Happy early Birthday Andrew!

In one week its my husbands birthday. Im blogging about his birthday so early because of two reasons. 1. Next week we will be in Dallas celebrating his birthday and I wont be near a computer, and 2. I gave Andrew his birthday presents today so he could enjoy them this weekend since we will be gone.

This year I spoiled my husband because he deserved it after all the hard work he has done and is still doing. Before Andrew left for bmt, I made him get rid of his PS3 because I wasnt going to play it. If he sold it, I  made a deal with him that I would get him one for his birthday. Time went on and things came up and I told Andrew that he wasnt going to be getting a PS3. Little did he know I already bought one and to go with it, I was a good wife and even pre ordered the ultimate package of Modern Warfare 3. He has been ranting about this game for weeks and how he has to have it so I gave in and ordered one. I wanted to do something different and new this year and since Dallas is about a 4 hour drive, there was no way I was going to pick up a cake and hide it in the trunk praying he wouldnt find it. So I spiced things up a little and went to this really cute cookie shop on the corner called Cookie desings and ordered a Cookie bouquet (These bakers can do anything with a cookie lol). If you know Andrew, you know he LOVES cookies. So they designed a cute Happy Birthday cookie basket. Andrew was shocked when he walked in the door and saw the ps3, the cookies, and the new tranformers movie. I say I did pretty good. After a long week of work and paying the bills, we can kick back together and watch blu-ray and play video games. Sounds like the perfect weekend. These days are the days I live for! <3

Ten things about my Soldier!

1. He LOVES to fish. If he could fish all day everyday, he would.
2. He hates skinny jeans and v-neck shirts.
3. Serves for the United States Air Force.
4. Obsessed with Modern Warfare (soon to be the third).
5. Can move his hips like Shakira (Dont take this dirty).
6. Loves everything Ford. Mostly trucks.
7. Family man. Cant wait to start a family.
8. Hes a really good cook and he loves to grill.
9. He's terrified of deep water.
10. Wants to become a pilot and fly the fighter jets.

Trading time for Dog Tags and Combat Boots!

I was on the phone with one of my friends today who's husband just left for basic today. I sure do not miss those days. She called me up for advice about what I did when Andrew was gone to basic, so this post is for her.

For people who know me while growing up in my high school days, I was never really alone. I was one of those girls who was wrapped up in boyfriends and I loved the attention. I wish back then I realized there were more to being a teenager then stupid boys. I didnt allow myself to grow up and find out who I really was. But I wouldnt change it because all the mistakes I made and the boys I dated, made me who I am now and through all that mess, I found Andrew. The point I'm trying to make is that I have never been alone so when Andrew left, I never felt more alone in my life. I lost my best friend. Maybe not having that attention all of the time might've made bmt a little easier.

May 30 was the last day I got to spend with Andrew before he took off. That night was probably the worst yet best night I've ever had. Andrew really opened up to me and we both cried ourselves to sleep because it was my last night being in his arms for a couple months. Unfortunately morning came and I had to drive Andrew to Idaho Falls where a bus would pick him up to take him to Butte for processing. Saying goodbye and watching him walk away was really hard for me. I remember watching him walk away and I looked back at his mom and told her "I will never see that Andrew again." Which was true. Andrew came back a totally different person from when he left. I had one hour drive back to Pocatello and that was the longest drive. Thankfully I was able to text and talk to him for one more night.

June 1st came and Andrew arrived at Lackland. It was 3 a.m. when I got the worst phone call. It was Andrew reading me a post card with his address that I would be recieving in about a week. The worst part of that phone call was all the yelling I could hear in the background. This is when I lost it because he read what he was suppose to and then hung up and I knew from that time on I wouldnt hear from Andrew for awhile. I didnt hear from him for about 2 weeks. The fisrt two week during this process is the hardest. I would not leave my room and never got myself cleaned up. It felt more like I was grieving for Andrew like he was dead. It was hard just thinking he was at boot camp. As much as people would like to argue with me, while your loved one is going through bmt, you are also going through training as well. It wasnt as hard as what Andrew went through but bmt is a physical, mental, and an emotional training. It took a toll on me in all categories. I stopped eating, I was crying all the time (no exaggeration), and my heart was literally brocken. I did not feel like myself. I was alone and not sure what to do with myself. It doesnt take a toll on just the spouse. It takes a toll on everyone who is close to the trainee but it effects mostly the spouse and the mother. I was lucky enough to have Andrews sister Brittany and Tylan stay with me and I always had Cooper. Without them I probably would've gone into depression and lost myself. People who are reading this are probably thinking Im being over dramatic but I kid you not, being a military wife is hard. There are only a handful of women who can do this. Only women who have gone through this and are going through it right now can only relate to how it really feels. But I owe a lot to Brittany and Tylan. They always made me feel secure and they listened to me rant about some of the things I hated about bmt and they would always let me cry on there shoulder. I realized that I needed to start picking myself up and to be strong for Andrew because I knew thats what he would want me to do. I began writing. I wrote Andrew a letter and sometimes 3 letters a day. At the end of bmt and gave me 113 letters. Bmt is only 65 days. Come to find out I love to write and it made me feel close to Andrew. I would tell him about my days and how I was feeling. I also sent him lots of pictures to put a smile on his face. I began researching, keeping myself busy and then I met some three amazing women on afwingmoms (Facebook Air Force BMT website) who's husbands and boyfriend were in Andrews flight meaning they were interaccting with Andew.

These three women helped me out the most. Going through this expierence, you need people who are going through it with you because you can relate and talk about stuff that is bothering you. It was a good support system we had going on. We would stay up all night talking on facebook or over skype. We would talk about our husbands or ourselfs. We all became really close and we were there for each other through the bad and good days. We would always jump on skype when one of us got a letter and we would show each other how long it was. I knew everyday I could call or text one of these girls and they would be there for me and just let me talk.

At this point, I started recieving phone calls and letters from Andrew. The first call I got after that dreadful postcard call, was one of the best and most emotional. It was so great to hear his voice and to hear that he was ok. After that I recieved a phone call every week. Sadly they were all 10-15 minute calls but trust me it was better then nothing. His calls and letters were what kept me going through the week and as time went by, I got stronger and things got a lot easier. This was the first time and longest time I have ever been away from Andrew since we first got together, 3 years ago so this was really hard and I learned a lot about myself when he was away. Gloom June finally past and it was July. Halfway mark. This is when time really started flying by and I started planning my trip down to San Antonio, Tx for Andrews graduation. I tried to make planning this trip take up most of my day. I researched everything, I even made a cute shirt for the airman's run.

During July I kept writing and kept telling myself it was going to be over soon and the wait was worth it. On afwingmoms, I kept seeing posts of women at graduation telling all of us all the crying and waiting was worth it. Were they right? Yes they were. Graduation came and I was moments away from seeing my airman. Me and the ladies were sitting by each other pointing out our husands and waiting anxiously for the guy over the speaker to tell us we can "tap out" our Airman. Me and the girls got really good seats so we were one of the first to hug our men. When I hugged Andrew for the first time, all the crying and sleepless nights were worth it. Bmt made us grow as a person and as a couple. We reconnected instantly. I never thought I could love someone as much as I loved him but still today my love for him is still growing. I am so lucky to have such a honorable man in my life. He has sacrificed so much to be where he is today and I am so proud of him and his accomplishments.
Would I ever want to go through bmt again?! No, but I wish every girl could expierence what me and the other military wifes go through because military is tough and sometimes unfair but in the end its worthwhile and those are the days I live for! <3

Everything is bigger in Texas.

It has been 2 months since bmt graduation and a lot has happened since then. Andrew went on to tech school in San Angelo. Unfortunately I had to say goodbye to him again after graduation and go back to our home in Pocatello, Idaho. I thought saying goodbye the first time was hard. Nothing can compare to how upset I was watching him walk away for the second time.

It was 3 a.m. Texas time and I was heading to the airport later that morning. (Note this is 6 hours after I said goodbye to Andrew) My phone goes off and the first thing Im thinking is "who is texting me this late at night?" I looked at the screen and for the first time in 2 months, it was a text from Andrew telling me he loved me and he was off for San Angelo. We text most of the morning during his 4 hour bus ride from San Antonio. I thought to myself I can get used to this.  But people like my family who have listened to me complain because once I got one thing, I wanted more. It went from wanting a phone call or a letter from him to just wanting to hug him and see his face. Then during graduation I just wanted him to stay with me all the time and then to hurry and move me down to Texas. I felt very selfish for wanting more after I got my way. Anyways, tech school is like college. The nice thing is Andrew is getting paid for learning. Andrew is in tech school for 6 months and he has 5 months left to go. By the time he is done he will have an associate degree. Andrew got to San Angelo August 1. They put the students in dorms with roomates. He was here for about 3 weeks until I was finally able to move to Texas to be with him.

Me, my dad, and Colby drove my car from Idaho to Texas. That is a 24 hour drive. On top of a long drive, I had Cooper with me. For people who dont know who Cooper is, he is mine and Andrews dog. Hes an Alaskan Malamute (like a husky but bigger) but dont let his size fool you because he is the sweetest dog you'll ever meet.. Hes a huge snow dog and him and hot weather do not go good together. Texas is a great place for a dog like him right? Wrong he was panting the whole drive down. San Angelo has hit over 100 degrees for over 60 days so Cooper was not excited for the hot weather. When I arrived I had to stay in base lodging until I found a house. About a week after being here, I was lucky enough to find us a decent home for a very good price. I have lived here for almost a month now and I love it. I say I live here because Andrew doesnt exactky live with me yet. All I can say is the military is very complicated and they take there time. Im lucky enough to see him everyday and have weekends with him here.

I get a lot of people who ask me how I like it here and if I miss Idaho. Texas is very different from Idaho. There are no mountains, it is very flat. Its pure desert out here and the heat is very difficult to handle at times. There are some things I miss about Idaho like the mountains. I miss my family of course and I cant wait to see everyone once again. I miss the weather and the quietness of the country. San Angelo is not very big. It has an Ogden, Utah feel to it but everyday and night sirens are going off or people have there music up so loud it shakes the house when they drive by. Im not saying this area is horrible to live in because its not and I love to travel and see new places so Im excited to see where the Air Force takes us. One thing I dont miss is the spiders and boxelder bugs climbing on the outside fo the house. I dont even think box elder bugs exist in Texas and I have not seen a spider since I moved here. Instead of bugs climbiing on the house, we have geckos. :) Some of you are probably thinking what the heck am I talking about?  I have found two geckos climbing on the outside of our house. I thought it was very random having lizards climb on your house but out here its very common.

This is where me and Andrew are today, I will probably type alot of blogs mostly because I love to write and to keep family updated on whats going on in our lifes.

Where it all began!

I will do a quick recap on how me and Andrew first got together. We went to school together and we started dating our Junior year, so three years ago. I guess that makes us high school sweethearts <3. We've been together since. Andrew is my best friend and I know he will always have my back. 

We got married April 29th of this year. We have been married for almost 5 months. I have only spent just a little over 2 months with husband since we have been married. Andrew left for BMT (Basic Military Training) June 1 for the Air Force. A month after we got married. He was gone for 8.5 weeks and during those 8 weeks I learned a lot about myself and our relationship. We grew together as a couple and as a person. I'm not saying bmt was not hard because it was the hardest thing we have both gone through. It tested our relationship. I only recieved a 10 minute phone call from Andrew once a week and maybe a letter every other week if I was lucky. But I realized what was really important in life. The short phone calls and one paragraphed letters kept me going through the long weeks that never seemed to end. Along the journey I was lucky enough to meet some amazing women who's husband and boyfriend were in Andrews flight. They knew what I was going through and we had long facebook chats and skypes every night talkking about our husbands and us as a person. It was hard for me to open up to my family and friends because no one could relate with me and how I was feeling. You can tell someone you know how they are feeling but in this situation you could not even imagine what military wifes go through. The only way you could relate is go through it yourself. I'm making this sound like it was a horrible expiernce because it wasnt. It was very humbling. It taught me what was really important and to appreciate the little things. Well the 8.5 weels past and graduation day finally came. I woke up early July 26 and took off to San Antonio to see my soon to be Airman.

I remember the day perfectly. How I felt the first time I made eye contact with Andrew for the first time in 2 months. Before they do a little ceremony to make the trainees officially Airman, they do what they call an "Airmans Run". This is where all the trainees who are graduationg run together in their flight while loved ones watch from the side. This is where I saw Andrew for the first time. It was the hardest thing for me to not just jump out and grab him and never let go. Of course I did not do that because I would have gotten Andrew in big trouble so I patiently had to wait for the coin ceremony to tap him out. (Tap out is putting Airman at ease with a hug) The time came to where I can finally hug him. I was one of the first women to reach there airman in his flight. I ran up to him and gave him a quick hug and he pulled me back and gave me the sweetest kiss. At that moment all the crying  and lonlieness I felt for the past 8 weeks were worth it. We spent the weekend at the zoo and sea world and just spending time together. Reconnecting. It was one of the best weekends in my life. The Air Force made Andrew into a man. He left as a boy and came back as an airman. I am so proud of him and what he has accomplished. I'm the luckiest girl in the world to have married my husband, my airman, and my hero.