Stressed!

Well my power is going to be shut off in like an hour and a half.... for 6 hours... GREAT. that is EXACTLY what i need today :) Today is going to be a crazy busy day. i have a few appointments, and then i HAVE to finish the last of my "Deployment Projects".

I headed to costco yesterday for my final costco trip of the deployment! WOO HOO i freakin love costco. i spent a bit more than i planned but i got a TON of extra stuff. all stuff that we needed, except for I Am Number Four on bluray... but i really wanted that, so....... JUSTIFIED!!!!

i got alot of meat to freeze for bbq's with the boys and sunday dinners with my man. as well as one of those BIG drink dispensers... it was an AMAZING deal, and i've wanted one for months now. i had Sam and her husband come over last night, they brought the marine from our little memorial day cookout... cause i needed something moved, and having two marines do it is a HECK of alot easier. so i fed them all a Costco pizza, and then made them brownies. I am nothing if not resourceful. i finished out the night with the AC on 66 so i could freeze out my apartment, so i don't sweat to death today. Poor Deezul is shivering. he spent last night UNDER the blankets... he NEVER DOES THAT. poor puppy. and i WAS going to send him to Sam's to chill for the day, so i could get stuff done. but some last minute stuff happened.... so i am going to have to deal with the butthole today... let's see how things go :) i really do love Dee... more than almost anything. and anyone who has been around us knows this... HOWEVER for the project i'm working on today, i'd rather him be out of the way... it's a bit hazardous to puppy health :)

Almost Done!

I am getting so close to being done with this deployment! woohooo!!!! The sheets turned out fantastic, i am super impressed, wish i knew where that other pillowcase disappeared to.... oh well, it will turn up one day, and NOT match the rest of my room. My Wreath looks AMAZING, i did make the mistake of hanging it on the door with a ribbon that was hot glued, so it fell of the door and BROKE... a few more sticks of hot glue and a better ribbon, and we were back in business. I have the ideas in my head now for what i'm going to do for my head board and foot board. i just have to see if i can ACTUALLY pull them off. i was just talking to my father in law and we both decided i should get a jigsaw. so that will be coming in the next month of two. and the i just have to get the lighting in the guest room figured out... i have a FEW ideas... to sure what i'm actually going to do though, i'm waiting for Rye on that one. The guy is AMAZING when it comes to bouncing ideas off someone.

I haven't slept much lately, since Riley has been able to have more communication, i'm usually talking to him or one of "my boys" from the squad. so i have been going on like 2-3 hours at a time.. no wonder i'm sleep all day lately. TOTALLY WORTH IT!!! They are all so ready to come home, i cannot wait for that! i have been working on something for the single guys in Rye's team, but i won't put it up here, cause i don't want everyone else stealin all my good ideas :) ya i'm selfish when it comes to some of my ideas. i have NO problem sharing it, after everyone knows that i am the one who originated the idea :)

i have to get housing to come fix my blinds on my sliding glass door... they use cheap ones.. so some of them just... break... but housing is coming this morning cause my upstairs neighbor's porch is literally FALLING off.... i've been nervous it's going to fall on Deezul. so hopefully they get that fixed... or condemn the building and move us all :) i would love for that to happen, except that i JUST painted!! and got everything perfect.

And what is with housing thinking it's a good idea to shut off my power TWO days this week... ugh seriously... it's going off today for a while... and THEN again on thursday. and i have WAY to much to do on Thursday... so i decided i will freeze out the apartment the night before so that when i'm busy and have doors open and such, it will stay SOMEWHAT cool... until 2 p.m. when they turn my power back on.

So i'm trying to decide what color to dye my towels. so if you have any suggestions... lemme know! that's pretty much all i got today i have to get ready for work, which i still LOVE. but i also love that it's not full time. i'll try and blog a few more times in the next _____ Days, i'll be super busy. but i promise big updates will be coming by late june.

If you have any sort of problem with my blog... don't read it... if you have any sort of problem with me, confront me about it. don't be a coward. seriously. if you are honestly too afraid to tell me off to my face, then there is probably a reason we're not friends.

Look Unto Christ in Every Thought, Doubt Not Fear Not

Getting Things Organized.

Hey guess what friends.... MY HUSBAND IS COMING HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN SOON!!!! some days i sit and think wow, i cannot believe this crazy life we've been thrown into. soon my husband will be home from a war torn country. he has done alot of good, training the Afghani police and military. he's coming home as the biggest hero in the world to me. i am so incredibly proud of him. 2 years ago this week, we had already decided upon the Marine Corps and were waiting for him to leave for bootcamp. we were getting ready for a big California trip with Kat and Zack.

This life is crazy. i live thousands of miles from ANYONE that i know. i live alone 60% of the year, yet i'm far from single. i don't even bat an eye when i hear explosions and gun shots out my window. in fact the sound of gunshots is comforting to me. i got to the gym with a hundred guys who could kill me with a finger. I hear the world military or Marine Corps on tv, and i'm instantly tuned in. when walking to work in the mornings, i usually have to stop to pay respect to the raising of the flag. squads of running Marines are a normal occurrence (a very pleasing to the eye occurrence.) i live in a state where daylights savings means nothing, except the change in uniform. i speak in acronym's and people understand what i am talking about. i live on a military base where everyone has to be awake at 4-5 am... YET the grocery store on base does not open till 10 am... ya makes sense huh. i can walk in the middle of the night, and not fear what might be lurking in the shadows... worst case scenario, it's a drunk Marine, and my dog will murder them if they try ANYTHING!

i'm a Military Wife. i am the wife of a United States Marine... i am proud of my husband, and all the guys in his unit... and i'm proud of the wives. not the wives who go out and party all the time, but the ones who honestly keep the house together. This week i'll be trying to get everything organized. starting to get everything in place for when Riley comes walking through that door with me. i want it all to be PERFECT. cause he deserves that. to have everything perfect and in it's place. now to find the motivation to get up and do it. i was ALMOST out the door to go to the gym, when one of the guys messaged me and said Rye was getting on... so here i am 90 minutes later.... looking at the stormy weather and deciding whether walking to the gym is a good option right now.... we'll see. Stand by for confirmation of gym trip!

Memorial Day Weekend

Well.... this started out as just another holiday weekend that my Husband is not here for... i was just planning on sitting home and doing NADA!!! however, Sam mentioned that her husband was firing up their grill... so i did the right thing... invited myself over for a burger last night :) i am so incredibly happy that she has her husband back, i'm JEALOUS... but not a mean jealousy. her hubs had one of his buddies from the unit over as well... it's strange to hear Rye's name mentioned from people i DON'T know... it made me happy.

I was over late, after burgers we pretty much just watched tv,.. and since i brought Deezul over, i harassed him a little :) so i got home late and CRASHED immediately, since they took all my furniture and i'm waiting for MINE to be delivered, i'm sleeping on my new comfy couch. my couch is AMAZING... have i mentioned that lately.

I woke up this morning, decided to Dye some sheets... remember these ones?

ya the one that butt head ruined. i wanted to dye it to match the new color scheme that i am working on for our bedroom. i was worried that the dye wouldn't work well... UMM IT'S AWESOME.. the black ink stain is still there a little.. but it's just on the fitted sheet, so i can put the ink stain at the bottom of the bed and no one will be the wiser.... except all my awesome blog stalkers... but my in laws don't read this, so my mother in law will have NO idea :) sorry i can't put up pictures.... still wanna wait for Rye to be back.

While the sheets were sitting in the dye i thought i would make a wreath.. so i spent ALL day making this wreath... it took me probably cose to 30 glue sticks... and my trigger finger once again has a blister. it's been too long since i've used my glue gun....

i'm killing time till Rye is home with me.... Time is not passing too slow... but definitely NOT passing by fast... each day FOR SURE feels like 24 hours... ugh i'm ready for him to be back! i cannot wait!!!!!!!!!

What i've Learned this Deployment

This is the post i started last week... that Blogger decided it was going to delete before i was able to post.... booo

Alright, so this deployment is winding down... not over yet, but i see the end in sight HALLELUJAH!!! So i thought that i would make out a little list of some things i've learned for any wives who are reading this and gearing up for the longest __ months of their life.

So here we go... Sav's list of stuff she now knows.

• The night they leave, they WILL NOT leave at the time given.... they'll tease you with a "go home for an hour and then come back" it'll be the worst night ever.
• you can bring your puppy to the parking lot when saying goodbye, you just have to put them in your car when the drug/bomb sniffing dogs come out to do their thing.
• It's alot harder to lose weight when you have more than half a year to do it... i kinda liked the crunch time of bootcamp more.... ya i know... i'm lame.
• it doesn't matter if you DON'T brag about phone calls.... girls will trash talk if they find out you are getting more calls than they are
• You could hear from him a few times a day for a few weeks... and then out of the blue... NOTHING for a few weeks... just NEVER expect a phone call, and you won't be quite so disappointed.
• When everyone you meet seems to be PSYCHOTIC.... go back to church... you will meet the nicest most grounded people in the world. 
• Doing craft projects around the house will keep you busy.
• It will also keep you out of the rumor mill... if EVERYONE knows you are always on your back porch spray painting SOMETHING... they won't be tempted to spread around that you were out partying.
• DON'T party when your husband is gone... doesn't mean you can't go out to dinner with the girls... but going out dancing/drinking... it's not classy AT ALL... especially on an island where the ONLY wives that do that are the unfaithful ones... you MAY be one of the few that does that and is still faithful... but it's less believable.
• When you are so sick you cannot even take the dog outside... DON'T suck it up and go help a friend run errands. 
• Trust no one... this means putting prescriptions in a place where no one is tempted to "take a few"
• don't be afraid to take a time out from the other wives... it's better than snapping someones head off. 
• GO to your spouse's meeting every month! you get great information... and they smash all the rumors... like "oh the boys are coming home 10 weeks early" 
• Marines love gossip just about as much as wives do. so be careful what you tell anyone but your husband.
• A puppy may be the BEST companion... he'll give you a reason to get up every day... and NOT talk back like a child would :)
• While you may think it would be easier to spend the holidays alone acting as though it were just another normal day... it's not... Spend it with people that WON'T drive you crazy. people you can make amazing memories with. 
• People will try and feed you the whole "my husband is gone for a month, so i know what you are going through" NO THEY DON'T they don't have the fear in the back of their mind that their husband will get SHOT while selling security systems in nebraska.... AAAND they can text their honey anytime they want, and will most likely get a response within minutes or hours... NOT send an e-mail desperately asking for advice... with no reply for 3 weeks. 
• there will be times they will have to hang up immediately, you may not hear back for a few days. try not to stress... if he was on the phone with you when whatever happened... happened... then he is FINE. 
• Don't put a mopey status up on your facebook everyday... people will want to delete you 
• Better yourself... but don't change yourself. 
• Avoid fast food like the plague!
• make your care package as creative and loving as you can, he notices... and so does everyone else.
• Try to send things to the guys in his team... they will appreciate it more than you'll know. 
• Painting every room in your house will keep you busy for a few weeks... picking colors and taping base boards and ceilings for hours
• Trust your instincts
• People won't understand your "need" to do DIY projects... but when they see the lighting, shelving, wall art, rug, and other things finished in the house... they will be jealous... so don't listen to the criticism until it is all done!
• You are not in college... no sleepovers, unless it is an extenuating circumstance. 
• When people complain about how you do things in YOUR own home... tell them to get the Eff out (i don't take my own advice on this one.. although i'd love to)
• Walking to the gym burns nearly 500 extra calories round trip.
• USO concerts are amazing.
• Don't get into a "my husband has worse habits than yours" contest... no one wins... you just look like an idiot for marrying the guy who pees in the sink. 
• BE A BUILDER!!!! no one wants to be around someone who breaks them down, you want to be around someone who builds you up! 
• Build up your husband, most of these girls on base have never met your husband... so if you complain about him, they will think him a not so great catch. talk him up!!! i mean c'mon you married him for a reason right?!
• Tell  your husband EVERYTHING, and lay it out in a way that you are able to say "i have done NOTHING that you should be ashamed of" the trust will be so much stronger if you are able to say that completely honestly.
• When you have a rough day, your husband has probably had a pretty bad one too. and already feels like CRAP for not being there for you, don't make him feel more guilty about having to go through whatever you are going through alone.
• When sent "just because" flowers, do NOT get upset with your spouse for spending money. you look like a capital B... accept the fact that he loves you enough and wanted to show you how MUCH!!! 
• Audio books are AMAZING. and make the house sound much less quiet.
• your power of attorney means NOTHING, no one on a military base cares about that paper. they still won't let you do ANYTHING... cause they will assume your husband was retarded for giving you one in the first place.
• When the boys try to convince you of changes in your husband.... don't pay any heed until you are able to address said issues with your husband... it'll save you a bubble bath where you are contemplating everything and crying... on valentines day...
• playing little big planet with your best friend who lives 5000 miles away, will make you happy.
• As will skype.
• become passionate about as many things as you can.
• find pleasure in as many things as you can!
• Go to the gym as often as possible... and don't worry if all the guys stare at you... either they are jealous of whoever you are married to... OR they are totally judging you... in which case, it's still attention and you should just pretend they are jealous.... cause it'll make YOU feel better
• get pretty, even if it's just to go to the store... it'll make you happier than rockin the grunge outfit. 
• when there is a lack of testosterone on base, the wives go crazy.... don't be afraid to lock yourself in your house and cut yourself off from everyone for a few days... this deployment ultimately has to be about YOU and YOUR improvements... don't get sucked down!
• Call your in-laws often. their son is at war... and if his priorities are straight, YOU are getting the majority of communication with him... just knowing he's fine and still cracking jokes will help them ALOT.
• take every opportunity to talk to your husband, and make it the happiest conversation possible.... you don't ever want the last thing you say to him  be something totally rude and something you may regret for the rest of your life.
• Count down the days till you get him back in your arms, it will make you happy every time you can replace the number with a smaller one :)
• Don't ever forget why you married him, and why you are completely in love with him.
• When you feel yourself drifting away... hold on to what you have built with him. and if you have built the right foundation, that will bring you back every single time. 

Most of all, have confidence in yourself, and KNOW that you can do this. cause you can. you are amazing... it's why he married you. this lifestyle is not for everyone, and those who can do it, are honestly crazy strong women (ya i'll include myself in that category) i have just survived our first 18 months in the Marine Corps which included Bootcamp, SOI, Rimpac, CAX, and now Afghan... that is ALOT of trainings and separations... like i've always told Rye... it'll be worth it... it's got to be.

The hubs on the Right teaching his buddy Yoga in Afghan

Brace Yourself!

Alright so last week i wrote an UBER long post about "things i've learned during deployment" for all my girlys who are ABOUT to go through a deployment.. HOWEVER, blogger erased it as i was posting it.. ya it didn't save like it's supposed to... so i threw a tantrum and refused to re-write it... i probably will tonight though.

Tonight i recieved a text from a friend telling me i needed to post a blog... so here we go. it's a bit harder to blog when i am refusing to put pictures up of the house..and when Deezul is adamant about falling asleep on my computer keyboard... lets see if i can do this while balancing this laptop on one knee OFF the edge of the couch (PLEEEEEASE don't smash to smithereens...)

So the house is pretty much DONE! woooooot ya i just patted myself on the back for that one.. ok so i didn't really, that would have taken too long of my hands OFF the keyboard... i have done SOO many projects. aside from painting EVERY room except the kitchen, there isn't much in my house that has not been "Sav-ized" looking from my perch on the couch (which is also new! i got a screaming deal on it, and it's amazing) i can see at LEAST 6 major things that IIIIII did... all on my lonesome. it is KILLING me to not put pictures up... but it will be so worth it to have Riley be the first person to see it all DONE... so be patient! All of our possessions from our house (prior to the military) are FINALLY being shipped. i spent a good long part of my Utah trip getting it all organized... HOWEVER, it will NOT be delivered until 1-2 days after Riley returns... so we will spend a good part of his time off... unpacking.. BOOOOOOO. it's alright though, it'll all be worth it once it's done.

So you are all probably wanting a "Sav" story huh..... alright here is one... i don't think i already posted about this... but i follow this girls blog, she does ALOT of DIY stuff... and is AMAZING! she's from St George and it makes me sad i never knew her... if i still lived there i would make friends with her. i actually went to D.I in St George hoping to run into her cause she claims to go at least once a day! no luck there though. There is this rug she made (i will link her blog when i post my pictures of my finished project... cause i don't want you sneak peekin on me!) it's a Zebra print Rug. it's AMAZING. so i have been determined since JANUARY to make this thing. so FINALLY like 3 weeks ago i tell Rye of my ambition and send him the link to check it out... he comes back and tells me he thinks it's AWESOME that i want to MAKE my own rug, but that the zebra is a little TOO girly...

now my man is pretty easy going and patient.. he has not thrown a SINGLE tantrum about my painting the living room purple. and he is usually VERY supportive, even if that means telling me that my idea won't work, thus saving me the wasted hours and heart ache... so when he tells me NO on a project, i usually throw a tiny tantrum... and then realize it was for the best. He suggested i find another design and make it work... so we changed the subject but for the next 3 weeks his words hung over me... i HONESTLY tried to envision another design and could NOT. I realized that HEEEE was not sharing my same vision and that for once, he was WRONG, and i was going to do it anyway. so on our next conversation i had to explain.

"ok Babe, so i KNOW you said you don't like the zebra rug. and that i should make another pattern... and i have thought long and hard about this... and don't think i didn't think about it, cause i really did... but i'm doing it anyway, so you'll have to suck it up"

to which he scoffed and said he figured as much... gosh i love that man! seriously he KNOWS there is no stopping me, and fighting this is just going to waste time... might as well let me have my way, and skip the argument that would eventually lead there anyway!

I also made Rileys massive welcome home banner that will hang in the hangar for his return... it's pretty awesome. and i am working on a banner for all "my boys" (Rye included) so that none of them feel left out on homecoming day. Rye and I are planning a bbq for our boys during his awesome 4 day weekend... we're both excited for that.

I am mostly just excited to snuggle that man of mine. seriously... our new couch is massive, to the point that we could both lay on my couch, and NOT touch, and the Deezul could be on the ottoman, leaving us both totally alone.. it's amazing. BUT i am already planning on just laying on his lap... falling asleep, and waking up to his hand in my hair :) let's be honest, it probably won't play out like that... he'll probably pass out on MEE and then i'll have to stay awake..... booo :)

guys, i'm ALMOST DONE WITH THIS DEPLOYMENT!!! i have survived, it's been a very strange adventure, but i'm glad to have done it... it will most definitely make Rye and I a much stronger couple. i am so excited to begin on US again. and HOPEFULLY get to spend a Christmas together!!!

Breakdown

Alright, so i've been waiting this ENTIRE deployment to see when i would hit my breaking point. i am pretty sure i hit that point last night! it was a LONG day. i didn't sleep at all the night before, cause i had too much to do. i spent yesterday with Sam, her husband returned home yesterday. he left with Riley and was able to come back with the advanced party. so ALL day we played the waiting game to when they would ACTUALLY arrive. i really am SOOO happy for her and everyone who came back. there is nothing like seeing people reunited with their loved ones they haven't seen in 7 months.

AFTER the homecoming, things went downhill. i was on this high from seeing everyone coming off the bus and into the arms of those they love... i realized how long i actually have left (much longer than i would prefer) and i haven't been able to talk to Rye in a good long while... so i kinda got a little sad at that point. like all i've REALLY wanted all week is to talk to Rye. unless the guys told him (which i'm sure the guys who talked to me told him) he doesn't know i'm back in Hawaii yet... ya thats how long it's been. he doesn't know that they shipped our stuff already. and i'm sure when he calls i'll forget about all the IMPORTANT things i need to tell him and i'll just giggle like a little girl and forget that i ever hit this breaking point.

i got home, got Trudy here(she just had knee surgery so i'm taking care of her at my house while she's on the mend.) i got mcdonalds (don't judge me i hadn't eaten all day, and was NOT in the mood to cook) so i have my first soda in like months. and it gets knocked onto the floor.. all 32 oz of it. and then i clean it up (all while crying... i don't know why... i was just done at this point) THEN the cup falls again. i THOUGHT it was empty but i guess not... so i RE-CLEAN it... then my fries fall over and spill. at this point i just want to THROW them across the room. THEN i get on facebook and see that one of my boys tried talking to me a few hours before and my fb chat app on my phone never delivered the message. and he was trying to talk to me about Riley. and i MISSED IT.  pretty much everything came together and imploded inside me. needless to say... it was a rough day. and i am SO glad it's over.

You're Kidding... Right?

I'm back on island (yay). i've been getting settled and haven't had much of a chance to blog. but it's 5 in the morning, and i was woken up... so might was well.

My good friend Trudy picked me up from the airport, and we've been hanging out non-stop since. I KNOW... my couch is THAT awesome. :) So she has a friend that lives in the building kiddy-corner from me, a few days ago Trudy decides to "warn" me that her friend found a RAT in her house... and then the next day we hear that, said Rat, bit her friend and she was heading to the hospital to get a rabies shot. now, i'm not USUALLY one to complain... yes they used lead paint in this apartment... i avoided EATING paint chips and painted over it... yes there is dangerous black mold in my bathroom... i bleached the crap out of it, and PAINTED over it. i have ants and spiders... i either A.) burn the spiders with matches B.) recognize how many ants this particular Spider has killed... and let it stay for a few more days before i SMASH it... or C.) Spray the crap out of every corner with bug killer, bleach and vinegar... and in ONE room... i painted over their entrance. And while i am terrified of mice, i KNOW they are not going to kill me... just be gross... and i've been SO grateful to not have to deal with mice either.

HOWEVER i will NOT be ok with RATS... are you kidding me!?!?! this girl insisted on getting a new house cause she had also found the Rat in her 3 month old's playpen. that is seriously a safety/health hazard. they told her that they could NOT just move her to a new house... and i am unsure if they came out and removed the rats from her walls and house. so ya, Trudy tells me this, and it bothers me, but at the same time i'm thinkin "i have Deezul, he's a big dog and a rat would be CRAZY to enter into Dee's house. It's 5:40 here... 40 minutes ago i was woken up in my pitch black room to the sounds of scratching and gnawing right next to my FACE! i have a mini heart attack... grab my phone and light up the area where the noise is coming from. yup... my bedroom wall. i thought about punching the wall and scaring the bajeebuss out of the rat... but i was afraid it would piss him off and he'd retaliate. I grabbed my phone... and headed out to my comfy couch... too bad now i can't sleep cause i'm afraid it's going to eat through my freshly painted bedroom wall... and murder me in my sleep. Dee slept through the whole thing! HOW COULD HE NOT HERE IT!!! i expected growling and viscous barks... disappointment of a guard dog :) he DID however get out of bed and fall back to sleep next to me on the couch... how can i be mad at him, if even when he's dead tired he'd rather move than sleep in the bed without me.

On another note. i start my new job tomorrow... YAY!!! it's only twice a week, but i'm excited.

I HAVE SO MUCH CRAP!!!

The movers will be rolling into town in about 15 hours... to get all our crap to ship to us! WOOHOO i never thought i'd see this day!!! i have been at my mother in-laws house ALL DAY re-packing all the crap that was left at her house... WOW. first of all, i have SOOOOOOO MANY CLOTHES I FORGOT ABOUT! i am soo close to being finished, and then i get to go back and forth to my storage unit to get everything up there!

I attempted to steal my in-law's ping pong table for Rye... but apparently they got rid of it.. i know Rye, you're probably saying out loud "WHAT?!" in your Riley Tantrum kind of way :) but i tried. tomorrow will be such a long day... but i will be SO relieved when it is over... cause then all my stuff with be on it's way to Hawaii to meet me at my apartment to unpack it and then RYE WILL BE HOME!!! ya... take a moment and scream a little for me. we're getting close.

on a separate note... Deezul Oliver Gardiner turns 1 year old tomorrow! happy birthday to my little man. i really love that guy so much! he's the best part of this deployment! so tomorrow think for at least a minute "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEEEEEEEE" cause i will!

Happy Easter (a few days late)

Well, we meet again... it's been an AMAZING journey these past few days... seeing MOST of my family, and so many amazing friends. it's been a blast from the past, people i haven't seen or spoken to in YEARS just popping back in left and right. which could be a while other blog post (don't worry, i'll spare ya). my mother in law asked me, on my 4 hour drive with her down to their house today... if i wish i still lived in Utah. Part of me says yes, i MISS the amazing people, and being surrounded by people of similar beliefs and standards... but ultimately my answer is no. I know that i am EXACTLY where i am supposed to be, living this crazy military life... being me, for EVERYONE else to see. plus only coming to utah once a year or so... makes everyone APPRECIATE your visits that much more.

i was able to see Jaxon and Bo this week! i LOVE my amazing nephews soo soo soooo much! i will post pictures when i get back home to Hawaii. it was so nice to just spend time with Michelle, Bobby and the boys. i needed that.

i was also able to chill with my brother Paul today for a bit, more pictures to come with that as well... but we had a lot of fun.

Lauren and i played TONS of harry potter. and i am please to announce that last night we defeated lord Voldemort. on harry potter 5... ya, go ahead and be a little jealous!!! we then started LEGO Harry Potter (which i will be buying.) we had lots of totino's pizza, and jones soda YUMMMM we ate at magleby's for breakfast, and cafe rio for dinner. and i got to see my good friend Megan's new baby girl SOOOOO adorable!!! she really was soo dang cute! and Lauren and I had a late night chit chat session with Xandra (who is beyond amazing) and it was SUCH an awesome conversation!!!

Lauren and I had a 2 hour piano session at her parent's house... just sitting and singing (like the good ol' days) we were a bit rusty, and hadn't sat and sang in FAR too long... but maybe i'll get brave and post videos (yup... i have video footage!)

So i missed Lauren's graduation by like an hour.. lame i know! but i got to her Grad lunch, and then we got to head out and go to the women's expo (i got my teeth whitened... am i supposed to admit that? anywho, TOTALLY worth the $50)

Saturday was Lauren's birthday, we headed out to see "Water for Elephants" REALLY need to finish that book now! i wanted so badly to finish before i saw the movie.. OOPS. then i headed to Lehi to do Ali's hair and make up for MORP (girls choice dance) and gave Lalo some time with her awesome husband.

Sunday started out AMAZING i was woken up at 5 am by the sweetest voice saying "happy Easter babe, i love you!" now don't go pinning a red A on me... it was actually that husband of mine :) i hadn't heard from him in a while and it was so nice to hear his voice, i really am so in love with that boy! i went to church with Lauren and Dal... and kept expecting to hear from at least ONE member of my family, to wish me happy easter and since i was within 50 MILES invite me over for SOME SORT of dinner or celebration. i had HEARD a rumor that i would NOT be invited to a family gathering... however i never actually believed this rumor to be 100% true. because in order for THAT to be true, one person would have to be so completely filled with HATE... and obviously missed the lesson in church that teaches what the atonement is ALL about, as well as WHYYYY Jesus actually died for us. and ANOTHER person... would have to ultimately choose the side of hate, and darkness, and go against flesh/blood/family.

i normally don't "air my dirty laundry" on my blog (ya, if you think what i already post about is dirty laundry... you should see what i DON'T post) however i have not been able to REALLY vent to Riley about this, which is what i REALLY need. so i suppose my blog will have to suffice. There is someone i am related to in no way at all (other than a marriage)... this person is the meanest most emotional and verbally abusive person to MULTIPLE people in this world that i love more than almost anything. let's call this person "Bitter". so bitter will say the most horrible things to ANYONE, just to prove Bitter is the better person. things like how lazy and useless someone is, and how this person would kill the family pet (just to assert their authority) Bitter has PICKED UP my little brother and removed him from a car, and on more than a few occasions yelled at me for things that a NORMAL person would handle like an adult... not slamming dishes and fridge doors and STOMPING up stairs.

now i dealt with most of Bitter's crap, knowing it was a temporary situation for me, and that i could just count down the days.... however, when i see my LITTLE SISTER who is still a teenager (and quite a fragile one at that) being bullied day after day (and a few may say she's being dramatic... SHE'S 16... OF COURSE SHE'S DRAMATIC!!!) BUT watching this emotional and verbal abuse happen on a DAILY OR WEEKLY basis was too much. Bitter on the rare occasion would go WAAAAY out of their way to do something nice, and make you think they were such a NICE person... but 80% of the time... it was a different story. so after a few months of WITNESSING this bullcrap, i attempted to call and give them a piece of my mind, however the phone call was not answered... so i sent a strongly worded text instead. did i go a bit overboard... YUP... do i regret sending the text... never for a second. i will NEVER apologize for standing up for my siblings or family. never ever EVER. my siblings ALL know that no matter what, i will be behind them 150% AS IT SHOULD BE!!! now instead of handing the situation like an ADULT bitter passed off the problem to their spouse... as usual i can just envision the yelling that happened about "how dare YOUR RELATIVE speak to me like that."

anyway, the story goes. i was informed i was NEVER again welcome in BITTER'S house again... this was WELL over a year ago. all because i stood up to a bully who still has a hold and reign over those i love. i have forgiven what was said to me... it does me NO good to hang on to such anger and hate. that is the LAST thing i need in this life. so i was surprised and SADDENED to hear that this "active" member in the church is still holding on to such hate... i wonder what their bishop would think about that... there are ALOT of people that i don't get along with... however we are ALWAYS polite to each other. what upsets me EVEN more than the hate that this person still holds against me is that the person that gave me life... the very breath i am breathing... did not stand up for her own daughter when it came time to have Easter dinner... instead i was forced to burden my best friend's husband's FAMILY to take me into their home for a holiday CENTERED around our Savior. i dropped it the last few days, because i was giving the benefit of the doubt thinking that MAYBE they didn't really do anything, and assumed that i had plans (this would mean my inside source was incorrect on what i heard originally) however upon hearing whom else was invited to this dinner... i am disappointed. i don't know all that much about parenting.. but i have never once heard of a parent, making it publicly known that they do not care for their child. because guess what... i had to EXPLAIN to EVERYONE on Easter (that was ALOT of people.. and ALOT of whom KNOW the parties involved) why my family lives less than 20 minutes away, and i was NOT invited to spend the holiday with them... seeing as i live across the globe. that right there negates anything that was said in the last year to make me think that i was loved in any way. it does NOT matter if you tell me you love me on the phone, and you call once a month to "catch up" and it does NOT matter if i STOOD UP TO YOUR BULLY FOR THE SAKE OF MY SISTER. YOU HAVE AN OBLIGATION AS A PARENT. to not act like a child. no matter how you feel your child is acting. i will never in my entire life forget that on the ONE holiday i was in the area... when my husband was away in Afghanistan... you chose the side of hate... and showed your Daughter that you do not care about her. 

that's what i learned this Easter. It's just Rye and I. So i guess it's a good thing that i am a tough girl.