Lazy Sundays

I absolutely love Sundays. Michael and I have a nice routine - we wake up, try to attend church, breakfast and pick up the Sunday paper. I always look through the Life section along with the ads, and Michael reads everything else! We then go to his Grandparents for dinner and then relax the rest of the night. When Mike leaves I guess I will have to go to WaWa and pick out just my sections and leave the rest! Today, on our trip to Wal-Mart (which feels like a daily event) I found Who's the Boss Season 1 on DVD. Did anyone else watch this? I LOVE this show. I was very excited, and needless to say, I have been watching it all day. Little things amuse me anymore. I hope everyone else had a nice relaxing Sunday!

It's Official

We are back in school! We started yesterday, and things have gotten busy very quickly. I guess it always seems that way when you start a new school year. There are so many things to do in such a short amount of time! We have three days of in-service before students come back on Thursday. We have only had one day to ourselves in our classrooms and the rest are filled with meetings and trainings, yay! (Note the sarcasm.) Hockey just started on Friday and already we have a scrimmage tomorrow, so we will see how that goes. It will be interesting to say the least. I am going to try to keep posting here since we are getting so close to the deployment, but since we are so busy right now it may not be as often. I will do my best. This really has been an outlet for me and I enjoy posting!

Back to School

I can't believe it - the summer is over! Today is our last day off before we head back to school. Time really does fly. I guess it doesn't help that I was in school until July 22, but still....I guess I am ready to go back. I always like meeting my new students and getting everything off to a fresh start. I am sure by February the excitement will wear off. Michael is only going to be in school for 7 days before he goes on orders - lucky guy. So he has nothing to complain about!

We got to spend our last summer weekend with some good friends. Doug and Maria came down to spend some time with us. They used to work in the district with us, but after an unfortunate turn of events, they had to leave us :( We were happy to see them and had a great time! It will be interesting to see how I react when my alarm goes off at 6:15 tomorrow morning!

Marriage

My marriage is wonderful. I know it's a cliche, but I really do love him more now then I ever have. When I look at him, I am so thankful I have him and still get chills when he kisses me or touches me. Is that too much information? Anyway, with the upcoming deployment, I guess I am scared that this year will change us somehow. We just got married last year, and our relationship is amazing. It's not fair that we already have to be separated for a year and that everything may change. I have read articles and watched shows that say when soldiers come home they are never the same. Now granted, they are talking about soldiers who see hard combat. I am praying that Michael will not have to see any of this, let alone fire his weapon. I guess there is no telling how someone is affected until they come home. Perhaps I should worry about him actually leaving first.

I was thankful that they were having a ceremony the day before the unit actually left. Michael told me they planned this so family and friends wouldn't have to watch the buses leave. His mom told me that was the hardest part of the last deployment. I have now been informed by the FRG leader that they are having a ceremony on the day of as well. I guess the ceremony the day before is expected to draw a big crowd since it is in a public venue and it is an election and a prominent member of the judicial branch is deploying with the unit. Therefore, they have decided to hold an additional ceremony for family and friends on the day of. I expected just to drop him off and have a private moment with him before he went inside of the building. I guess that idea is out the window. I am sure I will be fine, it's just another event that makes this deployment very very real, and very, very close.

Pretzel Salad vs. Me

Well, the pretzel salad has won this battle 2 - 1. For some reason I have difficulty mastering this dessert. I wanted to make it for a gathering we had with some friends from school, which was last night. I learned the last time I messed up the salad that it was necessary to let the first layers of pretzel cool entirely before applying the cream cheese and whip cream mixture. So I waited patiently. I even put it in the refrigerator, went to work, and then did the second layer. Well, after 20 minutes of waiting, I peeked in the fridge, and the third layer, consisting of Jell-o and strawberries, was somehow underneath the second layer. Needless to say, the pretzel salad was ruined.

So, early Friday morning, I woke up and tried it again. Michael insisted I just make something else, but I was going to eat pretzel salad one way or the other. I laid the first layer, waited, then applied the second, then waited again. This time, instead of pouring on boiling hot Jell-o, I waited for it to cool a bit, and then gently spooned it on. It worked!! I have to remember this technique for future use!

We had a lot of fun with our friends last night. They made a delicious dinner and then Karlin and I got our behinds kicked in a game of pool volleyball. For the record, she is pregnant and I think the boys were cheating! We also go to meet the new member of the Wells family, little Parker, born on July 29th. Very cute indeed!

Mark your Calendars

October 3. This is the day the unit is having their deployment ceremony. I guess the time is getting close if they are planning that :( Michael was mad at me because I questioned their venue choice but I feel as though it was a legit concern. They have decided to have the ceremony in an area where there is no parking. With at least 115 members in the unit, there has to be at least 500 friends and family attending. Instead, these family and friends should park about 5 minutes away and will be bused to the location. To me this is a waste of time. Do they have any idea how long this is going to take. Let's pray they are smart enough to have more then one bus. What about people who are late? Are they going to continuously run buses? Why wouldn't they just have the ceremony in an area where there is parking and seating for the elderly. (They have to bring in chairs as there is no seating either). Leave it to the Army to plan this event. Did they think of all the logistical nightmares this plan entails? The OCD in me cringes at the very thought of it. Now granted, Michael informed me this location was chosen because of its significance - the unit was started in this area. But at the end of the day, who is really going to care about this fact? Not me.

Meanwhile, on a lighter note, I have cooked dinner for the second night in a row! Lasagna, from scratch none the less. Even my cooking goddess, Robin was impressed when she phoned from N.C. I still can't decorate a cake as good as she can though!

It is also Mom and Pop's Anniversary! Happy 31st and many more. We love you!

Content

I guess that is how you could describe life these days. Mike has one more day of work at the unit before he can enjoy his last week and a half off. I work one more week and then can enjoy about 4 days before school begins. Life is good. Michael is currently sleeping next to me while I watch Generation Kill on HBO. It is actually a pretty good mini-series which chronicles a marine unit in Iraq. Besides the point.

I also attempted to cook dinner tonight. I think I did a pretty nice job! I cooked filet, crabcakes (from scratch), broccoli and corn. Even better, I was able to time it all perfectly and it was ready as Michael walked through the door from work. Not bad after a day of work if I do say so myself!