Because I've been away so long, I will be listing things about our life that have become noteworthy in the past few weeks. To write a blog that flowed properly among paragraphs would just be too difficult at this point.
1. We have recieved a Mail Stop Date for Jeff. DO NOT send any mail through the U.S. Postal Service after May 15, 2010. You may still send emails and communicate via Facebook, but just no post mail.
2. Easter Bunny was good to Jack, he got sunglasses, baby food, a stuffed ducky, bowls and spoons, a stuffed bunny and outfit from Grandpa Kevin, and a few outfits from Grandma Laura & Papaw John. Luna also got an Easter basket with chew bones, a new squeaky toy, and some gourmet meals.
3. April 7th-10th Jack and I made the trip to Fort Jackson, South Carolina to see our very much missed Ashley! She graduated on April 9th from Basic Combat Training and is now on to Fort Lee, Virginia for her AIT training. Congratulations Ashley!
4. Jack had a check up on April 14th, he weighed 16 pounds 4 ounces and was 27 inches long. He is in the 10th percentile for his weight, and 50th percintile for his heigth. The pediatrician was not worried at all about his weight and neither am I. I just have to stick to my guns when his medical care is turned over to Madigan Army Medical Center. I have heard they are picky about their babies' weights.
5. Next week, Jack and I will be leaving Tuesday for San Antonio, Texas!! We are meeting our friends Kaylee and Parker there for vacation. Parker is just about Jack's age so they will have a blast, and Kaylee and I are great friends and I can't wait to see her! Kaylee's mama is also coming along to help with the boys, so it will be a great trip. Look for updates next week!
6...
This is the news I have been anxiously avoiding revealing to my readers (who are mostly friends and family from Ohio). We have been approved for our apartment in Washington! The date is much earlier than expected, but we are happy to have the stress of finding our home out of the way...
Jack, Luna, and I will be driving to Washington. We will be leaving on the morning of May 13th.
To our Ohio families- We love you and will miss you all.
To our Washington families (Jeremy, Marcy & the boys... Emma, Shirley, Haley, Trevor, Katie and Erik & the rest of your family)- We can't wait to see you!
To Daddy- This is a step closer to you! :)
Showing posts with label Mail. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mail. Show all posts
Friday, April 16, 2010
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Quick Update
Okay I've been a VERY busy woman lately, so here's whatcha get.
Kate:
-has been sick lately, but is feeling much better now. Went to the doctor and got some medicines for the dizzies that have continued since pregnancy. It seem to be working so far. An echocardiogram was run on Monday Dec. 21st and the results came back normal.
-is on winter break from college. Also I'm trying to decide what classes to take in Spring quarter. Any suggestions?
-is depressed because of her failing weight loss mission. All my fault. No one else's. I really need to buckle down.
-is exahausted. Six Christmas celebrations down. Two to go.
Jack:
-is smiling like you wouldn't believe. He is a very happy boy these days.
-laughed out loud for the first time on Christmas Eve. At grandpa Kevin!
-is officially spoiled rotten. The amount of toys this kid has is seriously ridiculous.
Jeff:
-is staying put at his FOB. As far as we know he is NOT moving anymore. So MAIL IS A GO! Send as much as you want and often.
-is absolutely loving all the boxes he has recieved. Thank you to everyone that has helped make this holiday season a little bit more bearable for him.
-has been told that he will have orders by February 5th at the latest. Everyone in the Brigade is supposed to have orders by then. This means that by this date, we will know if we are staying at Fort Lewis, Washington for the next 3 years or if we will be PCSing (moving) to a new post.
-is AMAZING. And his wife loves him very much :)
The end.
Kate:
-has been sick lately, but is feeling much better now. Went to the doctor and got some medicines for the dizzies that have continued since pregnancy. It seem to be working so far. An echocardiogram was run on Monday Dec. 21st and the results came back normal.
-is on winter break from college. Also I'm trying to decide what classes to take in Spring quarter. Any suggestions?
-is depressed because of her failing weight loss mission. All my fault. No one else's. I really need to buckle down.
-is exahausted. Six Christmas celebrations down. Two to go.
Jack:
-is smiling like you wouldn't believe. He is a very happy boy these days.
-laughed out loud for the first time on Christmas Eve. At grandpa Kevin!
-is officially spoiled rotten. The amount of toys this kid has is seriously ridiculous.
Jeff:
-is staying put at his FOB. As far as we know he is NOT moving anymore. So MAIL IS A GO! Send as much as you want and often.
-is absolutely loving all the boxes he has recieved. Thank you to everyone that has helped make this holiday season a little bit more bearable for him.
-has been told that he will have orders by February 5th at the latest. Everyone in the Brigade is supposed to have orders by then. This means that by this date, we will know if we are staying at Fort Lewis, Washington for the next 3 years or if we will be PCSing (moving) to a new post.
-is AMAZING. And his wife loves him very much :)
The end.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Insomnia
It's five in the morning and my sleep cycle is ALL messed up. Jack has been out since about 2300 and I'm still awake. Obviously the fact that my hubby wakes up for his day around midnight our time has something to do with it. I just can't bring myself to go to sleep when A) I'm not really tired and B) I could be talking to him instead of staring at the ceiling in the dark trying to fall asleep. I think my plan for tonight, er, this morning is to just stay up. I might as well. I'll hope that this will make me tired enough to fall asleep around 2100. I'm hoping to get Jack and I on a 2100-0500 sleep schedule because thats what daddy's is when he's working in the states. We will see how this works out.
The past couple days have been filled with reconnecting with friends I hadn't seen in a while. Mainly, Dustie. Dustie and I have been best friends for quite a long time. We kept in contact when we graduated high school but not as much as we should have and wanted to. It's so good to be around him again. I need trustworthy friends that would help me no matter what if I needed it, and friends that are good with Jack. He definitely fits that description. (And I think my mama is glad to see him again too).
Ashley is another friend that I have missed. Of course I was still seeing her every once in a while, but again like with Dustie, not as much as we wanted. Laura and John watched Jack on Saturday so Ashley and I could head to River Valley mall to get some Christmas shopping done. We had a blast and found tons of really good deals, and I can fully say (with the exception of Ashley and Erin) I'm done with Christmas shopping! Woo! Go me! Well I guess I still have to get Jack's walker but other than that, completely done! AND, everything is wrapped! I know, I'm on a Christmas roll. I'm expecting a recruiting call from the North Pole fairly soon actually.
It's deployment update time! Jeff is, as usual, doing very well. He has recieved most of the boxes that you all have sent out so far. And he would like to say thank you. He loves getting mail and boxes. As most of you are aware already Jeff got word that his platoon will be moving locations. This could be a good or bad thing communication wise. We are not sure yet of the amenities that this new FOB will/does have. Only time will tell I suppose.I have been spreading the word to stop all mail going to Jeff until further notice. Well new information says you are now allowed to send mail to his current address until Friday, December 11th. After the 11th, please hold off on sending anything else until further notice to insure that Jeff will recieve your letter/box. Please pass these instructions along. To end our deployment update I would like to let everyone know that this past week Jeff, along with another medic, was named "Hero of the Week" for his unit. He was recognized for his efforts in helping at the aid station a few locals showed up with severe injuries from an IED. Our soldier is doing his job very well over there and even his superiors are noticing. Congratualations Jeff! Here's a picture of Jeff working on a howitzer that he sent me a couple days ago.
Jack is just over a week away from being 3 months old! I cannot believe my eyes sometimes when I look at him and see how much he's grown. He is now wearing Pampers #2 diapers for infants 12-18 pounds. Just little things like that make me realize how much time is flying. I need to enjoy and document every little moment. The precious moments I experience with him now will be replaced by others soon and I don't ever want to forget them. He is getting very strong, holding his head up to investigate his surroundings constantly. He still is a fan of his swing but usually only when he's sleepy. He loves the new mobile mommy got him as an early Christmas present. It runs on batteries so mommy doesn't have to keep re-winding it. It plays classical music, nature sounds, or a heart beat and has the traditional mobile hanging animals as well as a projector that provides circulating images on the mobile's underneath.
In closing, I'm offering big thanks to everyone that has been in contact with my mama and is donating a blanket to Jeff's unit. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such loving and caring support group. My prayer request for today is for all those military spouses going through the Christmas traditions alone right now. As civilians, most of my readers would never think something as small as putting out your snowman cookie tin would upset you. But the truth is holidays hurt for us and there's no way around it. My prayer is just that God will help you all to find peace this holiday season and love with friends and family. Love to all!
The past couple days have been filled with reconnecting with friends I hadn't seen in a while. Mainly, Dustie. Dustie and I have been best friends for quite a long time. We kept in contact when we graduated high school but not as much as we should have and wanted to. It's so good to be around him again. I need trustworthy friends that would help me no matter what if I needed it, and friends that are good with Jack. He definitely fits that description. (And I think my mama is glad to see him again too).
Ashley is another friend that I have missed. Of course I was still seeing her every once in a while, but again like with Dustie, not as much as we wanted. Laura and John watched Jack on Saturday so Ashley and I could head to River Valley mall to get some Christmas shopping done. We had a blast and found tons of really good deals, and I can fully say (with the exception of Ashley and Erin) I'm done with Christmas shopping! Woo! Go me! Well I guess I still have to get Jack's walker but other than that, completely done! AND, everything is wrapped! I know, I'm on a Christmas roll. I'm expecting a recruiting call from the North Pole fairly soon actually.
It's deployment update time! Jeff is, as usual, doing very well. He has recieved most of the boxes that you all have sent out so far. And he would like to say thank you. He loves getting mail and boxes. As most of you are aware already Jeff got word that his platoon will be moving locations. This could be a good or bad thing communication wise. We are not sure yet of the amenities that this new FOB will/does have. Only time will tell I suppose.I have been spreading the word to stop all mail going to Jeff until further notice. Well new information says you are now allowed to send mail to his current address until Friday, December 11th. After the 11th, please hold off on sending anything else until further notice to insure that Jeff will recieve your letter/box. Please pass these instructions along. To end our deployment update I would like to let everyone know that this past week Jeff, along with another medic, was named "Hero of the Week" for his unit. He was recognized for his efforts in helping at the aid station a few locals showed up with severe injuries from an IED. Our soldier is doing his job very well over there and even his superiors are noticing. Congratualations Jeff! Here's a picture of Jeff working on a howitzer that he sent me a couple days ago.
Jack is just over a week away from being 3 months old! I cannot believe my eyes sometimes when I look at him and see how much he's grown. He is now wearing Pampers #2 diapers for infants 12-18 pounds. Just little things like that make me realize how much time is flying. I need to enjoy and document every little moment. The precious moments I experience with him now will be replaced by others soon and I don't ever want to forget them. He is getting very strong, holding his head up to investigate his surroundings constantly. He still is a fan of his swing but usually only when he's sleepy. He loves the new mobile mommy got him as an early Christmas present. It runs on batteries so mommy doesn't have to keep re-winding it. It plays classical music, nature sounds, or a heart beat and has the traditional mobile hanging animals as well as a projector that provides circulating images on the mobile's underneath.
In closing, I'm offering big thanks to everyone that has been in contact with my mama and is donating a blanket to Jeff's unit. We are so blessed to be surrounded by such loving and caring support group. My prayer request for today is for all those military spouses going through the Christmas traditions alone right now. As civilians, most of my readers would never think something as small as putting out your snowman cookie tin would upset you. But the truth is holidays hurt for us and there's no way around it. My prayer is just that God will help you all to find peace this holiday season and love with friends and family. Love to all!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
2 months down, 10 to go!
WOO!!!!! Another milestone in this deployment has been reached. We are one sixth done with it today. Quite frankly, I am pretty proud of myself and of my husband. It has been hard, but we have both settled into a pretty good routine living physically apart but emotionally together. We are stronger than ever in our marriage right now, and we just keep trucking on! Of course, Jack will add a whole new dimension to every aspect of our lives. Deployment included. Regardless of how hard it will be for Jeff to be away from him for a long period of time, and me to be a single mother for that amount as well... We can do it! These past 9 months of pregnancy have flown by, so hopefully the next 10 of deployment will as well.
Today I woke up at 6am. Well, I actually had been up since 4am but I didn't get out of bed until 6. I have no idea why my sleep cycle is so irregular. Well, I'm assuming pregnancy is to hold accountable. I went upstairs and talked with my mama while she was getting ready for school and helped to get Max and Avery ready too as much as I could. After they headed out for school, I got a quick shower, dressed, and did my hair and make up. Ya know, normal morning stuff. I had to go to the lab at Adena hospital to get some blood tests done today. My primary doctor requested them as a pre-requisite to consulting about the new injection they have for asthma patients. I wore my mask like I was supposed to and got lots of inquiring looks from the other patrons. Being at a hospital, I thought I would blend a little more than when I wear it to say Walmart, or the library. But no, I felt just as out of place. I held my head high though. I'd rather be the target of wondering, interested eyes than be the victim of the swine flu! Thats for sure. After I had my bloodwork done I went to visit my aunt Amy and grandma. They are both doing well. We just talked about things currently going on and normal stuff. I stayed there for about an hour then headed to pick up lunch and meet my dad at his work. I picked up our orders from Sumburger and went out to Pickaway Ross around 11:30am. It was good to see him. I haven't been out much since my asthma attack and the diagnosis of bronchitis, so I hadn't seen him in a while. He had a sumburger platter and I, of course, had a plain turkey sub platter. YUMMY! I highly recommend Sumburger to anyone in the Chillicothe area. I got to see lots of my dad's coworkers that I hadn't seen in years or more as well. Everyone wished me luck with delivery and they were all very sweet. I feel very blessed to feel such a warm atmosphere from people I haven't seen/spoken to in ages. I'm a lucky young woman. I picked up Avery from school at 2pm like normal, and we came home to find the best part of our day in the mailbox. THREE letters addressed to me from Afghanistan, and one addressed to Miss Avery Hartshorn as well. She was so excited to see that Jeff had written her. I told her I had to pee and she waltzed right into that bathroom and said I had to read it NOW, she couldn't wait. haha. She said she is taking the letter to school for show and tell next week. Since it came all the way from Afghanistan. My three letters made me get butterflies in my stomach. I fall more and more in love with my husband with each stroke of the pen that I read. He knows exactly what to say to get me to just melt. I know, I know, I'm getting mushy. I'll spare you any more and just say that I am ready now more than ever for him to get home! :) Good thing its SOON! I can't wait to see you my love.
Today I woke up at 6am. Well, I actually had been up since 4am but I didn't get out of bed until 6. I have no idea why my sleep cycle is so irregular. Well, I'm assuming pregnancy is to hold accountable. I went upstairs and talked with my mama while she was getting ready for school and helped to get Max and Avery ready too as much as I could. After they headed out for school, I got a quick shower, dressed, and did my hair and make up. Ya know, normal morning stuff. I had to go to the lab at Adena hospital to get some blood tests done today. My primary doctor requested them as a pre-requisite to consulting about the new injection they have for asthma patients. I wore my mask like I was supposed to and got lots of inquiring looks from the other patrons. Being at a hospital, I thought I would blend a little more than when I wear it to say Walmart, or the library. But no, I felt just as out of place. I held my head high though. I'd rather be the target of wondering, interested eyes than be the victim of the swine flu! Thats for sure. After I had my bloodwork done I went to visit my aunt Amy and grandma. They are both doing well. We just talked about things currently going on and normal stuff. I stayed there for about an hour then headed to pick up lunch and meet my dad at his work. I picked up our orders from Sumburger and went out to Pickaway Ross around 11:30am. It was good to see him. I haven't been out much since my asthma attack and the diagnosis of bronchitis, so I hadn't seen him in a while. He had a sumburger platter and I, of course, had a plain turkey sub platter. YUMMY! I highly recommend Sumburger to anyone in the Chillicothe area. I got to see lots of my dad's coworkers that I hadn't seen in years or more as well. Everyone wished me luck with delivery and they were all very sweet. I feel very blessed to feel such a warm atmosphere from people I haven't seen/spoken to in ages. I'm a lucky young woman. I picked up Avery from school at 2pm like normal, and we came home to find the best part of our day in the mailbox. THREE letters addressed to me from Afghanistan, and one addressed to Miss Avery Hartshorn as well. She was so excited to see that Jeff had written her. I told her I had to pee and she waltzed right into that bathroom and said I had to read it NOW, she couldn't wait. haha. She said she is taking the letter to school for show and tell next week. Since it came all the way from Afghanistan. My three letters made me get butterflies in my stomach. I fall more and more in love with my husband with each stroke of the pen that I read. He knows exactly what to say to get me to just melt. I know, I know, I'm getting mushy. I'll spare you any more and just say that I am ready now more than ever for him to get home! :) Good thing its SOON! I can't wait to see you my love.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Fun day Sunday
Only slept til 11am today! haha. I'm just telling myself that these next couple weeks will be the last that I get to sleep that long for quite a while. So indulge while you can right? After a much needed shower and a poptart for breakfast, I found myself wanting to paint my bathroom. Yes, I said paint my bathroom. So I said to myself "woah, woah, woah, just wait a minute.." Obviously that is the most random thing my brain has brought to my attention in quite a while. And then *CLICK* the light bulb came on. I am getting the oh so lovely gift of pregnancy's nesting instinct. Obviously I did not paint the bathroom. But I did get some cleaning done and laundry folded. That was enough to satisfy my newfound urge. Speaking of this nesting, why do you think it comes right BEFORE baby gets here? I mean I understand the concept, helps you get last minute things ready and blah blah blah. But don't all you mothers agree that the burst of energy that comes with the nesting is much more needed right AFTER baby gets here? I could be wrong, as I'm not a mother yet. But I'll be sure to let you all know in a couple weeks.
I was supposed to attend my Responsible Driver's Course today. After my wreck in July I was offered the option to take this course in return for no points added to my license. Of course I took the opportunity. Anyways, the class was cancelled and is rescheduled for a Sunday a couple weeks from now. Avery and I made the most of my free time tonight and headed out for a girls dinner, just the two of us. We've developed a system taking turns picking restaurants when she and I go out to eat. Tonight was her night to pick, and she chose Chinese Grand Buffet. She just likes it for the Jello! But thats okay, it sounded good to me too. We had a wonderful dinner and I realized how much I'm going to miss her during the day when she goes to school starting Tuesday. She makes me laugh so easily. One hug from her can make my smile reappear when I think its gone away forever. Goodness, that little girl is such a blessing. I don't have the words to explain how she's impacted my life. I can only hope that I can show her the same support/love she's shown me these past five years. And even though I will probably live far away for most of her life, I vow to do my best to be the same big sister she knows now. I pinky promise ;)
Jeff and I were only able to talk for about 15 minutes total today. The reception was going in and out, we had to reconnect 4 times just to get that much time out of it. He recieved two of my care packages today. One from nearly a month ago, and one from about a week ago. On duty when he recieved them, he had just enough time to take them to his bunk and breifly look through the contents. He said that it looked like everything made it there okay. The bottle of bath and body works lotion (per request from him cause it smells like me) that I sent exploded. But luckily he has a pretty intellegent wife that knew this might happen and sealed it up in a plastic bag :P Other than that he didn't really say much, since we didn't have much time to talk anyways. We both always say how excited we are for r&r and how we can't wait and all that. I told him that he sounded stuffed up, like he had a cold. He said that its because of all the dust where he is. And that the guys are all complaining that he's snoring at night. Poor guy.
New photo album on my profile for all of you facebook-ers. Its called "Blast from the Past" and thats exactly what it is. There's about 30 photos of friends, family, and myself throughout the years. Some are pretty humorous as I forgot how different we all looked just 5 years ago. How different things were 5 years ago. Change is for the better though, always. Even if its unexpected and unwanted, in the end its for the better and allows you to grow as a person in ways you didn't think you could. I'm happy with how my life is so far, that's for sure. But I can't say that I expected any of it fully. Come what may.. I'll be ready.
Love to all!
I was supposed to attend my Responsible Driver's Course today. After my wreck in July I was offered the option to take this course in return for no points added to my license. Of course I took the opportunity. Anyways, the class was cancelled and is rescheduled for a Sunday a couple weeks from now. Avery and I made the most of my free time tonight and headed out for a girls dinner, just the two of us. We've developed a system taking turns picking restaurants when she and I go out to eat. Tonight was her night to pick, and she chose Chinese Grand Buffet. She just likes it for the Jello! But thats okay, it sounded good to me too. We had a wonderful dinner and I realized how much I'm going to miss her during the day when she goes to school starting Tuesday. She makes me laugh so easily. One hug from her can make my smile reappear when I think its gone away forever. Goodness, that little girl is such a blessing. I don't have the words to explain how she's impacted my life. I can only hope that I can show her the same support/love she's shown me these past five years. And even though I will probably live far away for most of her life, I vow to do my best to be the same big sister she knows now. I pinky promise ;)
Jeff and I were only able to talk for about 15 minutes total today. The reception was going in and out, we had to reconnect 4 times just to get that much time out of it. He recieved two of my care packages today. One from nearly a month ago, and one from about a week ago. On duty when he recieved them, he had just enough time to take them to his bunk and breifly look through the contents. He said that it looked like everything made it there okay. The bottle of bath and body works lotion (per request from him cause it smells like me) that I sent exploded. But luckily he has a pretty intellegent wife that knew this might happen and sealed it up in a plastic bag :P Other than that he didn't really say much, since we didn't have much time to talk anyways. We both always say how excited we are for r&r and how we can't wait and all that. I told him that he sounded stuffed up, like he had a cold. He said that its because of all the dust where he is. And that the guys are all complaining that he's snoring at night. Poor guy.
New photo album on my profile for all of you facebook-ers. Its called "Blast from the Past" and thats exactly what it is. There's about 30 photos of friends, family, and myself throughout the years. Some are pretty humorous as I forgot how different we all looked just 5 years ago. How different things were 5 years ago. Change is for the better though, always. Even if its unexpected and unwanted, in the end its for the better and allows you to grow as a person in ways you didn't think you could. I'm happy with how my life is so far, that's for sure. But I can't say that I expected any of it fully. Come what may.. I'll be ready.
Love to all!
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