Another Month Down

Well the countdown continues...2 months down 10 to go! 6 months til mid tour and I get 2 weeks with Gary and the girls. Time needs to start going a little bit faster!


I figured every blog is a little more interesting when it has a picture. So here is Gary and I at Joni and Bobs wedding reception. I know this was toward the end of the night and we were exhausted. I had my hoodie on half the time cuz I was freezing! I'm sure right before this picture was taken I was saying...I'm tired my feet hurt from dancing in these shoes...lets go home. :)

A Bitter Sweet Photo

I called this a bitter sweet photo because I was excited today to see a recent picture of Gary but the photo in itself is sad. This was taken over in Afghanistan at his friend and soldiers memorial service. Gary lost his friend Jason about 2 weeks ago. It's a big reality check when things like this happen. Especially seeing pictures of them over there and it's not just people on the news that I dont know it's people I've met and friends of ours. Please keep Gary and his soldiers in your thoughts and prayers.

Gary is on the left, standing, 4th person in.

Puppy For Sale!!!!

Ok so he's not really a puppy he actually just turned 3 years old (in human years). I love Jackson to death but this week I am ready to give him away!! In the last 2 weeks for whatever reason he has turned into this social dog who now wants to never be locked up and roam the neighborhood all day while I am at work and meet the neighbors. I used to be able to leave him in the backyard all day and he'd run around and play but never run away. Now he is an escape artist! He started breaking out of the fence by chewing the wood and slipping underneath and he'd be free. So I started being mean and locking him in his kennel. Well he sat in there a day and must have thought enough of this I'm breaking out and he did! I have resulted to everything yesterday he was tied on a rope, locked in his kennel and still got out! How...he has learned to take off his collar!! He has escaped at least 5 times in the last week. Luckily random neighbors keep bringing him back. Yesterday he hung out with some guy named Kevin who lives down the street and Kevin was nice enough to bring him home. I guess Jackson spent the afternoon there hanging out- what a weirdo! My neighbor Roy has found him several times and calls me at work to let me know. The other day I saw him trotting down the street like he was some cool teenager hanging out in the hood. Oh and one day he was just chilling on the front porch waiting for me to come get him. CRAZY DOG! I'm ready to pull my hair out...anyone have any good suggestions???

Notice the kennel door is shut and Jackson is on the outside looking in like he's innocent...and look how destroyed his pen is!!

His escape door

How can a 110 pound dog fit through that hole!? And chew through metal??

Seriosuly, what a mess! I think he thinks its a game now like how fast can I break out today.

Oh now he rests in his house. He's probably exhausted from partying all day!

Jackson and I had a little talk before I took this picture...the talk involved a stick, my shoe and his butt. So he ran and hid in his house....he thinks I cant see him in there. What a brat!

Baby Bella

Nope this is NOT Tabbys baby it is my friend Nicki's. She finally had little Bella at 2:00 this morning. Luckily I was off today so I got to go see her in the hospital. Her Daddy gets to come home from Iraq and meet her in about 3 weeks.

She is sooo tiny!!

I know she was 7 pounds 9 ounces...and I dont remember the rest.

More Pics...

This morning I woke up and checked my email and it was like Christmas morning again...more pics!! This first picture I'm not too sure how I feel about it. He is not just posing for the camera he was actually "working" and had the guy next to him take a picture during a "break." My mind cant really process what is actually going on...its just weird to think about it and I choose not to. Just like I do not watch the news. I talked to him this morning and he said to tell everyone Hello!

Not your typical day in the office...

Across this river if you look closely you can see little villages.

Back in the office...like its just another normal day.

This made me laugh! The last picture he sent was this one of him and his girls. Its an older picture from a couple years ago when he took them to Disney Land. He said he thought it'd make me smile. It's crazy how they can go from being in a war zone and doing their job to thinking about times like these just hanging out with your family...I guess pictures and memories like these are what get them thru the day over there!

Afghanistan Pics

So I have been telling Gary I want to see you...send pictures!! He told me that when he gets mail over there he feels like a kid on Christmas morning. They get so excited to open a letter or receive a package. Well today I felt like a kid in a candy store when I came home and checked my email. He sent me some pictures so I thought I would share a couple with you guys.
It's crazy how excited you get just to see a picture of someone!


He said...can you tell how tired I am...aww poor guy :(

This is his little tiny room. Has just enough room to turn around in a circle. He is lucky tho because most of the guys have to share rooms and he gets his own private one. I was shocked to see a tv in there! I'll have to ask him if it actually works and when does he have time to use it?? Hopefully I'll be getting more pictures soon to share with you all.

Happy 4th!!

So my 4th of July this year was a little different than usual. I got up and went to work til 6:00. The mall was dead! There's not too many people that go shopping on the 4th. By the time I got out of work it was raining and thunderstorming out. I had made plans with my friend Ilene. Her husband Kyle is a good friend of Garys and is in Afghanistan with him. So we spent the 4th together...better than spending it alone! We ate some dinner at Chilis and it was still raining out so we watched the fireworks that the air force academy was having from my car in the chilis parking lot.
Then we decided to go to a bar called Meadow Muffins in Old Colorado City. Our good friend Joe works there so we went to visit him. Joe is a good friend of Garys and one of Garys old roomates.

Me and Ilene

Almost every picture of Gary he is giving the peace sign. So here's Joe and I doing Garys signature move... throwing up the dueces.

This last picture was taken this morning in church. I usually sit with Raquel and her family. I've worked with Raquel for the last 4 years at Zales. Her daughter Maiya is usually attached to my hip. This is miss Maiya...she's such a cutie.

Happy 3rd Of July!

So today I got to celebrate the 4th Of July on the 3rd. On Ft Carson they have the big party and fireworks on the 3rd so no one has to work on the actual 4th. I was off of work today so I spent the afternoon on post with my friend Nicki. Nicki worked at Zales for a few months and we got along great. She is pregnant and due...RIGHT NOW and her husband is in Iraq. So we walked and walked and walked today hoping she would go into labor...nope no baby yet. My other friend Rebecca was working on post in one of the booths so she hung out and watched the fireworks with us. It was nice to have people to hang out with but it was still sad. I was missing Gary and the girls so much and my family back at home. Mom you better be having a big 4th of July party next year!!


Me and Rebecca

Me and Nicki

See how pregnant she is! She is having a little girl and naming her Bella. Hopefully she'll be here soon!

I had to take a picture of the fireworks but of course they never really turn out. Fireworks are one of my most favorite things and 4th of July is my favorite holiday! I'm looking forward to next year!

First Month Down...

So Gary left a month ago today. So I just wanted to say YAY one month down...11 to go!! Since I can't really put up any new pictures of us I thought I'd post an older one. I have been hearing from Gary pretty much every day. He is doing very well and he says most days are going by really fast. They are definately keeping him busy over there.
He got to talk to the girls today and he found out that Kaila broke her left arm a few days ago on the playground. Poor little girl has a cast on from her wrist to her shoulder. Brings back memories... I am usually the accident prone one around when people break bones. I remember being by Andy Rodman when he broke his arm and of course every time Heather was around me she got hurt. I peer pressured her to jump off the monkey bars and she broke her leg. Then there was that girl at church who fell off the slide with me and broke her arm. And of course breaking my own leg while jumping on a trampoline. See...accident prone...or is that just being bad luck to have around....???