Blogging...

How is it that it has been OVER a month since I've been on here? Is anyone even following this anymore? I wouldn't blame you if you stopped. I truly hate that I haven't found the time to get on here much over the last year. I miss blogging. I miss using this as my little free therapy session when I have something on my mind that I need to get out. These days, I feel like I'm on the go from the minute I wake up to the minute I finally fall asleep. (I doubt I'll ever be able to pass out the minute I hit the pillow like a certain someone that I happen share the bed with...) I've become a true lurker. When I have a spare moment, I catch up on blogs through my phone on my Google Reader (yet, never comment), hit up Facebook to see the latest, read emails that I seem to never get back to in a timely manner, then continue to chase the little man around.

I'm loving life with the little wild man, but I definitely need to work on some time management. He rarely naps these days and when he does, I take full advantage of catching up on things around the house -- leaving my computer desk to pile up in paperwork and dust on the keyboard. As I'm sure fellow bloggers do, I catch myself thinking of a topic that I'd like to blog about later on -- when Sam naps, before I go to bed, etc. Then it never happens. And now, like tonight, I'm finally on here and I don't really even know where to go with it aside from the fact that I hate that this place is starting to collect dust bunnies.

The last month brought on a wide variety of emotions. Joy, anger, sadness, anxiety...you name it. Here are a few events that stand out in my mind...

We made it to Olivia's 3rd birthday and honored her on her day. I'd almost like to say we celebrated her big day, but for such a day of sadness, I suppose that description wouldn't exactly fit. Not to mention Olivia's day is now a day of sadness for our nation as a whole after the events that unfolded. Man. What a day! Nonetheless, we went out on a date to one of the nicest restaurants in town and made a cake for our baby girl. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend that day. It was most definitely a day of peace...and a little hint of joy thanks to the Sam-man.

We also reintroduced Samuel to Santa Claus. He LOVES Tim Allen's version, but clearly not the library's -- I think it was a bit traumatic for him...

Then on the 22nd (which happens to be the day we buried Olivia), Samuel enjoyed lunch with his buddy, Finn, who happened to be passing through town. It's always nice seeing sweet Finn and his parents!

Before we knew it, Christmas came and went. It was wonderful though, since we were able to spend it with Sam. The sweet boy enjoyed his presents and brought much joy to our house that day.

After spending Christmas together with our little family, we headed to our hometown for a week with extended family. I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised when our flight got pushed back a day due to a blizzard! On the bright side, it allowed for Samuel to experience snow for the first time. To say the least, he didn't like it, ha. The poor boy picked it up, looked at it with a curious/weird/investigative look, then flicked it away in near disgust. Sweet Samuel is a little too used to the desert, I suppose...

Oh and how can I forget? This trip happened to mark Samuel's first experience on a plane. Honestly, I was surprised how well he did! He sat on our laps and played on the iPad and/or slept the whole time. It didn't end up being the nightmare that we had imagined. (Thank the LORD!)

To be honest, the trip home is sort of a blur. We spent time with family and friends which was great, but most importantly, we visited our daughter. Seeing Olivia was the main reason we decided to go home! I hate that it only happens once a year, but even so, we were really glad that we were able to spend time with her at her grave. I think the best part of the whole trip was when a dear friend drove in from out of town to see us and asked if she could join us one day at the grave. Oh, Jackie...that meant the world to us! Very few people (outside Olivia's grandparents) have gone to visit Olivia on their own, so for Jackie to ask...I really can't put into words how much that meant to us. 

It's not the greatest picture of us, but here's Sam with his sweet Aunt Jackie and momma after a day in the snowy cemetery...

And some pictures from one of the many visits with Samuel and Olivia...

One of the gifts Jackie left for our baby girl...

Samuel holding another gift left by Aunt Jackie...

Aside from that, I didn't end up taking many pictures while we were home. I know, shocking! Aside from our time with Olivia, the only other time I purposefully got the camera out was to get a picture of all of our nieces and nephews together. To say the least, it was chaos and if we ever do it again, I'm kicking every single one of my sisters and bro-in-laws out of the room. There were way too many people trying to get the kids' attention, so they were all looking in different directions and it was a room full of what sounded like yelling -- everyone trying to talk louder than the person next to them, ha. Ohhhhh, the joys of a large family, ha. :)

And there you have it. Aside from a hellish experience trying to get home (another cancelled flight and a 10 hour - turn 24 hour - drive due to bad weather), it was a good trip. I'm thankful for the fact that we were able to make the trip and see our baby girl. Plus, Samuel was able to spend time with his cousins, which was priceless. 

With that said, it's nice to be home. Now if only I could get caught up to the point of having some spare time to blog...I suppose that will be my goal for February. Oh, that and getting the Christmas decor taken down, ha. That's right, it still looks like a house waiting to celebrate Christmas around here! While I was glad to get home, El Paso gave me a nice warm welcome with a bad case of the flu which really put us behind in just about everything. In fact, I was just finally unpacking our luggage earlier today -- pathetic, really. One day, I'll be caught up and have free time to sit and really talk, not just give a vague description of what we've been up to. I feel like that's what this blog is these days and to an extent, I'm alright with that since I like looking back and seeing what we were up to at different points in the year, but there are also so many things I'd like to address...I suppose those will have to wait...

And with that, I'm off to bed. While this is a bit late, I hope everyone had a WONDERFUL Christmas and may this year be the best yet!!!

10 Years...

As of August 9th, James and I have been married 10 years...10 crazy years. It's hard not to look back and think of all that we've been through during that time. Getting a crazy puppy named Obadiah -- a dog that has been there with me through EVERYTHING. Moving away to Germany for 3 years to start what now looks like a career in the Army. Excitedly starting our family, only to then say goodbye to our first son, Jacob, as we prepared for our 1st deployment. Visiting various countries and exploring countless cities while living overseas. Losing what we thought would be our rainbow (Jordan) almost as soon as we found out we were pregnant -- all the while trying to adjust to our new home in WA as we prepared for our 2nd deployment. Getting out of the Army and finally finishing my degree in psychology, while also buying a house in our hometown. Almost immediately turning around and getting back into the Army, resulting in the attempt at selling a house in a terrible market. Preparing for our 3rd deployment when we were surprised by the insanely exciting news of our pregnancy with our daughter. Later experiencing the horror of losing Olivia while James was away in Afghanistan. Trying to cope with the crazy grief that is what life's like when you have 3 angels in Heaven and nothing more. Moving to GA in hopes of a fresh start and break from deployments. Immediately being shocked by the news of our 4th pregnancy, bringing a whole new level of anxiety and fear yet incredible hope. Enjoying the fact that because of the move to GA and job in TRADOC, James had finally been home more than he'd been away in our whole marriage. Getting further into photography and actually making it more than a hobby. Experiencing the indescribable feeling of joy when I heard our son, Samuel, cry for the first time. Finally getting to live life with a child here on Earth -- in our arms! And now living in TX and enjoying life with the little man that is ever changing as each day goes by...

All the deployments. All the field problems and other various months away thanks to the Army. All the road trips and various vacations. The good times. The sad times. The incredibly tragic times. James has been there by my side through it all. I am so thankful for the relationship that I have with him -- one that will never break or fall apart. One that only gets stronger through each experience that we face together. I love that man and I couldn't imagine my life without him in it!

So with that being said...

James got a 4-day pass and we decided to get out of town with the boy. Due to the heat, we sent Obadiah on his own vacation at a local doggie daycare -- otherwise he would have joined in on the fun, too! As usual, the only hotel we booked in advance was for Obadiah. We just packed some clothes and a cooler of water, got our atlas, and drove. That's our preferred method of travel when doing road trips. If we see something interesting along the way, we stop and check it out. That happened to be the case this time around with Tombstone, AZ. We hadn't even thought to go there, but when we saw the exit for it, we thought what the heck, why not?

I suppose I should also mention that with our anniversary on the 9th, we continued a little tradition of ours. On our wedding night, after all the festivities had ended, we were starving and decided to order pizza. For whatever reason, we have continued that each year. We still like to go out for a nice dinner out, but on our actual wedding anniversary, we always continue our cheesy little tradition. This year was no different. On our way out of town, we stopped at our favorite place in Las Cruces, NM and enjoyed some NY style before continuing on. Good times.

So with our traditional dinner knocked out, we headed west. Samuel thought it was AWESOME being able to run around the hotel room and explore every nook and cranny. He even did his crazy dance in excitement.

(like this...)

The next day, we checked out Tombstone, AZ, had In-n-Out in Tucson, AZ (a first for Samuel!), and agreed that we have to come back to Phoenix at some point after having a quick stop and seeing all that they have to offer -- I mean, come on...they have an Ikea among other things! Ha. We continued on towards Sedona, AZ, but ended up making an unexpected stop at the Montezuma Castle National Monument first. It's so fascinating to see such historical marks! After we learned a little more about that area, we arrived in Sedona, which was BEAUTIFUL! (Thank you to those that recommended us stopping there!!!) After taking a little hike through one of the state parks within the Sedona area and letting Sam run around, we ended our night in Flagstaff, AZ. Considering the fact that the only place I've visited in AZ before now was the airport, I never realized all that it has to offer. Flagstaff reminded us somewhat of a mix between the PNW and the town we went to college in. We loved it!

With that under our belt, we headed on to the Grand Canyon the next day and spent the morning there. Since I still haven't gotten around to taking Samuel's 1 Year pictures, it also turned into a mini photo session for the boy. Talk about a beautiful background! We really lucked out, too, as the rain didn't hit until after we were heading out...

Since we couldn't just stop there, we headed on north towards the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. However, before getting there, we checked out Bryce Canyon. As we were walking up to the first scenic view, James said, "Is it bad that I almost think this is more beautiful than the Grand Canyon?" Ha. I couldn't help but agree with him. Talk about indescribable beauty! We probably spent more time there than anywhere else. We loved it!

The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument didn't end up providing as much entertainment as expected since we didn't bring the truck. Apparently, you can only get to most of the points of interest by a dirt/sand road that is impassable when wet. So considering the fact that we didn't have our truck and the storm clouds kept coming and going, we didn't want to risk it. We tried at first, but ended up facing a flooded road, so we turned around. The last place I want to get stranded is in the middle of nowhere! It was still beautiful and provided a connection to the next best thing -- Capital Reef National Park.

I feel like a broken record talking about the beauty behind all of these national parks. Utah should just be deemed as one massive national park -- that's pretty much all you do is hop from one to the next! We thoroughly enjoyed each park, and I'm so glad we decided to hike to Hickman Bridge while at Capital Reef. Minus being a genius and hiking in sandals that lack any kind of grip at all (resulting in a cut up knee and toe after slipping on a smooth rock), it was a great experience to get up there with Sam. James refused to use the Ergo so as to avoid a scene that bordered looking like abuse since Sam flips out if he's confined in any way shape or form, so he had the pleasure of carrying him all the way up there. We got such a kick out of watching Sam enjoy the ride, as he laughed and talked all the way there -- as if to say, "This is fun guys! Let's go further!" Then on the way back down, he slowed down and eventually fell asleep on James' shoulder -- it's hard work being carried! The sweet boy.

I wish we would've had more days to explore, as we would've gone even further north into more national parks...such is life. We'll just have to go back! We had a wonderful trip and created many great memories with the little man. I'm so glad we were able to go there as a family. While Samuel won't remember any of it, he definitely enjoyed himself in the moment!

I posted pictures to my Facebook page here, but if you're not on FB, here are a few...

Sam's favorite part about being in a hotel -- the phone. He kept picking it up and saying, "Ah?! Ah?! Ah?!"

Loved Sedona!

Sweet Sam while in a park in Sedona...

Appreciating the view at the Grand Canyon...



And the freedom after being in the car! Running in any direction we'll let him...



This might substitute as Samuel's 1 Year picture. It was crazy bright and sunny, but it's the closest we'll probably get to a posed picture for awhile ...



Loved the view...



Samuel counting the states that he's been to...



The happy couple...



Bryce Canyon...





Sweet boy...



By far, the best part of the trip!



On our way back after trying to get to one of the arches in Great Staircase Escalante National Monument...



Love it...



Samuel enjoying a break...



I sure wish that boy would be willing to keep his hat and sunglasses on for longer than 30 seconds...



Some of the many cows that blocked the road throughout the trip...



A family picture...



Father and son while in Capital Reef National Park...



Loved the hike to Hickman Bridge...

Enjoying being the only ones in the area...

Another family picture...

Enjoying the view and the new toy...



It just doesn't get any better -- the view, the peaceful silence, time with family...



Love these boys!



What an amazingly memorable trip with my boys. I'm so thankful that I have them. I'm thankful that after 10 crazy years, James and I get to celebrate together vs. over the phone like in the past thanks to the Army. Now on to the 11th year and many more experiences to come -- hopefully more happy than sad. The last year was full of so much joy -- I hope it stays that way for awhile! Heck, we're in a non-deployable unit, so we've got a few things going in our favor right now...

Anyways...here's to 10 years of marriage and many more to come!!!

Prayers For Joplin...

As everyone is aware, Joplin, MO recently experienced the 8th deadliest tornado in U.S. history. (As stated on the NOAA website.) We immediately took note once we heard about it, as my sister and her family used to live there for several years. Our family has many memories associated with that small town and continue to hear stories about the horrible loss felt by Rachelle and Nathan's friends. What a horrific experience! So many lives lost, homes destroyed, etc.

Immediately following the storm, my sister told me about a YouTube video that showed a firsthand account of a group of people taking shelter during the storm. I still can't get over it...

Can you even imagine? Tornadoes freak me out. I can't imagine being in the middle of an EF-5!

Well, a day or two after the first video was posted, the same guy posted another video to show what was left of their shelter (a gas station). If you ask me, it's a miracle those people are still alive!

I hope that the 1500 still missing are soon found -- hopefully most (if not all) of them simply haven't checked in with authorities yet and are safe! There are definitely many prayers being said for the families affected by that awful storm -- especially those that are still looking for their loved ones...

Our "Winter Storm"...

Being here in the South leads to some interesting moments -- like how quickly winter weather can affect things...

While at the commissary Sunday afternoon, we heard over the intercom that it would be closed Monday, along with all Ft. Benning schools, due to the impending weather forecast. It was as dry as could be and not that cold (in my opinion), yet they were predicting bad weather and wasted no time shutting things down because of it. Then come this morning, we heard the base pretty much shut down minus mission essential personnel. When James went to check out the streets, he said they were slushy, but nothing beyond that. I know you don't want to mess around with black ice, but we found this rather amusing. Closings and cancellations for something so minor. But hey, we're not going to complain about James not having to report to work until noon! It was a nice unexpected morning together...

Speaking of weather...I've determined Oba would best be suited for an environment that never got above 70 degrees and never below 40, ha. When I noticed that we had ice in the backyard, I got my shoes and headed out to get a picture. He immediately took note and raced to the door to come with me. In excitement, he ran around checking things out and ate some ice while I grabbed a picture. A few minutes later, I headed in, but he was too preoccupied to notice. By the time he did, he was at the door crying like there was a blizzard out back. So pitiful...

I know I'm probably alone in this opinion, but I love the winter...

Oba, however, does not...

Here's hoping it all melts away tomorrow, as I have my weekly shot that must be taken care of!

Dear, South...

I'm not sure that I like you all that much...You and your humidity, nasty storms, red clay dirt, and BUGS!

Overall, it's been pretty uneventful around here lately. I've spent my days laying low, feeling sick, and watching a certain basset whine out of boredom. Of course, we did have a little excitement earlier this evening. Not only were we reintroduced to tornado-threatening type weather (man, I miss the PNW! Never a nasty cloud in the sky, just innocent little rain clouds!), but we were also introduced to something that's probably quite normal down here in the South...bugs.

When James got home from work, the first thing he did was ask if I had noticed the nasty clouds and horrible weather in general. He said it looked pretty bad from his office, and well...we're just not used to this anymore. Luckily, it never got TOO bad, but the color of the sky was enough to get our attention. Apparently, AL had some pretty nasty tornado warnings, and I'm sure they could've easily come our way since we're right on the border. Ugh.

Soon after that conversation...upon walking to the kitchen...James yelled out in disgust/shock a few choice words, so I jumped up to see what was wrong -- ok, maybe "jumped up" is a bit far-fetched...I got up slowly in my nausea-filled state. As it turns out, we had quite the little invasion of an ant army attacking our kitchen in droves from the kitchen nook/patio wall. Vomit! Never have we dealt with this junk, and I really hope this first is also our last. There's just something disgusting to me about a massive amount of ants *inside our home*...1 ant? Sure, I'm okay with...100+? No, not at all.

Looking back, I do remember having issues with roaches when we first moved here, but they never turned into rude house guests and invited themselves in for dinner. They stayed on the patio (there's a weird drain nearby, which I'm sure attracts them) and since roaches gross James out more than nearly anything else on Earth, the sight of them puts him in battle mode. He immediately went and bought traps, those plug-ins that deter bugs and tons of insecticide, which appears to have done its job. No longer do we ever see them, so I haven't thought much about it. That is...until tonight...when we got these new uninvited guests...

Apparently, spraying around the house every 2 months isn't enough around here, as they came from the baseboards and headed straight for the trashcan. Gross! I'm sure this is slightly laughable that we would get so grossed out by this, but I'm just not meant for bugs. In fact, if I had it my way, James would exterminate even the daddy long legs that camp out on our front porch. He won't since they're harmless, but harmless or not, they need to go in my opinion! (Clearly, you won't be seeing me camping in the woods anytime soon...I'm quite the pansy when it comes to creepy crawlies....or apparently, even ants...ha.)

With being preggo and all, James got to take on the job of killing and cleaning after we noticed that party going on in the kitchen. While doing that, Oba and I camped out in the bedroom and I listened as he grumbled/cried/whined at the door. Oh, the hard life that basset has! Since the kitchen is right outside our bedroom door, we didn't want him stomping and tracking those pests around the house -- that would've made our night even more enjoyable I'm sure...

So while I sit back and try to do what I can to avoid getting sick, James gets to play pest control tomorrow after work. If this doesn't cut it and we start to find more of these nasty things, I think it'll be time to call Terminix. Yuck! Right about now, I'm REALLY missing WA. The most we ever dealt with over there were slugs, and while some are grossed out by them, I could care less. They never invite themselves into our home, so I never had any complaints...

On The Road: Part 3...

So, it's been almost two weeks since we left WA and it has been nonstop craziness ever since! Many pictures to share and lots of stories to be told, but I've rarely been able to get online, much less sit down and go through it all on the laptop due to all the family visits/sightseeing opportunities along the way. Hopefully things will calm down a bit once we settle down in GA next week!

After driving through WA, OR, CA, NV, UT, WY, CO, KS, MO, IL, IN, and OH, we are now in Pittsburgh, PA for our last pit stop before heading down to our next home in GA. Man, just thinking about all of that is tiring. My goal is to go through all of the pictures from the various stops that we made and comment on our experiences...but that probably won't happen until our house is set up since I doubt the craziness is going to come to a halt anytime soon. I did, however, get a chance to go through the San Francisco pictures just now, so I guess that's something...

We loved San Francisco! In fact, I'm sure Oba would have no complaints with living there. Everywhere we went, Obadiah got love from people around us. I don't know that we've ever seen that many people dote over Oba! It was kind of ridiculous, but he soaked up every moment of it. The best part of the visit was when we met up with another Baby Loss Momma (Jennifer), but the rest of the touring was fun too. We lucked out with some beautiful weather while we were there, so we were thoroughly able to enjoy the scenery. The only thing missing was our Liv'ster -- I guess that's a given though!

Below is our San Fran trip described through pictures (click each picture for a larger view)...

Before getting to San Francisco, we decided to go through Napa Valley. Neither of us cares all that much for wine, but it was worth the stop. It was beautiful! Here is a picture taken as we were arriving in the area -- ignore the dirty windshield!

We purposely made a stop at Gundlach Bundschu -- a German winery recommended by my sister...

Afterwards, we stopped at another winery, but I can't remember the name...Domaine something...

We could hear Obadiah barking in the truck -- ruining the atmosphere for all of those around -- so we decided to make the visit fairly short. As we were heading out, I turned around to take one last picture and realized later that two guys posed for me. Ha.

We made our next stop at Domaine Chandon. Such a beautiful landscape!

After three wineries, we decided we had better head to San Fran since we had plans of meeting Jennifer and her husband that evening (see previous post). This is as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge…

Here are some random pictures as we drove through San Fran and walked around Pier 39 that night…

I *of course* had to get a picture of this store…being a lefty and all…

While meeting with Jennifer and her hubby, we grabbed the awesome sour dough bread bowls of chili…yum!

After an evening on the pier, we decided to call it a night. Due to a convention going on there in the city, it ended up being next to impossible to find a hotel that had an available room – especially one that took dogs! We finally found one north of the Golden Gate Bridge, which ended up working out perfectly. We had wanted to walk the bridge the next day with Oba, so after checking out, we were just minutes from that location. Aside from the fog, it was absolutely beautiful that next morning! I still can’t get over the amount of people that stopped what they were doing to love on Oba. By the end of the day, his ego was through the roof!

After parking, we had to walk under the bridge to get to the viewing area. Oba went nuts looking around to figure out where all of the noise was coming from…talk about confused!

One of many new friends…

Caught Oba mid-yawn…

James and his doppelgänger…

As we began our walk…

More new friends for Oba…

Someone was quite pleased with himself…

Some random graffiti that caught my eye…

The closer we got to the middle of the bridge, the foggier it got…

The city in a bed of clouds…

It cleared up a little at one point…

More graffiti…

Love this one…

Right after this picture was taken, an interesting looking man came up and offered to take our picture for us. After doing so, he offered us some whiskey from his flask! Ha! We declined, but were amused by the offer.

Poor Oba…by the end of our walk, he was pooped! (You can tell by how his eyes were going off to each side…)

San Francisco is such a beautiful city!

One last set of new friends before we left…One girl even asked her mom if they could get a basset after loving on Oba, ha…

Call me strange, but I’m always amused when watching Oba walk up stairs – those short little legs!

Then, of course, 2 minutes after we got in the truck, this is how we found Oba!

After walking the bridge, we had plans of stopping at Ghirardelli Square and walking around. Unfortunately, it was next to impossible to find parking, so we just drove around then headed on our way. Before we left though, I made sure to get a closer shot of Alcatraz…

As we made our way through the city, we also made sure to drive down Lombard Street. I think I would've been more comfortable driving down that windy road in our Vibe! I was a bit nervous as James made those curves in the truck…

Oh and how could we pass up driving past the Full House strip of homes? I don't know about you, but when seeing this picture, it makes me want to sing the theme song to that cheesy sitcom, ha.

After driving through that area, we drove past the Haight-Ashbury district for James (for those not familiar with it, it had a major role in the start of the hippie movement), then headed on our way towards Nevada. It was a quick tour of the city, but we enjoyed it. After grabbing In-N-Out one last time, we made plans to stop in Lake Tahoe real quick. We wanted to at least get past the Nevada border that night, but being that Lake Tahoe is one of those vacation spots that we hear so much about, we made sure to check it out! Man, what a beautiful place! I loved the quaint little towns surrounding it. We decided to walk through one and were amused by some of the shops. One of them had little bears decorating their roof…

It also had a beautiful walkway near the beach…

I obviously didn’t find the best spot to lay the camera…

As you can see, Oba isn’t as traditional with his choice of walkways…

Right before we left town, I noticed a great sandy beach off to the side. I, of course, made James pull over so we could check it out! A popular thing to do among the Baby Loss community is to write our sweet angels’ names in the sand. I had 10 or so names that came to mind, so while we were there, I made sure to take pictures. For those of you reading this, I’ll get those to you soon (I hope!)…

Here is a picture with our angels’ names altogether…

As we headed out of town, I loved how the moon looked!

After a long day of sightseeing, our next stop was going to be a hotel halfway through the state of Nevada. Hopefully I’ll be able to get on here again sometime soon and document the rest of our drive. I’m sure by now you’re done seeing pictures though (I know, I take way too many!), so I’m off to bed…