Update on leave

Hi all!

Just wanted to share a quick update on Adam's leave status. I wanted to wait until we knew for sure what was going on before posting, and now we do seem to have a pretty good idea what is happening. Adam emailed me in the middle of the night on Thursday (I guess technically it was Friday by that point) to let me know he had been notified that he'd be flying out that evening. I didn't hear from him again until this morning, when he emailed to let me know he is at a processing base in Kuwait and will be getting home as early as tomorrow evening! For once, the time difference is playing in our favor :-) I'll make sure to let everyone know when he is here safe and sound, but I won't even start to predict what the next two weeks will look like. I'll have to give you a review rather than a preview haha Anyway, the only things he said he wants in the fridge when he comes home is "some good beer and chocolate milk" although I'm guessing he doesn't plan to drink those together. I'm off to make that happen...have a fabulous week!

D

Thanksgiving

So I have to admit, I've not been so good at keeping up with the blog over the past two months. OK, so I haven't even posted one thing :-) In my defense, Adam was away on a mission for the entire month of October and then another one in early November. Since coming back, he has primarily been working on constructing buildings and a bridge on his home base in Marez. His unit is the last vertical construction unit left in Iraq, so there is no shortage of things for them to do. The unit left two days ago for another mission, but Adam didn't go because he's coming home on leave in a few weeks and the unit probably won't be back in time.

Anyway, I know it's cliche, but it's the time of year when you naturally start thinking about all of the things you're thankful for. This year, Adam and I spent time talking about all of those things, and we wanted to share some of them with you.

First, we are thankful for such a benevolent God, whose love and grace never cease to amaze us. Every day we become more convinced that He holds the ultimate plan for our relationship, and that all things are under His control. We know that, without Him, we would not have made it through the past five years, and that it is only by relying on His strength that our relationship will continue to grow for many years to come.

We are thankful for each other and for the absolute committment we have to our marriage.

We are thankful for our families and friends who have always and continue to support us, advise us, and love us unconditionally. Adam is especially thankful for everyone who keeps him in their prayers and sends him packages, cards, and other things to keep his spirits up while he's deployed. I'm particularly thankful for everyone who has supported me in more ways than I can even name as I've gotten used to Adam being gone.

We are thankful for the ball of fuzz named Brady, who has provided me with lots of love and company over the past few months. He has totally surpassed our expectations for our first family dog, and we look forward to many more years with his crazy antics.

We are thankful for the full-time employment that will begin for me in January during a time when so many are facing the awful struggle of unemployment.

We are thankful for a warm home as the weather gets colder, for plenty of food and clothes, and for having all of our other needs met, even those we don't even realize we have.

We are thankful for Adam's continued safety, and for both of our continued good health.

Finally, we are thankful for another year of life, love, and happiness that we have been able to share with each of you. Be well, and be blessed!

Lots of building

Hi all! I figured I'd better get another update in before the end of September because otherwise I couldn't really even call this a "blog" anymore...maybe just an "occasional update site" haha. Anyway, things are going pretty well for both Adam and I on our opposite sides of the world. Last week, he had to drive across the country to get building supplies for their base, and the trip took longer than expected because of the weather. Unfortunately, it's the "dry" season over there, which means that there are frequent and heavy dust storms. He said that everything is always covered in a fine layer of dust, but that it was particularly bad when they were trying to make this trip so it made driving really difficult. While he's out on these missions, I don't get to talk to him, so it's just a matter of waiting it out to hear how things have gone. I asked Adam what comes after the dry season, and he said the rainy season, which I thought would be a good thing...no more dust, right? Well, technically. He told me that once the dust storm season passes, they're still in the desert, so wet season plus desert equals mud. He said it's usually just as bad as the dust, because everything gets covered in mud. I'm sure he'll be excited when he gets back to see grass (at least until he realizes that now he has to cut it). His projects this week are focused on doing a lot of building projects for the base that he lives on. Today and yesterday he and his guys built a bunch of floors for buildings. He says it's pretty monotonous work, but now he knows how to build floors :-)

On my end, just more of the same old, same old. Keeping busy with school, work, and trying to have a bit of a social life. The updates are now finished on our kitchen and bathrooms, so I'll try to take some pictures and get them up soon. I can't belive the difference some granite, new faucets, and new stainless appliances have made. We supposedly have added a massive amount of value to our home but have not made it too much for our local market. Guess we'll see when we go to sell in a few years! Anyway, that's all for now. Hope everyone is doing well, and don't hesitate to get in touch when you have some time!

D

Viva la VISSSSSSTA

So, I always start off with info about Adam, so I decided to flipflop a bit and start off by sharing one of the really cool things I did this weekend. On Saturday, I went to Viva la Vista, which is a "Taste of" kind of festival here in the downtown area. Many of the wonderful restaurants that are here in Columbia were represented, and you basically could buy tokens for a dollar and get a "taste" or "tapas sized" portion of some of their most popular food for a few tokens or even just for one. Here are the different things I tried, and keep in mind that this was probably 1/30th of the wonderful things there. I want to give a little review of each, so that if you're here in the Columbia area you might be inspired to go get some of these great things:

*Jillian's - Mac and cheese (Really creamy, very mild cheese, good ratio of cheese to noodles, it reminded me of Yesterday's mac and cheese if you like that...I'd like to do a taste test with them and see which I prefer haha)
*Blue Marlin - Shrimp and grits (Best I've had since moving to the South, had some pieces of andouille (sp?) sausage and some Cajun seasonings that gave it a bit of a kick, slightly buttery undertones, this is a dish I would definitely order if I went to the restaurant); Pan-seared sea scallops (nice texture to the scallops but could have used a little more seasoning)
*Liberty Tap Room - Blue cheese potato chips (Sometimes called "wing chips" down here, these were thinly sliced potatoes that are fried and are crunchy, but they aren't like a traditional potato chip because they retain more of an actual potato taste, the blue cheese dip on them was absolutely amazing, it was a melted creamy dip and was so much better than the traditional blue cheese crumbles that go on top of wing chips)
*LongHorn Steakhouse - Shrimp and lobster chowder (Good consistency but lacked the "seafood" flavor I was expecting, tasted like a regular potato and corn chowder except when there was some shrimp or lobster in the bite)
*Cupcake - Mini mint chocolate chip cupcake (Wish they sold this size at their store on a regular basis because two bites of their decadent cupcakes can really be plenty, their mcc cupcake has always been my favorite and I wasn't disappointed at all, tastes like an Andes mint...if you haven't visited this store in the Vista do it NOW)
*Motor Supply Company - Sugar bacon dipped in bittersweet chocolate (Tried this basically just so I could say I did it and was surprised at how good it really was, I always wonder about this "savory and sweet" thing on Food Network and now I totally get it)
*Gervais and Vine - Seared jumbo sea scallops w/ rosemary oil and white balsamic reduction (Excellent texture, perfectly seasoned and cooked, balsamic reduction was a little too salty but overall these were amazing), Marinated & grilled veal skirt steak & house-smoked bacon skewer w/ balsamic syrup (Veal was very tender and almost sweet, and the bacon and balsamic gave it the perfect salty compliment, truly an excellent dish, something I would order at the restaurant), Spanish shrimp "lollipop" (Cold shrimp in a spicy marinade with very light crunchy flakes on the outside)
*Ruth's Chris Steakhouse - Rosemary-crusted tenderloin sliders w/ creamy horseradish sauce (Amazing...so well-cooked and seasoned, wouldn't expect anything less from them), Sweet potato casserole (perfect balance of sweet potato to brown sugar topping, wasn't overly sweet, best "side dish" of the day)

That's all I was able to try, not because I was out of tokens (this stuff was CHEAP) but because I was so full! You wouldn't think that you could get full from little bits of food, but it was all so rich and it was so hot outside that I was gulping water all afternoon. I do also want to give a shout out to a few places that were there but that I didn't get anything from only because I've been there numerous times and know how amazing their food is. Those places are:

*Five Guys Burgers and Fries - By far, my favorite burger place in the world. So cheap, so fresh, so delicious. They were selling huge portions of fries for a dollar yesterday...unbelievable. If you've never had a Five Guys burger, give it a try. You wouldn't believe the kind of burger you can get for the same price as a fast food one. Can't say enough good things about this place.
*Nonnah's - Love their desserts...usually pass on their food, not such a fan, but maybe it's because their desserts make it hard to like anything else there.
*Mellow Mushroom - Fabulous pizza, calzones, salads, etc. Best dough in Columbia, most options for building your own pizza/calzones but their house pies/calzones are so good that you really don't have to haha.
*Wild Wing Cafe - Love their wings, love their wing chips, love their drinks and waitstaff...great karaoke and local music. One of my favorite "casual dining" places in Cola, along with Carolina Ale House and Carolina Wings and Ribs.

Annnnnnnnyway, now that you've heard everything there is to hear from Dawn Traynor, Food Critic Extraordinaire, here's what is going on in Adam's life. He returned to his base about a week and a half ago and is quite happy to be getting to sleep in his regular bed again, use the internet regularly, etc. They've been doing a lot of local work recently, so he has actually had some more time on his hands, which he's using to play in a poker tournament, set up a fantasy football league, and play video games. He just went through some special driving training so he can drive these crazy vehicles called MRAPs that can drive over an IED without sustaining major damage, so the next time they head out into the field he may be at the wheel. Also, I'm not sure if I've posted this before, but he was recently promoted to Staff Sergeant, so we're all very proud of him. Because he's been back on his home base, he's had much better internet access, so we've been able to be in pretty close touch. Just being able to be in touch like this has been wonderful for us and it's helped a lot with the separation.

Anyway, hope all is well with everyone. I'll try to be better about posting, but if you look, you'll see that I stopped posting literally the week that school started up again haha I'm sorry! I'll try to get up one post a week or so...until then, be well!

D

Adam's address and some pictures

Hi all...here is Adam's address for those interested in sending him mail/packages. Something I found out the hard way: don't forget that you have to fill out customs paperwork because the package is going overseas. Depending on your post office, they may want you to leave the box open before sending it, so they can look at what you've put in it and make sure it's all ok. Your best bet is to only send him things that total $50 or less, because it makes things much easier on his end, and it's less likely to be opened and searched in transit. Also, if you plan on sending something heavy, get one of the APO/FPO flat rate military boxes at the post office because no matter what you put in it it ships for one price (I think it's $11). Otherwise, it's getting weighed and if it's heavy, it will cost you a LOT. Make sure to check at the post office about things that can/can't be sent (or get the info online) and remember that certain things are actually illegal in Iraq and can't be sent to him there (this info can be found on usps.com...I can look up the exact link again if you can't find it). I'll let you know other little things I figure out as I go along :-)

Anyway, here is the address:

Traynor, Adam SSG

115th EN CO. (779th EN BN)

COS Marez

APO AE 09334

Write it exactly as it is here to avoid delays.

Also, I wanted to share a few pictures of what has been going on in my life here in Columbia. First, last week I went back to work at my beloved Career Center, located in the H. William Close building on campus:

I'd love to point out my office, but you can't see it because it doesn't have any windows :-) It's on the sixth floor and I love, love, love it. I'm still personalizing it a little bit this year, but it's just so nice to have a space all my own, and I'm very thankful for it, especially knowing that many of my fellow GA's have to share office space with many others. I'll try to take some pics of my actual office sometime in the next few weeks.

Next, because I've gotten a lot of requests for them, here are a few pics of the little monster we like to call Brady:

He sure does make my life interesting, but I can't imagine what it would be like not to have him. I just can't wait until his dad comes home and we can split doggie duties :-) Hope you all are having a fabulous day!

D

Mission: Building Something

Just wanted to give a quick update on what's been going on with Adam. His unit is the only vertical construction unit in all of the northern part of the country, so he's going to be spending a lot of his time off on "missions," building things off of his main base. For example, this week he's about four hours away from his main base, doing a big concrete project. While out on these missions, he doesn't have internet access but was able to give me a call last night and let me know things are going pretty well. He had the day off today to wait for the concrete to set, and he was very excited about getting some really good sleep. He hasn't given me a lot of details (probably on purpose), but I'll ask him about things when he gets back. When he IS on his home base, he's able to email me pretty much every day, and we're sometimes able to voicechat, which is nice because he doesn't have to use his phonecard or go to the call station and can just talk to me from his room.

I'm going to post his address in a separate post since a lot of people have been asking me for it. I'm sure he'd love to get some mail :-)

As for me, I'm back to working at the Career Center and classes begin this week. Tomorrow is the first day that I'm going to meet the U101 (freshman seminar) students that I'm co-teaching, and then Tuesday is Division/Univeristy and Program Orientations. Wednesday is our first career fair of the year, believe it or not, so things are really picking up. I don't mind at all though...it makes the days go faster (although it does also make the nights become shorter as well hahaha). Anyway, Brady is laying here next to me passed out on his back, so I think I'm going to scoop him up and put him to bed for the night, then head off to bed myself. Be well!

D

Moved to Iraq

Adam got in touch with me yesterday to let me know that he flew to Iraq in the middle of the night and is now living...get this...literally 300 feet from the building where he spent his last two months during his last tour in Iraq. He said it was a pretty surreal feeling, because not too much has changed, which is probably one of the reasons they are back there.

Things that are good in Adam's new digs:
*Only two guys to a room, not 50 to a tent (he's rooming with Brandan, his old roommate from Morgantown)
*Personal AC units for each room
*Real toilets (no more portapotties)
*More reliable internet
*No more hour and a half long lines to use things like the phone and internet

Things that are not so good in Adam's new digs:
*No Starbucks

No, no, I'm kidding. When I asked him that question early, that was really the only thing he could come up with, other than the fact that now they're in a combat zone, which they weren't in Kuwait. He said overall it's a big improvement. One thing they haven't gotten yet is their big toughboxes, which is where a lot of his things are packed. They do have the bags that they took on the planes over from the US, so he has some things with him, but he's missing his XBOX, which we know is oh-so-important! He hasn't been told what their first mission will be, but he said it's sounding like it's going to be "building something," which is shocking considering that they're a carpentry/masonry unit ;-) Overall, he says he's doing well, and he misses everyone a lot, and to send his love.

Update on Adam

Hi all...sorry I haven't posted in a while, but it's only because there really hasn't been a whole lot to post about. Adam has frequently been going on extended and/or overnight training operations, which means that his sleep schedule is completely off. It also means he hasn't had a lot of time to use the phone or the internet. From what he says, more and more soldiers arrive in Kuwait daily, and the base is completely overloaded. Right now, he shares a giant tent with about 50 other guys, so he says he's looking forward to getting to their base in Iraq where it should just be two guys to a room in barracks-style living. Other things that have happened due to the huge influx of soldiers this past week involve waiting in line for everything and a completely jammed internet system. The only place on the whole base where he can use the internet is in the Starbucks, which he has to stand in line for about an hour and a half just to get into. This has led to a shortage of communication on his end (although he said he finds it amusing to sit down and read a few days' worth of emails from me in a row because he gets to watch my emotions change depending on the circumstances of the day), which has been a little frustrating for me. It's not that I'm worried about his safety, per se, I just miss him terribly and even a few lines of an email are enough to brighten my whole week. It's also tough because many people who are deployed are getting to use the internet to video chat and whatnot every day, and right now he can't even send me a picture or anything because it's such a slow connection. We're hoping that maybe once they get to Iraq he will have better internet so we can be in touch more often.

On my end of things, my internship winds down this week, and I'm really sad to see it end. I've enjoyed my time in the Office of Student Engagement very much, and hope to continue working with them over the next year. Next week is my last week of my ACE practicum as well, and then it's back to work in the Career Center for the next year. I can't wait to get back to all of my CC peeps and start thinking about GARP (eek...already?!?!). In other news, my camera finally came today from Amazon, so hopefully I'll be able to start posting some pictures of Brady, the house, etc. for those who don't live in Columbia and would like to see more about these things.

Anyway, hope everyone is having a great week. Enjoy your hump day tomorrow!

D

Snip snip

Well, it's really hot in Columbia and the wedding has been over for more than two months sooooo...eight inches later, I am a whole lot "lighter" :-)

I didn't realize how long my hair had gotten (because I wear it up every day) until the stylist brushed it out and it was halfway down my back. I also didn't realize how much I missed having short hair until I had it back again. Btw, I go to Erin at 7 Doors Salon on Sumter, and she was recommended to me last summer by Heather. She is fabulous, and also did great color for me over the winter. If you live in Cola, definitely consider seeing her for a great haircut/style/color/etc.

Hope everyone is having a great day. I haven't heard from Adam for a few days, but I'll make sure to update when I do!

D

Made it to Kuwait

Over the weekend, Adam dropped me an email to let me know that he has officially made it to the base in Kuwait. They had a total flying time of about 14 hours, with more than 10 hours of layovers. Obviously, their sleep schedules are all messed up, but they're being given about five days to get back on track, and have been told that their main responsibilities right now are to drink water, rest, and regain their strength. A large portion of Adam's unit is sick right now, and that includes him :-( It's a cold-type thing, stuffy nose, cough, all that fun stuff. He thinks it's a combination of climate change, travel, weird sleep schedule, and close quarters.

Adam reports that the food from the chow hall is really good, and is actually provided by an outside vendor (that explains a lot). The base where they are is the base that almost all troops entering the Middle East stop at to do their "climitization" time, so it's pretty well built up. He said that they have a Taco Bell, Burger King, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks. Tough life, eh?! His barracks are air conditioned, so he's been staying inside a lot, but the theme of the email really seemed to be "It's unbearably hot." His ankle is still healing (from where he sprained it the first week of July), but he's now able to walk wearing his regular boots and the doctor says that he should regain total mobility over the next week or two. He said that the range of motion is still limited, but the pain is almost gone--please keep his overall health in your prayers, along with his safety, as he's technically both sick AND injured right now. Of course he's being all Mr. Tough Guy about it, but he promises me he's taking care of himself, taking Vitamin C for the cold, following the doctor's orders for the ankle, etc.

Adam's unit will be in Kuwait through the last week in July. After that, they will be heading into Iraq, although there is still no certainty as to where he's going to end up. He's hoping for the northern part, because it's cooler, but I'm just hoping for the SAFEST part. On Saturday, he was able to call and talk to me for a few minutes for my birthday!!! This was quite a luxury, and I certainly wasn't expecting it, but it totally made my birthday so special. It's looking like he'll probably call about once a week once he gets settled in at his post in Iraq, but really who knows. He has bought some pre-paid internet minutes, which is how he's been able to email, but he said the connection is awful--slower than dial-up and kicks him off every few minutes, so video or IM is out right now. We're really hoping that maybe it will be better in Iraq so that we can do some video chatting every few days. In the meantime, I'll take anything I can get!

I feel like my life is boring in comparison, but here's a little update on me. This week I'm working on pulling together a big mailing for the National Student Exchange at my internship. It's been a great project to work on because I have planned and executed it from start to finish, and it's given me a real sense of ownership and professionalism. I continue to coach students on academic success strategies at the Academic Centers for Excellence on Mondays and Fridays, and I find real fulfillment in working with them one-on-one. As I mentioned before, I went to Charleston on Saturday for my birthday, and as soon as I can get the pictures from Heather, I'll post a blog about that experience (sneak peak: it was AWESOME!!!). Most of my friends in the program are finishing up their internships in the next week or so, and so they'll be returning to Columbia soon. Honestly, I can't wait...I think it will really help me get life back to as normal as possible. I'm even looking forward to classes starting in the fall. I just want to keep as busy as possible to help this year fly by :-) Hope all is well out there, and thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers!

D

Adam has left the...country?!

Just wanted to post a quick update on Adam's travel. He left in the middle of the night last night and arrived in Ireland this morning for his layover. The airport had free WiFi so he was able to email me a quick update...turns out that their layover was going to end up being about 9 hours. The total process was going to take at least 18 hours (although I am unclear whether it's 18 hours in the air or 18 total). He should arrive in Kuwait sometime in the next couple of days, where he will be staying for two weeks before traveling to Iraq. Adam said that the whole purpose of staying in Kuwait will be to do "climatization," which he said basically involves drinking a lot of water and exercising to get your body used to the severe climate change. Once their bodies adjust, they will travel to a base in Iraq, although at this point they have no clue which base or even which part of the country. They are not told these things for security reasons and also because things are changing very rapidly over there right now, so they really may end up some place entirely different than what was originally intended.

On my end of things...I'm doing ok. I certainly would prefer that Adam be here with me, but I'm keeping myself busy with internship and Prac II and Brady and whatnot. Saturday is my birthday, and I'm going to be heading down to Charleston for the day with my friend Heather. I'm looking forward to seeing Charleston, as I've never been there before and have heard great things about it. It was one of the cities on my "must visit" list when I moved here, and I'm glad that I'm going to get to experience it with a Charleston veteran like Heather :-) Internship is about 2/3 done, and it's actually making me sad. I've really been enjoying working for the Office of Student Engagement, and especially love my supervisors there and the amount of autonomy I have. I really feel like a professional staff member and not just a grad student. I wish I was getting a bit more of a tan, but I'm inside from 9-5 most days, and it seems to always rain on the weekends haha Oh well, I'm sure that my skin will thank me in 20 years!

Anyway, hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. I'm heading to bed...have a great Friday!

Amazing weekend

So I wanted to post a little about Adam and my wonderful weekend in West Virginia. I arrived on Friday afternoon after spending the night in Charlotte with the always-lovely Jess Whalen. Her apartment is super cute, folks...reminded me of Carrie Bradshaw meets Martha Stewart. She also took me to this awesome little Mexican restaurant that is famous for its fish tacos, so I tried one not knowing if I would like it. It was DELICIOUS. I don't know if theirs are something special, but wow, I might be giving up the chicken and beef for fish tacos from now on.

Anyway, I left Charlotte on Friday morning and arrived in Morgantown just before 3pm. Adam stayed with Elroy on Thursday night (since he doesn't have an apartment anymore) and as I was driving up the street to the house, I actually started crying. I'm not really sure why, I think I was just overcome with all of the emotion of thinking I wasn't going to see him again for so long, and then the surprise of getting to see him, and the exhaustion of not being able to sleep the night before followed by the long ride. As soon as he came out of the house, there I was, boo-hooing all over his shoulder and snotting on his shirt. Of course he just laughed...that's Adam. And I just kept saying "But I'm HAPPY, I don't know why I'm crying."

That afternoon we went and picked up his diplomas since he wasn't able to attend graduation, and had lunch/dinner at the Boston Beanery. I let Adam pick pretty much every place we ate because he kept saying how much he missed certain places in Morgantown. After BB, we went to check in to our hotel and found out that his friend's brother (who is a valet there) had booked us a room on the "Private Access Floor" for only $70 a night! We got valet parking, a king suite, AND a Sleep Number bed, which I proceeded to play with for 20 minutes after we got into the room. Also, we had our own conceirge and a private "concerige lounge" where we were served breakfast each morning and could get snacks like soda, chips, and fruit all day. They also put out things every afternoon like mini quiches, pasta salads, and cookies. The room had a river view and a big TV, and a bathroom big enough for BOTH of us to get ready at one time (which we don't have here at the house). Overall, this hotel experience was so much more than we possibly could have expected.

We ate at Casa D'Amici, Black Bear, and the Regatta Bar and Grille. We had dinner at Oliverio's and got a couple's massage to celebrate our birthdays (mine coming up in July, his in August). We had martinis at the Vintage Room and walked along the river on the Rail Trail, holding hands and talking about how great it was to just be together again. We ordered dessert from room service on our last night there to just revel in each other and this amazing experience for a few minutes more. I can't begin to explain how good this time was for our marriage--it reminded us all over again of just how much we love each other, and how blessed we are to have found each other. It also gave us something very special to look forward to when Adam returns from Iraq.

The saddest part of the trip, obviously, was leaving. I had to drop Adam at the Clarksburg Airport, and, as I drove up, I was overwhelmed at the sight of all of the military families milling around outside. When I went in to use the bathroom, women were in there crying, wiping off smudged eyeliner and blowing their noses. In the terminal, kids hung onto their dads' legs and cried, as moms tried to explain that it was ok. Standing there, I had a moment that I was certainly not expecting: I was humbled. Ever since we received the news about Adam being deployed, I've had a bit of a chip on my shoulder. Yes, I've accepted that this is part of his/our life, and I'm doing the best I can to keep living a normal life. However, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that this just isn't fair, that Adam and I DESERVE more than this, we deserve to get to live together the way that married people do, especially after so many years of living apart. But standing there in the airport, I realized all of a sudden that we are just one of many military family stories. We don't deserve this any more or any less than the guy we saw whose wife had a baby last week, or the couple who just found out they're pregnant, or the mother who was saying goodbye to her only child. In that moment it felt like I had been punched in the gut for being so self-centered.

As the next year plays out, I think the image of all of those families saying goodbye will come back to me when I begin to focus on how much it sucks to have Adam gone. It sucks for everyone involved, and feeling sorry for myself/us will not make it any easier. I am not saying that we're not allowed to have tough days, but it's hard to feel as bitter as I was feeling when you suddenly realize that you're one of many.

D

Wedding pics are up!

Hi everyone! Just wanted you to know that our wedding pics went up on the web this morning. To see them, go to www.richmeyerphoto.com and click “Enter Site.” Then click “Recent Weddings” at the top, click “Portal Page,” then you’ll see the option to click on our photos. Hope you enjoy!!!

D

Exciting news!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to update you on the latest deployment-related news. Adam has just learned that he will be leaving the country on July 2 (although as we've already started to see anything Army-related can be changed at the drop of a hat, so that could get pushed back again). However, before he goes, the Army will be sending his unit back to WV to spend four days with their family and friends. Because he's deploying with the WV National Guard, they won't fly him back here to SC, so I'm going to drive up there to see him. This is such exciting news because we thought that we had already seen the last of each other for at least six months or so!

In other fun news, our wedding video is finished and my parents picked it up for us this week (THANKS MOM AND DAD!) in Philly. Mom mailed it out yesterday, so we'll actually get the chance to watch it together before he goes. I can't wait to see what the day was really like...so much of it was just a blur to me. Supposedly our pictures will be posted to the web sometime in the next few days as well, so I'll pass along that link as soon as they're up :-)

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. It's back to working on things for online research class for me. Two more weeks of this craziness and then hopefully I'll get a little of my life back!

D

Real quick first post

I just wanted to quickly say "Hi" to everyone and thank you for visiting our blog. We started this because many people were often asking the same questions of us about our lives (particularly about Adam's deployment), so we figured this might be a good way to keep everyone as up-to-date as possible. Of course, if you know me, you know there's no way I'll be able to be all matter-of-fact about posting, so expect to see a random thought here or there :-) And, hopefully, once Adam gets his internet set up in Iraq, he'll be able to update us some himself! Anyway, stay tuned because in our lives "Every moment is an experience" (Jake Roberts said that, but I like it!).

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