You know your an army wife when...

~You freak out if you can't find your military ID but you couldn't care less about your driver's license

~You talk more to the FRG than to your own husband.

~You know your husband's social security number better than your own!

~You've been married for 2 years, but have only seen your husband for 8 months.

~You are constantly kicking about 14 pairs of boots out of the way in various rooms of the house.

~You bring both cell phone and home phones with you everywhere, including the bathroom, shower and on top of the dryer, so as not to miss a call from your soldier.

~You can't watch the flag being raised or lowered without tears in your eyes.

~You don't get the answer you like from Tri-Care so you know the best solution is to hang up and keep calling until you hear what you want.

~You speak in acronyms. For example...

"Once the hubs (SPC MOS 19D) graduated BCT and AIT, we PCS'd to Ft.Neato. We had to register our POV, after that his NCO wanted to make sure we knew who our PCMwas and the location of the MTF. We headed to the commissary and PX for some supplies and on the way I received a call from my POC of the FRG about an upcoming meeting. We got home and the hubby had to pack his ACU's and TA-50 (but not his Class A's) because an extended vacation to an exotic "beach" was in his future, but I can't tell you about that because of OPSEC."

Moving Day is getting closer!

The last couple weeks have been very long and tiring for us. We have been working almost every evening, painting, repairing, and cleaning our new house, so it will be move-in ready on Saturday, as well as packing up our apartment and getting that move-out ready. It's been a long haul, but it is nearing the end and we will officially become homeowners.

This has certainly been a long journey for us, but one that we have learned a lot, and been able to learn together. I feel very blessed to be able to go through this process with my husband by my side. There have been many big decisions and events in our relationship that we have had to face alone, because of deployments and living apart from each other. I am very thankful that Mark is here with me through all of this. He is a huge supporter in my life and I love him so much!

My husband the preacher!

This past Sunday, Mark had the opportunity to give a message in church. I was so proud of him. Despite all his nerves, he did an amazing job! You can listen to his message here.

Mark's new Blog

Mark has recently created his own blog. Check it out! He always amazes me and I love that about him. You can access his new blog by clicking on the link in my blog, which is on the right, under "Blogging Buddies," clicking here, or going to http://sgt-of-christ.blogspot.com/ He would love your comments and feedback.

Office Changes

Came across this today and would like to share. If your office is needing to make some cuts in the budget, here is a great way to do it!!!

Due to difficult economic times, some changes have been made.

NEW OFFICE POLICY

Dress Code:

1) You are advised to come to work dressed according to your salary.

2) If we see you wearing Prada shoes and carrying a Gucci bag, we will assume you are doing well financially
and therefore do not need a raise.

3) If you dress poorly, you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and
therefore you do not need a raise.

4) If you dress just right, you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.

Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor's statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.

Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year.
They are called Saturdays & Sundays.

Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every
effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where
employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon. We will be glad to
allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.


Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the toilet.
There is now a strict three-minute time limit in the stalls. At the end of three minutes, an alarm will
sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the stall door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your
second offence, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the 'Chronic Offenders'
category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company's mental health policy.

Lunch Break:

* Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.

* Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.

* Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that's all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.


Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive employment experience. Therefore,
all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations,
allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.


The Management

The ABC's of me

A - Age: 23

B - Bed Size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Laundry

D - Dog's name: Toby

E - Essential start your day item: A nice warm shower

F - Favorite color: Pink

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'8"

I - Instruments you play(ed) : The Flute

J - Job title: Wife and Administrative Assistant

K - Kid(s): none yet

L - Living arrangements: Town house right now, new house in 24 days!!!!!!

M - Mom's name: Rebecca

N - Nicknames: Sister, Moose (from the Chili-Cheesecake days) & Tenderheart (given to me by my boss and youth pastor)

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: never

P - Pet Peeve: People who are rude or mean to other people

Q - Quote from a movie: "I'll have a Pina Colada, non-virgin, wanna see my ID, I totally have it."

R - Right or left handed: Right handed

S - Siblings: My baby brother, Jonathan

T - Time you wake up: When Mark comes in to kiss me goodbye for the day

U- Ultimate Vacation Spot: A dream vacation, Italy. On the more practical side...Colorado.

V - Vegetable you dislike: Broccoli

W - Ways you run late: Changing my outfit to many times

X - X-rays you've had: My right wrist, my left wrist and my right ankle, oh and the top of my foot

Y - Yummy food you make: Enchiladas

Z - Zoo favorite: Penguins! I would take one home as a pet if I could!

Huzzah Valley Resort 2009

Once again, we had another great weekend camping and floating at the Huzzah. I always look forward to this weekend. It's so nice to relax and enjoy the company of our church family. The weather was absolutely amazing! I was very thankful for that. The weather made the float down the river very enjoyable! During the first part of the float, I was in a raft with Jason and Brittany. Half way through, I decided to get brave and try a kayak, so Mitch let me try it out. (Thanks Mitch!!) It was so much fun!! I was hooked in the first five minutes and will absolutely be getting a kayak next year! I was sad to see the weekend come to an end, but I look forward to another awesome weekend next year. Mark also has a post about the weekend, check it out here.

This was Saturday morning. It was raining, but the guys still cooked for us. Thanks guys!

Everyone relaxing

Paige and Kobe playing "Washers"

Kobe being strong and lifting the cooler. Way to go Kobe!

Buddies!!

The group

Our camping "village"

Enjoying the water