Happy New Year!!

Rob and I are in New York for the holidays and a few weeks of leave, so inevitably I have barely enough time for sleep and medicine, let alone blogging! We will be here for another week or so and then I will be back. Something to look forward to in 2010 will also be the debut of my cooking blog, which I am VERY excited about!! I've been working on it already and as soon as it is up, I will post the link.

Now, before my 5 minutes of calm quietness is up -

I would like to wish all of you a healthy and happy new year .. and I hope that many good things come to all of us. Let's hear it for 2010!!!!

He's Home!!

I am sooo happy!! After 12 months deployed, Rob finally came home last Friday. It feels so good to have him safe at home with me. The first night he was home we went out to Chris' Steakhouse for dinner..it is our favorite place for date night here in NC.

On the 18th, Rob and I were in the audience for a taping of the Oprah show, along with 700 other soldiers who just returned and their families. The show was about headline making heroes and Oprah used Skype to welcome them all home. We were surprised by Winona Judd coming out on stage and singing "America, the Beautiful". It was a pretty cool experience. The best part though was before the taping, one of the Oprah staff members was getting the audience ready for the show. She was making us clap and get loud, and then she asked people to go up on stage and tell stories about deploying or Fort Bragg or the Oprah show. Rob got up in front of all of those people and told the story of how we met. It embarrassed me a little because I don't like the spotlight, but it was really sweet. Anyway, the show should air on Tuesday, November 24th, so you should watch!

The last few days we have spend cleaning out our garage and *hopefully* getting ready to move. No news on that just yet..

Last night we had some friends over and I cooked dinner and we watched UFC 106. I don't like UFC, but Rob is into it. I ended up going to bed before it ended :)

Anyway, here's some pics from homecoming day and the Oprah taping. Hope you enjoy them! xo

the fridge full of beer :)

..love..
i missed him!!
sign in front of our house

Brooklyn missed Daddy soo much

oprah show

I didn't forget about my blog, I swear!!

The last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy for me, and it is only getting worse! Just about 3 weeks ago I moved back to NC to get ready for Rob's homecoming. Needless to say, I had a TON of unpacking to do, but before I could get to that my house needed to be cleaned TOP TO BOTTOM! Also, there was NO food here, so I had to go shopping. I am still in the process of unpacking LOL I hate it soooo much! In between all of that, I have been volunteering on post to help set up the barracks for the single soldiers who are returning and putting together care packages for them. Being this busy has been great for my sanity, actually.

That being said, Rob will be home SOON!!!!! Even sooner than I thought!!!! For security reasons, I can't say any more about that but I need to get a lot of stuff done, and fast. The house is a mess, Brooklyn really needs a bath, there is piles of mail all over the place..all things I know don't matter to him, but sure matter to me!

I'm really not going to stress over it though. I went to the liquor store today and stocked him up (3 different types of beer, bloody mary mix, red and white wines & kahlua..depending on his mood!) As long as the fridge is full and the welcome home signs are hung, I think we'll be good ;) Ahhh I can't believe it is finally here..almost. I have waited 12 loooong months for this, what a great feeling it is to be at the end!! =)

Are you vaccinated??

Over the past few weeks, I've talked to a bunch of fellow CFers about..you guessed it..SWINE FLU!
So many people seem hesitant to receive the H1N1 vaccine. I did some research, read this article, and talked to my CF team (they are recommending all of their patients get both). Of course, I trust my CF doc and after reading more about Swine Flu, it seems a lot more likely to actually get the flu than to have side affects from the vaccine - it is made the same as the seasonal vaccine, just a different strain. It is especially important for those of us with respiratory illnesses to take proactive steps when we can. That being said, I just want to let you all know, that I got both the seasonal AND H1N1 shots today. Bring on flu season!

Run Sickboy Run

Hey guys!

My CF friend Ronnie asked me to write a guest post for his incredibly inspirational blog, Run Sickboy Run. If you haven't checked it out before, you definitely should..and if you have, well then go check out my post and leave me some love!!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend =)

CF Update

So when I saw Dr. Behar a month ago, my FVC was 48% and my FEV1 was 35%. She wanted to see me back in a month and had expected me to be on IV's by then. Well, my CF nurse Madelint was trying to get in touch with the insurance company to get approval for a PICC line and home meds, and they didn't get back to her until today. When I heard she was having problems getting it set up, I decided to start Tobi and Augmentin. I also added Singulair for these damn allergies and started doing 7% hypertonic saline twice a day like they asked me to..which burns the hell out of my throat by the way!! How do you guys do this stuff? Anyway, I went back today, and get this - right after I finish my PFT's, the power goes out! The whole building lost power and it was still off when I left my appointment. I was glad that I was able to get my PFT's done though..my numbers were 73% (FVC) and 51% (FEV1)!!! I was soo happy to hear that. I told Dr. Behar that I think the Singulair made the biggest difference in my shortness of breath and she agreed that it seems like my biggest problems are allergies/asthma related. She told me to stay on the Singulair and to add Zyrtec to see if that helps even more.

As for the IV, the idea is to get me in the best shape possible before pregnancy, so I decided to wait until December/January since my lungs are in good shape now and we won't be trying for a baby again until Februaryis,h after we move.

My mom came to the appointment with me today and had a lot to say on the baby front. She always seems against me having a child. I understand that she worries about my health, but I am doing everything I can to take the necessary steps to being healthy enough. She acts very unsupportive and brought me to tears in the office. I think her biggest fear is me living so far away and her not being there to help. We talked about it on the drive home and she said she would try to support me more, so we'll see.

They ran out of flu shots, so I was pretty bummed about that. Dr. Behar sees patients upstairs as a regular internist and told me I could get my shot up there, but with the lights out, there was no way I was going to attempt 3 flights of stairs in pitch black. It was bad enough I had to pee so bad I used my cell phone as a light, which let me tell you , didn't do much!

I know this post is long already, but the best part of my appointment today was when I was leaving. I ran into a CF friend who I met on MySpace. We never met before but joked about running into each other someday. Well today was the day, and it was PERFECT timing! She had twins in December. We talked for a few minutes and I think it was good for my mom to see how well she was doing and that CF women can have babies and be okay. It was right after my tear-fest and she felt like an angel to me. She told me she went through testing and had to have an IUI and she said it worked the first time around.

On the way in to my appointment I ran into my pediatric CF doc, who no longer treats me, but had for over 20 years. He told me that Rob and I should sit down with him and have a talk about all the baby stuff and what the best way is to do it. I am going to schedule that for December while we are home for the holidays. I can't wait for that appointment!

Back to Blogging!

It has been FOREVER since my last post! Rob came and left, but we had an amazing time together while he was here. It was soo busy and felt like a whirlwind. Here is how it went:

Sept 1: HE'S HOME!! I got all dolled up and went to the airport to get him. I was an hour early and paced around until the plane landed. Then I stood by the escalator and totally freaked out when I saw his boots! I held him and it felt like we were the only ones in the busy NYC airport. Once the butterflies settled, we headed to a luxury hotel for the night. We were treated like celebrities when they heard he was home from Iraq. The staff was super attentive and strangers even bought us wine. We had the best time and it was great spending the first 24 hours alone..something we never did in the past.

Sept 2: My nanny had her breast surgery, so we drove the hour and a 1/2 to my parents house to see her. It went well and we were pleasantly surprised to see that a few hours after surgery she was sitting up playing cards, eating dinner with us and complaining of no pain.

Sept 3: Back down to Long Island to spend the day with Rob's mom, who took the day off of work. We had lunch at P.F. Chang's and did some shopping.

Sept 4: Nanny decided last night that her bandages were uncomfortable, and at 1 a.m. ripped them off...so we drove back up to my parents to be there for her second surgery to drain the fluid and swelling that occurred. This time she had to have a drain put in, but was sent home a few hours later.

Also, from the hospital we went home, showered and attended Mike & Amy's rehearsal dinner. It was a good time and everyone was excited for the big day.

Sept 5: Pretty much our only "non-travel" day. We were at my parent's house and didn't go out all day..it was great to not be in the car! Rob has become somewhat gym-obsessed and decided he needed to workout. He convinced me to join him, so we searched the house for some weights and other random equipment we could use. Needless to say, I ended up being the barbell...

Sept 6: Mike & Amy's wedding. It was a beautiful day out and most everything went perfectly..let's just say it was a good thing Rob was around to chauffeur the girls in the morning to hair and makeup appts. Thanks, love, for being a good sport!!

Sept 7: We drove out to CT to visit some of Rob's family.

Sept 8: First Yankee game at the new stadium!! We loved it, but of course miss the nostalgia of the old stadium. Oh, and the Yankees won =)






Sept 9-11: We rented a beach house on Long Island to getaway for 2 nights. The weather was cold, windy and rained the last day, but we still had fun. We played cards, went to a wine tasting, peach picking, had a clambake and visited an awesome aquarium.
















Sept 12: Rob went to another Yankee game to spend some quality time with his dad and brothers.

Sept 13-14: We drove down to Cape May, NJ where my parents were on vacation. It is a beautiful Victorian beach town and we had GREAT weather! We went on a horse and carriage ride, ate delicious seafood and got some sun, finally!!















Sept 15-16: Back to Rob's parents house to spend some time with his family & friends.

Sept 17: Time to say goodbye. I dropped him off at the airport and of course cried like a baby =(
Only two more months to go...

For those of you who have asked about the baby making...unfortunately this month wasn't it. Peeing on a stick has become so heartbreaking for me, that I almost dread it. I had to take a test this weekend because my doctor said if it was negative she wanted me to start IV antibiotics. So, it looks like I will be doing that this week. ::sigh::

Rob and I talked about it though and he did make me feel better. We have this big PCS move coming up and we want to take a trip to Italy in January, so maybe the timing wasn't right. Plus, the IV should get my weight and PFT's up which will be better for pregnancy. That is what I am holding on to for now, and if we don't get a positive test before we move, then we are going to see an RE in Georgia.

Well, that is all for now! I will keep you posted on the IV and such! xo

Kreativ Blogger Award

I received this award from my cysta Somer. She is an amazing, strong woman with Cystic Fibrosis and I am so glad to have her as my friend!

Here are the rules for the award:

1. Thank the person who nominated you for this award.


2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.


3. Link to the person who nominated you for this award.


4. Name 7 things about yourself that people might find interesting.

5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.

6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.


7. Leave a comment on each of the blogs letting them know they have been nominated.

7 Things About Me

1. I got a tattoo 3 years ago representing my CF (purple roses with the word "Breathe" on my lower back)

2. At 22, I got married and became an Army Wife

3. My favorite place to be is on the beach

4. No matter where the Army sends us, New York will ALWAYS be home!

5. Rob & I have been struggling with IF, but I really hope to be a mommy one day soon

6. I am obsessed with making lists, dunkin donuts iced coffee, my dogs & chocolate.

7. I love anything to do with food - grocery shopping, cooking and of course, eating!!

I Nominate:

Cara Monster

CF, Military Life, and Me!

Daily Ramblings

My CF Life

My CF Pregnancy Journal

Our Story

the LIFE of mommy

Some bad news...Some good news...

...The Bad News...

Two days ago, my nanny was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is 86 years old. It is hard on my family, especially my immediate family because she has been living with my parents, sister and I for the past 18 years (since my grandpa passed away). We have been very close to her and have been taking care of her, even more so these last few years. She is still active and healthy otherwise so this came as a huge shock.

I spent 4 hours at the doctor yesterday with her and my mom. The doctor wants to do a mastectomy on September 10th. She has to go through a lot of tests and get clearance from her doctors before the surgery will be possible. She got some of those done yesterday and has the rest scheduled throughout next week.

At first, she accepted it and said she would do whatever needed to be done. She even joked around that she would get double D implants. Now she is in denial and fearing the surgery a little more. My mom has decided to take her to another doctor tomorrow for a second opinion and so that nanny can hear someone else say that this is necessary.

I felt sad when we got the news, but somehow medical diagnosis and procedures seem to affect me different than most. I guess that is due to CF experiences. I just want to deal with it, take the meds, do the tests and have it be done with. I think she should get the surgery as soon as possible and not have to worry about it any more. The doctor said once the breast is removed the cancer should be gone completely. We will see what the other doctor says tomorrow.

I just ask that you please keep my nanny and my family in your thoughts and prayers. It is always difficult to get news like this and its hard to know if you are making the right decision when it comes to someone's life.


...The (sort of) Good News...

I haven't posted about this much before, but Rob and I have had difficulty trying to get pregnant. We tried for 13 months last year (in between deployments) and were unsuccessful.

Towards the end of that year of trying we started to seek help. I saw a Reproductive Endocrinologist and had some tests done on both Rob and myself. They didn't find anything, which was frustrating. The doctor wanted me to start Clomid, but because Rob was deploying, it was pointless. Needless to say, it has been very heartbreaking and difficult for us.

My periods have been VERY irregular, which makes figuring out when I ovulate nearly impossible. When I was 16, I was put on birth control pills to regulate my cycle...but now that I am trying to conceive and am more educated on the subject, I realize that BCP prevent you from ovulating altogether. I am wondering now if being on them for 7 years is affecting my fertility. Or maybe it is CF related.

The good news is that I got my period yesterday..which means I will be ovulating in 2 weeks when Rob is home for R&R!!!!

Either way, please keep your fingers crossed that next month is THE cycle for us!! There is nothing more I want out of life than to have a baby with my husband.

A little help, please??

Can't believe it's been almost a month since my last post! I guess the summer has a way of keeping us busy and making time pass much more quickly. A couple of weekends ago I was in Seaside Heights, NJ for Amy's bachelorette weekend. I had a great time with the girls - drinking, tanning & making new friends =)


In other exciting news. . . Rob leaves Iraq for R&R in 2 weeks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG I can not wait to have him here with me!!!! He has already been gone for 8 1/2 months..and they have been draggging.

Okay, so the main purpose of this post is because I need some help from my fellow CFers. I've lost over 10lbs. since last year. I haven't been sick or anything, I think the deployment has a lot to do with it..stress and such. Anyway, I need recipes, tricks, or ideas that have helped you to gain weight. Thank you all in advance, I know I can always count on you guys! xo

We're PCSing!!

For those non military friends, that means Permanent Change of Station. Rob and I will soon be saying our goodbyes to Fort Bragg, NC and moving on to a new Army post. Here is how it went down.

So I was messing around on the computer this afternoon waiting for Rob to come online like he usually does. As I was mindlessly reading statuses on my facebook pages, my phone rang. It was him. When I answered I said "Hey babe! How come you're calling??" He sort of laughed and I immediately knew something was up and I called him out on it. "Baby, what is going on??" Then he said, "I got orders." I was in shock. He then told me his orders are to Fort Benning, GA and he reports in February. As in, 7 months from now!! He won't even get home from this deployment until mid November. After he told me I was laughing and crying at the same time. I didn't know how to feel and honestly, I still don't. I am happy because it means he won't deploy for 4 years, and he will be home a lot. I am also excited to be moving to a new place and living in a different part of the country although I am nervous about it as well. It is an 18hr drive from my parents house in NY, it will mean finding all new CF doctors, and depending tremendously on Rob. I have a million questions and worries and concerns, but they will all get figured out in time. Right now I am just celebrating the thought of having Rob all to myself for FOUR years!! This is amazing!!!!!!!!

Go GREEN

Yesterday I went over to Amy's to have lunch. She showed me a video that she had to watch for a grad class. It was about the effects we have on the environment and how much energy and resources we use for the things we buy. The past year or so I have become more conscious of my own carbon footprint - bringing reusable bags for shopping, using less paper goods such as dishes and napkins, turning off appliances when not in use. It may not be a lot but I believe that if everybody does a little it will make a difference.

We are so wasteful and the video talks about the disposable society we live in. It is sad to think that we throw out things without giving it a second thought of where it will end up. I saw a show on Oprah awhile back about this. The guest speaker said that there is a mound of garbage the size of TEXAS in the Pacific Ocean! They showed pictures of turtles and birds caught up in plastic bags. It was so sad. Another videoclip they showed was of a garbage dump and all of the things in it that could have been recycled or reused.

I just hope that people will watch this video and be aware of our impact on this planet. If our ancestors were this selfish and wasteful, where would we be today?

You can view the video at www.storyofstuff.com. It is worth the 20 minutes of your time when you consider our future and that of the generations to come.

Amy's Bridal Shower

So my best friend Amy is getting married in September and I am the maid of honor. I've been nervous and excited at the same time. I don't usually like attention being on me and I am already panicking about giving a speech at the wedding!! HAHA. But on to the fun stuff, her bridal shower was yesterday. I have spent months planning and trying to make it special for her. (A little background - Amy lost her sister when we were in the 6th grade and hasn't talked to her mom much since.) It is a said situation and I really wanted to show her how loved she is and how much she deserves to be happy. After the shower was over I came home and literally crashed. The anxiety of everything running smoothly along with the physical planning, setting up and carrying presents, chairs, etc wore me out! I spent all day today relaxing and even took a nap. We had a great time, but I am glad it is over now =)

Chair I decorated

Me with my friend Nicole

Amy showing off the lingerie clothesline

Bubblegum Interview game

I was so excited about the chapstick favors!

Silly pic with Brooklyn when I got home

Kidney Stone Update

Sooo if you read my last post it mentioned that I've had back pain on my right side. My doctor did an x-ray and urine test to check for a kidney stone and FINALLY called back with the results. I do have one, but it's on the left side. Is that common? Rob didn't think it was unusual to have pain on the opposite side, but I'm not sure. Either way it is 4mm and my doctor said to just drink plenty of fluids for now and call her if I'm in pain (my back isn't hurting anymore right now).

Anyway, tonight we went out to dinner for my MIL's 60th birthday - Rob's parents, his brother and his wife, his sister and her husband..and me. I felt so depressed on the way home and miss him terribly. I can't wait for this stupid deployment to be over.

CF Clinic

Today I had an appointment with my CF doc. It went surprisingly well. We went over A LOT of stuff though, so I will break it down in sections.

The best news was my PFT's. Here are my numbers:

• March 2009 - FVC 61%, FEV1 42%
• April 2009 - FVC 72%, FEV1 49%
• June 2009 - FVC 89%, FEV1 55%

I am really excited about that!! I haven't even been doing anything differently, but I am glad they have gone up so much. I plan on exercising more and seeing if I can get them even better. It is kind of weird, but I don't feel GREAT. I mean I feel okay, but not way better than I felt in March.. Either way, the numbers don't lie and they are fantastic.

My weight was 113 lbs. which is only up from 112 in April. Last year I weighed about 125. Dr. Behar would like to see me gain 10 more pounds. She said it will help fight infection and be better for when Rob comes home and we try for a baby.

She also said I should lower my insulin by one unit in the morning. Sometimes my blood sugar goes low around lunch time and she also thinks it may help with gaining weight.

As for the coughing up blood, we determined that it seems to be directly related with ovulation. I've noticed this over the past few years, and since increasing my vitamin K in April, the only hemoptysis I've had was a couple days before my period was due. She said as long as that is the only time it is happening, she isn't concerned. Does this happen to any of you? It's frustrating but I'd rather have a reason that it be a mystery. I know it's not infection because I don't feel sick plus I've been on antibiotics and it doesn't make a difference.

Also, this is kind of interesting and I wonder if anyone has an opinion. I told her that I was VERY short of breath last night, even after doing the vest and xopenex. She said that another patient before me said that exact same thing and thinks it has to do with the weather change and drop in the barometer. It kind of makes sense and I am going to take notice when it happens again. Let me know if you've ever had something like this happen.

While I was waiting to be seen by my doctor, I was approached about a research study. It is to determine the affects of Vitamin D levels in CFers. Of course I agreed to the study and they took a sputum sample and blood levels. I will have to go back and give samples again at the end of July after spending time in the sun.

FINALLY, I have had pretty bad back pain on the right side since last night, so I had a urine culture and x-ray of my kidneys done. Hopefully it is not a stone, but I will find out in the next day or so. The funniest part was when I went to have the x-ray, I had to put on a gown and lay on a table. I was embarrassed because my legs were stubbly..hopefully the tech didn't notice LOL

Great Strides 'O9

Yesterday was the Great Strides walk in Poughkeepsie. We had absolutely BEAUTIFUL weather all day. I was proud of myself for walking just over a mile (the short walk) even though I have been feeling crappy the past few days. I am on prednisone now so the bleeding has stopped. After the walk we had a BBQ. Our team was probably the smallest ever this year with only about 25-30 walkers, but we raised over $3000. Next year I hope we will do even better. The best part of the day for me was seeing my friend Donna cross the finish line for the first time. She is 45 years old, married with 2 teenage kids, and had a double lung transplant Jan. 2OO8. She is amazing and a true inspiration.

Walking for Niki
Donna and Me

Mom and Dad

Friends =)

Showing off Brooklyn's t-shirt
(I am in the fight against Cystic Fibrosis
because I love my mommy!)

My best friends Mike & Amy

Me with my sister in law Meghan

Sorry!!!

I have been sooo bad about posting lately!! UGH.

Well...my trip to North Carolina was exhausting. My mom had me running around for 5 days straight, but it was fun. We had dinner with my friend Hutch who just got married, my friend Sandy cooked us an awesome breakfast on Memorial Day, we went shopping, to church, got my car inspected, dentist appointment and more shopping LOL I needed a vacation when I got back, but it was nice spending time alone with my mom.

Hutch showing off his wedding ring

Me and Sandy, eating Rocky Road Choc Chip cookies I made..soooo good!
Playing Wii Bowling

Mom's turn

While we were away my dad starting completely redoing the upstairs bathroom. It will still be a couple more weeks until it is finished since he can only work on it during the weekends, but it will be soo nice. I have been helping him with that and will upload some pics soon.

The greatest thing about this week is that yesterday was 6 months since Rob deployed!! That means this deployment is half over. WOOHOO!! I am super excited and know that this half will be much easier than the first....nicer weather, midtour leave, my best friend's wedding (& shower & bachelorette party) plus the overall feeling that we are in the end stretch. It is great to get past the halfway mark!!!!!!!


As for my health, the past two days haven't been great. I've been coughing up blood which has been happening a lot these past few months. I see my doctor on Wednesday so I will see what she has to say then.

Tomorrow is the Great Strides walk. I am excited because my team did great fundraising, but disappointed because a lot of my family isn't showing up this year. I know it will be a great day anyway. Will post more about that tomorrow.

Road Trip!

Tomorrow morning, my mom and I are waking up bright and early to drive down to my house in North Carolina for the long weekend. It is about a ten hour drive, so we should be there by late afternoon. I am super excited. First, because I am looking forward to spending the next few days hanging out with my mom. She is always so busy around the house or with work that we don't often get to do anything purely fun and relaxing. Second, I can't wait to just be in my own house!! I haven't been back there since Rob deployed in December, so it is sort of bittersweet. I hate being there without him because of all our memories and I just expect him to be downstairs watching TV or in the garage looking for something..but I do love being in my house instead of in my parents house. I plan to be pretty busy and hope that staying occupied will keep my mind somewhat off the fact that Rob isn't home with me. I haven't seen my friends in Fayetteville in almost 6 months! It should be a good time. For now, I need some sleep so I can driiiive tomorrow. I will post more with pics when I get HOME!!!

Lonely

I talked to Rob twice today, which is more than usual, but I can't help feeling lonely tonight. I try to keep busy with friends, family, work..but at the end of the day I am ALONE. I miss my husband terribly. Everything I do, I wish that he was sharing it with me. When we talked today we discussed our plans for when he comes home. A trip to Italy to visit my family, finishing work in the house and yard, and of course plenty of time just relaxing together. We talk incessantly about starting a family. We both wish we had kids already..but these deployments keep getting in the way. I feel like we are constantly fantasizing about our future, but never really getting the chance to live it. By the time this is over, Rob will have been deployed for 27 months out of the 40 we will be married. That is more than half of our 3 year marriage. I am just so sick of sitting around and waiting. I don't want my life to be on hold any more. I don't want my best friend missing out on everything. Sometimes it is just so HARD. And having CF makes it even harder. I try to live every day to the fullest, but how can I do that when half of me is missing?? My life expectancy is already shortened, and deployments just take more of my precious time away. UGHH..sorry for ranting. We've survived one deployment already and I know we will get thru this one, too. Sometimes it just makes it easier getting it all out. Does anyone else feel like their life is on hold or they aren't where they hoped they would be? How do you deal?

The day he deployed .. 12/08

Friday Fun

Today is Military Spouse Appreciation Day so I would like to wish all my fellow Military Wives a great day and say thank you because I know first hand how hard it is some days. Spouses don't get nearly enough credit for the sacrifices we make every day. We are constantly giving of ourselves, taking on roles and tasks that are typically shared by both spouses, raising children, managing homes, cars & bills, and we spend a lot of time being lonely and worrying about our significant other. As hard as it all is, it is VERY rewarding when we do get to be back with our spouses and it makes it all WORTH IT. So to all the spouses out there, especially ones going through a deployment..THANK YOU..and please do something for yourself today. As for me, I treated myself to a Dunkin Donuts Iced Caramel Latte and had a great webcam date with the hubby =)








Also, I found this ad on AOL this morning about Free Chocolate Fridays from the
Mars company. All you have to do is go to realchocolate.com and fill out your info and they will mail you a coupon for a free chocolate bar!!! woohoo Who doesn't LOVE chocolate!!!! Plus it is free..and you can get a coupon every Friday until September!




Tonight I went over to my best friend Amy's house and we had dinner and watched Bride Wars. It was a cute movie even though I don't particularly enjoy chick flicks. She is getting married in September and I am the maid of honor, so it was fitting.

First Attempt

Well, I've never blogged before. I am hoping this will be a good way to keep in touch and let people know what is going on with Rob, me, and of course our dog, Brooklyn.

We seem to be all over the place sometimes, so maybe this will help everyone keep up!! Right now Rob is in Baghdad & Brooklyn and I are living with my parents in New York. All three of us miss our home and friends in the Fayetteville/Fort Bragg area and can't wait to be back in November!!!!!! This is our second deployment - five months down, seven more to go.