The End in Sight...

39 weeks today

This pregnancy has been so incredibly different from my previous two.  from start to (near) finish, it has flipped everything I thought I understood about my body on its ear and completely surprised me.

With my first two I was ravenous.  All day. Every day.  I wanted to eat everything in sight, and I did.
This time, I couldn't stand to even think about food for basically the entire first trimester.  I could literally take a bite of something I thought I wanted to eat and instantly feel nauseated and gross.  I never actually upchucked, thank God, but I sure did feel close a few times.  I lost nearly 12 pounds in the first trimester!  like, what?!  that's definitely different from both times before.

The color run Atlanta 2014

Something else that I actively made different this time is that I was much more exercise-conscious.  Shoot, I did TWO 5K's during this pregnancy, and ran in the neighborhood in between, until my pitiful pelvis just wasn't having it anymore, and even then I started walking at least 3 times a week, often more than that.

I slowly but surely, once I was able to stomach, oh basically anything, put on the 12 pounds I had lost.  this is to be expected.  you can't go from not being able to eat to suddenly having a normal appetite without a little gain.

my beautiful and talented friend did my maternity pictures

Up to now, at 39 weeks, I have gained a total of 18 pounds from my starting weight.  Can we say miracle?!  Just as a reference point I gained 85 pounds with my first, and did only slightly better with my second gaining a whopping 65 pounds!

Given, I didn't start out at my ideal weight with this pregnancy.  I started off technically overweight according to BMI standards.  and they say that the more heavy you are before pregnancy the less you should gain.  According to nurses at my doctor's office I should have gained only 15 pounds being overweight to start.  oh well.  I feel fantastic at only 18 pounds.  Nobody can bring me down from this high.

Nobody of course except my own anxiety perhaps.

I have been surprisingly calm this pregnancy.  I haven't been especially miserable, and with my managed growth I have been able to stay comfortable and not have any complications.  My blood pressure has stayed nice and low (with my oldest I had pre-eclampsia, so that is always a looming fear) which is such a blessing.

I did discover this pregnancy that dairy does not agree with me and since then my heartburn has drastically decreased and my acid reflux at night has all but disappeared which makes life much more bearable, like, you have NO idea.

thankfully I can get Soy ice cream...

So, what's the problem you ask? I'll tell you.  Since I haven't been especially uncomfortable or swollen, and since all in all this pregnancy has been rather pleasant, I haven't reached that point where you are so miserable you're saying "somebody get this thing outta me!!" I'm content.  Which makes my scheduled induction in 2 days all the more anxiety-inducing.  I'm think to myself, oh crap...  Am I ready?

Yes, I know, I'm a veteran at this. I have 2 babies already, and for the most part, despite making poorer decisions with the 2 of them (diet and exercise wise) I had smooth deliveries.  I have taken this pregnancy head-on with a much more positive mantra and a much more healthy perspective.

So why am I so nervous?

I am anxious to meet my newest princess, Alice Aurora.  And I'm so excited to be able to go back to sleeping on my stomach, like woah. And I'm excited to be more maneuverable.  But I am so stinking nervous at the same time.

He's so precious

I feel like there is still so much to do.  There really aren't too many things that are especially pressing.  Most of it is all in my head as my precious husband is constantly reminding me.  But somethings are.  For instance, I am being induced in TWO DAYS and I still haven't packed my bag...  yep  procrastinate much?  Don't get me wrong, I have a list, and a bunch of things set aside to be put in said bag, but I'm not done.  I think (here I go "psychologizing" myself) a big part of that is that if I get that bag packed and ready I am admitting to myself that this is happening.  No going back.

Well, for now I think I will procrastinate some more and  go and sit in the tub and soak for a while.

Preggy Poo Update and Other Whatnots

Hello....

Is anyone still out there??

Wowzers, it has been a spell (as my grandmother would say) since I have been 'round here.  I hardly recognize the place.  sheesh.

So much has been going on, and I don't even know where to BEGIN explaining my prolonged absence.  All I hope is that y'all haven't broken up with me and my blog for leaving you hanging for so long.

(I like to believe in my own little world that y'all have been waiting around, checking your blog loving feeds and pouting pitifully wondering where I had wandered off to, however, I'm pretty sure most of you are more confused because you don't remember me anymore.  it's fine.... I understand)

Anywho.  Last I blogged I was telling y'all about being all pregnant and whatnot.  Well, things are going pretty great!  I'm feeling much better and that's a good thing and a bad thing.

GOOD: because I'm not feeling sick anymore, and I can actually eat!
BAD: because I can eat again... and it's hard to stop...

I had this issue with both of my other pregnancies, all will-power (when it comes to food) goes straight out the window, and that my friends is a dangerous dangerous game...

We found out we are having a girl, as you can see in my Gender Reveal post here.
And yes, we have a first name picked out, but not a middle name yet, so we are playing our cards close to the chest until we figure that out... sorry for the suspense.

Here's a little collage of where I am in pictures:

I always regret not having many pictures of me during my first two pregnancies, and so I am trying to resist the urge to hide from the camera and take one every week.  So if you follow me on instagram, you'll see a new pic of this ever-growing bump each Sunday morning.

I'm trying really hard to keep exercising and control my food intake as well.  Yep.  That's right.  I'm going to condition this baby to love exercise!

In fact we took this little baby for a run on her SECOND 5K in utero this weekend (no pics from that unfortunately).

The first 5K she tagged along for was the Color Run in Atlanta in April:

Baby's first 5K!

Anywho, That's about all for now.

I've got A LOT of catching up to do on here, for instance we painted and redecorated Bunny's room, and painted the living room and office, and we are working on some pretty cool big projects, not to mention all the ideas I've got for crafting and just wow, so many things.  

Stay tuned for all that madness....

Ahem Ahem, Announcement Time

Those of you who are friends with me on Facebook already know this, and have for about a week, but me and the Hubby are expecting Baby #3!!

We are just plain crazy excited!

Some of you might be thinking, "seriously guys?  A third baby?  Didn't we just get past the craziness of buying a new home?"  and then answers to those questions are yes, yes and yes.

We can't seem to go too long without throwing a wrench at life and making more chaos!  We thrive on chaos frankly...

Baby Kline # 3 is due September 21st, So I am just about 13 weeks along now.  I have been using the Baby Bump App on my phone and it is so cute and educational and just cool in General, you should definitely check it out, they have forums and even baby name polls posted by real women who are toting a bump just like me!  I spent an hour and a half the other night voting on other people's baby names, it was awesome, and completely addictive...

It has been such a relief to let the cat out of the bag.  This pregnancy has been quite different from the other two so far, as you may remember from my post about our Baby Dinosaur, When I got pregnant with Grace I could literally have eaten the whole house, my appetite was through the roof, it was so awful, but I couldn't control myself!  This time around I haven't been sick per se, but I haven't felt good and hungry either.  It got to a point where I could barely eat a bite of food, no matter what it was, and I would feel hugely bloated and nauseated, it was awful!  I have actually lost about 10 pounds since the beginning of this pregnancy, which is basically unheard of for me.  But I couldn't eat!  I was either starving or nauseated, no middle ground and that was for weeks!

I also ended up giving up coffee too.  It wasn't exactly a choice, I just got to where it disgusted me, the flavor the smell, all of it, I just couldn't stomach it anymore.  I have even taken the coffee maker off of the counter and put it away in a cabinet. Weird, since I normally can't get my day started without my yummy iced coffee, but right now the idea just gags me.

I have been chugging water like crazy and really can't bring myself to drink anything else, which is great, because I am staying super hydrated.  But also crazy tired!  between cold turkey on the coffee and just general 1st trimester sleepiness I have been utterly pooped all the time!  I can't wait for that energy blast that's just around the corner!

Another thing that is different this time around is that I was more active before this pregnancy than I ever was in the previous two, So I have been getting out and running and walking through the neighborhood and eating much healthier, more veggies and fruits.  I think this baby is going to be a health nut, no complaints there!

I am so excited to share this news with all of you!  I look forward to continuing to share my life with y'all!

If you haven't already please follow me on bloglovin', I lost all my followers when I rebranded my blog, and so I have a wee little following of a whopping two people through there right now!  Yikes!  Down from about 120-something!  Share me around and if you comment with your blog link I will gladly share the love right back!

My First Blogiversary Giveaway!

It's The Sepia Puppy's Anniversary!  Whoop-whoop!!  Let's start this party with a little bit of obnoxious!  

Now it's time for the good stuff!

Meet Our Giveaway Sponsors

We'll start with the Anniversary Girl:

Hello Sweetie Lovelies!  My name is Bethany from The Sepia Puppy and I'm celebrating my 1st Blogiversary!  I am a Wife, Mother of two, Full-time Student & Part-time Blogger.  I love photography, art and all things crafty & DIY. I am working towards my B.S. in Psychology & Christian Counselling.  I am smitten with my husband more everyday and my kids keep me laughing daily.

I'm Bre from Peacoats and Plaid. I'm what you might refer to as a "die-hard creator". Stay at home mommy by day and a dance teacher by night. Throw in a little diy/crafting here and there and that's me in a nutshell.

 My name is Allison and "Okay, Allison" is my little blog about my little life. I say whatever is on my mind at the time, lacking pretty much any filter for what is deemed appropriate.  I seem to observe humanity from a perspective that a lot of people are thinking, but would never speak aloud, or for god’s sake- write down.  I love other funny girls who like to eat and take naps with puppies.   I love art, music, crafting, and of course, writing.  Everything I say in my blog comes from the heart, the stories are all true because I've lived them.  If you like to laugh and smile, read on.

SweetDappity: Two ladies making buttons. Fahmida does the designing, Julia does the businessing - together they are the magical dual guardians of this here button emporium. You are welcome to spend your money here - or not, we don't know your life

Jamie's husband surprised her with a logo and business plan for their company Saturday Morning Pancakes and the rest is History!  They make some of the coolest and funniest products and have even been featured on Good Morning America!  They have a little girl together and are based out of San Clemente, California.  

My name is Mrs. Victoria Aguila and I am from Los Angeles, CA and I blog over at Life as Mrs. Aguila (Faith, Hope and Treasures), about life as a Daughter of Thee King, being married to Mr. Aguila, and about being a Shoe Collector, a Makeup Junkie, a Shopping Addict and a Coffee Lover.  I work full time plus have an AVON/MARK side business.

Kaz Palladino is an illustrator currently living in San Francisco. She is addicted to adorable, geeky and weird things - which is how Awkward Affections was born. Awkward Affections is about evasive love, nerdy sentiment, and fun cultural niche. The goal is to help keep beauty, nostalgia and happiness in everyday life!

Julie is the redhead that blogs at Redhead Can Decorate.  Julie is from Buffalo, NY and is married to Rick, her college sweetheart, and they are blessed with two girls Daphne 13, & Valerie 11.  Julie's passion is cooking and decorating their home with innovative, creative, DIY ideas.  She shares all of it on her blog.

My name is Tara, I'm from Easy Makes Me Happy.  I'm a wife and a mother of four. I grew up in Alaska (the beautiful and the cold) and I'm pretty sure this is where my family will grow up too.  I love to crochet, design, and craft. I absolutely LOVE being able to share everything with you via this blog, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! 

Behind every chocolate chip cookie and every sprinkled cupcake on this blog is a burgeoning photographer, an emerging entrepreneur, an experimental baker, and a social networker. I’m Ashton, the face behind Something Swanky! And I believe in doing what you love and loving what you do.

 Hello! I am Kathe, with an e. I began blogging as a creative outlet. I was born in Washington state and moved with my family to Colorado as a teen.  I married, had two sons, divorced and worked my butt off to make sure my boys had everything they needed.  Then, I met Mr. B, He is the reason and cause of my laugh lines. Bottom line, I am a woman of a certain age that is still trying to find herself after raising two sons and finding my own true love later in life. Someday I may figure out what I want to be when I grow up! Until then, let's have some fun!

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Enter with the Rafflecopter below!

(Some people have said it doesn't come up right away, if so you may need to reload the page!)

Thanks!

Now go and ENTER YOUR BRAINS OUT!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Our First Friday Coffee Date!

So after seeing Chelsea from Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles do these little Friday coffee date vlogs I thought I just had to get in on it. I stay  wanting to do vlogs, but I never know what to talk about! I emailed her and asked if it would be okay and apparently this is a much bigger thing than I once thought!  TONS of folks do these and I think it's just plain adorable!

So here is our first Coffee Date.  (Hopefully the first of many!)
And let me go ahead and apologize for all the hair flipping I do in this video...



Bikini Body Mommy Challenge:  http://www.bikinibodymommy.com/

My Instagram:  http://instagram.com/thesepiapuppy/

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino recipe:  http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/08/27/skinny-pumpkin-frappuccino/

The water bottle holder pattern:  http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/water-bottle-carrier-4

My Avocado Ranch Dip:  http://thesepiapuppy.blogspot.com/2013/04/perfect-avocado-ranch-dip.html

BTW, How awesome is Smallville?! You can buy the whole series on Amazon

 (I haven't finished the series, so please no spoilers!) This has been a saving grace for me since we ditched the dish

Are you also a chips & dip freak?

Is your daughter/son also a super copy cat?

We Ditched the Dish

Well, We did it.

We ditched the dish.

The days of recording our favorite shows and complaining about having to watch live tv are through.

With my husband's new job came new financial challenges.  You may remember from this post that he is currently living in two places.  An apartment that we were SO blessed to have been hooked up with, and here at home with us, 1.5 hours away from work.  This new chapter in our lives has presented some new challenges, and reminded us of some old ones, not the least of which is the pay cut that we took for this job.
When I tell people how significant the pay cut was to take this new job people think that we are nuts, but let me explain:  The schools here in the county we have been living in are rated between 2 and 3.... and that's out of TEN mind you!  That's horrible!  Don't get me wrong, this place had its uses and charms, and we are all too grateful for the opportunities that we have had here, but we have always known that this place was just a pitstop for us.  The schools in our new county are rated up in the 8 and 9 range!  Good gracious, what a glorious change!  I know that leaving the good money and taking less all for the sake of providing our children a better education and a better community and really, a better quality of life was the righteous choice for us to make for our family, and I am proud of and stand behind that decision, no matter how hard this is. 

What we've gained...

In a way, ditching the dish is something I have been secretly wanting to do for a while.  Having "cable" hinders us from getting up and getting going.  It keeps us from interacting as much with each other.  It keeps us lazy, and it keeps us plugged into the TV when we should be plugged into each other and having quality time together.  

Cable is a trap.  Don't get me wrong, I am  having withdrawals (to a certain extent).  I hate that I missed Sister Wives on Sunday, and the finale of Top Shot All-Stars, and Futurama, and Adventure Time (lol, that's an odd collection, huh), But something I am definitely NOT going to miss is the $73 per month we were paying for it.  Having cable or satellite is a luxury and not a necessity, so we kicked the dish to the curb, and we aren't looking back!  

We aren't totally lost without it though, we still have tons of shows on DVD and enough movies to make your eyes bug out, and oh dear the video games!  We are still able to entertain ourselves, only none of those other sources of TV fun make you feel trapped the way satellite/cable seems to.  And frankly, it is so much easier to get lost in TV because there are so many choices, you can hardly step away.  But with all these other things, you can only be sucked in for so long, and then you get kind of bored.  

Another thing that rocks about ditching the dish is that I have gotten back into reading more.  I didn't realize how much I missed it.  So that's a bonus!  Right now I am speeding through the 3rd installment of the Fallen series, "Passion".  It's not too bad, and it's a pretty quick read.  who knows what is next, I'll probably read Catching Fire again so that I can refresh my memory before the movie comes out (<---so stoked about this!).  I'll probably throw the Twilight and Harry Potter books in the queue as well, I can never go too long without reading them through again.

What comes next...

I just found out this morning that another house we looked at a while back, which ended up going under contract, is back on the market.  Could this one be our house?? Who knows.  But Lord knows I'm on my knees daily praying for the opportunity for us all to live together again!  I want so badly for us all to be together, and to be homeowners for the first time!  

I know God will bless us in due time, and unfortunately for my nerves, I just need to keep praying and stay positive and most of all trust that when the right thing comes along God will set it aside for us! 

I hope y'all are having a PERFECTLY AWESOME long weekend and I look forward to hearing from you

(nudge nudge comments? nudge nudge) lol

House Hunting Rocks & Sucks

Hello All, and let me start by saying, UGH.

We have been on the hunt for houses in the new place where my husband got a job in June.  It has been kind of a culture shock because the housing market there is much different, and you get a lot less house for your money.  I get it, really I do, the schools are better there (a huge reason we chose to move there) and it's a nice place on the whole, but it just really sucks for people like us.  My husband is the sole provider while I'm in school and so our income is limited, ipso facto, so are our choices.

The reason house hunting rocks is because it is so fun to go into these places and just see the differences in space and architecture.  It's fun to see the way that other people decorate.  It's fun to wander around the empty ones and imagining where you would put all of your stuff.

The Reason it sucks is that we have kind of run out of choices.  We were on the hook for this one.  Then it didn't work out because the owner was giving his current tenant first opportunity to buy and she got approved.  Back to the drawing board.  There are a ton of houses for sale in the area, but the average price is in the $300-500k arena.....  do you know how much Cops get paid?  You don't?  ok, let's just say not enough to buy those, not by a long shot.

So, here we are.  Dying for the opportunity to get moved into, might I add, our first home, and yet, we are coming up empty handed over and over.  I just wish I knew what God had in mind for us, because I really felt in my heart of hearts that it was that one.  I'm just a little lost.

Hopefully in a few months we will be able to look back at this time and understand what the purpose of this back-and-forth and all this waiting was, but as for now, I'm stumped.  We are just so desperate for the change, and for the opportunity to be home owners we can taste it.

More waiting....

Meeting Bloggers in REAL Life

I follow a good deal of blogs, as most bloggers do, and I will not hesitate to say I do not read every single post from every single blog I follow.  Sorry.  It's just not possible.  Between Wifing, Momming, and Studenting (lol, how much do you love my new verbs?) I have just a tad bit of time to sit and read blogs before I have to get back to business of one form or another.  That being said, a blog has to be especially  fantastic for me to subscribe via email.  To me, email subscription to a blog is like the most fangirl thing to do when you really love reading someone's content on the regs.  I say ALL of that to say this:

There is one blog, that no matter what, I always have and always will read every single post from, and that blog is Interiors by Kenz.

 I absolutely love this girl!  her writing style is so fun and light it really makes you feel like you are just having coffee with her, not reading through paragraphs on a monitor.  She is so creative and really versatile and extraordinarily skilled at what she does.  Not only is she an awesome writer and DIY-er, but she also is so extremely well-rounded and there is more than meets the eye with this girl!  She plays violin in a symphony, and she's a pilot!  Like, whowhat?!  When I read her about me page I was blown away, I thought, no, there is no way in heck that she is actually a real person!

As you may have read in a previous post, at the beginning of this month I got to meet my blogger idol, Mekenzie from said blog.  She is just as delightful in real life as she is on the interwebs.  Which brings me to my next point and back around to the title of this post.  

Meeting bloggers in REAL life makes you feel a little bit like a stalker.  

It's weird.

We had an awesome breakfast at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Atlanta, over which we talked about all the things that had been going on for her at the Haven Conference that weekend and my much less exciting adventure of getting through the toll road with only $.43 thanks to an extra  nice cashier, and also about the vast differences in our climates (She lives in Utah).  But I found myself asking questions based on all the millions of little factoids I knew about her from reading her blog for months and months, and like I said, it makes ya feel a little bit stalkery.  I talked myself out of this weird little feeling and really enjoyed being able to connect on a personal level with someone I have admired from across the country for such a long time!  

Have you met a fellow blogger and felt this same sensation?  

please tell me I am not alone in this!   

Checking Up

Rainy day here in GA 

Well, I know apart from Wise words posts, I haven't really posted in a little while.  It's been a little stressful and busy around here.  We are house hunting and the like and that can be very irritating at times.  We found our perfect place, but there are other complications around it that are out of our control.  We are ready to go on it but we can't yet because of other people.  I hate feeling like I don't have any control!

Me and my Bunny-girl hanging out

Our Baby Dinosaur

When we got pregnant with our daughter, Grace (aka Bunny), we knew almost instantaneously that I was pregnant.  In fact that is one of my husband’s favorite stories to tell.  But I’ll save that one for another post.  

Anywho, I was a little bummed about our first appointment because it was so early on that I knew she wasn’t gonna look like a baby yet.  She was gonna have a huge t-rex head and little nubs and a tail….  Babies are weird…  This is where Bunny got her first of many nicknames:  Baby Dinosaur. 

8 weeks.  not much to see here.

Marital Hilarity

So much has been going on lately, I have really been losing track of just about everything:

my schoolwork that needs to be done

my exercise regime

my left flip flop....  

(Where the heck has that thing gone?! I'm seriously considering just mis-matching shoes to see if anyone notices...)

Anyway, I have been neglecting the blog a little bit and I want to fix'er up before it gets out of hand like last time.

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My husband is my best friend.  In just every possible way.

We have our romantic moments

And our silly moments

and our just downright hilarious "bro-moments"

I have joked with him for years that he got a great deal with me.  I grew up with 7 brothers so I know my way around the male brain and sense of humor all too well, so he got a great gig marrying me, because I can be a sweet little wifey, and then I can be his bro.

He doesn't particularly like me referring to myself as a "bro"... none-too-sexy I'll admit, but I can't think of a better way to describe it.

Anywho, here is a little marital-hilarity plucked from my own life that I thought I would share with you all.

25 Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Run

By NO stretch of the imagination am I a professional runner.  

These are just some things I have learned in my time spent running that have helped me,

And I thought I would share with you!

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1.  Have the right gear. 

 as with anything, you need the proper tools to get a job done right.  in this case you will need some running shoes.  the proper footwear is

Why I think Bloglovin' is Bitchin'

As most all of you know

(And are more than likely SUPER sick of hearing about)

GFC and Google Reader are gonna be bye-bye soon

When I found this out a couple months ago, I was pretty miffed.

I worked my buns off acquiring new friends through GFC and I was proud of the number of readers I had gotten

Only to feel the crushing blow of Google's bad news.  

I Am Eve Link Party

Welcome to the "I Am Eve" Link Up!

This is a link up based on growing in the love we have for ourselves.

Being proud to be REAL women.

Here you can share post that are about bettering ones self image or share the struggles you have with yourself.

1) Grab the "I Am Eve" button

<div align="center"><a href="http://makemegodly.blogspot.com/" title="God Make Me A Godly Woman"><img src="http://i1063.photobucket.com/albums/t505/LostGarden/49c92f98-8468-47cf-a030-0e890d94728e_zpsb5f1aea4.jpg" alt="God Make Me A Godly Woman" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

2) Follow both Hosts (how you follow is your choice).

HOSTS

Lisa @ God Make Me A Godly Woman

and

Bethany @ The Sepia Puppy and grab her button!

3) DO NOT post your whole blog just a single post (you can link up to 3 post).

4) Visit at least 3 other blogs and try to leave an encouraging comment before leaving your blog link for them to follow.

5) Please do not link up any shops or items for sale.

6) Everyone show respect and be nice to one another, no rude comments about anyone else's link up.

Photo Regrets vs. Just Living It

Some of you may have already read in this post that my husband got a new job.  

We are SUPER excited and ready for this next big step in our lives.  

Well, when we found out that the he had 6 whole days off in a row we decided we were gonna try to have a mini vacay, mostly because with a new job comes a probationary period and no more stocked up vacation days and whatnot and not only that, the new job is an hour and a half from where we live now, a mere 12 miles from my dad and step-mom's front door (Or "Cookie" and "Bandad" as they are called here)

So we thought we should absolutely take advantage of this awesome opportunity while we had it and had no idea when we would have another chance.

We had talked a lot about going snorkeling in the keys and with six whole days we could totes get down to Key Largo and snorkel it up to our hearts content! 

Well....  That my sweet friends did not work out.

We were insanely bummed.

His boss informed him that even though he was scheduled to be off those 6 straight days that he had to come in on Saturday to work a festival in town, right in the MIDDLE of the formerly awesome off days.

My super handsome man, driving me to the beach

Memorial Day and What it Should Mean to You

Memorial Day when I was growing up was basically just a cookout and hangout occasion.

I had no idea what it really meant for a good while.  and I can say now that even when I did find out what it was, I STILL didn't REALLY understand what Memorial Day means.

What changed my view of Memorial day was marrying into the military.

My husband was in the Navy (a Corpsman) but was stationed with and worked solely with the Marines.  

He went on 3 combat deployments during his 5 and a half years and let me just say, that business will bring the strongest person to their knees.  

the stress, the worry, the danger.

Its horrible.  

But by the time you make it to the end of the seven months (or 4 or 12 or 18 depending) it's magic all over again.  the separation was all worth it because it's over.

Going through the whole shebang really made me hurt for those who over the years haven't been able to come home.  or the ones who don't have someone to go and wait for anymore.

It genuinely hurts my heart,

I started crying in the car the other day driving through town because they had the crosses out along the road with the names of fallen soldiers, marines, and sailors and where they served.  

I was blessed enough to get my husband back, and so many have not been so lucky. 

So Memorial day isn't about getting together and drinking beer and grilling out.  It's about honoring those who have protected our right to do those things, and honoring those who've lost loved ones in the armed forces.

So this weekend when you are together with friends or family or you are having that beer and grilling those burgers and dogs, just take a moment to honor those service-members.

They earned the right to be called citizens and they deserve to be remembered fondly and respected for their sacrifice.

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The following are just a few of the pictures from my husband's homecomings that I wanted to share.

These pictures and these events commemorate that we made it through some of the most difficult experiences a marriage and a family can ever go through and we were stronger for it. 

I am thankful to God everyday that He guided Elliott safely home.

2007

2009