Big Update

I've been dreading doing this, because I am so very far behind and so much has happened since the last time I wrote almost (*gasp*) three months ago. But the writing will only pile up the longer I leave it, so here goes...


Shortly after my last post, my husband returned home from Afghanistan. I can't even explain how amazing it was to have him back in my arms again. I was lucky enough to have another Marine wife offer to come and take pictures for me, and she got some great shots.



On one hand, it was difficult to adjust to not living alone (i.e. I now have someone to question why I need X product from Wal Mart at 11:30 at night, instead of waiting until morning like a normal person). Other times, we'll be sitting on the couch and it would be like he never left.

Shortly before we headed back north to see our families for leave over Christmas, we traded in the car (which Jess and I had jacked up mileage on during our trip anyways), and bought a H2. The gas mileage obviously isn't as great as the car, but it is much nicer to have a vehicle that can haul stuff. Plus it's just fun to drive. Bryce wanted to prove that it really was big, so instead of tying our Christmas tree to the top of the Hummer we stuffed it inside.

Then, it was finally time to drive back to Washington for the holidays. We drove straight through, only stopping for a few hours to catch some sleep at a rest stop. Leave flew by, filled with family and friends. It isn't easy only having one car, so we decided to drive my Pathfinder back down to California with us. We bought some cheap walkie-talkies for the trip, and I can honestly say they were one of the best ideas ever. Since we were each driving a car, they allowed us to chat without having to continually call each other on our cell phones (which is illegal in most states anyways). I'm pretty sure it didn't stop raining in California from the day we left until after we returned, save for the dust storm that tore up the windshields at the base of the Grapevine.

Now we are just enjoying our time in California. We should be moving again in a few months, so I'm trying to enjoy the winter sunshine while I can. :)

Feeling like a rock star

I've been slacking on the blogging front the past week, but when it comes to setting up shop in California, I feel like a rock star. :)

Jess helped me move most of the boxes out of the storage unit. I quickly remembered how helpful it always was to have a truck around. We fit everything into the car (in multiple trips of course), but some of the things barely fit in the back seat.

Then Thursday rolled around . . . the official end of the Trip and the day Jess had to fly back home. :( We spent the morning and early afternoon in San Diego, enjoying the heat (over 90 degrees!) and exploring the waterfront.

We had our final FRG meeting Thursday night as well, the first one that I was actually in town to attend. The meeting centered around the boys' homecoming and it served to make us a million times more excited!

As of Saturday the house has furniture, thanks to two of Bryce's friends that are back in California. They were lifesavers, considering I certainly couldn't have lifted most of the furniture, let alone drive the moving truck or put the bed or dressers back together again.

So why do I feel like a rock star you ask? Is it because when I sing and dance around I remind my neighbors (and all passersby) of a superstar? Well, as true as that may be, nope. In addition to furniture, in the past week I have unpacked the entire house, rented a washer and dryer, set up wireless internet and hooked up the cable TV. I ordered a dining room table, and have put together the chairs (still waiting on the table and bench to be delivered). Curtains are up on the windows and frames are on the wall. The house is almost completely decorated and the kitchen is pretty well stocked with groceries. The freezer is filled with muffins, rolls and cookies. Oh, and the DVDs are in alphabetical order... :)

Now all that's left to do is wait. Actually, that's a lie, there is lots more to do, but for tonight I'm going to just imagine that I am all done. :)