Thursday, July 22, 2010

Good bye husband, hello empty bed...

So, the army has been sending Joe to training after training. Mainly they are just trying to get them out of the way. In this year Joe has so far been gone for combatives training in Vegas, then to Haiti, then this week was WLC, and in a week from now Joe will be leaving for Utah, and then there is something in September he will be going to, and then BNOC in November. So I may only see my husband a few weeks over the course of the next few months.

So in other words, its good bye husband... hello empty bed...

Troubling Times...


So Joe and I hit a standstill in our relationship, where we found ourselves asking "where do we go from here?"

After some soul searching and some long conversations, we decided that we love each other too much to throw 3 1/2 years away, not to mention that it would hurt Josh. We decided that the right thing to do for us would be to talk to someone to help guide us to the right path. The path in which I know that both of us should be on. Joe's dislike for his job, my struggles with school, and our financial situation were starting to take a toll on our relationship. When we took a step back and a deep breath we realized this is not something that we could do alone.

One week after this transpired, I believe our relationship is in much better shape and headed for the right path.

We took a night to ourselves this last week where we went out and just enjoyed each others company with no worry of money (I set money aside) , jobs, or school. I believe we had a great time and we were surrounded by supportive and loving friends. I even came to make a new friend in Joe's Army buddy's wife. We realized since both of our husbands are in the same unit, we could be each other's shoulder to lean on if needed.

In time's like these, where it is nice to not feel alone.

Miss Hayley's Visit!


So Miss Hayley came all the way from Texas to visit and socialize with the family, and also celebrate her 21st birthday! We were so excited to have her come all this way out to visit her family. The only problem with this visit was Marie and Abel's truck broke down so they came in late on the 9th, and Joe was stuck with Army Guard Drill. So unfortunately, we were not able to complete some of the plans we had made. Lisa and Jeff brought Hayley into Reno Friday July 9th, and went to Lianne and Matt's for dinner. Saturday was little Miss Chloe's birthday party. Joey, Josh, Marie and myself attended this pool party and the children had an amazing time. Thanks to Grandma the kids got new floaties so they were able to explore the water and enjoy themselves.
After a long day, Saturday we were ready to relax on Sunday but that was not in the plan. Hayley turned 21 and it's a big deal... So Lisa and I planned a surprise party for Hayley Sunday night. I grilled chicken and pineapple kabobs and made oven roasted potatoes, my mom made chipoltle bow-tie pasta salad, and we had chips and dip, fruit, and veggies for appetizers. It was all around a great surprise. I even got her a three tier waterfall cake that my wonderful friend and cake decorator made special. After the party and Lianne and Matt left (they had to get up early the next day), Lisa and Jeff kindly practiced their reflexology on almost everyone's feet. THANKS GUYS! Then we drug out the rock band, and had a good ol' time making idiots out of ourselves. What a great weekend.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Joe's Deployment to Haiti

So right after Joey's 5th birthday bash, Joe was set to head off to Haiti for a short-term deployment. The trip didn't start off very good because when they went to board their aircraft at wee hours of the morning there was a light bulb out and turns out that puts the entire plane out of commission until the part is replaced. So they had the light bulb rushed in from Victorville, CA and they were off one day behind schedule. Once Joe arrived in Haiti I got a phone call letting me know he had arrived. During his deployment he was very busy so I only received a phone call about once a week. Joe is now home safe and sound. Here are a few pictures from his trip...

Joey's Big Birthday Bash!

So I know I'm a bit late, but we had Joey's 5th birthday party this year, and boy how time flies... Joey got a Pirate themed party this year, and he had such an amazing time. He was able to dress up in his Pirate halloween costume, and he really enjoyed that. The guest list included Grandma Marie and Papa Abel, Grandma Elaine and Grandpa Mike, Daddy and Rachel (with Josh of course), Great Aunt Lianne and Great Uncle Matt and cousins (Chloe and Rilee). We all were fighting a bout of sickness that weekend but we were determined to enjoy ourselves, I think Josh was the sickest but still managed to have a great time. Joey was very blessed by all of the gifts given to him. All of the kiddos enjoyed themselves and I believe the the adults did too. Here are some pictures of the festivities.