Just Plain Excited!

I just had to blog and share my excitement with someone other than myself!! There are a few reasons why I am super excited right now. First one is....

Granted... I took this a few days ago and gas is now $2.75 in my neck of Norfolk!! I just want to cry about the savings our little family is getting from that $0.60+ drop! Yes, you can all think I am the worst frugal person in the world.

The next one is two things actually, but I am trying to keep one a secret from Jeremiah. Let's just say I am excited about some of the sales at BJ's right now.
Here's one of them:

I've been wanting to get this puppy for a few years now. I love these shows. I think it really helps get the spirit of giving started. Since I am lucky enough to have my birthday in the same month as Christmas, I get to sometimes purchase "Christmas-y" items. I just had to get it when I saw it was on sale.

Another bit of excitement: CATO!!! I know some of you have been shopping there or are at least trying to get there to see what they have. I just love the place!! It's not like finding pants on sale at JC Penney for 80% off or anything, but it definitely beats paying lots of dinero for something that will eventually get stained, trampled on, thrown across a room, and most likely spit upon. Not to mention all the dirty hands that cry "clothing, please!! Johnny just pushed me down, I just have to rub my muddy fingers on your new"er" shirt!! It'll make me feel a lot better, promise!" So, I perused a bit today and got a few things. I definitely suggest that anyone who has not taken a look should definitely make the time.

Last item on my list, I'M ALMOST FINISHED WITH BRISINGR!! Yay! I am reading the dragon series books and have been trying to fight for some time to finish it so I can get to the book club book! T -6 days, I know! So, here's to the last leg of the journey!!

A little busy...

Tuesday found us running from place to place. Here is where we went: to a brunch in honor of one of my friend's birthday, drop my girls off at Tara's so I could go to my lovely annual pap smear(ughhh!)- plus, they even took blood from me this time to rule out something that could have been going on with me, then to visiting teaching, then finally home for a few hours!! While we were relaxing, Julia started getting warm and fussing (TOTALLY needed a nap HOURS before!!). So, the last trip of the day was supposed to be the recipe exchange and unfortunately, I was only able to drop off my Halloween "creation". I missed out!! I'm so bummed! I look forward to the pictures of the goodies that were there and hope to get those recipes! Needless to say, today we are taking it easy. I moved my furniture around in my living room/dining room today. I welcome change (in the form of rearranging furniture). We'll see what Jeremiah thinks!

Julia's 2nd Birthday!!!

Julia loves Elmo, so we planned an Elmo birthday for her. Since the girls are still pretty young, we just get together with family for birthdays. We celebrated Julia's birthday yesterday with cake and ice cream (and presents of course!). Today is her actual birthday. It's hard to believe that 2 years ago today I was in the delivery room at this time with just about an hour before I got to meet her! (she was born at 12:44 PM) HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!
Here are a few pictures:


Julia's Birthday!!

Julia at 1 year

2nd Birthday! She has grown up so fast!!






The cake that took forever to decorate!! (Ok, not forever, but it sure seemed like a long time!!)

Navy Shmavy

Navy - it's a blessed word and a curse word in our house this week. Jeremiah got back from San Diego on Tuesday morning. He was thinking he would fly to his ship the following morning. Well - to get to the point - he didn't fly on Wednesday morning - or at all for that matter. They decided he would stay here until his ship returned and was passed around the different areas of "temporary duty" (not using any names). We thought we landed in a dream (turns out that is all it was). He got a few days home with us and was thrown back into the worst area of "temporary duty" on Saturday morning. (It was the worst of times and the best of times comes to mind when I think about that) I was excited to finally have him home for a General Conference weekend (it seems that he has missed every single one since being on this ship (minus the one a few days before he left in '06 for deployment). However, now he's missed Conference again! He works again today until who knows when. It's probably my fault he got it. I tend to be a jinx. Maybe I was so thrilled to have him home with me that it just couldn't last. His ship comes home this week - so, he'll be back on it and home for about another week and then he leaves again. It's Navy life. I can't complain I guess. But, I sure can be frustrated with it (I've earned the right). Only Plus is he is "HOME" and not in the Ocean.

My Silly Goose

In order to encourage my children to say nice things about others that are acting special at times, we say "Silly Goose". Plus, as a nice perk - it sounds so cute coming out of their mouths! Julia has been awarded the Silly Goose recently because of her obsession with these:



She just loves the glasses from Mr. Potato Head and ALWAYS puts them on upside down! She walked around the house for hours wearing those glasses. She even "read" books with those glasses on! I'm so proud of my Silly Goose!

Relief Society Broadcast

Nicole is hiding behind Brooke's head there - I wasn't able to get a really great shot of her. She is there!



So, the Relief Society Broadcast was last night and we got a bunch of us together to go to Panera. I have never actually EATEN at Panera, so it was a new experience for me. A group of us got together to carpool and eat at the Panera near the stake center. I really had a great time with my friends (at least I think of them all as friends) - I really enjoy friend time. I don't get it very much and I definitely think I need to do it more often, so I will have to keep in touch with everyone! Upon getting to the broadcast and finding a seat, it was a wonderful meeting. I enjoyed all of the talks so much and took a lot away from them. Relief Society is really something I have missed since being in Primary. (I love my friends!) I also learned at the meeting that I don't need to feel left out of RS while serving in other auxillaries. I guess I need a little more "refining" in that area. Here are a few pictures of those of us that were able to meet up together.

Meeting Aunt Laura

I hope I spelled the name right. I have been married to Jeremiah going on 5 years this December and have yet to meet his mother's sister - Laura. On September 20th, I had the opportunity to finally meet her and visit a little bit with she and Uncle Tom. It was nice to see them and finally put a face with the name that Jeremiah mentions. We ordered chinese food and ate at my place while we had some time to visit and enjoy each others company. Here is a picture of the siblings.


Nana, Uncle Tom, Aunt Laura

Camp Out!!

The trip across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel (photos courtesy of Courtney)

Melanie in front of our tent (before it rained)

Julia after smores! The picture is a little fuzzy, but you gotta take what you can get when the girl is moving quick!

Andy Vaughan with his "catch"

Marshall Robertson with his fish

I decided to go to the ward camp out. Unfortunately, Jeremiah was unable to attend. We toughed it out and stayed with the Gaines family. (Again, I will be forever indebted to them!!) So, Codey helped me with the tent, and the girls got situated in the great outdoors. I think they had a wonderful time! It was a little difficult at first to get the girls to bed, but once they were asleep, they slept for a decent amount of time (especially with having colds). After we went to bed early Saturday morning, it decided to rain and continued off and on for the rest of the morning. We ended up leaving around 9:30 am because of the downpours. I was completely soaked from taking down the tent and packing up the car. It was great fun though! Hopefully we'll get to go next year and will have nicer weather so that we can enjoy all the perks of camping! =0) Oh, and while the guys (and some of the older children were fishing) we visited under the canopy that the Gaines brought. Andy got a flounder and Marshall got a gift (I think that's what Chris said). However, the fishing trip went from about 9 ish until 12:30am. They are very dedicated fishermen!

Book Club, Countdown, Campout

Yesterday was book club at my house. We discussed the book by Randy Pausch "The Last Lecture". To those of you who haven't read it, you can borrow it from me and read it! And, you better too! It is a great book and we had a nice turn out. I was glad some of my friends were able to make it. We missed those of you that had to work or were otherwise engaged. I loved having some time to talk about the views in the book and get feedback from my friends. Bottom line: I really liked the adult conversation!! Thank you for all who attended!

The countdown... well, who wouldn't count down the days until this guy arrived?

Well, the countdown is on and he'll be home in less than a handful of days! The visit will be short lived - he will most likely fly to his ship the next day. MAN!! The adventures he has! He's been catapulted off a ship before, now he is going to be caught on one!? How cool is that?! Anyway - I digress. So, we are excited to see him for about 20 hours before he leaves us for another week and a half.

The camp out. Big debate here in my head these past few hours. (The downpours yesterday, the dripping trees today, how weather-proof is my tent?, hmmm, my toddlers - will they get sick?) then on the other hand... (wow, what an adventure, it could make it to my blog!!, if I don't do it - I will remain a boring person, heck - let's do it for the adventure!!!) So, I am thinking we will tough it out! It'll be WAY fun!! I just know it! I'm sure you'll see what happened when I get back and am able to post pictures/stories. Wish us luck (and not lots of rain!!).

Finally Split

So the talk of our ward splitting has been a big rumor for about a month. Every time we went to church, we were hoping to hear something a little more official. Every Sunday we left with just as much information as the week before, until today. Our ward was finally split today during our Ward Conference. I have never been through a split before, so it will be an adventure. The Stake leaders there were wonderful about encouraging us to stay strong and help where we are needed or see a need. The thing I thought was ironic was that half (at least) of our ward is military. We see change as a way of life - so, I don't think we needed as much coaching as we received. I know that I still appreciated the words of comfort that were offered, even if we didn't need it.
Our family happens to be one of those in the new ward (Norfolk 2nd ward). Our bishopric is great and I know they will lead the ward to the best of their abilities and carry out what they feel is needed for our ward. Fortunately, we have a lot of our friends in our ward. Some friends will remain in the other ward, but I hope to continue friendships and enjoy their company still.
Next week will be our first Sunday as a new ward, I'm excited to see how thigns turn out! Mostly because the only people in our ward with callings are the new bishopric!! So, a little farewell to those who will reamain "behind" and "hello and welcome" to those who will stay and those I will meet that I haven't already!

Our Sunday Evacuation

A few of you know about or have heard about our evacuation Sunday morning. I woke up to Base Security pounding on my door. I went down stairs hesitantly until I heard, "BASE SECURITY!! " I was told upon opening my front door, that there was a police emergency and I must evacuate immediately. Like a good citizen, I followed the warning and left with my girls (all of us in our PJ's). So, upon leaving and my brain waking up a little more, I thought - when can I go home? What about my class at church? Will I even get to go to church? Where should I go?

So, I called my dad - he being an Air Force kid growing up. He helped me think through some things and get some ideas. So, I called Tara up. Since she only lives about 1/2 a mile away. She graciously let us sit in her house for a little bit until I could call Norfolk Police and see if it was safe to go home. We were there for about a half hour when we found out we could go home. THANK HEAVENS!!! So, we headed back home and got ready for church. I am so blessed to have friends that would let me wake them up Sunday morning to ask if I could sit in their house for a bit until things were figured out. So, Thanks Tara!! You are a wonderful friend!! For those of you wondering what it was? My neighbor said that it was a car stopped on base and they couldn't get the trunk open, so they evacuated in case it was a bomb. Our home is just across the street from base. I'm glad they thought of us, and I'm glad it wasn't a bomb!

My 6 random Things - courtesy of Marie Turner

In my attempts to catch up today with all the posts I've missed in the past two weeks, I came across the one where I got tagged! Why did I have to continue to scroll down!? Nah, just kidding. I love the Turner family, and that's why, I can't get enough of their goings on! So, here goes it, I hope I do it right (I'm following your format Marie). I'm a little hazy on the other things, but I get the quirk part! Here it goes.

1. I have a bad habit of spelling words subconciously with my right index finger while I am listening to people talk.

2. When I really enjoy a song, I will shake my head back and forth instead of up and down like most people. It is something I picked up from a roommate - plus, I think of her too!

3. I currently have an obsession with cookbooks. Mostly Pampered Chef right now.

4. I love good deals - sometimes I will look far and wide for them too!

5. I like power tools. I've used them a few times and I just LOVE them! I wish there were more projects I could do and think of where I have an excuse to use them again.

6. I love to talk too! (Like Marie) I feel "out of it" lately because I don't get to talk to adults much. MY VOCABULARY NEEDS YOU!! Please!!

Now I get to tag you! (Tara, Heidi, Jenn, Cheryl, Tami, Jamie)

Last but NOT least!

I had the great blessing of visiting with my BEST friend, Erin and her family while in PA. Momma D invited us over for dinner (which was a yummy mac and cheese with hotdogs). They had a chance to watch the girls and see how silly they are. I got the chance to see my best friend that I don't get to see or talk to much. We visited for a little while and took quite a few pictures! Erin is an Elementary School Teacher now and definitely has her hands full with her work. She is also dating a guy right now that she cares about a lot. I am so happy to see her happiness! It makes me smile every time I think of how happy she is dating this guy. He better make sure he makes himself the man she deserves! Here are a few pictures from our visit. Erin and I got together the next week and went out for a Rita's (I tried the new Pumpkin Pie Cream Ice - it was delish!).

The girls kept hiding in the closet and opening it up to "surprise" us

Julia - my bellybutton fetish girl!

WHAT'S THAT!!??? Looking at the Dickensheets' game.

Julia loves shoes. She'll put your shoes on and come out and say "I like your shoes!" She wore Mr. Dale's boots around a few times. This is one time I was able to capture.

More shoe fetish - "I think I'll take these"

Erin - my best friend! Gosh how I miss her! Portrait courtesy of Melanie

Momma D - truly my second mother. I love her so much!! Portrait also courtesy of Melanie

Kid's Kingdom

There is a playground called Kid's Kingdom near my parents house. One day, we packed a lunch and went there to play and enjoy the nice weather. We would call parks like this castle parks. They were made of wood and had different places with a little "roof" surrounded by mazes of passageways. All in all - kid heaven!

FHE

For our last Monday night there, we went to the park nearby and played with the girls for a little while. We drove over there after having our song and prayer. They love the swings and are quite good climbers! Here are a few pictures (it was getting dark)

Temple Trip

My mom and I had previously planned on going to the temple on the 6th of September. Saturday came and we woke early to head down for the first session. Unfortunate for us, it coincided with the tropical storm off the coast and so lots and lots of rain accompanied our trip. Well, we missed the exit (hey, it was raining! and mom was driving) turned around, got caught in a little traffic from an accident, then were unable to use the normal roads to the temple due to flooding. So, we FINALLY make it to the temple, dress and head up to the endowment session. Thank heavens they held the session for a little or we would have missed it! I love the temple. It's always a wonderful experience. My favorite part is the celestial room. I feel at peace there. I love being in that room so much that I don't want to leave! Since we drove to the temple, we decided we would stop in a the bookstore and see what they had. Upon leaving the bookstore, we started feeling something different with the car. First my mom thought it was a flat tire, so I get out in the pouring rain and check. Sure enough, no flat tire! We continue on a bit more only to feel the same weird scraping - so, we decide to look UNDER the car this time. I get out again in the pouring rain and look under the car to find out that my mom aquired a tire from the bookstore parking lot and we had drug it for a little less than a mile. Well, for any of you that know the area around the temple, there are HUGE speed bumps. I figured if the speedbumps we had already been over hadn't dislodged it, I would need to use the jack and take the tire out. So, that's what I did while my mom stood over me with the umbrella. I was soaked by the time we got back in the car and we had a good long laugh on our trip home!!

Bike Riding

Jocelyn and I did quite a bit of bike riding while I was there. Since she is homeschooled, she would finish her work around lunch time and we would head out for a ride and my mom would watch the girls. We rode to Giant one day to rent a redbox movie, then we went to Sheetz another day. On the way back to my parents house, we would stop at the UTZ outlet and test drive some chips. I bought some the last trip there and we took them home with us on the trip. I took Julia and Jocelyn with me on the UTZ factory tour (sorry, you couldn't take pictures) too. If you are ever in Hanover, you should stop by and do it. You get a small bag of regular chips for free at the end of the tour. Unfortunately, I don't have pictures of Jocelyn and I riding our bikes either. Jocelyn ran a red light once but overall, we had a blast!

Celebration at the Olive Garden!

The 2nd was my mother's birthday. I don't get to be with her much on her birthday - so it was very special for us. She wanted to go somewhere to eat for her birthday and she chose the Olive Garden (also one of my favorites). Of course we asked them to sing to her - and they brought out a cake for us to share. IT was fun to be there with all of them on my mom's big day.

Labor Day Picnic

One of the first things we did while we were there, other than lots of walking (my family loves to take walks - I try to convince Jeremiah to go with me with our little family, but that doesn't happen much), was the Picnic. Growing up we always had a ward picnic on Labor Day and Memorial Day. Sometimes they were combined, and sometimes they weren't. We used to have the get-togethers at the Littlestown Community Park, but since the ward building is also the Stake Center, they have recently built a Pavilion right there on the church grounds! How nice is that?! So, we had it there this year. Melanie loved walking around to see the different children and watch them play games. She also liked to visit the dog that was there and chat with other members of the ward. She was hilarious!! Julia preferred to run out into the parking lot and try to snatch a little girls purse everytime I turned around (or sat down). Julia tired me out pretty quickly and so we had an early departure. Plus I wanted to head back to the Outlets in Gettysburg to catch some good deals on clothes. My mom and the girls went home and they napped while I went to the outlets. It was a lot of fun to shop by myself. I don't get that luxury much, and shopping is pretty demanding for me these days.

Visiting with my Parents

At the end of August, the girls and I "took off" to Hanover, PA for two weeks. We had a wonderful visit with my family and the girls really got a chance to warm up to them. Julia kept getting into my parents refrigerator and all the cookbooks. She's such a silly girl! I definitely know what I will be bringing with me for our visit this Christmas!! Now, for those members of my Primary Class reading this (or rather so you can't say I didn't miss you) - I did miss you all terribly while I was gone. You'll understand when you have children, that sometimes it is just nice to visit your parents. The next few posts will contain pictures of some of the things we did while we were visiting. I'm glad to be back and I have a lot to catch up on!