all is right in the world....

zach is home!!!! yesterday was sort of crazy. he was supposed to fly in at 5. then it was pushed back to 8. then it was pushed back to 8:45. but, it really all worked out. before we left for the ceremony, everyone (and i mean all 21 of us) hung out at the condo for a little while and then headed to pick up zach. it was so exciting!

and i really did well - no crazy tears when he came home. but, we didn't get home until 1. and if you know me, you know i can get a little crazy when i'm exhausted - anyways, we got home late and zach said something or did something that made me laugh. well, within 2 seconds of laughing i just started crying. haha, i can't help it!

my mom was hilarious last night. gosh, i love her. zach's family is so awesome - but it can be confusing when you try to learn their names (like his three cousins: malorie, mollie, and maggie) and how they are all related. so my mother decided she was going to get it all right. she walked around with a pencil and paper and just asked everyone their middle name and other little things about them. it was really funny.

i don't have pictures up yet - but here are a few from the local paper's website. please note the awesome face cut-outs of zach :)

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DA&Date=20081126&Category=PHOTOGALLERIES&ArtNo=811260802&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=5

http://www.theleafchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/gallery?Site=DA&Date=20081126&Category=PHOTOGALLERIES&ArtNo=811260802&Ref=PH&Params=Itemnr=8

a mushy look back...

i hate to get all sentimental, but i can't believe that the deployment will be over tomorrow! thinking about it really brings me to tears - happy ones of course.... but also out of amazement. i can remember the night zach left: i drove his truck home, crawled into bed, and cried myself to sleep. the next day i crawled out of bed and dragged myself to an anatomy lab. i was on the verge of tears the entire time - i actually ended up leaving because i couldn't make it through the class. those first few weeks i thought it would never get better.

oh gosh, and last Christmas....unexpected bouts of crying...uncontrollably bawling at the end of juno when juno's boyfriend layed down next to her after she gave up the baby. i know people thought i gave up a baby or something.

but, i made it - by the grace of God. He has been so completely faithful. when i moved to clarksville, i didn't expect to make friends like the ones i have from home. but i have made friends that will never be able to get rid of me now. and i don't just go to church - i feel connected and i love my church family. i finally figured what i felt was the right fit with school and career choice. i could seriously go on and on about all the blessings that came out of the deployment. not to say it was all easy, but it was so worth it in the end.

now, the new frontier: marriage with the husband home :) haha. seriously, i can't wait!

a long, wonderful day

this morning i woke up at 2:15 AM, showered, got dressed, and then drove to my wonderful friend tinsley's house. her husband came home from iraq at 6 AM. (you have to get to the hanger about 2 hours earlier, in case you were wondering why i was up so early.)

i am SO glad i was able to go and see a 'homecoming' before zach comes home. i got to take pictures of the whole event for some of my friends and share in the joy of their husbands returning home. best use i've had of my camera yet.

and then later that day i got to have lunch with another wonderful friend jessica. afterwards we went and saw twilight!! now, i love the book series. love them (in case you haven't picked up on that.) but, the movie didn't quite do it for me. but i enjoyed it, and i'm still making zach see it with me again.

well, if everything goes right this week, it will be my last weekend without a husband, so yay!!

night :)

oh army

a real quick vent...

so zach's flight has been changed to tuesday night. and i'm so glad that he is coming home and all that jazz, but it really messes up my plans! i was looking forward to a few quiet days in c-ville before heading to georgia and jumping into all the family holiday stuff. that won't really happen now. i am selfish, and very aware of that. ohhh it's just so frustrating! not even the thought of twilight is helping! haha.

don't you just hate not being in control? i guess this is a good life lesson blah blah blah...

on the other hand, it looks like i can ring some bells for salvation army on saturday, ben!

restlessness

i can't get the minutes to pass fast enough.

i have been gettin to class, Bible study, etc. EARLY. like, 20-3o minutes early. i can't sleep, and i am trying not to do all the things on my "to do list" because i'm afraid i won't have things to take up time tomorrow, thursday, and friday.

it kind of feels like the night before the first day of school - high school style. but, i guess you'd have to love school. AND you would know that you will have every class with the super hott guy you have the biggest crush on. now times that anticipation by 100... that is where i'm at. haha.

in other news - i helped sub a pre-K class today. wow. i used to think that my parenting style would only use "time outs" and firm words. after today, i think i'm a fan of some good ole fashion spankings.

good night!

yay!

so i heard from zach - yay! things are still lookin' like saturday is THE day. i guess i just keep holding my breath because his R&R was delayed so much. but, R&R is different, so i shouldn't worry too much.

another reason i think it hasn't completely set in is because my body can't handle the excitement. i mean really - my husband is coming home after 15 months AND the movie twilight all happen on the same weekend. my head may very well explode. eeeeeee!!!!

frustration!

so before i head to church, i thought i might vent real quick....

i haven't heard from zach since thursday, so i have no clue what is going on. i am not doing so well with the lack of info! haha, i'm just so spoiled that it is weird to not talk to zach for more than 1 or 2 days. hopefully he is travelling or at least getting ready to jet out of iraq. what a pleasant thought :)

ok, i'll try to stop complaining now.

my quick trip to georgia

so i am back in clarksville. the veteran's day stuff yesterday was actually pretty cool. the parade was just silly - i still don't know why i was in it, but i just sat in the seat of a convertible (instead of sitting up on the back, like homecoming queens haha) and waved at little kids. there was no candy... i really should have just brought some myself. the really cool part was the ceremony for the veterans. it was really touching to see those who had fought in ww II, korea, vietnam, etc. you could tell how proud they were to serve their country, and how adamantly they remembered their friends who had made the ultimate sacrifice. it was really touching, and i'm glad i got to be a part of it.

time to parade around

... literally. i have to be in a parade tomorrow. well, not "have to" - i did agree to it. but anyways, dawsonville, ga has a big veteran's day parade every year. being the outstanding army wife (oh gross) i am, i was asked to read a short poem or something. that is fine. except now they are having me ride in the parade. in a convertible. i'm not really sure why... i mean, i refuse to wave at people like i am some kind of celebrity (whoa, maybe i could make this a fun imaginative exercise....) i hope i get to throw candy or something.... i'll give an update about it tomorrow night.

:)

goodness me

today was a total emotional roller coaster. here is why:

- i found fleas on my friend's dog, who i am dog-sitting. now the dogs are practically drenched in pesticides so i have been worried all day that they will go into toxic shock.
- i got an email from the frg (an army thing) saying that the arrival dates were being pushed back. very sad.
- i was lonely and upset about the probability of zach being home later than planned (so i went to see something funny at the movies, and picked "role models". it ended up being very vulgar... i should have gone and seen high school musical 3, like i wanted)
- BUT then, zach called and said he should be home TWO days earlier. YAY!!!!

- on an unrelated note, i splurged and got a pair of jeans

needless to say, i am tired, but too excited to sit still :)

love!

just another thursday night

take a deep breath. ready? now.... inhale.... and exhale. ok, you are now prepared for the following information: zach should be home in about 3 days and 2 weeks. i know! it gets hard to breath when you realize that, doesn't it? don't blame me, i tried to prepare you.

but really, is is not insane? i can't believe that the deployment is almost over. the Lord is so very faithful, i can say that for sure.

in other (old) news: i'm still getting over finishing twilight. luckily, i still have kara to talk to about it, and one of my mom's susans. (they are both reading the series.) i would really appreciate it if jessica would start *nudgenudge*. and you too kings! you too! borrow it from kara, she's finished the first one. okay -the movie comes out in two weeks and zach actually agreed to see it with me. but i am tempted to see it the first night it comes out, lie about it, and then see it again with him when he gets home. however, i virtually made that impossible because i just blogged about it. oh well, at least i'm being honest.

um, this post had no point. just keep taking those deep breaths and we'll talk more about THE homecoming later.

back to oprah on 30 rock :)

baltimore & twilight

i haven't really blogged lately for a few reasons:
1) things have been blah - no new obsessions
2) zach is coming home soon, but it hasn't really hit me
3) its getting cold

well, i'll have you know that things aren't quite so blah. i shall start with baltimore:

this past weekend i got to drive up to baltimore with one of my bff's brooke. (love you!) i had SO much fun and it made me think that i could do city life one day. (for a season - not forever.) baltimore was really awesome... we totally took pictures outside of charm city cakes!!! (filming site for food network's "ace of cakes.") now, we didn't see duff, BUT we SAW MARY ALICE. i was very nervous, but brooke was so very helpful.

and now... twilight:

people. i have trouble detaching from books i love. i finished the twilight series today and i am practically in mourning. i get emotionally involved with books and when i finish them - despite happy or sad endings - i get very upset when it's all over. i'm ridiculous, i am very aware of that. i read the first two in one day, and finished the last two in about 2 1/2 days. not the point. the point is: READ them. so so so so good. can't wait for the movie! and omg when you are reading them, tell me! i would love to talk about it!