Pictures From the Sandbox...

Just sharing some pictures with y'all of Matt's deployment. He should be coming home towards the end of January!!

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great New Year! I had a fun time, but I wish I could have celebrated it with Matt. My friend from work invited me to go over to her house. We played Apples to Apples (one of my favorite games!) and Battle of the Sexes. Then we watched the ball drop on T.V. On New Year's day I watched the Rose Parade. I enjoy watching this parade every year because it reminds me of being back home with my family.

Looking back over this past year, I would have to say that it has been a difficult and challenging one. Matt and I spent only 4 months together during that year. We also had to face some hard and confusing times. Although those times were tough, I can look back now and realize that God has a plan and purpose for everything. You know the saying, "What does not kill you, makes you stronger." Well, I feel that through the tough times God has made me stronger. I never thought I would be able to get through these hard times before they happened, but I did and that was because God gave me the strength to make it through. He also gave me a great support system of family and friends to see that I would make it through.

So, as we begin 2009, I am looking forward to the things that God has in store for us. No matter what comes my way I know that God will see me through. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) What an awesome promise!

There is No Place Like Home...

I got back from my trip to California yesterday and I am already missing my family again. I had a great time out there seeing everyone and experiencing my nephew Liam's first Christmas.
I was also able to be there for his baby dedication at the church we grew up in... he is growing up so much!








We went to Forest Falls to play in the snow, but did not stay too long because it was cold! I visited with Matt's family and got to celebrate my brother's 17th birthday with him. Wow... where does the time go?!





My dad and mom playing their annual game of Rummy.

Merry Christmas!

We hope that everyone has a great Christmas and a happy New Year! I am going to be heading out to California in less then a week to spend Christmas with my family. I am really looking forward to seeing my family again and getting out of Valdosta for a little while. I will miss Casey though, but she is going to have a good time at my friends house because her buddy Rocko is over there so I know she won't be lonely! After I get back it should not be too much longer before Matt comes home!! Looking back now, this deployment has gone by pretty fast. I hope it continues to keep moving along, so he can be home soon!

Tie a Yellow Ribbon Around the Huge Bush/Tree...

Last Friday we took all the kids from my work over to the annual tree lighting ceremony at the base. They have a parade, the kids sing songs, and there is even snow! Well, man made of course... we are in the south now, what do you expect? :) They also give all the family members with loved ones overseas a chance to tie a yellow ribbon on the tree for them. This year I finally put one up for Matt. I love you honey... stay safe and come home soon!


Me with some of my co-workers

A Nice Day at the Lake...

Today I went to Mission Lake out at the base to take a break from my 15 page paper and let Casey run around. I brought my camera with me this time and I was looking forward to taking some pictures because the scenery is so beautiful out there. Unfortunately, when I turned on the camera the batteries were dead. So, maybe next time I will get some pictures.

It is so peaceful out there, that is why I enjoy going. I was reading a book while sitting on a swing and Casey was exploring. We had some company join us before too long though. A couple brought their Italian Greyhound to let him play. I was kind of nervous at first to let Casey play with him because I never know how she will do with other dogs, but she did fine. Casey was twice the size of the other dog and she was still scared of him! Nerd dog... as Matt would say. :)

Tired after an exciting day.

The Christmas Sweater

I just finished reading Glenn Beck's new book, The Christmas Sweater, today and it was very inspirational! So many emotions poured through me as I read it... I even cried. This story is based on certain points in Glenn Beck's life and what made him into the person he is today. It reminded me not to take the people in my life for granted. But most importantly it reminded me that I need to "wear" my faith so everyone can see it and not keep it hidden away. What Christ did for me on the cross was the best gift I have been given and I need to share that gift with others instead of hiding it. I encourage you to read it if you get a chance!

Here is a summary of the book:

If You Could Change Your Life by Reversing Your Biggest Regrets, Sorrows and Mistakes...Would You?

#1 New York Times bestselling author and renowned radio and television host Glenn Beck delivers an instant holiday classic about boyhood memories, wrenching life lessons, and the true meaning of the gifts we give to one another in love.

We weren't wealthy, we weren't poor—we just were. We never wanted for anything, except maybe more time together....

When Eddie was twelve years old, all he wanted for Christmas was a bike. Although his life had gotten harder—and money tighter—since his father died and the family bakery closed...Eddie dreamed that somehow his mother would find a way to have his dream bike gleaming beside their modest Christmas tree that magical morning.

What he got from her instead was a sweater. "A stupid, handmade, ugly sweater" that young Eddie left in a crumpled ball in the corner of his room.

Scarred deeply by the realization that kids don't always get what they want, and too young to understand that he already owned life's most valuable treasures, that Christmas morning was the beginning of Eddie's dark and painful journey on the road to manhood. It will take wrestling with himself, his faith, and his family—and the guidance of a mysterious neighbor named Russell—to help Eddie find his path through the storm clouds of life and finally see the real significance of that simple gift his mother had crafted by hand with love in her heart.

Based on a deeply personal true story, The Christmas Sweater is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives—while also making us question if we really know what's most important in them.