Gentlemen. Only. Ladies. Forbidden.

This last Memorial weekend, AJ & I had planned on going down to Texas. Unfortunately, when we took my car in on Friday to get the rotors replaced, we discovered it had more problems than we thought. Since it's the car we are taking to Idaho tomorrow, we weren't able to go to Texas so we could stay and get it fixed. To salvage the weekend, AJ & I went with some friends to play a little golf. AJ loves golf, I actually bought him a nice set of clubs for Christmas. I haven't been golfing since my junior year of high school and I was terrible. But this was a blast! We played 18 holes on the little course in Lawton. AJ & his friend Studer tried to help me out on the back 9 holes, still the best I did was a 9 on a par 3.. Yeah... It was a lot of fun though and something AJ & I plan on doing a lot more of. 

Some of you may find it amusing that since I had not been golfing in so long (and even then only once),  I spent the entire night before researching and watching videos on it. Determined to not be too terrible. Although I was pretty bad, I do believe that my research did help me at least feel a little more assured and prepared.

A little fun fact.. I had always heard that "Golf" was originally an anagram for "Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden" but discovered this is not the case. Golf apparently had many spellings prior to the acceptance of the current spelling, including - goff, gowf, golf, goif, gof. Also, during my research, I found this comic, which was pretty funny to me:

toonpool.com

And of course, we took some pictures of the day.. Here are a few..

All ready for a day of golf. (It was 100 degrees outside! I'm wearing SPF 70, a lot of it..)

Preparing for a drive on a par 3..

I look like I'm swinging a baseball bat... Badly.. Oh well! I'll get better!

AJ driving the cart. He made me sick in this thing. Lol

FORE!!

Our friend Harold Studer, about to clobber one.

I hope everyone had a great Memorial weekend!

I was bullied.

Bullying is in the news a lot lately. Extreme cases. Suicides. Beatings. Social networking sites ruining lives. I watch a lot of these reports and I can empathize. There is a new campaign out called, "It Gets Better." The purpose is to encourage individuals to keep going and know that life gets better.

I've been thinking of writing this blog for a while now. Do my part maybe? I know that AJ & my blog isn't read by a massive audience. I understand that most of you who read these words are just close friends and family. I also know that every once in a while someone else stumbles upon my blog, for whatever reason. I'm hoping to do my part in this "crisis". Maybe help someone, anyone. I want to help anyone and everyone to know everything will be ok, you are worth something, you do not deserve to be bullied, and that "It Gets Better." I was bullied... for a very long time.

Before I continue on with my story, I need you to know a little bit about my personality.

I am not shy. I am not quiet. I am ambitious and bubbly. People would describe me as a very confident young woman. Strong. Capable. Doesn't put up with bull. I have always been this way, always. Even as a toddler. Stubborn and opinionated. The reason I want you to understand this is far too often when someones talks about another being bullied, the bully-ee is often thought of as meek and shy. Sitting in the corner with pale skin and dark clothes. This isn't and wasn't me. But I was bullied.  Here are some, and I emphasize some, of my memories to share with you. To help you understand, I get it and it will be ok.

Elementary School

1st Grade: Ran in the track meet in first grade. Teased relentlessly because I looked like "I was trying to run like a horse." (I was.)

2nd Grade: First memory I have of being pointed at, made fun of and laughed at because I wore different weird shoes and hand-me-down clothes.

3rd Grade: Was tested for and sent to "Gifted and Talented" classes once weekly at another school because of my intelligence. None of the girls would be friends with me. I to this day, do not know why. (These same girls continued to bully me throughout almost my entire secondary education.) 

4th Grade: Had a hole in the back of my jeans which I very proudly patched myself. Made fun of and laughed at. Some of the students I had called my  "friends"

5th Grade: I started noticing I wasn't naturally skinny like the other girls, became the fat girl and officially "uncool".

Sixth Grade

Bullying hit a whole new level here. I was bullied so relentlessly and so terribly for every possible reason. I wasn't pretty enough, or cool enough. I didn't have the right clothes or right friends. The bullies from elementary school took on the tradition of bullying me and handed it down to many others. I hated lunch hour. It's when I wasn't "safe" in class. Where I could read or write and ignore the notes or the comments. I came home crying so many times and not wanting to go back that my mother called the school and complained - many, many times. She finally got the administration to allow me to change lunch hours (there were two different ones) to escape my bullies. The bullies were never talked to by anyone at the school.

At this same time, I was very excitedly involved in competitive girls soccer after school. I was in a sport which I loved and continued to love but I was on a team which I was never accepted. I wasn't cool. I was made fun of and ostracized. I wasn't good enough at the sport to prove my worth that way. I wasn't the right religion (a predominantly LDS town) to show my worth to the right girls there. And to the girls, school had made me worthless. The coach didn't care. The girls who were the worst were also the best players. I was also bullied by my coach at one point. Sitting at the sidelines the entire game once, 5 minutes remaining, I went up and begged that he let me play. He told me I shouldn't be thinking about me. I should be thinking about my team and by putting me in, we could lose. I sat back down. (I continued to play this sport through my freshmen year of high school. I truly loved soccer. Many other girls were bullied on the team as well. Most dropped out long before I did.)

Middle School

A much better period of my life than Sixth Grade. Mainly because of a good friend I made after transferring lunch hours in sixth (Mary Bradbury. She's amazing). But, the bullying didn't stop. I was still being told I was too fat, I had crooked teeth, and that I was ugly. I still didn't have the right friends or school supplies. Spanish class was the worst. The girls of GT (Gifted/Talented) were there. I sat in the corner by myself. The only class I can ever remember not wanting to be seen by even the teacher in.

High School

Made friends with a girl I moved next to during the summer. She was gorgeous and very popular. Once high school hit, I learned I just couldn't win. I was now teased for being her friend. Kids would say, "You're trying to be cool through her?" "You think your cool now cause you hang out with her?" Appropriately it seems, she didn't stay friends with me long. 

When I entered into high school, I was a size 5 pant. (For you males out there.. That is pretty darn small). But it was too late. I was still the fat girl. Fat, ugly, uncool and unattractive. Finally tired of bullying, my first trimester of high school I finally fought back. Literally. I got into a fight with a girl who had been horrid to me every day in first hour (while the teacher knowingly looked away). I was suspended for a day.

Finally, I made friends with a wonderful group of individuals. They weren't judgmental because of what I wore or what religion I was, or wasn't. They were a group of guys. The punk rock guys of the school. An awesome group, some of which are still very close friends today. But this brought a whole new level of teasing I had never experienced: slut. Rumors were rampant that the only reason these guys were my friends was because I slept with all of them. I never did. I never even dated one of them. Not once. Not ever. But that didn't matter. Girls would ask me in class, "How many guys have you slept with?" (For the record, I was a virgin in high school) People also told me, "They don't even like you. They just put up with you because they feel bad for you."

I was asked to one, just one, highschool dance. Junior homecoming, by my boyfriend at the time. His best friend hated me and was constantly calling me names. At one point, his friend even shoved me into a locker. My boyfriend broke up with me a few months later, telling his friends I was a burden. Something that hurt terribly and I confided to a teacher about. That teacher later on, pointed at me in class when I was talking and said loudly, "You're a burden." I was devastated.

I can't say it was all terrible. I found my way into speech and debate. Something which I was extremely successful at. I met a lot of wonderful people and some great friends. I can honestly say I don't know what I would have done had I not found debate and the amazing people in it. I spent much of my high school career away at tournaments, a setting I belonged. But being a star in debate, didn't exactly make me cool or help the teasing go away. Regular school days always brought back reality of what I was 'thought of' by my peers. I was so happy when high school finally ended.

Today, I am so ridiculously happy. I have an amazing life. One I never dreamed I would have. It's so much better. But I was bullied. Blonde hair, blue/green eyes, size 5 girl, with intelligence, a strong spirit & mind and I was bullied horribly. But it's ok. I made it. You can too. For those of you who aren't bullied, it's not ok to let others do it. Not once, ever, did someone stand up for me. For those who bully: it's never ok. Never. It's not funny. Ever. You are hurting people. Real people. And that will never be ok.

I was bullied. And I wanted to share my story and hopefully help someone to know "It Gets Better." Hang in there. You are important. You are special. You can change the world. Just promise me, you'll hang in there. If you ever wonder if someone cares, just know: I do.

Me now with my wonderful husband, AJ.

Withdrawals.

I should be getting geared up for preseason. I should be printing off schedules and reading about rookies in practices. I should be watching Sports Center and hearing the players and coaches talking smack. I should already be researching sleepers for my fantasy football team and finding who to keep an eye on. I can usually last the few months in between.. But the withdrawals are kicking in and I don't see an end. If you haven't guessed it yet, I'm talking about football. NFL football to be specific. Oh, and if you haven't heard.. There is a lockout. When I first heard about the possibility of a lockout, I pretty much scoffed and figured they would get it figured out before the preseason. There is no way they will drag it on. 

Well, now that my NFL withdrawals are kicking in already, and I don't see an end. I'm getting worried. AJ & I have started playing Madden in order to get us through. We took the Packers to the Superbowl during his RR in February. Now we are looking for a repeat. So, in addition to our Madden playing.. I looked up some comics to keep my spirits up. These are a couple of my favorites and an infographic on the madness, I hope they help my fellow football enthusiasts as much as they did me.

nfllockout.com

freeduh.com

Tauntr.com
I have to admit, the Jay Cutler one is my favorite..

drewlitton.com

 

bleacherreport.com

wiredcpu.com

TTC

My nephew Jed and I last year.

TTC or Trying To Conceive. One of the many anagrams I have learned as of lately. Yes, that's right, as most of our friends and family know, AJ & I have decided to try an start creating midgets. We have thought a lot about this and we are very excited with our decision.

Now, just an FYI, some of this post might be TMI for some of you (too much information!!) but I wanted to share a lot of what I am learning.

I have to admit, I always rolled my eyes and was mostly confused when women talked about how they were "trying to get pregnant". In my mind, it was as easy as getting off your birth control and having some fun!! Unless you or your significant other have actual fertility issues, then what is there to stress about, track, time, etc.? What was the big deal? So for those of you who aren't in a place in your lives yet where you are ready to TTC (ha! used it again!), I understand if you have these feelings. But, the past month I have been doing some research. No surprise? Huh. Weird. And I found out some pretty crazy stuff and learned a lot of freaking anagrams, some of which I still don't get.

• First: When a woman's body ovulates the egg only has 24 hours where it can be fertilized!Yep. You read that right, only 24 hours.

• Second: A man's sperm can live in a woman's body for up to 5 days, but normally only a maximum of 3. They can just chill for a while waiting for the egg. This is why you will here about the window of opportunity of getting pregnant starting "3 days before ovulation" and then the day of ovulation. 

• Third: A woman's cycle is ridiculously complex. I now no longer feel guilty about my monthly up and down mood swings knowing what my body does cyclically every month, which a man's does not go through. There is the follicular phase, this is the phase pre-ovulation where the egg is created and readied for ovulation. In this phase estrogen stimulates a hormone in your body that helps in "making ovulation happen" - the rupture of the ovarian follicle and the release of the egg. Then there is ovulatory phase, when your body has created the egg and is prepairing to release it. This phase is ridiculously complex and is where the majority of the anagrams I learned about are concerning and the part that women TTC are obsessive over figuring out. The post-ovulation phase comes next, this is the small time frame (up to 24 hours) that the woman's egg has been released and is able to be fertilized. And then there is finally the luteal phase. In this phase one of two things happens, either the egg has been fertilized and your body starts preparing for the pregnancy, or the egg is disintegrated and your body cycles all the old preparations out to create new ones. 

• Fourth: Anagrams! Anagrams! Anagrams! TTC: Trying to conceive. NPT: Negative pregnancy test. PPT: Positive pregnancy test. DPO: Days past ovulation. LMP: Last menstrual period. HPT: Home pregnancy test. BCP: Birth Control Pill. GP: General Practitioner. Among many others. When I first read through the message boards, I would read things like this: "HELP! I'm TTC. As of right now I'm 12 DPO but the HPT was NPT. My LMP was 35 days ago and have never been on BCP. I am thinking of going to my GP but I wanted to wait for a PPT. Should I just go?" There was a learning curve there to be sure. 

• Fifth: When you are trying, you notice EVERY little thing your body is doing. Is that a cramp? Am I more emotional than normal? I'm a little nauseous today... I'm getting a lot of headaches.. Wait? Am I usually this hungry all the time?

These are just a few of the many observations I've made the past few weeks. Obviously AJ just got back on the 1st of May, which was perfect timing really for our desire to start trying, but it's not like we've been working on this for months and months or anything. I cannot even fathom what it's like for individuals who try for years to conceive and can't.. I also can't imagine what it would be like to try for years and then finally see that extra pink line on the pregnancy test.

On a personal note, I am already finding this stressful. Now this isn't too surprising for my personality type. I like to prepare everything and know what's going on. Not being able to control what my own body does and doesn't do is frustrating. But it's more than that. The majority of our family and friends are very excited about us having a baby. AS ARE WE!!! But because of this, I get text messages, "Are you preggers yet?" or phone calls, "How's the baby making coming?". AJ gets asked, "Scottie pregnant yet?". I actually feel GUILTY when I tell people, "No news yet." or "Nope. Not so far." Don't get me wrong, I am really glad that everyone is so supportive of us. Truly I am. But it just makes this so stressful. I feel like we need to get pregnant fast. Like, right now! And it's already weighing on me emotionally. Like I said before, it hasn't even been a full month since he's been home. AJ has been really good about it when I told him I'm already stressed about about getting pregnant. He said, "It's no biggee baby. We have all the time in the world and we have so much to do together."

So there you have it everyone. An announcement of sorts. Filled with some "fun facts" and then a little bit of personal confession.

Na Na Na Na Na... Star Trek!! Oh... wait...

Ok.. My husband and I are nerds. He LOVES Batman. Always has. His family has told me many times that he didn't really ever have a first word... The first thing they remember him saying is.."Ba na na na na na... BATMAN!!" And his "imaginary" friend growing up was... guess who!! 

So, if you are wondering where we stand on the Batman v. Superman argument... Well.. this should explain it..

(note.. the comic has slight language..)

Now, personally, I am a trekkie. That's right. Giggle it up. I don't care. I grew up watching Star Trek and its many Generations with my father. I love it. My husband had never really watched it and teased me about being a trekkie.. Until he actually sat down and watched it with me. Especially the new one. (If you know Star Trek and you got all the references, it was AMAZING!).. But, even if Star Trek isn't your thing, you have to at least appreciate what Star Trek did and the revolutionary aspect of it. And not just in the space program.. Please check out the amazing infographic below.

Thank you Technabob!

So here's to the Batman and Star Trek lovers!!

Sometimes all it takes is a word..

Team:

a group of people organized to work together

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results." Andrew Carnegie

Life:

the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual

"Life is difficult. This is a great truth. One of the greatest truths."  M. Scott Peck

Win:

to get by effort, as through labor, competition, or conquest

"Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning, but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing. That's my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat." George Eliot

Happiness:

feeling, showing, or expressing joy; please

“Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Aristotle

 

The Happiest Birthday

For those who have read our blog for a while and my close friends and family, you know that a remarkable and important person in my life passed away this year in January from cancer. She was one of the most influential women in my life, behind only my own mother. My Grandmother, Jacqueline Graefe. She would have been 71. An amazing woman. Truly. Not just because she was my Grandmother but she accomplished so much in her life and contributed even more. The world is a better place for having had her in it. 

You can read the tribute I wrote to her here: What You Taught Me.

As a Christian, I know she is having her best birthday yet, and although I miss her greatly,  it comforts me to know there are no more tears. I love you Grandma J. Happy Birthday.

My Aunt Joan, Lori, and Kristi in the back, with my mother, Grandma Jackie, and Aunt Mary in the front. This was an early 80's picture. I love this photo.

Downtime Required

Blitz & AJ both crashed in the car on our last trip to Texas.

AJ & I are officially exhausted. Since he got home on May 1st, we have been to Texas and back- twice, entertained friends, been to friends to be entertained, gone fishing (AJ has been fishing 3 times..), we had family come stay with us for a couple days, and we finished our apartment. Oh! Did I mention, neither one of us have taken off from work? And now some time to crash...Well.. for one weekend at least.

Memorial weekend we are heading back up to Texas. Originally we were planning on going to another Rangers game with Aj's Nanny but unfortunately that isn't going to work out because of the time of the games and special events that they are having that weekend. But we have decided to possibly go to the Fort Worth Zoo or something else instead. Then, June 1st- 15th we are heading to Idaho!!! It will have been over a year since we have been to Idaho and seen any of my family. We are VERY excited to head up there for a couple of weeks. Since we have Blitz, driving is the name of the game for us. That's two weeks from today and just two days after we get back from Texas for Memorial weekend. Whew!!! So, this weekend is our "chill" weekend. Just AJ & I relaxing.. We may not even leave the apartment.  I hope we don't. 

The past two weeks have been a blur. It's surreal still to me. Having him home. I still go to sleep next to him and pray that he will still be there when I wake up. He always is. It's amazing. So, for the friends and family that haven't really heard from us much the past two weeks, I apologize. It's not that we don't care or that we aren't thinking of you. It's that we haven't really stopped to take a breath. It's weird. I feel almost like I did on RR. In a hurry. As if we have a limited time to do everything. I still am of the mindset he will be leaving again soon and I want to make the most of it. But I don't have to feel that way anymore. I keep having to remind myself over and over. He's home. He's home for good. After years, we are finally together, forever. We have all the time in the world. We aren't waiting for when his unit moves to a different town in Germany. I'm not visiting Texas and leaving to go back to Idaho. He isn't preparing to deploy. And he isn't home for two weeks on RR. We are together. It's time for some downtime.

Take Me Out to the Ball Game...

AJ & I went back down to Dallas again this past weekend to not only get some more family visit time, but also to go to our first Rangers game together! I went to a game when I was in 8th Grade, but didn't really understand baseball and don't remember much of it. This game was SOO much fun. AJ is a die hard Rangers fan and since I have never really had a team myself, I adopted them as well.
We got to the game really early and got to look around the stadium. It is so different watching a game from the stands then it is from the couch and we loved it. I learned a lot of the chants and calls, we did the wave, stood up and cheered for the home runs, and baited the batter. It was a fabulous time with my ridiculously handsome husband. Plus the FOOD was amazing!! And we had a lot of it!! All part of the experience. We are going again on memorial weekend, and this time we will be going with AJ's Nanny. She is a crazy Rangers fan too. We are really excited to be able to go with her too. 

A picture of the whole Rangers family before the game.

Kisses from Blitz. He was letting me know its ok that he couldn't go.

Why hello there... Going my way?

Saweet!!! :)

SMILES!!

Outside Rangers Stadium.

The field from our seats.. It looks farther away than I remember it being.

YAY!! Ballpark!! We were watching them warm up.

We got this.

These are called Chicago dogs! They are ENORMOUS!

I was actually a little scared by mine.

He ate his entire plate... I have no idea how that is even possible.

FUNNEL CAKE!!!! Mmmmm...

Food not pictured were the ice cream cones we ate and the slushies we had before the game. LOL It was so much fun. The Rangers won in a remarkable play at the top of the 9th and we went home, full, happy, and tired. :) A fabulous weekend. Did I mention I'm SOOO happy he is home??

 PS: This is Cowboys Stadium. Home of the Dallas Cowboys. It is right across from Arlington Ballpark and we got to drive around and look at it. I've seen it on tv and watched MANY cowboys games, but this place is magnificent. We are so excited for the season to start up and go to a game in THIS amazing facility too!!!

Batman Is Back In Gotham

He's Home!!!!! He's home, he's home, he's home!!!!!!!!!! Aj is home!!!!!!! Woot woot woot!!
He arrived on Sunday the 1st at around 4 in the morning.
It's been  a whirlwind this past week and we have been going like crazy since his boots hit the ground and are just barely starting to get into a semblance of a routine and I can put up the post I know you all have been waiting for.
Saturday, April 30th was a crazy day. We received little direct information on where the soldiers were or where they would be arriving. We knew it was most likely going to be Sunday morning, but we were given several different times throughout the day, ranging from 1am to 8 am. The not knowing part was the most stressful about it. Finally we got a call when it was about 2 hours out, we were to meet at the gym at 4 in the morning for the ceremony and then take them home. It was time to get ready!!!!!
Disclaimer: I understand that I look a little orange/red in some of these pictures. I really wasn't. My camera has color issues inside for some reason and I have yet to figure it out. So the combination of my orange/red sundress, my tan, blonde hair, and the camera made me look orange in a few pictures. Terrified I asked everyone if I was orange, and I got a resounding no. So please be kind. :)

All smiles at 4 am!

Annie & I, thumbs up to the guys coming home!!

Little Ariee, exhausted but adorable. The back says "Hurlbut" (her last name).

Me with Brandon, another soldiers son, giving the peace sign.

A blurry pic, but Annie and I with the signs we made to hold up.

THE SOLDIERS!! Aj is the fourth one from the left on this side. SO CLOSE!!

So this is how it goes... We were sitting in the bleachers with what felt like FOREVER!! when the soldiers marched in formation into the gym. We then had to SIT AND LOOK AT THEM while they had a homecoming ceremony. The Brigade Commander and Post General gave speeches.. it was so frustrating just looking at our husbands.. Then they were "Released" and Annie and I RAN!! to our men...
Our Reunion Story:
Ok, so notice there are no "kissing, hugging, twirling" reunion pictures of Aj & I.. Well, that's because, in our typical fashion, our reunion happened differently then you would expect. As I said above, the soldiers were released and Annie and I ran to our husbands. Aj was literally right in front of me so it only took me a moment to get to him. When he saw me, he had a panicked look on his face, gave me a very small half hug and said, "BABY! I have to go PEE!" and he RAN away!!! I was left standing in the middle of all these soldiers and wives hugging and kissing and loving on each other by MYSELF!! I was so confused and dazed I didn't really know what had just happened. After getting back to my senses, I made my way out of the group of reunioned couples and went and sat back down. About 5 minutes later, AJ came back and said, "I'm so sorry baby. I had been holding it for like five hours and I thought I was going to pee myself right in front of you." We then got a quick hug and a kiss, after which he immediately had to go and find his luggage to load into the car..... Not the most romantic reunion... Not the one I had anticipated or been thinking of for months.... And I'm not going to lie, in the moment with the caffeine, adrenaline, and emotions running through me, I almost cried sitting on the bench by myself waiting for him... But now looking back, it's pretty damn funny and fits perfectly in with my and Aj's relationship... A typical romantic and "normal" reunion just isn't our style. :) What a story... So sorry, no reunion pics, but a does a really funny story work instead? That Sunday him and I were absolutely exhausted. We hung out on the couch, watched movies, and just enjoyed being together. 

Monday morning, Aj woke up and cooked ME breakfast!! What a guy. It was so good. 

Aj & I with the amazing breakfast he cooked up Monday morning for me.

His bags open and ready to unpack! WOOT!

I created this the day before he left last year... ITS OVER!!! WOOT WOOT!!

Aj got released early a couple times last week and came to my work to go fishing with my boss Tyler. Tyler is a great guy and the two went down to the creek to catch some catfish. Only two came out of the creek, both by Aj. He was excited. :)

Finally getting some relaxation in and a little fishing.

Aj & Tyler fishing the creek together.

Aj and one of his scary catfish.

Then last Wednesday, Aj & I had Annie and her husband Aj (we call him Butt Butt.. his last name is Hurlbut).. It was a good time. I had never really met Butt Butt before, so it was good to finally get introduced. The best parts of the evening were watching AJ & Butt Butt playing with baby Ariee on the floor and then when Aj broke out his guitar and the two worked on some new tunes together.

AJ & Butt Butt were totally enamored with baby Ariee.

Then they worked some tunes together.

Believe it or not, we also went to Texas over the weekend. We left Friday night and didn't return until late Sunday night. We stayed with Aj's Mimi and visited both his mom and dad while we were there. It was a whirlwind weekend but very enjoyable. It was in the high 90's this weekend and so we were even able to take a dip in the pool!!

Family Picture! Myself, Aj, Jonthan and Andy in the back. Ethan, Anthony, Jen and Mary in the front.

Aj's dad Anthony doing it Johnny Bravo style for the pool.

Aj & I getting ready for a good cool swim.

Andy & Aj. We played a lot of keep away in the pool.

Smiles!! Saturday morning on Mimi's porch.

AJ helping Mimi unload Grandpa's mother's day gift to her... A new riding lawn more! She really loved it. :)

Family pic again!! Me, Nanny, Aj, Andy and Rebecca.

Me and Aj's momma Becca.

Nanny opening the door to her new place in Dallas!! Woot!! We're so happy she's so close now!

Aj & my Happy Mothers Day pic for my momma. :) Love you mom!!

This is where we hang out at Aj's moms.. The front porch! It's our thang..

 On our way back to Oklahoma, Aj and I were driving ahead of a pretty intense storm. If you look out the back window you can see the dark green/grey clouds out of the window. Aj always says that green in the sky is bad.. So we tried to stay as far ahead of it as we could, but it was traveling really fast!

It has been an absolutely crazy and intense past week. I am completely exhausted and I know Aj is too. We are looking forward to a little more down time this week then we had last week. I can't describe the feeling of having him home again. Seriously, it feels like I am whole again. It's an amazing feeling. I feel like I'm home as odd as that sounds. As if I was floating around for a year and am finally home. Home is where your heart is, and I'm home again.