The Newest Additions

Last week, James' parents were able to come over here and visit us! It was a wonderful, wonderful time (more to come on their stay later). While they were here we were able to add some "things" to the house!! I was so excited!! Mike built, yes, built me, a pot rack!!! Woohoo!! It frees up so much space in the kitchen, and it looks awesome:

And Amanda and I found this great chair to go in the living room. The one couch and computer chair were not cutting it. We looked around at some thrift stores and couldn't find anything worth while and then one day we randomly decided to go to Ikea. The trip was much needed. I had been looking at their chairs online for sometime now...but you can't just order a chair online, you have to sit in it and actually see it, well I do at least, so that is what we did. I had no intention of actually buying one, just wanted to go and look around at my options. But I really really liked this one chair. It's Ikea, so who knows how long it will last me, but it just has to get me through these next 2.5 years! That is all I'm asking!

What I'm Lovin' Wednesday

• My sister and Kalyn are HERE
• We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary
• Spent the night in Venice
• Bath robes and slippers
• Little notes
• Family pictures
• Red wine
• Pizza to-go
• Homemade meals
• Using our china
• Looking for a china cabinet
• New movies
• Finally walking into the cafe down the street
• New rose buds
• Finding new places around town to eat
• Phone calls to just check-in
• Window shopping
• A husband who just wants to spend time with me
• Finding last minute deals
• A clean kitchen
• Being sore
• An easy run
• Sunshine after rainy days
• My sister's opinion

Another year has gone by

Two years. Yesterday, James and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary. I can hardly believe it. And boy are we celebrating! I'm turning everything we are doing this week into an anniversary present! Genius!  I mean, why not celebrate for as long as you can? IT truly is a wonderful blessing...marriage and the fact that we are both still alive after 2 years.

We spent Saturday night in Venice at a hotel filled with so many luxuries- a bath tub, a robe, slippers, a view of canals and rooftop gardens, and an American breakfast. And the whole day Sunday consisted of naps, reading books on the couch, and watching a romantic movie. It was perfect. Soaking up that time.

Then, on our actual anniversary, my sister and her friend Kalyn flew over to visit!! Well, they are going to a study abroad session in Florence, but wanted to come spend a few days with me before they headed down south...Mary Kathryn also pointed out that has spent every anniversary with us so far! We clearly need to keep this trend going. Even though it was a rainy day, we spent the afternoon having tea at a friends house, waiting for James to come home...well I was waiting- anxiously waiting. I just wanted to spend the day with him- the whole day, and not share. But work calls. He came home earlier than I had expected, and we ate salmon, orzo salad, and asparagus on our china with the new chargers that I had gotten from Nove. It wasn't much-really easy to fix, but it was sweet, and special and nothing burnt. Always a plus.

Lastly- we have been given a 4day weekend!!! Woohoo!!! Thank you Army! And because we are SO last minute, we are still looking for something to do....typical. But I'm still considering it an anniversary trip...its more fun that way.

I'll be honest- the thing I love about birthdays/celebrations in general are presents...but what's even better is the reminiscing that these occasions bring about. We all do it naturally- we sit and we think about 2 years ago, or what has happened over the past year. Sometimes it's sad, overwhelming, or a straight up whirlwind, but you are never in the same place. You have always grown in some way shape or form. As I sit and reminisce over that day- May 21st, 2 years ago, I remember little things- I remember being stuck at the bridal luncheon without a car, all of my girlfriends gathering around to take pictures, to keep me from getting wet when the rain started, to pray over me. I remember my sister and brother holding my hands as Chandler sang, Never Alone. I remember listening to her voice- just as I had imagined it. I remember the doors opening and seeing James and way too many eyes looking in my direction. I remember my brother giving him my hand and looking into his eyes, thinking, "Oh my gosh, this is really happening". And I remember being called, Mrs. Simpson. Then the reception started and my memory fails :) But where my memory fails, I have beautiful, beautiful pictures to fill in the gap and remind me of the 375 people that decided to come and support this crazy, young, high-school sweetheart couple.

This past year- straight up whirlwind. From this time last year to now, James graduated IBOLC, went to Ranger School graduated Ranger school, we spent a wonderful amount of time in Georgia with each other and friends, thought he we going to RSLC, got denied, packed up, spent Thanksgiving with family and friends, said our good-byes, hopped on a plane, darted to Italy, and have been traveling around ever since! It seems like a blink- seriously, why is time slipping away!!

This next year- will consist of few days together and many days apart, but I know there is a plan. I know next year I will not be the same, I will have grown, I will be stronger. And I hope to enjoy all of the time we do have together and I can't wait to see how our love will grow and maintain while we are apart.

Cheers to the next year and the 80 more to come!

Jump Day

Last week the Company had a Family day when the went to Aviano to jump! It was awesome and BEAUTIFUL!! Here is the back drop to the boys jump...

Here are the first set of planes flying over

Then the boy's plane broke...so we waited...and waited...and watched the sun start to set over the mountains.

Then they came!!! I only got one picture, but I have this video. James is the 4th on from the far left- he was the 2nd to last one off the plane on the right side...not complicated at alll

(And the video won't upload...I'll keep trying. Here is the picture)

Preparation

The preparation for the deployment has begun. Driving on post proves it. The companies are lined with massive cargo-like boxes. The boys are laying out all of their weapons and to the civilian eye, metal pipes, tripods, and cloth looking tarps and such. They walk around carrying army green duffel bags stacked on their shoulders, packed with who knows what. They stay late. They are making lists- lots of lists, and trying to cross everything off before they load the plane. Families are squeezing in last minute trips, soaking up last minute classes provided by resources on post about resiliency, deployment, and benefits. No one is sharing their time. Dinner parties and going out for drinks are few and far between. No one wants to share that precious time with other people. Everyone knows it and no one cares.

Honestly, it is so weird. This community creates its own reality and its own rules to live by and to the "civilian" eye, it probably looks dysfunctional. If I suddenly holed up in my house in Charlotte, didn't call any friends, attend any gatherings, spent the weekends away- not inviting anyone else, then people would probably be concerned. Well, concerned at first, and then they would just stop inviting us to things/places/whatever. But here, it is normal. And once June hits, everyone will ban together and swing far to the other side- filling their calendars with so many social events they can't keep up. It seems manic. Army life is manic and slightly unstable. And oddly enough, I like it.

I'm preparing in my own way. Soaking up every moment, every touch, every look, every word. Hoping that my memory can recall enough to soothe my soon-to-be aching heart. I have my own list of things to accomplish before he leaves. Papers that we need to fill out. Finances that need to be sorted. Emotions that need to be tamed. Questions that need to be answered. I swing back and forth from pushing him away to suffocating him :) My goal for the next few weeks to just to be normal!!

It is going to be a strange rest of the year. I know I will be sad, but I know that I will survive. At the beginning of the year my goal was seriously to just survive. To just make it through. But now I want more. I want to do more than just survive. More than just sit and wait and panic every time the door bell rings when I'm not expecting someone. I hope that I can find opportunities to do more than just survive. I want to look back on this time and know that I accomplished something, to know I didn't just sit at home and mope. So I am looking for things to do, classes to take, and praying for a job to open up :)

Preparation is a good thing and so is a healthy amount of denial :)

What I'm Loving Wednesdays

Recently, I have really been trying to focus on all of the "little things." I started re-reading the book 1,000 Gifts while we were in Spain and it once again opened my eyes. It really does make the days better when you look for the little things that God has given you in the moment and does wonders for the soul to be thankful for them. The old saying, Stop and smell roses, has been my running through my head this past week. There is no need to rush through life, and right now I feel like the days are slipping through my fingers and I have nothing to grasp onto...except for those little things:

• slow runs
• finding a church
• singing real music
• greetings from members
• the laughter from Molly
• all of her silly faces
• getting lost in deep thoughts
• being brave enough to share 
• sweatshirts
• wine
• finally being motivated to put away the laundry
• updates from friends
• prayers for those who are deployed
• His perfect timing
• falling asleep on the couch
• waking up before the alarm
• not falling back asleep
• the poppies
• the white flakes of some flower floating through the air
• running into people all of the place and feeling comfortable enough to speak with them
• a new friend
• Skype