Alaska, part deux

(first Alaska picture from Josh)

I got to talk to Josh on Saturday for a few minutes and was able to get a small update. So far, Josh has not gotten anything. He's sad, I'm happy. =) What was I going to do with a goat anyway?

They hunted mountain goat until Friday, which Josh said was very physically taxing. Lots of climbing up mountainside, over rock, and apparently they slept on a cliff. As he described it, if either one of them had rolled or moved an inch, one or both of them would have gone over the ledge.

Fantastic.

The past couple of days they were going fishing for some kind of salmon, but not the kind that he would bring home I guess.

Tomorrow starts bear season, so they're going out to "get a bear." We'll see how that goes. I just hope he doesn't want to stuff it and keep it in the apartment. It does not go with my "Coffee Cafe" decor. At all. I mean, I guess if it was an "Alaskan Coffee Cafe"... but I digress.

Overall, he says he loves it up there. I can't wait to see more pictures (guess my camera is OK so far...) - he says it's gorgeous, which is obvious from the above picture, and the weather has been great.

4 more days!

Josh, Kim & Abby

Back to School Time

Josh is going into his 2nd to last semester of college to earn his A.A. degree. Actually, classes started last Wednesday, but as you all know, he's in Alaska.

Because of this, I get to be a student again and log in to all his classes. Being that they're mostly online, you have to log in a certain amount of times or else you're considered a "no show," and some professors also require a welcome email, which I had to send. If you don't do these 2 required things, professors can drop you from a class.

I also skimmed all the syllabi (or, syllabuses), looked through the teachers' welcome emails, glanced over the calendars, and made sure I knew what was due before he gets back next Friday. I've got a couple assignments due on Wednesday and Thursday.

This also means I have to go over to campus and buy books at the bookstore. I LOVE buying books. This was my favorite part about a college semester's beginning. No, I have no idea why. The lines are always super long and I'm very impatient sometimes (ya ya... I know). But I still love it. And I love buying school supplies. Binders and dividers, pens and pencils, filing systems, planners... all of it.

In fact, I love that I'm getting to do all this for him, PLUS the classwork. Which is odd. Being that I really, really disliked college, and wanted to get out as soon as possible - thus I graduated in 3 years.

But here I am, excited to read all about his classes, wanting to get organized and make to-do lists... I never thought I would miss school or college. Ever. But somehow, at some point, I started to miss learning. I love to read, I love to organize. I still hate tests, but I love to research and write papers. I should have been an English major.

I've been thinking about going back for my graduate degree. After this week, I really have a strong desire for it. Josh and I have talked about me getting an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) but I really hate Business classes. I'd really rather get a graduate degree in something else that I'm interested in if I could, but most other programs are all on-campus. MBA's can be done completely online, which is what I need.

Time will tell. Several things would have to happen before I decided to go back to school. One of which is financial aid. But, I have been researching education funding available through the Army for spouses, and have found one that I qualify for even though Josh is stateside.

Lots of decisions... but at least I'm excited about the possibility of going back to school. Never thought I would be. Josh is just excited to be almost done... I remember that feeling too!

Josh, Kim and Abby

Robyn's Bridal Shower

Six months to the day from when Robyn served as my Maid of Honor, I got to throw Robyn her first shower for her wedding in October.

I was so excited about this - Robyn and I have been friends since we were 8 years old and promised each other back then we'd be each other's Maids of Honor. We've been looking forward to this for a long time, and I wanted it to be perfect, special, and really meaningful.

Robyn and Brian's honeymoon will most likely be a week trip to tour California's wine country, including Napa Valley, etc. So, we tied in a wine theme to the shower and used our favorite colors blue and orange. (go gators.)

I did a ton of DIY decor, just like our wedding, and we used almost every idea that each bridesmaid had. We had wine glass lamps (courtesy of Martha Stewart) on the tables, tissue paper pom poms from the ceiling, a wine tasting table that included home made sangria, all her favorite foods on the lunch menu, black and white with a pop of blue pictures hanging around the room...
I also did a Wishing Well for her that consisted of recipe cards submitted by each guest, which I put into a Vera Bradley binder with dividers, and "Kitchen Gadgets" (like a potato masher, lettuce knife, pie gate, etc.) that we put into a home made kitchen sink one of the bridesmaids made (so she got everything and the kitchen sink lol). Her guest book was two wine bottles (one for family, one for friends) that each guest signed. These will be turned into wine bottle lamps for her to use as decoration in her new home.
...and for favors, hand-painted wine glasses (that we baked, so you can use them like a normal glass) with home-made fortune cookies (with custom fortunes inside) in baggies tied with ribbon.
There are lots of stories that led up to the shower, but the one most worth sharing pertains to the fortune cookies, and my lovely dog Abigail. I was not good at making the fortune cookies. It took me two batches, which should have made 70, to only get 35 good ones worth serving to the guests.

After a horrible day at work on Friday, my mom met me at my apartment to help transport all the shower stuff to the hotel and help me decorate. Once I got up the stairs, I noticed my little baggies, empty, all...over...the apartment. Abby had eaten 24 of the 35 cookies I finished. The night before the shower. Good times.

The shower was lots of work for every bridesmaid, but we were all really proud of the outcome. This was a great group of girls I got to work with. And most of all, Robyn loved it, so we were happy.

Kim & Abby

Alaska

I took Josh to the airport yesterday for the start of his Alaska trip. He'll be up there for 2 weeks with Brett, his good friend from the Army, hunting mountain goat and either brown or black bear, I keep forgetting which lol. Either way, he's excited. Brett is from Alaska, so he's able to go hunting without a guide, which would cost them thousands of dollars (that we don't have). And, he actually got himself a bear a couple years ago, so that's encouraging.

No, I didn't go with Josh.
Yes, he did ask me if I wanted to, but I quickly learned that I would have to sleep outside for the entire 2 weeks under a tarp on the side of a mountain... Not my idea of a good time.

He had a 12 hour layover in Seattle last night before heading on to Alaska, and although I haven't talked to him, his Facebook status tells me that he had to sleep on a bench by the Alaska Air counter last night. At least he packed his sleeping bag in his carryon! He got to Alaska about noon our time today.

It was a weird feeling being at the airport with him yesterday. I did my usual thing and watched him go through security, waited until he put his shoes and socks and belt back on, and then we waived one last time before he disappeared into the tram alcove. I say it was "usual" because Josh and I have been through this scene so many times before, and it brought back so many flashbacks - of him leaving me after visiting Florida, of me leaving him after visiting Fayetteville, of him leaving to go back to Iraq after R&R ...

I had to verbally remind myself that this time was finally different. This was the first time he was leaving to go on a fun trip, he'd only be gone 2 weeks, we're MARRIED, he wasn't leaving for Iraq... lol.

Wow. I don't miss those days one bit.

Hopefully I'll be able to update about his trip. But, I'm not expecting to get many calls, as there's little cell service up there, and once they're in the woods there's no where to charge a phone anyway!

If all else fails, I'll know in 2 weeks if we need to buy another freezer. I need to start looking up goat and bear recipes. You think they go good with artichokes?

Just kidding dear.

Josh, Kim & Abby

Hall of Fame Weekend

Josh ended up having an awesome weekend! I really am so happy he got to go on this trip... He met so many famous people I lost count. Troy Aikman, Jim Kelly, Jerry Jones (the owner of the Dallas Cowboys), all the new Hall of Fame inductees, other Hall of Famers, the singer of the halftime show... he can tell you more. He was texting me all weekend with updates on who he'd met, where he'd been, and what he'd done - laughing because he had no idea he'd be able to do all that. He actually got to watch the game from the field Sunday night, by the end zone on the Tennessee side.

He felt so privileged to be up there and it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

He did 2 flyovers in his Blackhawk, along with a Chinook and an Apache. They did this once during the National Anthem before the Induction Ceremony, and once during the same time before the Hall of Fame Game on Sunday. We had our DVR's set so we wouldn't miss those....

Both ESPN and NBC did not air the flyovers. He thinks he may be able to get a copy of the flyover videos, which would be nice to have. They also didn't air the part when they announced each soldier on the middle of the field, including Josh, during the 3rd quarter... I so wish I had been there!

Josh and his guys did static displays too, where the public could come up to the helicopters and see them, ask questions, and meet the soldiers.

A Canton, Ohio reporter has already written an article about the three Army aircraft that were involved with this weekend, complete with interviews of the pilots, a picture of their flyover, and a space for comments about the article from readers.

Here's Josh's flyover. He's the first helicopter in the line.
And (he's going to kill me for this), but the following was the very first comment written in response to the article. I absolutely love my husband more everyday because of things like this. Keep reading to the end of the excerpt.

emerald5 12 hours ago

We live down the road from Fawcett/Don Scott and were over looking at the choppers at least 3 times a day since they landed.
Those men were so wonderful to our son (and daughter, who is one, but she didn't want much to do with it all until Sunday).
His favorite was the Black Hawk. He had met his 'Buddy' on Friday and every time we went back this wonderful young man took the time to show this little wide eyed 3 year old all the ins and outs of the Black Hawk. We were so appreciative that we sent the men some pizza and pop Sunday afternoon from Lindsey's Pizza.
From what I understand, they loved it. Enough, that when they landed after the fly-by at game time, when the gates were shut to the public, one of the men came over to my husband and took T.J. from him saying, 'Let's go see your buddy'. After being over with them one last time, his buddy Mr. Touchton gave T.J. one of their troop badges. I came home and framed it right away!
Again, this is our favorite part of HOF week!

" type="hidden">

"For my family, this is the best part of the HOF week.
We have a 3 year old that adores these men and the helicopters that they fly. We live down the road from Fawcett/Don Scott and were over looking at the choppers at least 3 times a day since they landed.
Those men were so wonderful to our son (and daughter, who is one, but she didn't want much to do with it all until Sunday).
His favorite was the Black Hawk. He had met his 'Buddy' on Friday and every time we went back, this wonderful young man took the time to show this little wide-eyed 3 year old all the ins and outs of the Black Hawk. We were so appreciative that we sent the men some pizza and pop Sunday afternoon from Lindsey's Pizza.
From what I understand, they loved it. Enough, that when they landed after the fly-by at game time, when the gates were shut to the public, one of the men came over to my husband and took T.J. from him saying, 'Let's go see your buddy'.
After being over with them one last time, his buddy, Mr. Touchton, gave T.J. one of their troop badges. I came home and framed it right away!
Again, this is our favorite part of HOF week! "

My husband and his fellow soldiers inspire me. I'm so proud of him and of them. I guarantee that little boy will never forget Josh, and maybe one day he'll grow up to be an Army helicopter pilot or crew chief, just like him.

Josh, Kim & Abby

"Are there artichokes in that?"

I'm not a bad cook. I can follow a recipe really well, and I even spice them up every once in awhile with things not on the recipe card, and it turns out really good. I like trying new things because I'm not a picky eater, and I like getting Josh to try new things because he is a picky eater. Sometimes I make recipes that include food items he doesn't like, but they are masked so he doesn't know they're in there. One day I'll burst his bubble about not liking cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise, because those are in a bunch of stuff he now likes. ;)

But, I am bad about trying to make dishes from memory if I don't feel like digging out the recipe or I can't locate it at the time. If I'm cooking just for me, this is fine, because even if I don't get it quite right, I'll still eat it. But, I've recently learned that if I do this for Josh, I better be confident about the recipe.

So I was trying to make my favorite Rosemary Artichoke Chicken for Josh and I. It's an awesome dish... if I do it correctly. But we were in a hurry and I couldn't find the recipe, so I tried to do it from memory. It did not turn out awesome this time. I admit that.

This was about 3 weeks ago. Since then, everything I tell Josh I'm going to make is followed by the question "Are there artichokes in that?" Minestrone chicken, spaghetti, Cuban black beans and yellow rice, sloppy joes... I get the same question. He smirks when he asks me this, so I know he does it playfully. And I do laugh, but I wish I wouldn't have messed up that one recipe. I singlehandedly added artichokes to his list of foods he won't eat.

I know these are the types of stories I'll be telling my children about in the future, preparing them for their first year of marriage. Things you have to learn about each other, what to do, what not to do. I now know to never make a recipe from memory, or I add to my husband's "Do Not Eat" list.

I made him promise to try Rosemary Artichoke Chicken one more time when I make it the correct way, and he said he would.

Hopefully he likes it next time. I don't know exactly how I'd be able to hide artichokes in other dishes and not have him notice....

Josh, Kim & Abby

Josh gets all the fun stuff...

He's in Ohio. Made it safely. Tomorrow starts all the NFL festivities and he already got his passes to be able to go on the football fields... I'm totally jealous. lol

And then he has me guess where he's staying. That either means it's really really bad, or really really good. Like the Ramanda they stayed at in West Virginia... or the Gaylord in Nashville.

I said I had no idea where he was staying, and he told me the Quaker Square Inn. Well, I instantly assumed this was really bad... what kind of name is that anway? It's definitely not in the Hilton or Marriott family.

Well, apparently this is actually very cool, because the Quaker Square Inn used to be a working Quaker Oats factory. He was reading the in-room directory information to me about it... all excited... Josh loves anything historical like this. All the rooms are in what used to be the factory's silos, so they are perfect 24-foot-in-diameter circles.

I pulled it up online, and the pictures are really neat. I would have really enjoyed seeing this and staying there.
I think he's really going to enjoy this weekend, despite the long flight up there, and the delays.

They had engine problems on the way up and had to land in Savannah for repairs, which set them back four hours. But, the happy coincidence is that Josh was able to see Matt while on the ground in Savannah. That's where he, Toni and Breezy are stationed, and Josh's helicopter landed right by Matt's hangar. Matt is a Blackhawk pilot who was one of Josh's groomsmen in the wedding. Josh has known their family for years, and even took Breezy (whose real name is Brianne) on "dates" when she was a baby. He loves that little girl.

2004

2009

Tonight after dinner, Josh and his crew were going to a meeting to get all the info for tomorrow's events, and he sounded excited about it. I hoped once he got there everything would be fun and worth the time it took to get there, and it seems like that's the case so far.

Have fun dear!

Josh, Kim & Abby

Joshua 1:9

^"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

I try very hard not to be paranoid about my safety. I was raised to be aware of my surroundings, but not live in fear. I'm home alone quite often with Josh out of town, and I lived by myself for over a year prior to us getting married. I go line-dancing in a not-so-safe part of town (Josh hates that by the way... both the line dancing, and the part of town), but I never walk alone. And Josh and I definitely take precautions to ensure we are safe - God help the person who would break into our apartment. It would certainly be their last.

But I have to tell you, when things like the Pennsylvania Fitness Club Shooting happen, I struggle for a few days because it hits so close to home. If you haven't heard about it, last night this normal-looking guy in his 40's walked right into a Latin dance aerobics class full of women and opened fire. He killed at least 3 women, injured 9 others, and then turned the gun on himself.

I've recently started going back to the gym 4 times a week. I feel I need to get back into shape and loose the weight I gained after the wedding. My favorite way to get cardio in since I absolutely hate cardio, are the group classes. I do Body Jam, which is like hip hop dance routines (completely fun) and Yoga/Pilates. I thoroughly enjoy them both, and they really, really work for me.

I've never once worried about being safe in a gym class. A gym class? Really? Now I do certainly pay attention on my way in and out of the gym, because sometimes it's dark out and I'm usually by myself. But never once have I thought about being on the alert while participating in one of my classes.

At the moment, I feel like we women are not safe anywhere anymore. And I hate that feeling. I hate that I feel that way. It means I'm succumbing to fear. I am not a paranoid person.

God gave us wisdom to keep ourselves out of dangerous situations, but He does allow bad things to happen. God will also never give us more than we can handle. And, I firmly believe everything happens for a reason. We cannot live in fear of the "what if." We take precautions, be as wise about situations as we possibly can be, and live life. Everything else is in God's hands, and He is always with us, wherever we go.

And even though I know all that, I still somehow missed my class tonight. Yes, I was late leaving work and there was no way I'd make it in time, but I hope I didn't subconsciously do it on purpose.

I'll be back there tomorrow night for Yoga. Can't miss another class, I really do love them. But I think I'll be claiming a spot by the exit door for awhile.

Kim

"See ya later"

So the original plan for this weekend was for me to drive down and spend it with him since it's Drill. I haven't been to Clearwater in months, and we were both looking forward to getting away for a couple days, even though he'd have to work. At least I'd be there and we wouldn't go another 2 weeks without seeing each other.

Come to find out, Josh and his unit are flying up to Ohio on Thursday to be involved with the NFL Hall of Fame weekend. They will be doing a static display, a flyover of the parade, and a flyover of the actual ceremonies. They'll be on NBC and everything... I thought this was pretty neat and just a little bit of a big deal... but Josh is less than thrilled because it just means a 9 hour helicopter ride there and back. If Ohio was closer, he'd be super excited.

So there go our plans. Again. He left this morning at 5 a.m.
As he kissed me on the forehead I said "See you in two weeks." And as he walked out the door, he said to me "See ya later."

Even at those wee hours of the morning, I remembered how those phrases, or variations of them, used to bother me, because I didn't understand. He started saying it to me lots when he was deployed. I smiled as I remembered complaining how impersonal it was for him to say "See ya" to me, his girlfriend. I'm more important than a "See ya," aren't I??

It took me awhile, but I came to understand that it wasn't about Josh saying "See ya" to me, it was about him never saying "Good bye" to me. It's always, "See ya later." Thus, the reason it started during deployment. He would see me again, and soon. It wasn't good bye.

I appreciate this now, and I love the thought he puts into what he says to me. Don't get me wrong, we do say bye to each other on the phone or if I'm headed to work... but whenever he leaves for a period of time, it's always "See ya later."

And I always smile. But boy, September can't come soon enough. We're tired of having to say it.

Josh, Kim & Abby

P.S. Look for Josh on NBC this weekend during the NFL Hall of Fame!!

Tomato!

I grew something! I really grew something! Yay.

Here's my tomato:
I think it's one of the cherry tomato plants because it hasn't grown any bigger. Guess I'm going to need to pick it. What do you do with one cherry tomato? lol

Anyway. I was excited. Josh is actually the one who found it, and I'm out there every day and missed it. There's lots of other flowers on those plants I had seen, but totally missed the tomato.

I guess Josh can have the Miracle Grow back now... it actually worked.

Josh, Kim & Abby