State of Our Union

As of today, Blair and I have been married 366 days, (ok,well, when I started this post that was true, I procrastinated, as usual)! The last weekend I was off we celebrated by going to Dallas/Ft.Worth for a cousins wedding and spending time with family.

Friday started off great because I was offered a job in Minot!! My tentative start date is August 15th. If, when we get up there, I see I can start sooner, my new boss told me I can! I am so excited to start this new chapter of our lives. When she offered me the position, I wanted to start right then! I'm also excited because she said I will get to wear whatever kind of scrubs I'd like!! Finally, no more teal!!!

But back to our trip...On Friday, we left around 11:30 or so. That morning I worked off and had not been to sleep yet so as soon as we got in the car and on our way I was out like a light!! Blair woke me up about an hour out of Dallas to keep him company. We arrived at the hotel around 3:30. As soon as we started unloading, one of Blair's uncle's and family pulled up. Blair's parents flew down with Blair's youngest brother and his girlfriend (who I had not met and was anxious to do so). When his parents got in to the hotel, we all met up and went to dinner at this wonderful Italian restaurant, Bravo's. When we got done eating, or shall I say, gorging ourselves, we all went to the parents of the cousin getting marrieds house. By the time we arrived, all of the cousins and aunts and uncles were there! I think I said, "How are you? I'm good." about twenty times! It was so good to see everyone and catch up. Blair and I had not seen everyone since last July when the sister got married. The get together was an "ice cream social" so we got to eat yummy ice cream. Everyone was exhausted from traveling all day so we didn't stay for too long.

Saturday morning Blair and I got up and met his immediate family to go sight seeing. Oh, by the way, I love Blair's brothers girlfriend. (Ben is his brother and Kate is his girlfriend.) We immediately clicked and got along great. She is a great girl and treats Ben good so I like her even more for that! Anyway, Kate wanted to see where Kennedy was assassinated so we loaded up and headed off. After we had some fun in downtown Dallas on the X that marks the spot of the assassination, we set off to find a place to eat. We found a street that had a bunch of restaurants and all a sudden this man came running across the street and said "Come eat at RJ's and we'll give you a free appetizer! And two free deserts!" We all looked at each other and shrugged and went to RJ's! It was really good so we were glad we went. After gorging ourselves again, we had to walk about three hundred miles (it was really about five blocks, but on a full stomach...) back to our vehicles. We decided to go shopping at a really nice shopping center close to our hotel. We stayed there for a couple hours then went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

The wedding was really beautiful. It wasn't at a church, but at a place called Mediterranean Villa. It was decorated in neutral colors and fleur de lis!! So it was right up my ally! I loved it!! The reception was on site at the dining/banquet hall. It was also beautiful! Christi, the bride, was gorgeous in her wedding gown and glowing with love for Danny, the groom. The reception was amazing! The girl cousins got out on the dance floor and had a great time!

Sunday we visited with the family for the last time before everyone headed home. It was a really good time and I am so in love with all of Blair's family. They have accepted me right into their fold! When we left the family gathering we went to Six Flags!! We had so much fun! All the rides were exciting (until I almost blacked out on the Titan)!! After Six Flags, we went to the hotel to get spruced up and went to eat at Saltgrass for our anniversary then went to see Indiana Jones!! We had a great time talking about the wedding and our weekend so far.

Monday we were going to go to Hurricane Harbor but when we got there the sign said "Open only on the weekends!" But we weren't too bummed, we just went shopping instead! Blair got some really nice clothes from Van Heusen and I got three pair of non-teal scrubs!When we got home, we decided to go eat again for our anniversary. So we went to Imperial Cathay and had a blast. Then we went to see the new Narnia movie, which was awesome!

So after celebrating our one year anniversary for days, we decided to sleep off all the fun! I am so thankful to have a wonderful husband that is so willing to make me happy. He is kind, considerate, loving, playful, serious,...he is every thing I could want or need in a mate. I am so thankful to call him MINE!!!

You'll all be proud!

I just wanted to update everyone on all I've gotten done over the past four days for our move. Okay and toot my own horn for just a bit! Friday on the way to good ol' Georgia I called USAA to get a Landlord's policy for our house (which by the way if anyone knows someone who'd like to rent a 3 bedroom/2 bath home in South Bossier, call me) and called the Head Nurse of the NICU in Minot, ND in the hospital I'd like to work in. That call gave me a lot of hope. She and I talked for about 15 minutes! She gave me the application number to fill out and said that once she got my application she'd do a "formal" phone interview and if I felt comfortable with it, hire me over the phone. (I was thinking "If I feel comfortable!!") I couldn't fill out the application immediately like I'd wanted to because I had no internet service. But I did it as soon as I could, which ended up being Monday! I also sent off a form on Friday to the LA State Board of Nursing to verify my license. Then this morning I filled out the application for licensure on the ND Board of Nursing website and requested transcripts be sent to them from my university. I feel like a ton has been lifted off! Blair has pretty much taken care of the moving part. We decided to to a DITY (Do-It-Yourself) move. We'll get reimbursed for the fees we pay and paid per pound that we move!! Yipee! We may actually make money off this adventure (which I'm all for)! Well, that's all for now folks! If you think of some helpful advice, send it my way!!
Love to all and hope you're having a blessed day!!

Georgia On My Mind...

I had a very busy weekend! Blair and I, along with my dad, made a quick trip to Georgia to pick up my mom. Let me give you a little history. Back in April my grandmother that lives in GA started having back trouble. She went to the doctor for it and they decided she needed surgery. Since it was easiest for my mom to go over there and help her (my mom doesn't work and my aunt would've had to pay a lot of mullah to get to GA from New Jersey on short notice). The thing about the going over is not that she needed help post-op, but she didn't tell the family she was having surgery until Monday and the surgery was on a Wednesday. So, anyway, the point of this weekends trip was to go collect my mother...at least it started out that way. You see, my grandma has a sister in the hospital and very ill, Aunt Hilda, and we all thought she was doing better. (She'd had a stroke a couple of months ago that put her in a nursing home.) About a week before we left we found out that she had had multiple small strokes, that she was in the hospital, and the doctors said to 'call in the family.' So that was our second reason for traversing to the land of peaches.

All in all it was a very good trip, even if it was quick. Friday morning Blair and I left our house a 5 a.m. For most of you that know me, that's WAY early for me! But we did it and it wasn't too bad. On the way to my dad's house, we stopped at Southern Maid donuts and got all of us donuts. We were officially on the road by 6 a.m. Yes, Ashlie, be proud! I was really tired so I climbed in the very back seat of my dad's van and promptly fell asleep. The next time I was awake I was a little fuzzy headed so I decided I needed to lay back down...and did! I think I slept for about four hours! When I finally woke up for good, I decided I would drive to help my dad out (he always did the driving when we were little). I ended up really enjoying this time. Daddy sat in the front with me and Blair took up my vacated spot in the very back and slept. Daddy and I don't get to see each other much and definitely don't get to do nothing but talk. The whole time I drove (about 3 hours) we had a very good conversation, just talking about everything that came to mind. It was great. (I love my Daddy so much! I will miss him a lot when I move to ND.) It just so happened that while I was driving, we were passing Montgomery National Guard Air Base (I believe that's the name of it) and Daddy wanted a picture of an F-4 that flew in Vietnam. (He was in the Air Force for 4 years during Vietnam.) So, not thinking anything of it, I pulled over on the side of the road by the plane he wants a picture of and he gets out and starts to snap pics with my camera. Now, we are probably a hundred yards or less from the main gate of the air base. I look up and the MP at the gate is waving at Daddy motioning him to come speak to him while talking into a walkie talkie! All I could think was, "Oh, no! My dad is about to get arrested for taking pictures! And my camera is going to get confiscated!!" So Daddy goes over and talks to the MP and another man walks up...then another man drives up in a huge F150 quad cab. I'm thinking, "That's the truck they're going to take him away in!" Well, finally, the man in the truck leaves and the second man walks away. The first man and my dad are talking and I'm left in the van by myself (Blair is still asleep at this point) to wonder if the other men left to get reinforcements or what and is my dad bout to get taken up by the po-po! Finally, he comes back to the van and said they just wanted to know what he was taking pictures of exactly because behind the infamous F4 is the operational base that is not allowed to be pictured. However, Daddy showed them the only thing seen in the picture is the plane. All I could do was say, "Whew!" After that adventure the rest of the trip into GA was uneventful.



We got into my grandma's town, Columbus, GA, about 4 p.m. their time. She owns a floral shop so we went there first to see her and get the key to her house so we could freshen up before we went to dinner. After dinner, we all went to bed fairly early so we could get up on Saturday and make the two hour trip to see my aunt in the hospital in Macon, GA.
Saturday morning rolled around way too early for me, but we all got out of the house without a hitch. We stopped by Dunkin' Donuts for early morning fortification. I got powdered donut holes, mmmm! The trip into Macon was okay, I dozed for the last half. When we got to the hospital we found the room and all my dad's cousins were there! It was really good to see them again (hadn't seen them since my granddaddy died in 2003) and introduce them all to Blair. It was really hard on my grandmother to see her sister laying in the hospital bed with all of the wires and tubes hooked up to her. (Aunt Hilda is her baby sister and when she passes only my grandma and one more sibling of the seven will be left.) My grandmother would sit and hold her hand while she slept, which she did a lot of while we were there in the morning. It was so sweet to see their bond. It made me think how much I love my sister and how if I was in that position I would be balling my eyes out. Then I started to think how much I'm going to miss my dear, sweet sis when I'm in ND. Then I had to stop thinking about it (like now) because I was about to break out crying. Anyway, we stayed at the hospital all day and finally left to get something to eat. After dinner we left and went back to the hospital for my grandma to see her sis one last time (we don't know if it's the last time she'll see here alive or not). When we got there Aunt Hilda was very alert and talkative. She recognized her sister and my mom and I. And said that Blair was "very good-looking!" I am so thankful that my grandma's last memory of her sister is not one with her lying in the bed sleeping but of her talking and responding. I am also comforted by the fact that Aunt Hilda is a wonderful Christian woman and I know right where she'll be when she passes.


When we got home from Macon, we all went straight to bed again because we had to leave Sunday! (Told ya it was a quick trip!) We kinda overslept Sunday, but were still able to make it out by 10 a.m. our time. I really hated to leave my grandma this time. She looked so frail and fragile, and it broke my heart to know that it might be my last time to see her alive. She is old and very set in her ways, but I love her. I pray God will keep her safe while she is there alone.




Our return trip, thankfully, was much less interesting than the trip over. No worries about being arrested!! I praise God also that we made that quick trip safely with no car troubles!

I hope everyone else had as good a weekend as I did!!

Busy, busy!

I just realized that I have less than three months left with the life as I've known it for the past 20 years. So much will be changing in such a short time. To be perfectly honest, I'm a little scared. I'm excited, but still hesitant. It takes a lot to shove me out of my comfort zone and moving a thousand miles away is just about enough to send me over the edge of it! I know that as long as Blair and I are together, we'll be fine.
I have also realized that I have a TON of stuff to do! I have to put the house up for rent, find a job, map out our drive to Minot (plus stops in Georgia, Tennessee, and Indiana), apply for a nurses license in North Dakota, find somewhere to live in Minot till we get base housing, schedule the packers to come, decide what I want put into storage until we get a house on base, figure out if we have to meet the movers up there or just leave everything in storage, quit the job I love here...this is all stuff off the top of my head. I know that there are a lot of things I'm not thinking of right now that I have to do. I don't know if y'all realize, but I'm a list maker. Seeing all of this written out seems overwhelming. Yet, oddly, it makes me feel better. I like lists because then I don't forget anything. And anyone who knows me knows I have a horrible memory!!
If anyone has suggestions on how to make my stressed-out-ness go away, please feel free to tell me. All of you military wives (or those who've moved around a lot) are welcome to tell me any little "inside" perspective from your previous moves. I would appreciate it greatly! I feel at a total loss here. I don't know where to start and that is the most daunting.
I guess what I'm trying to say is "HELP!"

Please Take Note

I got this email and thought all you readers out there with kids need to know about this! I even went to the website at the bottom and the info looks pretty legit. Hope this helps someone!


All drugs containing PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are being recalled.
STOP TAKING anything containing this ingredient. It has been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in brain )
among women ages 18-49 in the three days after starting use of medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA recommended that everyone (even children ) seek alternative
medicine.

The following medications contain Phenylpropanolamine :

Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine (Cherry or Orange )
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Sinus Effervescent
Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
BC Sinus Cold Powder
Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
Contac 12 Hour Caplets
Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
Dexatrim Caffeine Free
Dexatrim Extended Duration
Dexatrim Gelcaps
Dexatrim Vitamin C - Caffeine Free
Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
Dimetapp Elixir
Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
Permathene Mega-16
Robitussin CF
Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal Congestion
Triaminic DM Cough Relief
Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
Triaminic Syrup Cold & amp; Allergy
Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough

I just found out and called the 800 # on the container for Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily recalling the following medicines because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes and seizures in children :

Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
3D Cold & Cough Berry
3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant

They are asking you to call them at 800-548-3708 with the lot number on the box so they can send you postage for you to send it back to them, and they will also issue you a refund. If you know of anyone else with small children,
PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!

DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are informed.
They can then pass it along to their families.

To confirm these findings please take time to check the following:
http://www.. fda.gov/cder/ drug/infopage/ ppa/

PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR CHILDREN IN CASE THEY GIVE
IT TO THEIR CHILDREN OR TO FRIENDS WHO HAVE CHILDREN
AND GRANDCHILDREN.

My newest time consumer

Ok, so many of you know that I have a love of sewing. Well, a girl at work introduced me to knitting. Yes, I said knitting. However, it is not the traditional knitting one thinks of. I don't look like a grandma with her glasses on her nose, hair in a bun, with needles clacking while rocking in a rocking chair. I am doing what I like to call FAUX knitting. I use a loom and hook instead of knitting needles. At first, it looks super hard, but in reality, it's super easy! I love it! It keeps my hands busy and I need that sometimes! Let me show you what I'm working with...


Now let me show you what half of the blanket looks like...

I have been working on this for what feels like forever. (In reality, it was about a week's worth of work.) I finally finished it yesterday. Here is the finished product.


I can't wait to start my next one! I already know what colors it will be!!

Whirlwind weekend!

Wow, this weekend was a blast!! Our old youth minister and his family came to town for a long overdue reunion. Friday night 16 of us gathered together at Saltgrass for dinner (yummy!). It was so awesome to see everyone together, just like old times! We laughed and talked like the years apart had never happened.

Aren't they such a cute couples?!










This is most of us that were able to make it. (Jenny Bamburg and Martha's hubby's couldn't make it for the photo shoot!! I bet they just hated to miss it!!)



After we all stuffed ourselves silly eating the wonderfully scrumptious food at Saltgrass, a few of us still had a corner left to fill, so we headed to Coldstone Creamery. (Sorry, no pics from there, I was to worried about getting my ice cream!)

Dinner and desert was not enough for all of us revelers, so Lay and Willie opened up their home for us to play games at. We all had so much fun (thanks, Lay!) and took another round of pictures. The guys loved Blair's Guitar Hero III (to be honest, so did Mrs. Sharron!) and I was able to catch a few candids!!

After Guitar Hero and Mad Gab (which the girl's won, by the way!) everyone headed out. Except for Blair, Lay, Mrs. Sharron and I. We all played Nerts, well, Blair didn't. He played Guitar Hero till he was so tired he passed out on the couch!




We couldn't resist taking an all girl picture! The one on the left has those of us in Bro. A and Mrs. Sharron's youth group. The right picture shows all of us including those who "married into" the group!! Welcome additions!



Saturday during the day there was another gathering for those who were in the "old" youth group, I wasn't able to go since I had to work...tear, tear...

However, when I got off work Sunday morning, I went to church. I was able to see Bro. Aaron and Mrs. Sharron and the girls, one last time. I didn't get any pictures with the girls, but I did get pictures from the trip to Starbucks that Mrs. Sharron, Martha, and I took. Friday night was fun, but this was awesome because we got to spend one-on-one talking to one of the best, most wonderful, Godly, sweet, beautiful women ever. And I got pictures...


There is Martha concentrating intently on what Mrs. Sharron is saying! So sweet!