Sending him all my love

"When it rains it reminds me of you. Although 2000 miles away is so far away, I still always walk outside in the rain and kiss it just for you. It never fails me. The rain will always come and I'll always love you. The next time you see a storm on the horizon, don't worry, it's just heaven doing me the favor of taking you my kiss. Walk outside and kiss the rain whenever you need me."

One of the only good things I have found in a deployment, is the opportunity to creat CARE PACKAGES!!!!!  YAY!  This is when my creativity battles between being the most annoying characteristic of my personality, and being my best friend during a lonely time.  I tend to find myself in a constant googling obsession to see what other military wives (or girlfriends/fiances) do with their packages.  And although, I have found tons of great ideas on the web, I still struggle with finding unique things that most people wouldn't think to do, and that is where my creativity kicks in.  So this is for those of you ladies (or even gents) who are curious as to what a lonely, thick headed, and unusual military spouse comes up with for a Valentines Day Package.  Complete with a list of the goodies I've packed tight into 2 large Flat Rate boxes as well as pictures to feed that hunger in your curious brains!

5  16oz (1 pint) jars of  super delish CAKE IN A JAR  http://baking.about.com/od/giftideas/ss/canningjarcakes.htm
**These were decorated with cut fabric, rubber bands, ribbon, and recipe tags all purchased at Walmart**
1 sealed canister of cream cheese frosting (hubbys favorite)
plastic spoons
Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Cotton Candy
Sweetheart Candy
Ring Pops
Fabric Rose (sprayed with some of my perfume)
Custom made boxers with a picture  http://www.vistaprint.com/
Card (also custom made on vistaprint.com)
White Stuffed VDay Teddy Bear
Inflateable Kissy Lips
VDay Puzzle
Red Hots
Sunflower Seeds
Beef Jerky
Mini Mailbox filled with lollipops
Recording of me singing ot him (with a sappy cryfest at the end telling him how much love and miss him)
His favorite hat
Wind Up heart shaped toy
Nerd Candies
Deck of Playing Cards
Pillow Case with my perfume
Custom Made Calendar (http://www.vistaprint.com/)


Hope you enjoy, and good luck with your packages!!!

Today is that Day.

If there were ever any doubt as to whether or not my husband and I were intended to be together by some greater force, today is the day that God cleared things up for us!  Have you ever had moments in your life, where you just knew (without a shadow of a doubt) that God had his hand on you, and has had his hand on you the whole time?  This was one of those moments for my husband and I. Here is a little history on what I'm talking about. When I first created this blog a little over 2 weeks ago, I posted that my husband had lost his wedding ring. He is on deployment in the horn of Africa, and is building a school over there.  One day while sifting about 5 truck loads of dirt and getting the work area prepared for the beginnings of their project, he lost his ring when he removed his sweaty gloves.  After spending a good long while searching everywhere he could in the dirt for his wedding ring, he had to give me a call to let me know he had lost it.  He was so devastated, and it absolutely broke my heart as he kept apologizing for losing it.  I calmed him down, and reassured him that I was not upset, and that I would make sure that he would have a ring waiting on him when he returned home from deployment.  I had been looking online and found the same exact ring I bought him, and had decided I would buy it for him again, but I kept telling myself lets just wait until we've got all our bills paid this month just to be certain that we would have the money.  (I knew we had more than enough money in saving to cover just in case, but something just kept telling me, we really should wait). 
Fast forward to todays online conversation. It went a little something like this:

Husband:  GUESS WHAT GUESS WHAT
Me:  What?
Husband:  You are never going to believe what I found today
Me:  :) Uh, that you are coming home really really soon? (yes, i didn't read correctly, i thought he found something out....not found an item! hehehe)
Husband:  No. I found MY WEDDING RING!
Me:  WHAT?!?!?!?! 
Husband:  I was taking a drink at work today and i saw a perfect circle in the dirt and when I realized what it was I got butterflies all over in my stomach
Me: are you serious right now?

By the grace of God people, after 2 weeks of working at that same spot, raking dirt, kicking stuff around, walking around that whole area, working with rebar, etc. etc.  my husband was taking a break and grabbing something to drink and voila, his ring was just sitting there in the dirt.  The best part about it is, he picked it up and there is not a single scuff or scratch on it.  It is still in perfect condition and looks like it was never even lost!  Lets be real here.  Who loses their wedding ring in 5 truck loads of dirt in the middle of Ethiopia and finds it in perfect condition 2 weeks later?  Needless to say, it was made apparent to hubby and I that God indeed was there when we said "I Do" and He believes that the ring that I bought him was the ring that was meant to be on his finger.  I can't even begin to tell you the feeling that puts in my body.  If that is not a clear sign from God, that we are meant to be together and that He indeed has a hand on our relationship, then friend...I dont know what is!  If God can keep that ring there, just waiting on Matt to find it, then I can't wait to see what else He can do with our marriage!  In 2 days we will be celebrating our 3 month wedding anniversary.  (Yes, I realize I am a complete nut for counting the months, but when you have spent more time apart than together, you seem to count everything).  And although we will be on opposite sides of the world, I take great comfort in knowing that we aren't having to fight the world to stay strong together. We've got God on our side, and He isn't going to let anything seperate us.  Even loads and loads of dirt on the other side of the world!

Dear Deployment

Dear Deployment,

    In case you haven't heard this about me yet, I'm better than you.  You may have stolen my Seabee for the time being, but guess what....you didn't take my family and my support system!  He WILL be home with me soon (booo yah!) and there is nothing you can do about it.  You may make me cry, and feel weak some days.  You may make me pull my hair out from all the stress you cause, but you will NEVER take away my love.  You've got nothing on me.  And when these few months are over, say good bye for good, because he is all mine for the next 3 years.  I'll be sure to send you post cards from Italy.  I dont have to do this alone, and I'm not going to!  So bring it.  Show me what you've got, because my love for my husband is so much stronger than you will ever be!  So stick that in your juice box and suck it. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out!

Sincerely,
the proudest Seabee wife alive

Wreck It

For anyone out there that looks at this blog regularly, Sorry for not posting the past few days!  Do you ever get in those moods where you just dont feel like you have anything worth saying?  That's been me these past 3 or 4 days.  Between the rainy weather we've been having and my allergies driving me up a wall, I've just spent the past few days feeling sorry for myself and not bothering to "think" of anything worth posting.  UNTIL TODAY!

I told you guys about this book that I ordered on Amazon called Wreck This Journal.  Now most of you might think that maybe its a little childish....and I will admit, most people that might be attracted to it would probably be teens, BUT I also have heard of several other women doing this.  Its all just for fun, and could be a little bit of "therapy".  In this journal you do all sorts of things you would never do to a book.  Scribble in it, wipe your dirty feet on it, glue random objects to the pages, burn pages, put it in the shower, etc.  I've been waiting on this book to come in, and finally the UPS guy dropped it off on the front step this morning!  I am excited to start destroying this thing and taking pictures along the way!  I can finally be creative and do whatever I want, and still have them all bound together in one book!  What a better way to document the deployment?!  Ok, so maybe it is my inner teen coming out of me, but who cares, its gonna be fun! 

I will be posting pictures along the way, so look for them!

New Year's Resolutions....or LIFE Resolutions?

Every year since I have been old enough to know what it really meant to make New Years Resolutions, I have made them like many others, and then epically failed at sticking to them even for a month!  So this year I thought long and hard about what it was that I really wanted to do. And I've come to the realization that the only way I could really stick to something for a whole year was to make it something that would make a real difference in my life. Without becoming too personal and boring everyone with a story most people wouldn't care to hear about....I have decided to make a difference in my self esteem.  If you know me really well, you know that I tend to find myself less worthy of stuff than what I should. This has ultimately made having a substantial relationship difficult at times.  I have spent so many days asking myself how I got so lucky with my husband, but then turned around and convinced myself that my luck would soon run out and he would realize I'm not good enough and he could find someone better.  It really has become a very tiring and stupid habit that needs to be kicked. So, here they are:  my LIFE resolutions.  I mean, why do it for just a year?  Why not make it a life decision, and really turn things around for myself?

RESOLUTION #1:   Find a work out and eating routine that kicks my discomfort with my body and gets myself to a healthy weight that I can be proud of and not be ashamed to even let my husband see!   (I intend on going about this by not setting a specific diet or putting too much pressure on myself to make it to a certain goal by a certain time....but by changing my daily routine to where I wake up happy, and go to sleep feeling good about myself. I know most people reading this are probably thinking, so you want to lose weight and feel great by...doing what? Well, I will work out by playing with cooper in the back yard and taking him for walks.  Joining a yoga class, because I enjoy it. And Eating things like fruits and stuff I enjoy, but not forcing myself to eat things I dont like.  When I do that, I just give up.  So rather than do something I will end up giving up in a few weeks, I'm going simply change how much of it I eat and work out and stay busy more by doing active things that I enjoy.) 

RESOLUTION #2:  Tell myself I am God's Masterpiece every single day, and keep a journal of the things I LOVE ABOUT MYSELF!  (This is the one that is going to be the difficult one for me.  I plan to place sticky notes every room in the house that I spend a decent amount of time in that say "You are His Masterpiece."  That will give me at least a little bit of inspiration to think of something good about myself.  If God made me to be a masterpiece, then there has to be SOMETHING good about me, right?)

I've read so many bible studies in the past that has talked about God's masterpiece and us all being created in His perfect image. So why is it so difficult for me to comprehend that?  I honestly believe that the marriage between my husband and I was one that God created perfectly.  I will, instead of focusing on what I believe has been my luck, and start focusing on what it was that God created in all of His beauty.  Two people, perfectly in love, flaws and all.  If I can perfectly love my husband with all of his flaws, then why not learn to believe that my husband can do the same with me?  First I must learn to love myself and feel worthy of being loved by another.  Luckily, my husband is beyond supportive of these resolutions and doing all that he can to encourage and build me up everyday!

"True love comes not by finding a perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person, perfectly."  Its time I start learning to really love myself again!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!!!!

As the time nears for everyone to ring in the New Year and say good bye to the old, I want to wish everyone out there a very prosperous, healthy, loving and joy filled New Year! 

Looking back at the past year that I've had, I could sit here and cry, laugh, be angry, be sad....but there is one thing that was constant through out the entire year, and that is love.  A love that I never knew so personally before.  A love that has made it through fights, distance, deployments, struggles, good times and bad.  A love that has made me smile, made me cry, built me up and showed me a side of me that I never knew exsisted.  People ask me all the time, "how do you do it, Cassie? How do you handle being a military wife, without falling apart?"  And as much as I have asked myself this same exact question, I think every single military wife out there will come up with the same answer I have....the only answer that there is.  LOVE.  There is no other way that we can make it through this lifestyle if there wasn't an undying, real love behind it.  When it comes down to it, all the struggles and hardships of this life, I wouldn't change it for the world.  There is no other life I'd rather live, and no one else I'd rather live it with! 

Here's to looking into the future and never turning back!  Happy New Year everyone, and if nothing else, I hope you find love this coming year.  A love so fulfilling and satisfying that you too will find the strength to overcome any and all obstacles TOGETHER & STRONGER!

**Stay tuned to read about the resolutions I've made for my New Year, and how I intend on sticking to them!**

Sit at Attention!

So when you live on base, or are on base at any time around 8 am or 5 pm, you will know that colors plays, and you are to stop whatever it is you are doing and stand in silence.  But how many people get to say that their dog (without any training, mind you!) knows that they are to SIT at attention?!  YEP!  Our smart pup on his first day living on base heard Colors going on in the evening, and sat outside at attention. Didn't move a bit until it was finished.  Now as impressed as I was, I just blew it off as mere coincidence that he would be so well behaved.  However, we've been on base for about a month now (but only actually here for about a week altogether after holiday travels) and EVERY time the trumpets start, Cooper sits at attention and doesn't make a sound or move until it is finished.  While all the other dogs are running up and down the fence and barking along with the tunes, he sits and pays his respects!  It is by far the cutest darn thing I've ever witnessed in my life! Some day soon I will actually take a picture of it and post it on here for you all to see!  Needless to say, he was cut out for the military life!