I am trying not to be a Scrooge.

Well Christmas time is here. But according to all the stores around us, it has been here since August. I am to the point of hating Christmas, not the true meaning, but the meaning that society has given it. I make a point now to do most of my Christmas shopping online, and yes, I typically wait until December. I really do not care for risking my life on Black Friday to get the best deals. The biggest gift we did purchase, I did in October, only because of this "move" that still has yet to happen.
But to me, the true meaning of Christmas gets more lost every year. This is so depressing for me. The true meaning of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus Christ's birth. We are to share this with our families. We are to come together as families to celebrate this. This is when people are to be the nicest and giving (why can't that be year round?!) Anyways, let me share a story that happened to me. On November 29, this year..a couple of weeks ago, the kids and I had driven back into Fayetteville after our long journey from Texas. We had to seperate from David in Fort Jackson, SC, so I was all ready down from that. I knew we had no milk or eggs in the house, so we stop at the IGA that was on the way home. It was around 9:30 pm. They closed at 10 pm, so we rushed in. Sadie, our cat who loves to travel was in the van sleeping. I of course locked the doors, and we were on our way. As we checked out, I realized that I locked the keys in the van (again!!!) We all go back to the van with our groceries, and try to see if we could get in. The kids and I did not have our coats on, and I am sure it was around 40 degrees at the time. So the kids and I go back inside. I was trying to figure out what to do. I knew a locksmith would cost a fortune, and I knew that I have unlocked my van before with a wire hanger. It was around 10 at this time. I asked one of the employees if there was a wire hanger I could use. He went to get me one, and we both went outside to try to unlock my car. Of course, it did not work. He called his security team for IGA, and they could not help. I let him know that my cat was in there. He remembered that the Fire Department would open cars up in the summer if an animal was inside. He called them for me. While we were waiting for them (only took them 10 minutes to get there) he stayed with us. This is someone who was off, and had his own family, but he stayed to make sure that we were able to get in our van. He stayed with my kids while I was signing papers for the Fire Department, and as soon as my van was open, he brought my kids and our groceries to the van. I told him that I wish I had something to give him, but he said that there was no need to. The kids and I were soon on our way.
This man, who did not know us, truely showed me what it was to have the Christmas spirit. Here in Fayetteville, I don't see that alot. But he took time to make sure my family was okay. That has made my season, just that simple act of charity.

As for other things... We will be heading up to West Virginia for Christmas. It will be full of family, but all of us are poor. I really hoping for a Charlie Brown Christmas. I am excited to see my parents, who have suffered so much this year. I hope that in some way, we can make their season brighter.

So all and all, I will try not to be a Scrooge this year.

yadayadayada

I know, it has been awhile. We are still waiting on our orders. Yes, we are moving, but when??? This is a good reason for me to hate the military life. I have put in my time, David has 23 years for pay in already. If this project did not go through, he would have put in his retirement packet in in January.....AAAAHHHHHHH. Sorry, Aunt Flow is here and kicking my butt.

Anyways, We took the kids and the Morris Monkey's kids last weekend to see Madagascar 2. It was awesome! We laughed the whole time. I found out that Anthony(who will be 14 in March) loves Journey. We were comparing iPods. Of course mine won..it is an iTouch.

We are going to Texas next week for turkey day. Mom in law is soooo happy. I get to watch the cowboys with dad in law. Hopefully I will have a date or 2 with David.

Pictures to come!

Nicole Tagged me.. I am it!!

Here are the rules: I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others!

This award comes with a list of questions:

1. Where is your cell phone? table
2. Where is your significant other? Tampa
3. Your hair color? brownish
4. Your mother? MaryAnn
5. Your father? Michael
6. Your favorite thing? iTouch
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your dream/goal? Happier
9. The room you’re in? office
10. Your hobby? reading
11. Your fear? (that is a long list)
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
13. Where were you last night? house
14. What you’re not? done
15. One of your wish-list items? orders
16. Where you grew up? everywhere
17. The last thing you did? movie
18. What are you wearing? clothes
19. Your TV? off
20. Your pet? rory
21. Your computer? hp
22. Your mood? peaceful
23. Missing someone? David
24. Your car? caravan
25. Something you’re not wearing? makeup
26. Favorite store? linensandthings
27. Your summer? over
28. Love someone? David
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? Sunday

A new list of stuff

I got this from Rachel...(Twilight is coming..)

1. Do you like blue cheese? Yes
2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Unfortunately yes... it was a bad habit
3. Do you own a gun? Yes
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I am a Diet Cherry Limeaid girl
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointment? sometimes
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them..but they are so bad for you
7. Favorite Christmas Song? Silent Night, the full song
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water
9. Can you do push-ups? I can, but the question is, do I want to?
10. What is your favorite movie? It will be Twilight next month
11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring. And my button necklace
12. Favorite hobby? Welll hmmm, too many
13. Do you work with people who idolize you? no
14. Do you have ADD? No. But my family does.
15. What’s one trait that you hate about yourself? I don't open up to people.
16. What’s your middle name? Ann.
17. Name three thoughts at this moment: I wish Natalie would stop her crap, I hope that I don't have to do a dity move, I can't wait till We are in Florida, Can I pack Monica in a box to Florida.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: Pizza for the kids, which they messed up.
19. Current worry right now? Nothing right now
21. Current hate right now? nothing
22. Favorite place to be? On my swing with a good book and my iTouch
23. How did you bring in the New Year? I can't tell you...It is an anniversary day of when I first met David.
24. Where would you like to go? Ireland and Scottland
25. Name three people who will complete this? Nicole will (Happy BirthDay!!!)
26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? Monica!<~~I agree
27. What color shirt are you wearing? Natural, pink, and brown
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? eww no
29. Can you whistle? Yes
30. Favorite color? Green.
31. Would you be a pirate? is Johnny Depp going to be there?
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? spring awakening songs
33. Favorite girl’s name? Natalie, Chloe, Marie
34. Favorite boy’s name? Jonathon and David--I had crushes on more then 1 David
35. What’s in your pocket right now? Burt's Bee's Wax
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Right now, the dog and cat stare off going on next to me
37. Best bed sheets as a child? Ummmm. Clean ones?
38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Soccer injury, I still have a big scar going down my right leg
39. What is your favorite snack? lately, hard boiled eggs
40. Favorite thing to do on Sundays? after Church nap
41. Who is your loudest friend?Monica
42. How many dogs do you have? one
43. Does someone have a crush on you? David..he tells me all the time
45. What is your favorite book? (where was #44?) Twilight.. of all time it would be Charlotte's Web
46. What is your favorite candy? 3 Musketeers.
47. What is your favorite sports team? WVU, VTech, Cowboys, and The Steelers
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? umm
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? reading.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? David will be home today.

Meesa Challenge via Monica

A. Attached or single? very much married
B. Best friend? I have a few
C. Cake or Pie? homemade in my mom's kitchen carrot cake
D. Day of Choice? Saturday is the ultimate lazy day for me
E. Essential item? scrunchi
F. Favorite color? green
G. Gummy bears or worms? worms, the sour kind that you get at the movie theatre
H. Hometown? right now...
I. Indulgence? grande chi tea blended no whip from starbucks
J. January or July? July
K. Kids? Three spoiled rotten kids
L. Life isn't complete without? Love, and my kids
M. Marriage date? 13 of June
N. Number of brothers and sisters? 1 brother and 1 sister
O. Oranges or apples? oranges
P. Phobias? I have a slight fear of height. That happened after I had Natalie 12 years ago.
Q. Quotes? I didn't do it.
R. Reasons to smile? because it takes too much to frown
S. Season of Choice? fall, I look forward to it every year
T. Tag some peeps:1. umm Nicole, of course ;)
U. Unknown fact about me? I sing in the car
V. Vegetable? all of them, especially spinach, FRESH spinach
W. Worst habit? I say sh-t way too much
X. X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound
Y. Your favorite food? My mom's lasagna, and my dad's linguine in white clam sauce
Z. Zodiac sign? Libra

The J-Man Birthday

Jonathon turned 7 on September 12. He had a blast. I can't believe how fast time goes. I no longer have my baby baby. But he still loves to snuggle with Mommy. He is still a bed hog.

Florida, and all that fun stuff

So we are still waiting for David's orders to come in. David is in Colorado Springs right now for a conference that deals with all this cool stuff that he is doing. I wish I was there. Colorado is my favorite state, next would be Maine, then Texas, and California...the good parts of California.
Anyways, the kids have been doing well adjusting to the new school year. Chloe and Jonathon are ready to move to Tampa. They keep asking about it. I am actually going to Tampa to check stuff out next week. The kids want me to bring the beach back with me. I just hope that I do not get sucked into a hurricane.

I've been looking so long at these pictures of you
That i almost believe that they're real
I've been living so long with my pictures of you
That i almost believe that the pictures are
All i can feel

Remembering
You standing quiet in the rain
As i ran to your heart to be near
And we kissed as the sky fell in
Holding you close
How i always held close in your fear
Remembering
You running soft through the night
You were bigger and brighter and whiter than snow
And screamed at the make-believe
Screamed at the sky
And you finally found all your courage
To let it all go

Remembering
You fallen into my arms
Crying for the death of your heart
You were stone white
So delicate
Lost in the cold
You were always so lost in the dark
Remembering
You how you used to be
Slow drowned
You were angels
So much more than everything
Hold for the last time then slip away quietly
Open my eyes
But i never see anything

If only i'd thought of the right words
I could have held on to your heart
If only i'd thought of the right words
I wouldn't be breaking apart
All my pictures of you

Looking so long at these pictures of you
But i never hold on to your heart
Looking so long for the words to be true
But always just breaking apart
My pictures of you

There was nothing in the world
That i ever wanted more
Than to feel you deep in my heart
There was nothing in the world
That i ever wanted more
Than to never feel the breaking apart
All my pictures of you

This is one of a few all time favorite songs. Yes, it is The Cure, but Robert Smith has a talent for writing beautiful songs. Whenever I hear it, I smile, and think of my favorite pictures in my head. I have been melancholy lately. I was trying to explain it to my mom. This time it started over a picture of a friend of mine, who I have not seen in 16 years. We talked on the phone, and we wrote to each other all the time. After I had Natalie, that stopped. It was not until last year that we were back in contact. He has changed, and of course I have changed. Our friendship also changed. It is almost like now he is an acquaintance. I hate that. It is depressing to think of all the friends that I have made in my life are not really there anymore. I hope and pray that the friends that I have now will not end up this way. I wish for them to be life long friends, sisters and brothers.

It is Sunday...and I am at home

Well, let me put everything out on the table. Yes, we are moving to Tampa, Florida. Do we have the orders yet? No...but they are on the way. David's report date is November 1, so that means I have a little over 2 months to lose my sanity, and pack. I am so happy that we are moving, but I am a little sad. Jonathon and Chloe are super excited. Natalie is feeling a little like I am. She does not want to leave her friends. Being a government brat myself, I know how it feels. But I still have to face forward and be upbeat about it for her. David has worked so hard on this, and I am so happy that he was #1!! But I think that he may be just a little bit frazzled. He has basically been TDY for 8 months, going back and fourth everywhere. He actually has leave this week, which he is so happy about. So that means the beach this week, and cleaning out the garage. What fun, I just have to remember to bring the camera with me.

Toodles for now.

The Meesa Challenge

I was tagged by Monica for this one...

3 Joys

My Family, they are everything to me.

I love it when all of us are home together, we will all snuggle on the couch and watch a quiet family movie together.

Ike and Sadie, my kitties who love me more then David (lol, he is a kitty hog)

3 Fears

seeing my family hurt (or worse)

not being there when my parents need me the most.

not having a home for my family.


3 Goals

Making sure that my kids have the best life.

losing about 50 pounds.

Graduating from college.

Current Obsessions

Finishing the Twilight series, if Natalie will stop telling me about it. Cards..I have 5 boxes that I need to complete. Oh, of course cleaning my house and getting rid of stuff that we do not need.

Random facts that you may not know about me...

I love Rock music...I say that because David's Col told me that he did not think of me as a rocker. Do I look that innocent? Also, I love to sing. Not much in public, but in my home. I still will grab a hairbrush and use it as a microphone.

So I tag.....
Nicole S., my mom, and my other mom

So here’s a fun game I stole from my friend Nicole's blog…. leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn’t matter if we haven’t known each other for long, just anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. Its actually pretty funny. If you post I’ll assume you’re playing and come to your blog and leave a memory!! On your mark… get set…. blog your memories!!

So yesterday was Natalie's 12th Birthday. So the first thing that she wants to do is cut her hair. Then we went to pick up the reds and headed out to the "dollar" theatre to watch Nim's Island. It was a very cute movie. By that time, it is 2pm, so we went to Red Robin where we stuffed our faces. I had the staff all come over to sing to Natalie. She keeps telling me that she is going to get me back. She has no idea that I am the master of embarrassment. So after that, we went window shopping and then headed home. I had her come upstairs by herself to open her big present, because I knew that the reds would freak out. It was of course her pink Nintendo DS with 3 games. She started crying and she said, "Mommy, you said that you could not get it because it cost too much."
I had bought 3 weeks before....I am like that.
I just can't believe that she is 12. She is growing up way too fast. It does not make me feel older, it makes me feel that I running out of time with her. In 6 years she will be in college...I just want her to stay the way she is: smart, beautiful, and so full of life. I also hope and pray that she is not as bad as I was at the age of 12.

Those BADDD places we know not to go to, but do.

I was on Yahoo, just now. I came across an article about places to eat. This gave a scale of which places were better for you to eat at. I knew that Chik Fil La would be on the top, only because I know that they are the only fast food place that offers sandwiches that are 300 calories or less (and they taste good). So I am leaving a link on here for you all to check it out. The book that is advertised at the end of the article is really quite good for you to keep in the car, especially if you have a hankering for fries, but you are on a diet. The latest in the series comes out soon, and it will deal with kid foods. Yeah!
http://health.yahoo.com/experts/eatthis/11230/americas-bestand-worstrestaurants/
Also...don't freak out at the end of the article. All those date night places that we all love, scored an F. No more Outback for me!

Okay, so this is what a book does to me...

Natalie, who will be 12 on Tuesday, has got me reading the twilight series. It started because I was concerned that this series was about vampires and how a 17 year old fell in love with one. Natalie read the 3 500 (or more) paged books in less then a week. She has a love of books, just like me. I did my research, found out that the author was LDS, that there was no sex or anything like that in the books. Then I talked to a few friends of mine who told me that the books were good. Monica even told me that she was reading them till the wee hours and her house was not being cleaned because of it. I of course, finally had enough. I had to read this book, the first one, to see what everyone was talking about. I am HOOKED!! Natalie and I are in a little arguement over the movie which is coming out in December. She does not like the guy who plays the lead male, Edward. She says that he is not cute enough. I think that he is hot...in that 17 year old kinda way. So last night, I stayed up till 3 am to finally finish Twilight. I even picked up the second one, New Moon, and started reading it. So Natalie has made me feel like a teen again, and I keep watching the trailer..I guess I am now a Stephenie Meyer fan, too. (I am such a DORK)

Today is Greeka's Birthday

Greeka is my mom. When Natalie was 1, she came up with Greeka (mom) and Poppie (dad) for my parents, Since then, that is what everyone calls them. Sometimes, I wonder if they ever answer the phone that way. Next, It will be their bank cards with that name, and then they would have to put it on there ID cards..sorry I was thinking ahead. So Happy Birthday MOM!! (Greeka) We love you so much!

So last night, I went to this all girls movie night with my "sistas" from church. Of course, desert was involved. So I pile my kids, and 2 other kids, into my van and we headed out. It was fun seeing everyone. I swear..every time I go to a church function, I see people that I do not know, who are new to our ward. Sunday is going to be a lot of fun. Anyways, I found out that Mandi (one of the best Sunday School Teachers I have ever had) was leaving next week. I had the best conversation with her.. I so wish that I had gotten to know her better. I am sad that she is leaving, I hope that our paths cross again. Plus she is prego (I did not know until last night). Mandi and her hubby are so cute, so I am sure that the baby will be ubber cute.
Today Rose Kruger stopped by. My house was a wreck because of the impromptu sleep over last night. It was so nice to sit and talk with her today. I probably talked her ear off, but it is always nice to talk to an adult. I let her know about a few things going on, so I am sure her head is spinning. I could not imagine being the Relief Society president, and having all the sisters tell you everything that was happening. Plus a military ward? My gosh..all of us need counselors. That should come with the hubby duffel bag.

First Blog of the Fam

So it is Thursday. We just got back from a farewell lunch with Leslie Kelly. Another wonderful Family leaving Fort Bragg. It makes me wonder how much longer do we have here at Fort Bragg. Sure, there is a possibility of us moving to Tampa, but I have to see orders for that. As for leaving, I have mixed feelings. We have been here now over 10 years. The kids have been in a very stable environment, which I have never experienced. The kids are settled with home and school. They have grown up here. But Tampa...that is new. We would be living on the coast. New people, new experiences.. It is a hard thing to think about.
The Picture above is one of my favorites of all the kids together. They are holding an egg.