almost a week done!

So I have gotten through almost a week. Yeah me! I can do this. Well at least that is what I keep telling myself.

I will do this. I am fortunate enough to get to talk to Jack frequently, which I love. That helps a lot.

Also I have a great support system. My brother is in the military and his wife has been sending me some very encouraging emails. The thing I like about her emails, they are very straightforward. She doesn't sugarcoat anything or bs it. She tells it the way it is and I appreciate it. She and I will be deployment buddies come summer time. Yep, my brother is headed back to the sandbox for the 3rd time. Go Army...way to deploy people. 

Jack and Jerrod will meet for the first time in person, in Iraq. How crazy is that. I have been married almost 2 years and the first time my husband will meet my brother is in Iraq. I expect lots and lots and lots of pictures. Jack has our old camera to take with him....so I want pictures all of the time.

Speaking of pictures....here is today's....

Day 7...

hanging out with the kitties

JMS- ILU....hope you have a good day!

Everyone....have a great day tomorrow...

xoxo

Amanda

another adventure

So today I met with the realtor. We are putting the house on the market. She had good news and bad news. The good thing is we have a way to get the house sold pretty quickly. The bad thing is, we won't make any money. Basically she wants to list our house for 56,000 less than we paid for it. Yeah thats a lot.

But we are going to do something called a short sale. It is basically saying to the bank, "Here have the house back and sell it, I don't want it, but I dont want to foreclose either." There is just no way we would get what we paid for this house, not in this market which is unfortunate.

I'll write more on the house selling process later...I am going to watch One Tree Hill and go to bed...

Anyway so that was today's events.... 

Here are today's pictures:

The paperwork begins....selling a house has a ton of paperwork!

got to have a picture of at least one of my babies....Isn't Kobe so cute!! haha

JMS - (Jack Matthew S... for those who have asked what that means...hehe) I love you....I'll see you in my dreams.

Everyone have a great day....I'll write more tomorrow!

xoxo

Amanda

Day 5.....getting by

Okay so this whole picture a day thing while he is gone....I am going to accomplish it...haha

and I am thinking since I missed Friday... I will post a few today...

Today consisted of cleaning...the realtor is coming tomorrow, fighting with Blockbuster (what happened to the no late fees thing....stupid) and getting some stuff done for Jack.... 

so here are today's pictures

look how clean my closet is.....yeah!

I did Jack's side too.... so now it is super clean

Mr Kobe....relaxing...what a life...haha

And Miss Seneca....they miss Jack...

And now one of me....

wish I could figure out how to rotate the picture...haha....

Jms....ilu....have a good day tomorrow...

Everyone else....hope you have a great week!!!

xoxo

Amanda

So I have made it almost all the way through 1 weekend. Kind of proud of myself.  I think the thing that helps is that I can talk to him a lot.  Thats the positive about him being a reservist that is activated. They have to go to a base for a few weeks before actually shipping out. So basically the day they leave here is when the unit tells us the deployment starts, but they don't actually leave the country for a few more weeks. That being said, there is a good chance I may be able to see him again! So I am happy about that.

I said that I was going to try and take a picture each day he was gone....I kind of forgot to do so on Friday...sorry....but I did the other days...so go me.

Here is the day he left :(

Now day 2.....I am really into scrapbooking....so here is the evidence...haha

Day 3....Friday...I forgot....oops.....

Day 4... Saturday...

I went out with a good friend. Suzzanne and I went to Downtown Disney. We saw the movie BrideWars. It was adorable. We both teared up a bit. Then we hung around Downtown Disney. There was a little dance party thing for little kids so we joined in on that. It was lots of fun. 

So I am getting through deployment thing....one day at a time.....

Today I have lots of cleaning to do. The realtor comes tomorrow... A little nervous....but it should be interesting.  Hopefully we can get this house sold. That is the next step in our plan.

Jack- ilu..... have a good day...and hopefully I will see you soon.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday!

xoxo

Amanda

addicted

So I have a new addiction...and by addiction...I should probably say obsession.

I am utterly and completely addicted to scrapbooking. It's crazy. I mean I get all excited to plan out pages and make another page. I have all this paper and stickers and scissors that cut differently and everything. I have all these plans to make future scrapbooks and I find myself staring at pieces of paper in the craft store for hours debating on which one is just right. Then the other crazy thing is I find myself buying stickers for events that haven't happened in my life yet, but I liked the stickers and they were on sale... silly I know...

So I am adding to the list of things I addicted to... It is getting quite long now...

I am addicted to running...but you all knew that... I mean I will wake up out of a dead sleep and search for my running shoes... 

I am addicted to Jack....obviously...who wouldn't be

I am addicted to my camera....really addicted to that one

I am addicted to the discovery health channels crazy documentaries....they are amazing...I especially love the Big Medicine one...I know I am weird

I am addicted to chapstick

I am addicted to hooded sweatshirts and adidas sandals....

I think that is about it for now...but who knows that could change.

I am currently trying to take a picture a day while Jack is gone...I took 2 yesterday...going to take a few today...just got to get off my lazy bum and post them....so I am promising to get that done by the end of the weekend... So Jack...if I haven't remind me...

Anyway hope everyone is having a great Friday....

Jack...ilu

Enjoy the weekend!!

xoxo

Amanda

it officially started

So the deployment has officially begun. Jack left yesterday. I have never felt so empty in my life. My heart broke as that bus pulled away. I miss him terribly already. Everyone tells me that the first day is the worst, and I got through that...with minimal crying.

That's the weird thing... the crying. I cry at random times, and by random, I mean really random. Like yesterday I was at the grocery store. I was buying milk. I went to put the half gallon in the cart as opposed to the gallon, which I would normally get if he were here, and I started crying, in the middle of Publix. Crazy right!

It helps that I have some awesome friends here to support me. I can't tell you how thankful I am for that. Yesterday Tracey and her super cute son Cameron took me out for dinner, to help take my mind off things. Some of my other friends have sent amazing messages and words of support. They are all so greatly appreciated.

I figure I got this deployment. I am stronger and I will take it. 

so a quick open letter to the deployment, before I go back to talking to my amazing husband (and after my new found addiction...scrapbooking...more to come on that later)

Dear Deployment:

This is notice that I am going to kick your butt. You and I aren't friends, and I am going to win this game.

I don't like you.

Thank you,

Amanda

So Jack...I know you read this... I love you monkey.....and remember...we are stronger than any deployment.

Talk to y'all later!

Amanda

Happy 2009!

So Happy 2009 everyone!!

2009 will be an interesting one for us. Jack will be gone for a majority of it. Although I am not excited about this and I want it to be over with, I am trying to look at the positives and look at the oppurtunities it will give for us.

First thing is that it is bringing us closer together and allowing us to continue to grow as a couple. The other thing is that it will allow us to save quite a bit of money and plan for our future. We have a plan and we are going to work it.

We have also begun to realize who are friends are and who will be our forever friends. We have friends here that I know without a doubt will be our friends for life.

Josh -The other day we mentioned to Josh that we wanted him to be the godfather of our children. I don't think that you could have seen a bigger smile on anyone anywhere. He truly is a good friend and we are grateful to have him in our life. I am so thankful he came home safely from his deployment and I know he will be here for the both of us for this upcoming deployment.

Adam& Morgan - Although we have known them for a relatively short amount of time, we can already tell that they are the type of friends that will be our forever friends. They are the type of people that you can tell geniunely care about their friends. Although we are sad that they are about to move away (and take their absolutely beautiful son with them) we are excited for the oppurtunity that they will have. We are excited to be able to visit them and have them visit us as we travel across the country and the world courtesy of the USMC.

Amanda- Manda is the type of friend that will be there no matter what. I can not tell you how grateful I am to have her in my life. Although we live entirely too far from each other for my liking, I know that all I need to do is pick up the phone and she is there. I know that ever big event and little struggle, Manda will be there to help me. She is a friend that I could not imagine my life without.

Dawn - Again another friend that lives entirely too far away for my liking, but someone who I know no matter what she will always be there. Dawn and I share a struggle, with our RA and she and I also share our happy times. She is someone that I know no matter how long it has been since we have talked, we can pick up the phone and pick up right where we left off. I love that girl and am thankful to have met her.



Then as I look back on those friends I am grateful for, I unfortunately see the friends that appears we are growing apart from. It makes me sad. I have some friends from college that I honestly feel I have grown apart from. I don't think that it is anyone's fault. I just think that we are going down different paths in our lives. It is sad, but it is reality. So in the end I just need to accept we are growing apart and continue on the path that I have for myself and my life.

2009 is a new year and new beginning and who knows, hopefully a new addition to our family.
So to all our friends, family and readers.... Happy 2009! May it bring you happiness and all you wish for!!