MIA

I know, I know. I've been gone. We had a death in our family, so I was out of town all weekend, and now I'm back home & in the swing of things!

It was a perfect weekend. I drove out Thursday, & Hubby was able to arrive late that evening and then we departed Sunday/Monday. We were able to spend a lot of time with our family & friends, and able to all celebrate the life of sweet Tina together on Friday. Really, really nice.

Also, we'll be moving sometime within the next 6 weeks (location TBD), so I've been busy trying to take everything out of their hiding places, organize it all & pack! I've also been debating about doing a yard sale & try to clear out a bunch of it before we move. Hmm... Let me tell you. This is FUN STUFF.

Oh, and missing Hubby like crazy :) He was able to make it to Tina's funeral over the weekend, and I couldn't thank God enough for his class teachers and their kindness! & of course, it was so nice to see him! I really try to stay in the mindset of 'he could leave any moment' so that I don't take our time together for granted. But, I guess a nice little refresher course of it all does a relationship good [[...I really hate to fuss about it since I have dear friends whose husbands are gone for nearly a year, or never coming home again at all]].

Can you believe it - it has been 4 weeks since I've been to the beach. Every time I step outside, I swear I can hear my skin screaming 'ahhh, sun! Do. Not. Move!' and just reaching towards the sun. So if you happen to experience that, don't be alarmed. I am planning on packing up my car as soon as I finish this post & driving straight towards the sand & water.

That said, I do believe it's time to high-tail it out of here! The next four weeks will be kinda crazy, so if I seem MIA again, you are now well warned! =)

Love you, Tina!

This morning, heaven gained a beautiful, sweet, funny, loving angel. After a long battle with breast cancer, she went home to be with her Lord.

We love you so much, Tina! And I am so grateful for the opportunity to have met you in my life & to have been influenced by your sweet personality. You were always a cheery spot & I've always looked forward to the moments we got to spend together with you & your family.

I know so many people will miss you, especially your family. But you've been strong for so long & I'm relieved that you are now pain-free & perfectly healthy & in the arms of our Jesus! Love you!!

The Lord giveth & the Lord taketh away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Lately.

The last week has been crazy getting things ready for Hubby to go off to school. Last minute errands, laundry, packing, packing, laundry, packing... Fun stuff. But he's been gone for a few days now & life is going back to the normal, boring state it is always in when he's away. I can't say being alone is a foreign feeling, but it's never fun to get 'back in the groove' again. On the plus side: I do have an amazing family and will be able to see ALL of them within the next few weeks, which I'm really looking forward to.

Yesterday marked Hubby's 5th year down being in the Marine Corps. That really just blows my mind! How has that much time passed already?! And to just think of everything he's accomplished & all we've been through - *insert cheesy smily* - I'm just so proud of that guy! Once he finishes his schooling next month, he'll get his new orders. I'm so anxious & excited to find out whether we'll be hanging out here for another few years, or start a new journey somewhere else.

My little sister is going to college. That's right. My baby sister. The one who will always remain 9 years old in my mind. I'm so excited that I'll be able to help her move into her dorm room and be there when she starts on this next big journey. So exciting!

My older sister is coming to spend some time with me! We're going to have so much fun! I feel like we haven't seen each other in such a long time, and it will be so nice to spend one-on-one time and just enjoy each others' company before the summer ends.

The summer is almost over. Am I the only one who is shocked that in 4 months & a few days, Christmas will be here again? WOW. Having said that, now I just want to go figure out what I want to get everyone for Christmas... & start my obnoxious OCD planning of the holidays. *sigh* Ah, I just love that time of year!

I'm getting sidetracked. What a messy post this has been! Life is good. I'm talking to my dog way to much. My bird has never sang so much in his life (or am I just noticing how much he normally sings?). I've downloaded Skype & have spent an unhealthy amount of time talking to family members, well rather, sitting and watchin the Olympics 'together'. [[Speaking of, GO GABBY!]]

Alright, that's enough for now. Happy Tuesday, folks!