 10 min for him to take apart)

So stinkin' cute!

Landon and all of his Christmas loot!

I got a lot of really amazing things this year. I got a Kindle from my love with a few things to go with it, movies, LUSH bath stuff, Vera Bradley(of course) and a few other random things. I love everything so much but I can do without it all.

 I got my husband home. That's what mattered this year.

The only thing that holds and candle to him being home is....

This

Justin bought this for me in Jerusalem. He blessed it there for me. He was torn between giving it to me on Christmas or waiting until the day I got baptised. A week ago he made the decision on when to give it to me.(But I made it easy on him).

Yesterday, on Christmas day I was baptised into the church. It was the most amazing gift I have ever been given and it will be a day I remember forever. On the day Christ was born(or the day we celebrate it) I was born again.

BBC: The Hunger Games: Week 1

Hello! I hope you are all enjoying the book! I've had a few people tell me that they are having a hard time stopping at the 100 pages! Great book isn't it?!

Week 1 prompt(s)-

1. What do you think of the relationship Katniss has with Gale?

2. A piece of me wanted Gale to volunteer also, to protect Katniss. How did you feel about the situation?

3. Why do you think the capitol treats the tributes so well before they go to the games?

4. Why are they having Peeta & Katniss show they are untied before the games start? Is it a good idea or a bad one?

5. What was the point of Katniss shooting the arrow into the Gamesmakers table?

Link up and let me know what you think! (if you want to host a week or have any suggestions on prompts, please let me know!)

Homecoming in words(and pictures!)

Going 7 months without the love of your life is not for the weak-hearted. It hurts. Some days you don't want to get out of bed, but we do it. We are The Military Wife. It is our calling and we do it with pride.

The past 7 months have been hard and I have grown and changed more then I ever thought possible. While I'm still me, I'm a new and improved me! I'm more independent and I did things I never thought I could!

On Saturday I woke up early to head out to the place where the ocean meets the river. We all always do the same thing. Get coffee(tea) and head out 2 hours before the pier pull-in time. We get to watch a tiny black dot appear and slowly get bigger then we race it to the pier with a few stops along the way.

Right in the middle is a TINY dot! The first sighting we had!

After it got closer and we saw it meet up with the first tug boat we took off down the river to beat it to the next spot.

Here it is going down the channel.  This spot is my favorite because you are so close. This picture isn't zoomed in at all!

After that we head under the bridge. Here because of the bridge we can yell back and forth and can hear each other! This was also the first time J and I really saw each other. He's on the very top of the sub and I got teary when he waved to me the first time. Right here was when it really sunk in that he was home!

We then raced the boat to the pier! This is what everyone saw pulling into base that day!

My best piece of advice for anyone who is having a homecoming: have someone there to take your pictures not just another wife waiting for their hubby also. I always bring an "outsider" and I get the most amazing memories captured because of it!

These next few are of us waiting on the pier for the boat!

At this point I was telling Landon "Daddy is right there! Can you see him? He's almost home!" It was so close and I felt like it couldn't come quick enough!

There they are! All lined up to moor to the pier!(Side note: That HUGE wreath lei was made in my living room a few weeks back! uber fun to do with ladies from the boat!)

This is one of my most favorite from the day. I was so excited and it's a little blurry but you can see the sub behind me! This was right before they opened the gates to let us on the pier!

Bitsy & Landon on the pier when the boys were getting ready to walk off!

Landon & I waiting!!

We could see him, like REALLY see him at this point! He's the one on the far left right in front of Santa!

Santa came off and handed out candy canes to all of the kids. It was super cute!

There he is! Landon beat me to him, but I don't mind....

...Because then I got my turn!

(ps. Look at that arm! He made first class with 4 years in this deployment!)

First kiss in 7 months! I can't even begin to describe how I felt at this point. It almost felt like I was kissing him for the first time all over again. OR like that first kiss after you are married! Yeah, kinda like that!

Can you tell I absolutely adore that kid?! Gosh, I love him!

He came off the boat with the most amazing red roses.

The next few are just a few pictures I liked that were candid.  The next 20 min were filled with lots of hugs, kisses and laughs. It was so great watching Landon reconnect with his Dad, he missed him so much.

Now we are home and settled. To be honest, it feels like he never left. Everything is back to how it was the past 7 months(besides a few things(like everything I bought and the Independence I gained)).  The next few months are going to be filled with tons of fun family things! Get ready to be sick of gushy family, overloaded picture fun!