Wordless Wednesday ...

Welcome home, Soldier.

We love and missed you.

XOXO

Wordless Wednesday (Somewhat) ...

8 Months apart from one another

Couple more hours until we're reunited

I love you, Soldier.

Cannot wait to SEE you.

It is long overdue.

Our turn. <3

Blog Award ...

Well .. Gee. I just received my first blog award :)



I can't thank Allison, from Our Piece of Paradise, enough. This really means a lot to me because I just started blogging a couple months ago and am slowly gaining some followers. It is nice to get out my thoughts, frustrations, sadness, or any other emotion I am feeling through writing .. And to have people want to read and, at times, comment back. It makes me feel all warm inside.

So not only a big thanks to Allison for this award .. But to everyone else following and enjoying my blog! It is greatly appreciated.

So here are the rules:

1. Thank and link back to the person that has given you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award the blogs you feel deserve the award.
4. Contact these bloggers and let them know about the award.

Seven things about myself:
1. I hate pulling weeds. I refuse to do it.
2. I have a weakness for swedish fish and sour patch kids.
3. I am 3/4 Italian.
4. I studied Sign Language for two semesters. I miss it and want to become fluent in it.
5. I keep my inner teenager alive by watching Saved By The Bell every weekday morning.
6. I used to dance ballet for four years in high school. Miss it everyday.
7. I am a goof ball and I am more book-smart than street-smart. Just ask Soldier. I say some of the stupidest things .. But it makes him laugh, so it works out in the end.

Some of the blogs I love to follow and am always curious to see what is written next ...

The Adventures of Mr. Superman and Mrs. S.

&&

Waiting for the Welcome Home Marine

Now on to do my preparations for Soldier's R&R homecoming. Time to get all prettified and to get the dogs ready for all our reunions!

Until next time ...

Tomorrow, tomorrow ...

"I love ya .. Tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow .. They'll be sun"

I am so exhausted I am not sure how I am still so incredibly giddy. I have been cleaning for what feels like forever and the house is finally clean. Finally done. Well .. Until the boys reek havic tomorrow and mess it all up before Soldier gets home.

*Sigh* I did the best I could to keep it spotless. He will probably not even notice and just want to sleep immediately. I don't blame him. Poor guy, just called me and sounded like he was about to fall asleep right on the phone. Well he will be getting some much-needed sleep very, very soon! Eeeek. Too exciting.

Our turn is finally here. Fin-a-lly! I have waited eight months for this reunion. Although it is just R&R. It is still a reunion. A long time away from one another and it is going to be incredibly amazing to see and kiss and just never let him go for the entire two weeks I have him for. I know it will all be perfect in it's own little way.

I just wanted to write a little to let ya'll know I will most likely be MIA for the next 14/15 days while Soldier is home. But don't you even worry .. I will update with pictures and videos and everything once I am not busy.

I am hoping to capture the reunion with the boys and Soldier on video .. So be on the look out for that one! I think I am more excited for the reunion with the boys rather than my own .. Wait, a second. Noooo. I lied. Well, maybe not. I think it's a close tie. All I know is that I cannot wait to have him in my arms again. Wish me luck on getting a (semi) decent amount of sleep tonight .. If I can even fall asleep. Sheesh. Stupid anxious and giddy feelings. Well, they're not stupid. But .. You know what I mean!

Lots to look forward to! Take care everyone. Be back in a while.

Until next time ...

Meet me on Monday ...

So I am needing something to keep me occupied today unless I am just going to clean, clean, and you guessed it .. Clean some more!

Any day now! Eeeeek.

Just got a phone call from Soldier. Eeeek. I am so giddy right now. It is becoming that much more real. It is FINALLY almost our turn. So soon. So freakin' soon! Ahhhh.

Now to calm down, if that is even possible, and answer some fun questions.

Eeeek!!! :)

Go link up with Life As I Know It and answer some fun, get-to-know me questions!



Question One:
What jewelry do you wear 24/7?

Answer: My wedding ring of two years. Promise ring of three years. And a little Mexican bracelet that Soldier bought me on our pre-deployment cruise last June. I used to wear an anklet that he also bought me, but that broke .. But this little bracelet is holding on, and I am determined to make it last all deployment.

Question Two:
Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it?

Answer: Have to represent my Italian side and twirl it.

Question Three:
How many siblings do you have?

Answer: One sister, one half-brother, and one half-sister. (Don't really technically consider my half-sister as family. Long story. One that I probably will never tell.)

Question Four:
Were you named after anyone?

Answer: I don't believe so .. But, I was named Carly for the first day I was born. Then my Mother looked at me and said, "She does not look like a Carly." And changed my name to Sarah. I have insanely curly hair, I could not imagine growing up as Carly with the curly hair.

Question Five:
Coke or Pepsi?

Answer: Diet coke. Damn in-laws got me hooked.

Remembering ...

This week for link up .. I am making it as a dedication. Somewhat.

A dedication to those who have lost a loved one. Soldier. Marine. Brother. Sister. Niece. Best friend. Mother. Father. Grandparent. Childhood friend.

If you have lost someone and just wish you could talk to them again .. This song is for you. This week was a tad bit bittersweet for me.

Sunday. March 13, 2011 .. Marked seven years of my old high school friend's Mother's death. She passed from breast cancer and it was our freshmen year and our first experience with dealing with grief, and at such a young age. I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I can still feel her as I held her hand after she passed. Hugging my best friend (at the time) while she cried and cried. We both did. It is a day that no matter how often we talk or see each other .. The group of girls that used to be inseparable all come together no matter what and tell each other how much her Mother and all our friendships have meant to each other. I hate that it has to take that day to have us all reunite, but we know no matter what. We will always love one another. It's just that bond that never fades.

Monday. March 14, 2011 .. I don't know her personally, but I have followed her blog and facebook as she has been going through this struggle. It marked the one year of Mrs. P's beloved husband that gave the ultimate sacrifice this time last year in Afghanistan. Like I said, although I didn't know her. I had a very heavy heart for her on that day. It was all I thought about all day and just hoped that she continues to have strength and her husband, her Marine will always be in my thoughts.

So, I decided that this song seemed appropriate for this week's link up. It's for those that wish you could get into contact again with your lost loved ones. Never give up strength, they are always with you. In each step and each breathe that you take. They are with you and watching over you.

Go link up with Goodnight Moon and share your favorite emotion this week.

Until next time ...

La-te-da ...

Will write soon.

Oh boy do I have loads to update you with.

Just wait. I have a vent session headed your way. Just not in the writing mood to tell it right now. Ya know what I mean? I've talked it out to death so I am giving myself a rest and will write about it by this weekend. Promise.

I am sure I will come off selfish when I do vent about it. But hey, I have some rights here too. Just wait. I need to get annoyed by it again, right now I am just trying to block it out and think happy, happy thoughts about R&R. Oh .... Positive thoughts.

Ugh.
Write soon.
Promise!

Until next time ...

A Military Wife in the Army of One ...

You aren’t issued with the uniform, boots and weapon,
But you are one lady no one should step on.
It usually goes “With this ring, I thee wed,”
But add in “Even if it means me in an empty bed.”
“and the weeks in the field with many late nights,”
“which will at some point lead to fights.”
Yes, a military wife is courageous and strong,
Even when the days seem so long.
When you feel like you’re at your wits end,
You “Suck it up” and start to mend.
You learn the Army language,
All those acronyms, “How can I manage.”
PX, AAFES, LES, MOS - the list goes on and on,
All those letters would make an ordinary woman yawn.
But those letters are part of your life,
The life of a proud military wife.
You move too much and decorate too little,
Because you always seem to leave in the middle.
Don’t get too settled and make lots of friends
Because home is wherever the Army sends.
And then one day the orders come down,
Your husband soon will be leaving town.
“Up to 365 days or until mission complete”
You know your heart just skipped a beat.
You stare at the orders in front of you,
This was a possibility you always knew.
Now life takes on new meaning
And the tears start streaming.
You hug each other tight and kiss farewell,
How you feel, words could never tell.
You go back to an empty home,
And try not to sit by the phone.
You wait, wonder and worry,
And hope this year goes by in a hurry.
Things are different now.
You’ll do things you once did not know how.
Yellow ribbons are a new accessory,
You make your outfit match- it is a necessity
You cry when the National Anthem is played,
And you get your child that much needed band-aid.
You have your daily chores, as always,
Except now you’re the only one to sweep the hallways.
You’re “IT”- the only one
But you do it and try to have fun.
You say your prayers and wish on a star in the sky,
When he’s back in your arms, you’ll forget the year that went by.
And you’ll think how strong you had become,
When you were truly the army of “one.”

~Letisha E Wheeler October 16, 2005~

How are YOU feeling this week ...

It's link up time .. Head on over to Goodnight Moon and link up your song. Your feeling. Whatever is on your mind this past week, put it out there in song. What better way. Ya know. It expresses everything and makes you feel better. At least it does for me.

I look forward to every Thursday now because I love putting out the songs that touch my heart .. And have helped me through deployments and all the rough times they bring. Also, between you and I, every Thursday is just one Thursday closer to our R&R and his homecoming. Which in turn, means him coming home safe! So .. I love these link ups very much.

This week, I am not sure how to express what this song means to me. It just has been on replay my entire week .. Almost month. I first heard this song on my Pandora, and of course liked it immediately. It came on again and again each time I turned my Pandora on. If you really listen to the lyrics, it is a sad one. It is about a Soldier just wanting to come home, to see his wife and kids .. And when he returns he realizes that he has come "home" but not the way they wanted or expected.

It hits home.

So, it popped into my head the other week and I just REALLY wanted to listen to it. I forgot the name and artist of it, go figure, and had no way of tracking it on my Pandora. So I googled and googled as much as I could remember or as many phrases I could remember to find it. Well, tough luck. Google failed me. I decided to just turn on my Pandora in hopes that it will pop up. What luck right. Well after two days .. It finally came up again. I skipped with joy. I immediately bookmarked it so I could never forget it again and then put my palm to my face to think how lame I was to not remember this song. Duur, Sarah. Come on. Sheesh.

So here it is. My song of the week. It has been my anthem, on replay all week, and I want to share it with ya'll. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It is soothing and something you can just sit and relax to. It makes your mind wander and venture off to the unknown. Let's you sink into your fears or worries and make you realize how thankful and lucky you are to know he is okay and he WILL be coming home to you.

I love the sad songs that end up making you that much more thankful. We are truly lucky. We need to embrace that .. And never forget that.

Enjoy ...

Until next time ...

Help ...

I am wanting a new header for my blog ... But have no idea how to make one or find a good website to where I can create one.

Help a girl out?

Any ideas or links?

Or perhaps .. Anyone want to make me one :)

Heart ache ...

My heart aches for you ... But I can't cry.

I am torturing myself and doing what I usually do when I am depressed and play my sad deployment songs, look through old photographs and play the video I made of us.

No tears.

I go through phases. One month I can cry a freakin' river .. The next I am dried out. Maybe I am not meant to cry. I am not meant to be sad. R&R is so freakin' soon. Why cry? Why be sad? There is no reason to be. We have our reunion so soon. Our turn is almost here. What the hell, Sarah. Cheer the eff' up. It should be all smiles and giddyness rather than depressing songs and trying to cry. What's the deal.

It has been eight months since I have felt your touch. Felt your kiss, felt your arms around me, felt that drop of my heart each and every time I look into your gorgeous blue eyes and fall even more deeply in love with you. Can I have that? Tomorrow? Please. I am begging for it. It's all I want, all I daydream about. I can't sleep. I sit on the couch with the boys and just lay there. Dreaming of our reunion in that airport. Will I run to you? Or just walk. Jump and wrap my legs around you .. Hold on to you and just never ever let go.

My heart hurts.

You know that feeling? Where it just honestly aches. It longs for just that feeling. I will take a simple hand hold. Let me wrap my arm around your arm, walk right next to each other. I don't care. I want anything. A kiss on the forehead. On the cheek.

I want to feel you again.

There have been too many close calls. I need that reassurance that you are okay. That you will be home to me. Safe and sound. That this deployment is just like the last. That we will get through it. It's only R&R. Not the end. Not quite yet. But having you home for those two weeks .. Means that you are safe and sound.

It's been tough baby. This deployment has just tried to tear us both down. You know it as well. I am staying as strong as I can be. I stay strong for you. You keep me going .. Each and every day. I couldn't do it without your strength. Your courage. Your love. It's what makes me know that tomorrow is another day .. Another day closer to our reunion. I have no doubt. I have all the faith in the world in you that you will keep your promises to me.

No doubt at all.

I just .. Miss you.
That's all.

The nights are always the hardest. Tomorrow will be a new day. One day closer.

I'm going to go cuddle with our boys now .. Until you're home again to be my snoogle partner.

I love you.
Forever.
Keep your promises.
Keep safe and hurry home, Soldier.

"I won't make a promise I know I can't keep"

Forever yours.
I will always be with you.
Always.

Until next time ...

Meh ...

Haven't been in the mood to write lately. Not sure what the deal is, but it shall pass. Just like everything else that stumbles upon me and switches up my moods. I promised I would write about Colorado and so here it is.

It was so nice getting away from this Military town and although we were about a half hour away from Fort Carson .. It didn't feel or even look like a Military town, let alone what Bragg looks like. It was a nice breath of fresh air. We hung out, relaxed, went out to dinner, drank too much wine, vented, cried, laughed .. Did it all. It was exactly what I needed before our R&R reunion in a couple of weeks. It was so great to see my friend. It had been almost two years since we last saw each other and it was like no time had passed. We picked up right where we had left off and grew even more closer within the five days I was there. I can truly call her one of my best friends. And not just a "Military wife" friend. She is genuine, real, down-to-earth, and an all around amazing person who gets me. I couldn't ask for a better mini-vacation. I am already planning and anxiously waiting for the next time we are together. I miss you, Lauren. So much already .. Oh and Hankie. Such a cuddle monster.

Here are a few pictures from my trip. I have a ton but I figure I will post the good ones.

Fort Carson. Home of the 4th Infantry Division

Broadmoor. Homes that are ridiculously expensive but amazingly gorgeous

Medicinal Marijuana is legal and some of the stores names were hilarious.

Some others: Dr. Reefer's. THC (The Healthy Connection). Pipe's Peak (Instead of Pike's Peak)

Air Force Academy -- Falcon Stadium

A true Hero. Survived both World Wars.

Rest in Peace

Infront of Garden of the Gods

Our view from the house of Pike's Peak

Breathtaking

My friend, Lauren, and I climbing The Incline

Definitly an accomplishment

Stairway to heaven

So close, yet felt like so far away

Hopefully I will be more in the mood to write this coming week. We have Spring Break this week. Whoop-de-doo. Nothing planned other than working out and starting to get the house ready for R&R time. It is starting to get really nice outside, thank goodness. This snow queen is ready for some Spring weather. Not too sure I am ready for the North Carolina Summer humidity, but some Spring weather will be a nice change.

Just make sure to keep it Winter time in Afghanistan. I know Spring is coming and the fight just gets more active in the warmer temperatures. We don't need anymore close calls or incidents. Oh .. Yeah. IED incident with Soldier. Awesome. He's fine. So are his guys. Just .. Really? Another incident within in a month. Afghanistan is trying to give me a heart attack. Grrr. You won't win. R&R is so soon. Keep staying strong baby. Keep your promises and hurry home, safe and sound, to the boys and I. We are always patiently waiting. I love you. Forever and always.

I will always be with you.

Until next time ...



Link, link, link it up ...

Head over to Goodnight Moon and link up your "feeling" this week.

Take a moment. Think it over. What are you truly feeling this week. Express it. And what better way than through music. Awh, I love music. Does the body good.

Soldier and I's song. One of many. Well not really, but we always dance and have fun to this song. I posted some of the lyrics to his Facebook wall a long time ago and when I woke up the next morning I found notifcations in my email saying how perverted we are.

Hmm, who would have thought that the lyrics "you spin my head right round, right round .. When you go down .. When you go down, down" was sexual? Get your mind out of the gutters.

Tee-hee.

;)

I know, I know. I need to update. This weekend. Promise.

Until next time ...

Where are you from ...

While making my way across the United States to visit my really good friend in Colorado, it got me thinking .. You sit next to random people each flight, walk by complete strangers in the airport, and each person has their own story .. Their own world .. Their own destination. That fascinates me, and makes me curious to know what their story is. Where are they from? Where are they headed? Are they going to visit a friend like me, visit family, attend a wedding .. Or perhaps a funeral? Surprise birthday for their six year old daughter .. Or perhaps a husband just trying to make their way home to their loved ones. Oh, the limitless adventures.

Where am I from? I didn’t grow up Military or anything remotely close to that, my grandfather served in WWII but I never met him, only hear stories. I wish I did so I could give him a hug and thank him for risking his life for this country we have today. But I am from the Military now. This is my life. So you ask, where am I from. Born and raised in California but now I am on my own adventure into this crazy, rollercoaster of a ride that we like to call life. It has brought me into the Military life .. And I wouldn’t change that for the life of me. We have only been at one duty station (as of right now) but we are just beginners in this lifestyle. What about those that have been to four, five, even ten different duty stations. Where are you from? Each place you go to is your home in your own way. We pack, we move, we settle until we are called onto our next destination. For some, home is Iraq or Afghanistan .. Others it is the same exact house that you grew up in and plan to raise your children in. It’s mind boggling to where our lives have taken us. I love hearing everyone’s own adventure. Each one is different, in their own way. It has to be. We are all unique. We may be living this same Military lifestyle but we each make it different.

I will update about my trip to Colorado along with some pictures within the next few days. I get to pick up my boys from their mini-vacation tomorrow and get back on track with school and unpacking. Bare with me, I feel like I am going to be running around with my head cut off these next few weeks .. Yay, R&R so soon.

Stick around. Until next time …