Thank you, Chipper!

This pretty much sums it up for me. Every word is true--

"It will seem quite odd to watch a Braves game next year.

A constant will be gone.

The last man from Atlanta's historic run of division championships will retire.

Every time one of them left it was painful--

first Maddux, then Smoltz, and now Chipper Jones."

-Morgan Carter, Bleacher Report

It's sad to see that era officially come to a close.

no Skip Caray on the radio...

no Bobby at the helm...

no Chipper at 3B...

so odd. 

Atlanta Braves, NL East Champs for 2013... 

I don't even want to mess around with the bogus wild card spots! 

Friday's Letters

DEAR FRIDAY, since I decided to dub you 'H&M and new amazing German restaurant day' I have been looking forward to you all week. Please do not disappoint! DEAR GERMANY, I love that it's staying light out until 10 pm. Please keep this up for as long as possible! In fact, if you'd like, it doesn't even have to snow this winter!
DEAR DEPLOYMENT, You can suck it! I'm 2 weeks closer to having my husband back in my arms. We got this!
DEAR HUSBAND, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to see your face on Skype. Pixelated or not, it absolutely makes my day! Despite all the crap you're dealing with you still act like the goofy and caring man I know.
DEAR JIMMY FALLON, saying you are hilarious is an understatement. I love your constant giggling and spot on impressions. You jam to "Call Me Maybe' with Carly Rae Jepson & The Roots. Have Channing Tatum dress up like a girl. And get the PRESIDENT to slow jam the news. In my opinion you absolutely OWN Late Night TV.
DEAR HUSBAND, despite the love fest above-- don't worry I love you wayyy more than Jimmy Fallon.

Well, D-Day Has Come and Gone

The week leading up to his leaving was really tough. It's hard to have such an overwhelming date come up and not constantly be aware of this is the last time we'll do this, this is the last time we'll do that. I tried to just push it all aside and just enjoy the moments with him, but it was so hard. I can't count how many times a day he makes me laugh and it would just break my heart to realize that he wouldn't around to do that anymore. I tried to be strong for him. I don't want him to worry about me, but sometimes I think I failed.

More than anything in this last couple weeks I've realized how perfect he is for me. I knew this before, but when you're put in a situation like this it sheds a new light on things.

Family members were able to wait for a couple hours in the motor pool before they left, a blessing and a curse. Nothing is worse than anticipation. It's hard to enjoy your time together when such a crappy moment is about to come up. I've been dreading this day. I wanted to see him off, but I secretly didn't want to be there stuck in a motor pool for hours dwelling on him leaving. I didn't think I could handle it. I didn't want to break down in front of a bunch of people. 

But it wasn't like that at all. He wouldn't let it be like that. It's not in his personality. He made it so much easier for me, I think, without even knowing. It wasn't filled with tears. He made me smile. He talk-sang 'Call Me Maybe'. We played Angry Birds and talked like it was any other day. I enjoyed the time with him. It was exactly what I needed.

Hugging him for the last time (for a long time) was hard. Watching him drive off on the bus was the hardest thing I think I've ever done. Everything inside of me didn't want him to go. But if it has to be this way I'm glad he's gone because the quicker he leaves the quicker he comes back.

I'm ready to countdown the days until he comes home.

Baby, you are always in my heart.

Volksfest

This past Friday the volksfest came to town. Most major towns in Germany have a certain time of the year, every year, when the volksfest comes. I didn't have a clear idea of what it was going to be like and when we first walked in I was like "oh this is just like the Coastal Carolina fair at home", kind of disappointed.  It has the typical rides like a ferris wheel, swings, and the scrambler, but then I realized that's where the similarities ended. The food, oh my goodness, THE FOOD! Although it's nice to have a deep-fried Twinkie and Oreo back home, I think I'll take a German pretzel the size of my face any day of the week! 

RC and I went the opening night and enjoyed liters of Festbier, pretzels, white chocolate covered strawberries, and gelato. Then just a few days later my parents came to town and we went again! There were so many different kinds of food that I think we could eat there again the next couple nights, and I wouldn't complain. :)

I should also note there was still a lot of traditional German flair! People wore lederhosen and dirndls. There was a huge tent with rows and rows of tables. Inside they had a German band (that played Sweet Home Alabama WHILE wearing lederhosen. Don't get me started! I'm still not used to their obsession with American music.), restaurant style food, and a pole in the middle of the tent where if you climb to the top and ring the bell you drink for free all night.

I had to ask myself...

I had to ask myself, why haven't I been blogging?

I have completely abandoned my blog. It's something I wanted to keep up with to document our life, and then I realized... at this moment in time, "our life" isn't exactly what I want it to be. 

We are newlyweds and apart. RC isn't with me, and hasn't been since 6 days after our wedding [check that! since May 21st]. I spent a wonderful honeymoon with him, and then the Army took him away. We are newlyweds and apart. 

This isn't what I want our life to be, but in this moment, this IS what our life is. I can't put it on hold. Life is not perfect, and never will be perfect. There will probably be a rare few moments where my life is "presentable" for the blog world, and that's okay. 

So here I am blog world! Here is my often messy but ALWAYS beautiful life. 

Words to the wise...

"You're life is right now! It's not later!

It's not in that of retirement. It's not when the lover gets here.

It's not when you've moved into the new house. It's not when you get the better job.

Your life is right now.

It will always be right now.

You might as well decide to start enjoying your life right now,

because it's not going to get better than right now-until it gets better right now!"

-Esther Hicks

Flashback Friday

"Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that change your life forever."

Back in the summer of 2007 I took a trip to Atlanta with this studly kid I'd had a crush on since middle school. I had no idea that trip would be the catalyst for our relationship and that just a few months later we would start dating. Look how young we look and all of RC's hair! 

My One and Only

I am so blessed to have him in my life. 

When I am overwhelmed with school he is supporting and understanding. 

He prays for me, encourages me, and has more faith in me than I have in myself. 

My successes are because of him.

I pray that I can be a wife that is supporting.

I pray that I can be a wife that is understanding of what the Army calls him to do.

(Even if that means he is miles away from home and in danger.)

I pray that I am encouraging in all of his aspirations. 

And I pray that he always knows I believe in him.

But mostly, I pray that I can become the wife he deserves.