New Perspective

One year ago today, i was in San Diego California... with butterflies in my tummy, and shaking legs... it was warm outside, and i had a paper with a rundown of how the day was going to go. HOWEVER i had 2 BIG families all looking to ME to usher them around. i was kind of in charge of the day, and it added ALOT of extra stress... looking back, i would have organized it all a little differently...

About 1pm... i got to hug my husband for the first time in 3 months. i got to talk to him, for the first time in 3 months. i WOULD have gotten to kiss him for the first time in 3 months... however let's just say i got a little overly excited and smashed my forehead into his lip.. and it was fat and bloody :) so i didn't get my kiss until i said goodbye to him (which SUCKED!!) if you want to read my post about that day you can do so HERE

A ton of stuff happened since he graduated. if you've followed my blog at least somewhat that you pretty much know.

but here i am... I am now the wife of a deployed Marine, since we have been married i've always worked full time, and for the first time... i'm not. i know ALOT of the wives have judged me because i am a housewife, and i don't have kids... i've been told MULTIPLE times that i "don't do anything" and that if i get up early (which i do... everyday!) it's totally by choice so i don't have a right to complain if i am tired in the middle of the day. i don't fight back when this is said, cause i honestly DON'T care what these girls think of mine and my husbands "way of life" but JUST to give you a little perspective... here is how i spend my days when Riley is HOME

Depending on what time he has to be to work

• Get up about 10 minutes before Riley(if he doesn't wrap his arms around me and beg me to just snuggle until he has to get up)
• Find him socks, underwear, and either a clean set of cammi's or his green shorts and green shirt depending on what they are working out in that day.
• Find him something small to eat before he goes to PT(work out) 
• drive him to formation(driving in the morning puts him in a less than ideal mood for the rest of the day)
• Drive home and get breakfast started (i refuse to have a microwave in my house, so it's usually eggs, or pancakes or turnovers)
• throw dirty clothes in the washing machine (but don't start it yet)
• Go pick up Rye from PT
• While Rye showers, i find him a new set of Cammi's, socks and underwear
• put his dirty ones in the washing machine and start it.
• depending on how much time he has, sometimes i will sit and eat with him, other times he has to eat in the car when i take him back to work. 
• come home after taking him back, clean up after breakfast, pick up around the house. 
• shower
• figure out what will be for lunch.
• Get lunch started
• Pick up Rye for lunch
• Drop Rye off after lunch
• Clean up after lunch, decide what to make for dinner (go to the store to get anything we need) 
• Wait for Rye to get off work (sometimes i go to the gym during this period if he thinks i'll have enough time before he's off)
• Get Rye from work, he then goes for a run, while i start dinner. he plays with Dee while i finish dinner.
• We sit and eat together, i clean up after dinner, we usually take Deezul for a walk and then we watch a movie or tv in bed.

now that i'm not working, Riley does NOT have to do housework... thats pretty much my only job. the only thing i do ask is for him to take out the trash (which he's usually pretty good about)... so ya, you may say i don't do much... i don't answer phones or file paper work, or make sandwiches for people... instead, my ENTIRE day is devoted to my husband. you may think that sounds odd but here's my way of thinking.

Before when i WAS working, we would get off work from a 8-9 hour day, we'd head home while pretty much trying to "one up" each other on who had the worst day.. Now i am just here to listen fully to his day, the life of a boot is a hard one... once he gets back from this deployment things should get easier for him, as he'll no long be the total bottom of the food chain. When he first joined, his recruiter talked to me alot about how much his first year up until his deployment was going to suck. that he was going to hate his life, and if i didn't handle it correctly it would be extremely difficult on our marriage, he kinda told me what his wife had learned... and normally i get kind of irritated when people give me marriage advice, but the advice he gave me was AMAZING, and has done WONDERS on our marriage, bringing it from great to AMAZING! pretty much he told me that Rye was going to need me to just BE THERE when he got home, to let him complain about all of his higher ups, and NOT be surprised when his opinions of people changed drastically and rapidly. I needed to make home a place where he could NOT think about work and just focus on something non-military.

this year has been so good for our marriage, we've dealt with trials that i never expected when we got married all those years ago. however we've learned that when we're upset with something... to find a common enemy, INSTEAD of taking it out on each other. he's learned that just because one of his higher ups is harassing him and making him miserable, does NOT make it ok to be snappy with me.

so now i spend most of my days working on packages for Riley and "my boys" i'll blog a little later with a few "Crappy Sav Tutorials!" because i'm pretty much the LAST person to take crafting advice from :)

Here's to one year out of bootcamp :)

NEW SEASON OF THE BIGGEST LOSER!!!!!

ok... i'm a nerd. :) but apparently millions of others are too if the show keeps coming back! right now, the new season is recording... and me and Rye are going to sit down in like 30 minutes and begin to watch our favorite show.

now for those of you who don't know, Riley's goal in life is to be the next Bob Harper. he idolizes that guy more than almost anyone else on earth. he LOVES watching this show and trying to get new tips. we LOVE to watch it every week. this last season Rye was in training the whole time so i never got to watch it with him. but i kinda got my stepmom addicted to it. and we would text each other if we weren't together about the episode. point being, i am so thankful that i am able to watch it with Riley this season. it's something most people take for granted... NOT THIS GIRL! at least anymore. every little thing we used to do together that i've had to do without him, i appreciate THAT much more.

so tonight i am inspired/disappointed... a few weeks ago i told you i was getting back on track trying to lose weight... i've been eating better (i'll fully admit to you, my avid blog stalkers) that i have cheated... i have had jello and lasagna... BUT i HAVE gone to the gym AT LEAST 5 or 6 nights a week and everytime i go i run at least a mile, usually bike 7 or 8 miles AND then do some weight lifting and abs... so why is it then, that i've gained like 3 lbs... and DON'T go telling me that muscle weighs more than fat... that may be true... but i DON'T think that is where those 3 lbs has come from. i'm really upset that i've been working out so hard and THIS is what i have to show for it. but i am determined to do better even though Riley is home and will be trying to tempt me with mcdonalds and chinese food... he can suck it! i WILL get smaller!!!!!!!!!

alright... so i'm keeping track of my weight and from now on i will give you a percentage of how much i have lost... or NOT lost.. which better not be the case. when i hit my goal weight.. i would appreciate some lovely gift baskets of strawberries and kiwis and such.. ya know what just make it an edible arrangement.. or some flowers.. gift cards will be accepted as well for some new clothes... but seriously... i am SOOO close within reach but it really is SOO hard to lose the rest... Kat did it, so why can't i... i will. i am determined.. which is why i ran 3 miles this morning.... ya, you're impressed :)

big time update!

ok so with Riley's Graduation, his 10 day leave, and him being at SOI i haven't even had a chance to update. so HERE I GO!!! by the way. my camera deleted most of the pictures i have from graduation... so i won't have too many pictures to put up!

Day Before Family Day- Feb 24th
Me and Kat show up in San Diego the day before family day to check into our hotel and get settled. we're staying in a 3 star hotel... so not like AMAZING... but no bars on the window... right.... well not exactly. the room was probably the worst hotel i had ever seen. the wallpaper was peeling off. the fixtures were all coming off the wall... not good. so kat ran to hurry and shower since we'd just been at the beach. while she was in the shower i sat on the bed and got out my laptop to check out some pictures. while sitting on the bed i look down.... there is a blonde chunk of hair sitting on the bed... me and Kat both have VERY dark hair. Kat came out of the shower and pretty much said we weren't staying there. and she didn't want to have to shower in there again. apparently the bathroom like was on a motion sensor timer. so you'd be in the shower soaping up. and 90 seconds later the lights would go completely out. so you'd have to open the shower curtain completely and close it and it would go back on. but that only worked about 3 times. then you 'd have to get out of the shower completely naked run across the bathroom and press the button again. so i took the floor lamp from our room and put it in the bathroom. right after i showered, we went down stairs... told the guy the room/hotel was unnacceptable.. and checked into the hilton.... SOOO WORTH THE MONEY!!!

Family Day- Feb 25th
we showed up on base around 6:30 so we could watch them practice. then right about the time that the festivities were going to start.. me and kat hopped out of the car. i went to open the back door to grab my back pack... but kat had just locked the doors and closed them. so i asked her if she still had the set of keys... "oh... i don't think so" yes everyone... my keys got locked in my car AGAIN! so Mark and Paula showed up (Zack's parents) and after a few minutes we had unlocked the car. and there was much rejoicing. we ran into my new amazing friend Kristy.

So we ran over to where we needed to be. watched to presentation from one of the SDI's( Senior Drill Instructor) and then lined up for the moto run (motovational Run) we all stood on the sidelines and watched as each platoon went for a run, yelling cadences the whole way! after that we headed over to the theater for a video and another presentation. me and kat left that a little early so we could get good seats for the family day formation ceremony. we sat and watched the ceremony, i saw Riley and was soooo excited! then they got the magic word "Liberty" and it was a mad dash for everyone to book it to their families. i saw Riley and watched him head towards his parents direction. but he was looking around frantically... for me. we made eye contact and i smiled... and he looked away from me. then he looked at me again and cocked his head to the side, he couldn't decide if it was me or not... you see i now wear glasses which i had not told him about, i had also lost 25 lbs since he last saw me. it was a pretty big compliment to NOT be recognized. and then the tears started. i felt like that day would NEVER get here. and i couldn't stop myself. i was BAWLING. luckily i had a feeling that would happen so i wore water proof mascara and eyeliner. we drove over to the church and had a picnic, then he wanted some time with just me so his parents drove back and we walked back and just chatted. we hit up the museum and one of the gift shops... and then it was time to drop him back off at "home" so i walked him back over to the barracks... we kissed... and he left.

Gradation Feb 26th
So i got up early because i was doing my hair curly. so we arrived on base around 7 am. and went directly to the bleachers to try and save as many seats as possible. Curt came over to help. and my dad and grandpa both wanted to be there for Riley's graduation so they drove down for it. so we saved ALMOST enough seats. the ceremony started and it was SOOO LONG! well it was only like an hour... but i was ready to have him back. i had my camera with one of my bigger lenses so i could zoom in way far and could tell which one was Rye from way far back. then they moved closer... and i couldn't help myself... i made some of my classic "Sav" faces... and then i would look through my zoom lenses and could see that he was trying not to smile. i leaned over to Riley's sister michelle and told her that Riley saw me. so i tortured him for a while... then after what seemed like forever they were released... and i had my husband back. we grabbed his bags... and took about a million pictures and then booked it the heck out of there!

So ya... the rest of the day... IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.... :)

Riley's 10-Day Leave
so the day after graduation Riley wanted to take me shopping... since none of my clothes fit me anymore. so we went to an outdoor mall. and the weather was terrible. it started raining so hard at one point we were both dripping wet when it finally stopped. i mean my hair looked like i had just gotten out of the shower! we went to california pizza kitchen for lunch, and that evening we went to see a movie "cop out" which i REALLY liked... i thought it was funny. then we headed back to st george. we hung out at his parents house most of the week. we went down to Vegas and stayed in the condo with them. did some more shopping. Rye took me out to the CheeseCake factory cause i'd never been. way yummy! we were going to go out to dinner at this super nice restaurant and Rye was going to get dressed up in his uniform... but as we were getting dressed to go... he realized he'd forgotten his belt and so we had to cancel. then on sunday we had to head up to provo cause Riley was flying out of salt lake to go to SOI (School of Infantry) the day before he left my best friend of a billion years did some pictures for us. i got a few back and they look awesome!

So He's been gone for a week now. but being the dedicated Marine Wife i am... i drove the 12 hours to go see him. me and Kat drove thursday... left at 11pm got to san diego around 10 am on friday. Riley wasn't expecting me till saturday. so when he got a few hours liberty on friday night. he just wanted to call and say hi and talk for a few minutes... but i showed up... he was SOOO SURPRISED. it was a good surprise... i was pretty pleased with myself. he LOVES being able to see me on the weekend. but said it's going to make the weeks harder. but it's worth it. i met a bunch of his buddies. and got a whole bunch of "is this the girl from the postage stamps?!" and i'd reply with "the very one!" so i sit here on tuesday morning.... knowing that the day after tomorrow... i'll be getting ready to see Rye the next day. and he has OFF base liberty this next weekend, so we're heading down to san diego getting a hotel and hitting up sea world and the beach... i am so excited. this is SOOOO much easier than bootcamp.. but hard in completely different ways.

so there you go... i promise i'll be better about blogging. cause i really don't want to have to do such a long post again. plus there are so many things i left out.. so i'll be better i swear!!

Thanks for reading :)

My Marine!!! and my last bootcamp letter

ok boys and girls... the day we have all been waiting for arrived... my amazing husband... IS A MARINE! as of 24 hours ago. he finished the crucible. that is 54 hours of no sleep and 3 MRE's which is NOT alot of food for 3 days. he humped (hiked) the Reaper... and came out... A United States Marine. Government Issued and everything. and i am SO proud of him. He is Absolutely Amazing. he set off to do something. and he DID IT!!!! and so now boys and girls... i present to you... my last letter i will receive from this part of our journey. i laughed, i cried... it moved me Bob... :) but really it was tender... and funny. have i mentioned lately that i Love Riley Gardiner! you should all be jealous.. cause he's MINE!!!!!!!! ok i'll quit bragging and just show you his letter.

2-14-2010

Hey Babe/ Lethanial A. Smith

well Sav today is the day i leave up to the crucible :) a little nervous for it. The packs are pretty heavy. but i will be ok :) soo close babe so so so close :). well i passed the prac, it was pretty easy. i got 72 out of 80. well this will be the last letter you will get from me since i will be gone all this week and then next week you will be heading down here :) YAY i cannot wait.

This week really sucked. it went by so slow, we didn't do much so it gave me time to think which is never good. so i was pretty depressed this week. well when you get this the crucible will be pretty much over. YAY. i will be getting the warriors breakfast, being called a Marine :) 

Well just so you know, in my platoon i am in the second squad the eigth person back, so you can find me when i come marching out :)

well it's valentines day today. Another great day i cannot spend with my better half. you don't really think all of that is a big deal until it happens and you are in a place like where i am and it's rough. less than 2 weeks we will celebrate all of these holidays that i have missed!

Hey in the hotel we need to get: A Toaster, a box of eggo's, syrup, and peanut butter. so we will have to go to the store and get that stuff :) DON'T GO TO THE STORE WITHOUT ME!!! :)  well babe that is all i have to say, nothing really interesting happened this week. this week sucked. anyways i will see you very soon babe. i would say wish me luck this week. but i will be pretty much done when you get this :) so i Love you babe. less than two weeks i get to hold you again. you are going to be my strength to get me through this week. 

 Love,

The Nugget

Yes boys and girls you read right... HE GOT A 90% on his prac test. which is the written final he was freaking out about!!! once again... he's amazing. only 6 more days until i get to see him again. i miss him so much. we're almost done with this... YAY!!

Happy Valentines day.

well this weekend marks the LAST big thing that Riley will miss while away at bootcamp. and i am getting so excited with how close it's getting!!!!!! we are now only 12 days away from me getting to see my husband... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH i miss him sooooo much. but yesterday their platoon video got uploaded online. they filmed it yesterday morning, and i got to see it at 6 pm last night. so thats about as real time as it can get! heres the picture of Rye, he looks sad.. probably cause he didn't get his freaking phone call home!

 

isn't he handsome!!! so then after i saw the video, i got to open my valentines present from Rye, he had his parents send it to me. kat got a box delivered yesterday too. it was from Zack, it was 2 dozen roses, and they were gorgeous! but Riley grounded me a few years ago from getting flowers... (i accidentally left some flowers in a vase for soo long that they got moldy, and we couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from for like a week haha) anyway, he picked out something PERFECT for me... i got all teary eyed...

so he wins :)

 

Isn't he adorable!!! i LOVE it. he did good, as usual. he's always been the most thoughtful guy i know, and he has definitely lived up to his reputation. MY HUSBAND IS AMAZING!!! and in 5 days... he'll be a Marine. and then i'll see him 7 days later! I LOVE MY LIFE

most likely my last survey... we're getting close!!!

ok so i got my weekly letter from Rye today. it was pretty quick... cause he's in finals week now, so he's spending much more time studying!. now this survey that i sent him is the same survey that he filled out in 2005, i thought it would be kinda cool to compare answers with the 5-year gap and everything! i love my husband!!! well here is the survey, from today of course!

FlashBack Survey (we'll compare answers in a few weeks :) ) he underlined a few weeks a bunch of times!

Last good kiss? Dec 1st when i left my BEAUTIFUL wife

Last cry? Today, your birthday I AM SAD I AM missing it

Last Movie Seen? patriot Dec 25th Christmas

Last book read? D&C 84

Last cuss word spoken? I think I said Damn

Last food consumed? Breakfast :) pancakes, cereal, cream of wheat, muffin, lots of fruit, cottage cheese (HOLY CRAP THATS A TON OF FOOD!)

Last phone call? Don't like that day. Dec 1st, calling you when i got here

Last time showered? Last night

Last shoes worn? My circa's or my combat boots on now

last item bought? Fang Paste i think

Last thing drank? water, as always

Last thing written? what i am writing now :)

Last Key used? probably key to the hotel, where we stayed

Last words spoken? "Lets go sit down there" to Zack, we in the back of the class

Last time dancing? Last night :) (ummm why the crap was he dancing?)

last show attended? up north (camp pendleton) we had a christian rock band perform, does that count?

last time you were called hot? never (THATS BULL CRAP!)

current thing you should be doing? listening to people bear their testimony's

favorite animal? the Ozz Paws :)

favorite food? pizza, chinese food, I Greeme (ice cream) :)

Favorite month? December

favorite sport? running, i know this one won't match up :)

oh and hey, how's shaving? it sucks, i have to do it every night!

well it's your birthday today and i am very very sad and depressed that i am missing it today. i hope you are having a good day today. and you get to have a good party and get good presents and eat yummy food. i am so excited to be with you in just a little bit longer. this three months have sucked being away from you, i am ready to come hope 19 days left from today, and by the time you get this and by the time you get this i should be done with the prac test that i am stressing about. so hopefully i pass it so i don't get dropped back. i am also supposed to tell you when you come to the graduation :) you need to wear red, the DI's told us that we need to tell our families to wear red. so make sure you do :) it's getting so very close babe, i love you so much. have a good birthday.

love, Riley

Graduation outfit... whatdoyathink?!

so i didn't get ready before taking these pictures. and i'm planning on wearing red converse. but what do you think. yes or no? 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Sav!!!

alright ladies and gentlemen, my birthday is officially over. all yesterday i was a bit sad because i hadn't heard from Riley about my birthday at all. and to be honest, i was a bit upset that he hadn't thought ahead of time and sent me a birthday note or anything. sooooo here is what i did on my birthday. i made some super bowl cakes, which turned out DANG cute if i do say so myself!

 

so i finished the cakes and then Kat came over and brought me flowers :) that made me happy! we helped Paula get ready for their super bowl party. and Lauren was going to come over while Dal was watching the superbowl in Lehi, so we (the girls) planned to make headbands. so we ran to the store to pick up some stuff. when we got back, Paula had set up to do a birthday cake and presents for me. so i had told Jenny that i didn't want a birthday cake, and joked about just wanting a birthday Kiwi... so Paula took that and made a fruit pizza for my birthday.. so Kat was like aww thats cute you get a birthday Pie... which anyone that knows Riley knows that he's the only person to do a birthday pie instead of a cake. and for some reason those two words actually made me cry... i'm a bit emotional these days :) anyway so we had my birthday pizza pie and it was delicious. here's some pictures.

  

  

 

so ya that is what my birthday looked like. all things considered, it was a good day! so here are a few pictures of the headbands/clips i have made recently... i like them along!

 

  

anyway... so today i knew that my inlaws were sending me a card so i made the quick drive down to my moms house to check the mail this afternoon. after i was super sad that Rye had forgotten my birthday, i got out to check the mail. grabbed a bill for me, my package from Curt and Shellee... and then i grabbed the rest of the mail to bring to the house so Phil could get HIS birthday cards that were in there. then i saw an envelope that had my name. bigger than a bill. i grabbed it without thinking. and then recognized the handwriting. and i started to bawl!

what was inside you might be asking yourself.... 

and i won't read you what it said... but it was DANG sweet... ok maybe i will type it... cause it's nothing too personal. and i had to read it like 3 times.. cause i couldn't get my eyes to dry! he wrote this on a short break on monday. so it's messy, and PERFECT! and yes i've edited out certain things that are NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS :) 

Hey babe, i kinda have to write this fast so sorry if it's short. i just wanted to tell you I Love You so much. I can't picture my life without you. you are my strength that is keeping me going. everytime i feel like i can't run or get over something, i think of you and it gets me through it. i have 24 more days left and counting till i get to hold you in my arms again, THAT IS SO SOON :) It's coming up soon babe. i hope you have a wonderful birthday and i am sorry i can't be there. when we get together again we will celebrate all of the things i have missed out on.

I love you babe, i will see you very very soon

Happy Birthday Sweet Thang

♪ listen up cause i love you babay we go back like 1980, you know you're the one who changed me, you love me cause i'm so crazy :)

I love you so much Always and Forever

Riley

did you get teary eyed... cause i still do reading back over it... i love my husband... he is AMAZING!!! anyway i also got a survey in my birthday card as well.... so here is the latest Riley Update.

The Rye & Sav Survey (cause i lost count :) )

Date Sent: Jan 28th 

Date completed: Feb 1st 

 Favorite thing to eat at Boot: everything breakfast :) waffles + peanut butter :)

can you believe i'll see you in 4 weeks?! NO I CAN'T WAIT!!

how does it feel to be an Elder? I am actually gonna get ordained on Family day :)

are you excited to get a high & tight? (thats the haircut they are allowed to get after the finish!) sure

anything other than buzzers & clothes you want me to bring?  My hats (ok i already knew that one!)

Any food requests for Family Day? i dunno, just the stuff i have previously mentioned 

do you think you could hump (it means to hike) angels landing with your gear? Easily. (now i might make him prove it :) hahahaha)

any friends without family wanna join us on family day? nope, i asked 

how are you doing at PFT(physical fitness) fine i guess, i am one of the best :)

what t.v. show do you miss the most? American Idol, Biggest Loser, Top Gear actually king of queens, and home improvement

have the DI's given you better manners? :) i dunno you will have to let me know

I Miss YOU! (i know, sorry it's not a question :) ) I Really Miss You

Do you miss carbonation? cause i dont! not really, but excited to have it

did you have an o.k. birthday? no

do you wanna go to church on or off base that 1st sunday? off

was the rain horrible? you have no idea :) i will tell you about it

Is your bunkmate cool? yeah, but he farts alot :) Bunkmate says "HI"

is it nice to be back home(MCRD)? kinda i guess

do you still miss me? :) (i know this answer) very much so

is your bed comfy? no not even

as always here's your space to write me a little note :)

my bunkmate wants me to add that he is short :) don't really have anything to say cause i am writing this on my short break so you will get another one again here soon when i write on sunday. 

I love you Ridawg

so there you go boys and girls! that is the Riley update for today :)

guilty confession and update from Riley

let me start out by saying this... If Riley comes home wanting a divorce, it'll be because of what i did yesterday :)

got ya curious huh?! ok so here is the quick background of the story. Riley's recruiter grew up in Alpine, he's a year older than Riley and they have known eachother since elementary school... that being said, Riley thought he was a douche all throughout school. in fact when we first walked into the recruiters office last February and Riley recognized Worthen, he told me that night that he was going to ask for another recruiter cause that kid was such a douche growing up. but the next time we went in SGT Worthen actually acknowledged that he was a Dick in high school, Riley agreed and they laughed about it. so then for the last year i've been in and out of that office dozens of times for different things. so i've gotten to know Worthen, Heart, and most of the other guys in the office.

so when Riley left Worthen gave me his number and told me to call him every week or so, that way he knew i was doing alright. well at the begining of January i was talking to Worthen and he mentioned that one of Riley's DI's (Drill Instructor) is actually a good friend of his, they've known each other for years.


so now you know the back ground.... ok now... here's the story :)

I got a letter yesterday, and i was expecting it to mention my upcoming birthday... well no such luck. so then i went down to Kat's work to hang out with her. and she has YET to receive a letter. it's been 2 weeks now since her last letter. and needless to say, she's a bit upset. so i was sitting at her work, and decided to call Worthen to see if he had any recent updates. here's how our conversation went :)
W "so are you getting lot's of letters?"
S "ya i get a letter every wednesday."
W "YOU ONLY GET ONE A WEEK?!"
S "ya he uses all his extra free time to study, so i'm totally fine with my one letter a week. but i have to send him stamps, cause i guess he's about out."
W "he's out of stamps? what the H*** . i can call his DI and tell him to let the guys go buy stamps."
S "haha won't that get them in trouble?"
W "eh... they are going to get IT(extra attention) anyway, might as well make it worth it."
S "well in that case. Kat hasn't recieved a letter from Zack in 2 weeks now."
W "WHAT are you freakin kidding me. well tell her if she wants i can get her 5 letters in one week!"
S "hahaha she's giving me the look like "umm maybe but what's it gonna cost?" "
W "just some IT."
S "oh man, they are going to KILL us haha"
W "probably, but they are almost done, so you might as well"
S "ok. well then while you're at it, tell him to harass Rye and make him write me a birthday letter, OH and tell him to harass him and try to make him take a leadership role"
W "oh i will, cause he is getting frustrated that Riley hasn't tried to take a leadership position yet. because he's got everything it takes, he just needs to take it. he's a bit more timid than i expected him to be. but he's doing awesome, and there is still time for him to become a guide and be an honor grad, because i know he can do it."

so there you go... hopefully he doesnt kill me. :) i'll give you an update as soon as i get one :)

anyway in case any of ya care.. here is the latest Riley update. this is the latest Survey that i sent him. once again the only thing i'm adding it will be in ( )

Survey Number 4 All Things Phase 2
Date Sent: January 19th Received i don't remember but it's Jan 31st today :)
Best Thing about phase 2: I liked the table 2 shooting quals, it kinda felt like a video game :)
Worst thing about phase 2: the rain. it was way bad we were on field week. we got flooded out so we didn't sleep in our tents, we had to hike back down
Are the DI's nicer in phase 2: Nope
are the days longer in phase 2: no it went by way fast
have you gotten stuck on a duty that you hate: just fire watch every other night (fire watch is just night watch that they have to do)
i heard there are no stall doors... everyone REALLY knows what you're doing! public bathrooms will be nothing for you now right: hahaha yea we have conversations while we're going haha (i laughed pretty hard at that!)
have you gotten injured at all: no knock on wood
any leg pain: nope :) again, knock on wood
Have you gotten sick: been sick since second week :) (not sure why he's smiling at that, but i guess attitude is everything huh?)
did you get a ton of mail when it caught up: maybe five or six i think
do you get the most letters? from one single person, probably (THAT'S CAUSE I'M AN AWESOME WIFE!!!!!!)
do you feel Bad-ass yet? to tell you the truth, i feel the same (my husband, the humble one)
how was the rifle range: i didn't really like table 1 but  table 2 was cool
do you still stress about your shoes getting dirty: actually yes, but i keep it to myself :)
are you becoming a stronger runner: no i think i was stronger at home, i can't wait to get home and run on my trails :)
how was the gas chamber: we do that on the crucible
are you ok at memorizing what you need to: i don't really know yet, i am sure trying though
are you freakin stoked for family day/ Graduation: Freaking stoked is an understatement :)
was the rain miserable: it was so bad, we got so muddy and it was freezing
do alot of people write you: not alot, i have you, my parents, Michelle, and 2 from Carl and Debie
you said you have to write in all caps. do the DI's read everything you write: no just when we have to turn in writing assignments.
if they DO read everything. HI! drill instructor hope you've enjoyed this survey, sorry it wasn't more mushy. Steven's needs to do more push-ups :)
if they don't... well you thought i was funny. it's cause i am babe. that's why you're homesick cause you have the most awesomest wife in the world. you don't know how true that statement is. well team week kinda sucked it went by really slowly and it gave me time to think. which is bad cause all i was thinking about is being with you (awwwww) so i was really depressed all week, so it sucked. i was kinda bummed that you went to sea world, i wanted to be there for your first time but oh well ( he forgets that i went years ago... but it rained and we had to leave a bit early) it seems like you are doing ok on everything and having a good time. i am jealous but happy for you :) I think thats pretty cool that you can know how i am doing trhough Worthen (he might regret that now :) )  i am so freaking nervous for the prac test. i need to pass it and you know how i am with tests. i am kinda freaking out about it so i hope i get through it ok (he'll be fine... i know it!) well when you get this i will be a Marine in about two weeks :) little over (two weeks from today he'll be a Marine) i love you babe with all my heart. keep the letters flowing like wine :) (where the crap he got that phrase from.. i have no idea)  Love always and forever Ridawg


So there ya go... if you have any questions, there are still a few weeks left before i get to see him! 3 weeks from today to be exact!

another month come and gone!

So it is officially February and i could NOT be happier! that means i will get to see my amazing husband THIS MONTH!!!!!!!!!!!!!! granted it's still about 4 weeks away but STILL!!! ok can you tell i'm a bit stoked! so lets see what have i been up to. i moved... again. this is the 3rd time in 5 months. my family is crazy... scratch that my sibblings are amazing! but my mother and her husband are CRAZY. so i bailed. these last 2 months have been about finding myself while Rye was gone, and it was going amazing... until i started getting stressed about things at home. it's a long long long story and i'm not here to slander anyone, so thats all i'll say about it.
So now i'm staying at Zack's parents house. Mark and Paula are AMAZING! and it's only been 1 day, but i can already feel the refocus... so i am confident that i will lose the 10 pounds i want to by Riley's Graduation. i'm down about 20 right now. and he has NO IDEA! he'll try to put in his letters that he's curious if i'm working out or eating right. but i COMPLETELY ignore him :) buahahaha it'll be worth it to see his face on Feb 25th. but then he'll regret it when i go and spend all his hard earned money on new clothes. cause nothing fits me anymore. which is a good thing! so ya, Kat's birthday was last tuesday. Zack arranged before he left to have flowers delivered to her work on her birthday. it was SOOOOOO sweet. and he sent her a card from boot camp that said don't open till your birthday. and it was SUCH a sweet card. i was sooo jealous it was wierd. cause i KNEW that it was her day and she deserved everything that she got. but it still made me jealous. cause my birthday is coming up real quick here, and Riley is usually sooo thoughtful, but i have a feeling we're just doing my birthday and valentines when he gets home. which i'm fine with. i just can't wait till graduation. well anyway, here are some pictures from Kat's birthday dinner. and from game night we had last night... which was awesome!

 

  

  

  

 

Riley's BootCamp update.

well last week i didn't really post anything of his letter on here. Cause it was a 4-page super mushy one! it was insanely perfect, however, it was meant for me and not for all my adoring blog stalkers :) he seemed really homesick though, luckily this week he seemed much less homesick. i got a letter PLUS a survey back. he loves that i send him surveys, i'll leave out a few things that are only between the 2 of us, but HERE YA GO!!!!! once again the only thing i'm adding in are the things in the ( )'s

Survey number Three
Date Sent: January 4th------- Filled out Sunday Jan 17th (Mail is really slow in phase two!)
I Heard Your main DI is friends with Worthen? yupp kinda wierd!
On your 10-day leave i've asked Lauren to do pictures. you cool with that? Where are we gonna be?
1st thing you wanna do at the hotel after grad: (he circled) Eat pizza, me, sit in the shower, snuggle and watch a movie.
You think i'm funny huh:) ?! Very :)
Do you save my letters? Yes i want to keep them!
Are you happy phase 1 is over? cause i am!!! Very and almost done with phase 2 :)
do you graduate in your Dress Blues? no i think service alpha's, the green (the sexiest uniform of all!)
Do you miss my camera? actually yes i miss everything (that is huge, if you know Rye you know how irritated he gets of my camera :) he can deal with it though!)
do you have your weapon serial number memorized? of course! 7307930
do you wish you partied with me on new years? YES YES YES YES
have you filled out your dream sheet? nope
do you remember everything about me? yes and miss every bit of it!
are any of your buddies infantry? a few
do you know alot of guys from other platoons? nope not really allowed to talk to them, they are competition
Zack says your platoon is full of idiots, do you like most of the guys in your platoon?we have a few people that NEED TO LEAVE but i think we are ok. i think we are the best platoon in our company
i'm glad you like my stamps, envelopes, and stationary. did they notice it was a picture of your wife? i don't think anyone did till i showed everyone :)
do you miss me alot tonight? Sav, no joke i miss you all day, all night, and all the time. you are the only thing helping me get through this.
p.s. i'm glad you're still the same awesome guy i love. :) but alot cooler now :) 

5 weeks left babe :) when you get this it will be close to 4 weeks. and i will be back down at mcrd for phase 3. :) read letter for more info:)

and then here is his letter. it wasn't really mushy at all... mostly just info packed. so i will type the whole thing in cause you're interested. and just in cause you were curious. i only post things i know he wouldn't mind being shared. i post on here so his friends and family members can see how he's doing, it saves me alot of time on the phone with people reading it over and over!

Weekly Letter

well babe sitting here in church like always when i write you. So here is your weekly letter :)

well i love the survey's you send, makes answering questions very easy. well i made

it though rifle qualifications. i was really worried about it but i passed :)

found out Steven's is a pretty good shot, but i am glad thats over. i have completed

the 3 mile 5 mile and 8 mile hikes, the sucked but i got through it. well you booked the hotel

already eh thats cool but scary all at the same time i hope i don't get dropped for anything or that would suck. i think the only thing that can stop me now is the prac test which you know i am 

scared of :) but i will get through it :) i was going to tell ya don't get your patriarchal blessing yet, lets get them together i think that would be a good thing to do together. 

you were asking me about a kid in my platoon that has been dropped from being sick. yes we had one, he overheated and i guess right now he is still in medical his body won't regulate his heat so he might be going home. but we actually had probably 4-5 people dropped for different reasons you also asked me about being sick. and i didn't want to tell ya but i actually have been sick since the end of week one. so i have been sick for a while :) but i am still pushing through so don't worry about me for that, also on your survey you asked me about weight i think i have lost muscle mass so that really sucks. i am excited to get home and start working out again :) i have decided i am more fit at home than here. remind me when i see you and i will tell you why. well thats my weekly letter i love you with all my heart you are keeping me going babe

love 

Cute Bum

so there you go! if anyone is wondering anything about bootcamp, let me know and i'll throw it on my next survey!

Rye's Birthday cake.

so i'll post an explanation in my next post.. but i'm WAY sleepy tonight.. since i didn't sleep at all last night :) but anyway i did get a letter from Rye today. he is really homesick... well mostly just homesick for Sav... i won't go into much detail now. but he mentioned that he wanted me to make him one of MY birthday cakes. i have this thing with decorating cakes... i just have fun doing them. and i have yet to make him a birthday cake... so he requested one, and although his birthday for some reason is hitting me super hard this year... i did it. just for him though. it took like 3 or 4 hours... anyway.... here are a few pictures :) enjoy!

 

Dear Riley

it's been a week since your last letter... and that is the longest i have had to wait since i started receiving letters.i hope to find one in the mailbox today (wednesday) because usually you write me on Sunday and then i get it by Wednesday... but that is still such a long time! soooo i'm really excited for you to be in phase two... BUT I'M SICK OF THIS!!! I am ready for phase 3 so i can go back to getting 2+ letters a week.. i love you.. Be Safe.
Your Sav

Life goes on...Letters, Testimony, Ben Wille, Death

so... this has been a really weird week. after my last post i was hoping for a letter. cause i usually get letters on Wednesdays... I GOT ONE! YAY!!!! it was probably the least mushy one so far, he was trying to answer questions that he hadn't yet. let's see... what was important, hold on let me look over it quickly :)
-Pugil Sticks went fine. "there were 3 of us fighting. i got the one guy, but then the other got me GOOD across my helmet :) it kinda hurt" i've always loved that he can appreciate when someone else does something good. i mean really how many guys get hit in the face and are like "dude, good job. that was really awesome" well thats my Rye!
-He lost 6 pounds but gained them back.. THANK GOODNESS. that kid didn't have 6 pounds to lose. he has like 8% body fat, or he did when he left. and everything he had was muscle. he was the one at the beach in cali in JUNE who was cold... so i'm glad he gained it back.
- he said he's getting stronger, physically and emotionally. that makes me happy.
-He doesn't get yelled at. usually the WHOLE platoon gets yelled at. i guess the day they got to Camp Pendelton they got in trouble for not being loud enough, so they had to walk around bear-hugging their C-bags for a long time. which are huge and were full. "and pretty much, welcome to Pendleton!" i laughed at that :)
last Saturday when i received the 2nd survey back, he told me that his platoon was in 2nd place for honor platoon. and Zack's letter to kat said that they had lost initial drill by 1 point!!! Rye said the DI's were NOT happy, they had to move everything around in their house and make their beds like a million times.

so there are the Riley updates... now here are the Sav updates :)
I've been doing really good about my new years goal. which was to read my scriptures and pray everyday. and i haven't missed a day. J told me that if i fall asleep reading my scriptures it still counts. so YAY. but he did say that i should pray BEFORE i read, so that in case i DO fall asleep i have that covered already... and thats why you're so smart J :) so i've been reading them like crazy and trying to get as much out of them as i possibly can. but as anyone who has read the scriptures knows... there is alot of crap in there that is hard to understand. so last sunday i started marking down a bunch of verses that i needed help with. and asked J if he could help me with them, since he's a returned missionary. so this week was kinda touch and go with him because he was so busy. so we decided that Sunday after church i would drive down to his house and he would go over anything i needed help with, and in turn i would teach him how to make Riley's famous almond butter.. so i drove down at like 3... went to Laurels house, had lunch with her J and Elijah, and we talked book of Mormon and such. then Elijah had to head out. so i got out my scriptures and asked the questions that i had, J, Laurel and Robert did AMAZING at explaining things i didn't know. and sometimes i think that there are so many simple things that i SHOULD know. but i just don't... and i know in high school i wanted everyone to think i was a better member than i really was so i was too embarrassed to ask anyone... but now i'm more humble... and also more confident... i'm a walking contradiction :)

so after our scripture discussion J needed to go home to see his family for a few hours and invited me. so i went over there, met his dad ( I REALLY like his dad... FYI) and saw his Brother, Sister, Mom and Cousin. they invited me to play a game called hand and foot... ever played? it's awesome. J disappeared for a while to go help his sister and left me with his dad brother and cousin. so his dad walked me through the first game... WHICH I WON!!! and then when J came back for the 2nd game his dad stepped out. well i didn't win any other rounds, but we found out later that J was cheating by stealing cards from another pile... THAT LYING SACK OF CRAP!!! So after that we headed back to Laurel's, they were having an Acting Up testimony meeting. and i haven't been to one of those since like 2006 before i got married. it was more of a discussion/Q&A thing so i totally could have saved my questions. but i'm glad i didn't.

The spirit is seriously soooo strong in those meetings. and as the night wore on more and more showed up. Ben Wille and A.J. showed up. Ben sat next to J like right across from me, and it was hard to even look at him because since Xandra left this last week, it's a reminder that Riley is gone. so after the AMAZING testimony meeting everyone was mingling and i went over to say hi to Ben, because all week i've been asking everyone how he's been doing. and it seems like no one really cares as much as i do. maybe it's because i'm one of the few that can actually relate. so i went and asked how he was holding up. and it's kinda funny, he gave me a look that i know TOO much about, and i just knew, until you are away from the love of your life for an extended period of time... you don't know. he said he looked over at me at some point and just about started crying "because you're like the only one who knows what i'm going through, but it's so much worse for you." well Ben Wille.... IT STILL SUCKS!!!! and i would never wish it upon anyone. i'm really HAPPY that you two at least have cell phones. i'm for sure not one of those people who's gonna be like... "oh that sucks that your Fiance is gone for a long time.... but i win"... and since i've been praying everynight, you find that you're more likely to pray for the people in your life that need it. i think before when i did pray it was more of selfish prayers. God help me with this and that, but now it's deeper. i honestly pray for anyone in my life that i know needs it. So i hope everyone has been getting extra blessings this last week... CAUSE I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE BIG GUY TO GET THEM FOR YOU :)

so last night was amazing, and i really needed yesterday. it strengthened my testimony of so many different things. which i think is somehow making today a little easier. this morning at about 9, my mom called me. She informed me that my cousin Tara had died about 20 minutes prior. we knew she didn't have long left. they told us the week before Christmas that things didn't look good. her kidneys and livers had failed and dialysis wasn't working. so they pulled her off of it and sent her home to be comfortable. I grew up with this cousin... she was one of the closer ones. so i'm having a bit of a hard time. Kat called and i'm going out to lunch with her, because she knows that right now... i just want Riley back. and so now i'll be traveling to San Diego for the funeral later this week. and it's going to be absolutely the hardest thing i've done. to be only a few miles from him... and NOT try to go check up on him. to know that we're in the exact same city.. and i can't call or see him... And i've never lost a family member before... i've been pretty lucky. i mean distant relatives yes. but not really anyone i knew well. and since high school i haven't lost any close friends. so to have to go through this without my rock is hard. so anyway....

those are my updates for the last few days... things will get easier.. I hope.

With faith we can cope. In faith we can endure. And buoyed and sustained by faith, we can move on. “Weeping may endure for a night,” wrote the Psalmist, “but joy cometh in the morning” - Elder Ballard

New Year.... New Life!

So it's 2010... i'm really excited for this year. alot of changes were put in motion in 2009 and most will come about this year. Including the addition of a Marine into my little family. No time is not flying by like some people have claimed... maybe it has for you, but when you're husband is gone, and you can only talk from letters... it drags on! I live by mailtime. yesterday i actually met my mailman, he's retired Navy. he was super nice. he said he gets excited whenever he sees a letter from Riley to me, because he knows how much letters mean in the Military. There was no letter yesterday, but usually there aren't any letters on tuesdays but i am hoping for one today. He started Phase 2 this week which means less time to write. not that he had that much time before.

I did receive a letter on saturday. he was returning the second survey i sent him. You can tell that he is still the same ol' Rye... he was cracking jokes through the entire thing. on of the questions i asked was a would you rather. it was between A.) Taking me to a Josh Groban Concert OR B.)Receiving extra attention from the Drill Instructors for a week. now anyone that knows me and Rye... Knows that Josh Groban is my favorite musician in the world, and Riley DESPISES him. well Rye picked the Drill Instructors and on the side wrote "There not THAT bad :)" The next question was "If you picked the Drill Instructors are you sure your confident about your answer?" he wrote "OH YEAH!".... He said Swim Week was Easy. which is good because he was stressing about that before he left, so in turn i was stressing about it till it was done! so ya i'm really glad that is done.

He talks alot about Graduation, and missing me. He said he doesn't get in much trouble, cause he's pretty good at what they want him to do. that made me really happy. so this week and next week they are out in the field, working with their Rifles. he has Rifle Qual day next thursday.. which is also his birthday... so it would be an awesome birthday for him if he qualifies really well. And his birthday next thursday is the OFFICIAL half way mark! YAY YAY YAY!!!!!!!  yes all you people who think time is flying by. i'm not even half way yet! LAME!!!

anyway, i'll update later if i get a letter today, which i am REALLY hoping for... i could really use a letter today. on another note... The Flu can go suck a lemon! it's making me miserable!!!

Hey Everyone. small update!

Hey y'all. no i did not get another letter. although that would be an absolute miracle to get a letter on sunday! Today was good. i think now that the holiday is over things are getting easier. and there is less than 60 days left so that definitely is getting me excited! i've already started planning for his graduation. i really cannot wait! i got a bunch of home videos converted to a format that is compatible with my ipod. so now i have a bunch of home videos with me and Rye on my ipod. it definitely helps me fall asleep to hear his voice. i was hoping for a christmas call... but as all my faithful blog stalkers out there know, i did not recieve one. (LAME LAME LAME) even though i was told i was probably not going to get one. it definitely sucked that people from other platoons recieved calls from their boys, who left the same day as Rye. but i may get a call this next week. letting me know that he is leaving MCRD to go to CP... for 3 weeks,  that is when phase 2 will take place. i cannot believe that phase one is ALMOST over! and nooo it has not just FLOWN BY, as alot of you told me it would. every hour of every day drags on and on! but i'm getting by.
i've also started keeping a video log of my day to day things. so i can put all the videos on a DVD and he can watch it when he gets back. it's nothing too crazy. i mostly try to pick up my flip camcorder 2 or 3 times a day and kinda just talk to him and tell him what i'm up to, where i'm going that day, how i'm feeling. i started on Dec 23rd and so far i have over 20 minutes recorded. this way when he comes home and asks what i was up to the whole time, i can just pull out the DVD and show him!

anyway this is a little bit of a shorter post, i just thought i'd post something... so ya

oh and here is a shout out to all my blog stalkers... i know you are all out there reading, even though you don't comment... usually some of you let me know you read it... and there are ALOT of you. so thank you! i never really expected anyone to read my blog. but the fact that you do, makes me feel like i should continue posting.

I love you all. however i do love the Husband more!

Survey i sent Riley!

I sent Riley a survey so he could answer questions quick and easily. so i guess i'll just put up the survey and answers... none of them are personal. i wouldn't dream of putting something up that was only meant for me. these are just general questions... so if you're curious. i wrote this at around 1 a.m. soooo some of the questions were odd. the only thing i have added in are (   )

all the smiley faces and everything else is ALL HIM

1.Date Sent: December 19th
2.Date Recieved: December 21st.. (thats only 2 mail days... thats crazy fast!)
3.How's the food?    Very Bland :)
4.Are you eating fast enough?  Yes, i got pretty good at it, it sucks
5.What's been the most fun so far? Obstacle Course and Church
6.why? Cause i can do it pretty well and it's just fun. and church cause i love it now :)
7.Are you and Zack getting along? We don't really talk, cause we can't
8.Do you two get in trouble alot? Eh not really, we're good.
9.Do the DI's seem kinda cool? The Senior Drill Instructor and the one right below him are, but not the other two.
10.How's the classroom part going? I don't know yet i will know when i take the test.
11.are you on top or bottom bunk? Top :)
12.have you made any other friends? A few we are all friends
13. What are their names, and where are they from?too many to name, but one is Recruit Cowan from SLC
14.Do you sleep o.k. without me? not really, i wake up alot and just think about snuggling with you, cause you know how much i love snuggling.
15.Do you Boys ever say WEEEEE? HECK NO!!!
16.How's Church? Very very good, I Love it!
17.do you have to wear briefs or can you still wear boxer briefs? Briefs :)
18.Are the "go fasters" nice? (those are running shoes by the way) Yes, New Balance. I will buy more
19.are you having fun at all? Eh kinda, can't wait for February though.
20.Did i get you in trouble?(i sent him a photostamp and i wasn't sure if he would get busted) No, i don't know how you could have
21.Do you wish you were at Nissan instead of Bootcamp? NO!
22. What was for dinner tonight?  I think it was Meat Loaf :)



I love my husband! i think i'll send him more surveys... cause i get TONS and TONS of info that i really want/need! YAY LIFE!

Santa hates me.

So it's official... Santa hates me. all i asked for Christmas was a phone call from Riley... I even wrote a letter and put it in Santa's bag at the mall.. ok so i didn't do that... but i really thought about it. maybe i should have, maybe Santa wasn't sure that was what i wanted.

I made some fudge and dropped it off at Zack's parents house for them this evening. i sat and talked with them for a while. and when i left to go back home. it hit me... i just went through an entire Christmas without my better half. and i lost it. I tried calling Lauren and Kat... but understandably they were unable to answer. probably family stuff.

Christmas was hard. because anyone that i would normally call when i needed a rock was busy... and the other few that came to my mind... i didn't know if i wanted to call them bawling... i mean... Lauren has seen me cry more times than i can count. and she's been my best friend for so long i would trust her with my fragile emotions any day.
And Kat has definitely been one of my best friends. and that has only become stronger since the boys left... and i think the fact that i have still talked to noone is making it harder. i'll be fine tomorrow... i promise. but i think for at least tonight i'll let myself wallow in self pity. so don't worry about me. this blasted holiday is almost over, and i will wake up tomorrow having survived.

Initial Drill is tomorrow. i can't wait to hear how Riley's platoon does.
good night everyone.

Phone Call Please?!

so i'ts Christmas Day... so first off MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! so i'm not expecting a phonecall today... but i'm sure hoping for one... there is like a 10% chance that i may get one... so i've had my cell phone at my hip watching out for a San Diego Area Code! i'm getting less hopeful as the day goes on... but they are an hour behind us... sooooooo maybe.... probably not... but i REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY Want one!

Well while i am waiting for a possible phonecall... lets move on... for christmas i got new scriptures. i haven't had my own for years. Brittany used mine for seminary and they were a bit tattered to say the least! so i got a Quad they are blue and exactly what i wanted! now i just have to get Riley a new set. i'm thinking a black one... we'll see. so santa did good with that!

My awesome in-laws got me a WAY PRETTY watch. i should take pictures and put them up... cause it's dang cute!. my sister Britt gave me UP! on bluray... i tried watching it today but i dozed... but now i own it so i can watch it whenever i want. YAY! my brother phil got me headbands... Blair Waldorf style.. exactly what i wanted. my stepsister Meagan Crochet me another headband... and i can't believe how cute it is. Ali & Alex gave me a photo mosaic puzzle. and my sister and brother in-law got me a fleece blanket! it's sooo cute! i got some cute earings and games and cute clothes... and if i'm forgetting anything i apologize! oh and Kat came over last night and gave me a necklace she made, a really cute journal, and a purse hook.

so here i sit after a great Christmas... all things considered... but i don't think it will really feel like Christmas unless i get a call. that would be probably the BEST Christmas present in the history of Christmas! Well i want to thank you all for an amazing season. i really do appreciate everything you have all done...

and here is the happiest news yet... 2 months from today. i will be with my husband on family day... i cannot wait!!!

The Little Things.

Today i got my 3rd letter in less than a week... as you can imagine... i was surprised and ecstatic! it was a long one too... well it was technically 2 letters. both written in church on sunday i believe... for those of you following my Riley Updates.... He is going to be ordained an elder in about 4 weeks... which was soooo exciting to hear about... so the next stop will be the temple. for time and all eternity. anyway that was one small part of the letter. most of it was all that mushy stuff, that no-one but me wants to read... but it's the kind of stuff that makes me feel better at night when i'm alone :) so i was walking through the mall today to meet up with Kat real quick. and somehow the letter fell out of my purse... i didn't realize it until we were on the opposite end of the mall and i went to grab it to read it to her (we usually read each other our letters... it almost makes it feel like we're getting twice the letters and updates... and we're absolutely happy for each other when the other gets one.) so we first went back to my car to tear it apart and make sure it wasn't stuck somewhere. about this time i can feel a panic attack coming on... i was trying as hard as i could to NOT hyperventilate. it was NOT in my car. so we retraced my steps back in through macy's and asked the guys at the counter if anything had been turned in.. mr. helpful called around and called the customer relations and started looking for it for me... sweet man! Mr. Douche Nozzle on the other hand. asked what i had lost. when i told him it was my christmas letter from my husband who is away with the military... he like scoffed at me and said "huh, too bad" OOOOOOOOO i almost threw myself over the counter. anyway no one turned it in at macy's so we kept going on my route. the next stop was forever XXI where i had met up with Kat to approve or disapprove of the shirts she was about to buy. we started combing the ground. and then i went up to the counter to ask mr. Flaming if he had seen anything. while i was waiting patiently for mr. flaming to acknowledge that i was waiting patiently to talk to him... Kat popped up with a very very happy look on her face... i seriously almost cried i was so relieved. it was somehow shoved in the panties bin.... where we had been no where near... how it got there, i have no idea... maybe subconsciously Riley wanted to be there..... so he found his way... HAHA wow that didn't sound creepy at all!!!

You never realize how important something is to you, until you think you've lost it forever. i will NEVER take a letter for granted... not that i did before tonight. but it scared me half to death... i will ALWAYS keep better track of my letters from my wonderful husband... I PROMISE.

Anway..... These are the little things that have affected my life today... Thank you Christmas Miracles!