New Hair cut

So I went last week and got my hair cut pretty short. I had an idea of what I wanted when I went in the salon, but chickened out when I got there! hehe. But a couple days later I decided that I wanted it shorter. So I went back today and did just that. I love it, but now I want it blonde again. ugh. haha.

We are heading to the beautiful mountains of West Virginia tomorrow. Logan and I will be staying at least a week, maybe two. Evan will only be able to stay with us until Monday, through Easter. I cannot wait to go home! It's been a few months since we have been there and I am anxious to see my family and a lot of friends. I don't know how often, if at all, I will be able to post because the internet is slow and crappy. But I hope everyone has a great Easter, and remembers the reason for the season. Thank you Lord, for you son. <3

The rest of our weekend ....

Before the tornado hit, we were actually having a great weekend. We took Logan to the circus in town Friday evening, which was surprisingly awesome! He loved it! Actually, we all loved it! It was another one of my favorite moments as a parent, when you get to watch your child experience something for the first time. I love to see the world through a child's eyes. Logan particularly loved the "vroom vrooms" or the motorcycles. He could not get enough of them. My personal favorite was the trapeze act! And when they shot a man out of a cannon! Great fun was had by all!

"What's that?!"

Family Fun!

THREE motorcycles!

Elephant Rides

The trapeze family

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to head to Wilmington to participate in the ALS walk. I did this walk in memory of my grandpa who fought a courageous battle with this disease for over 10 years. I wanted to celebrate his life and be a part of finding a cure so no one else ever has to go through this disease again. My grandpa was the bravest and strongest man I ever met. It was so hard for my family to watch him deteriorate  over the years and not even be able to walk or speak. He taught me so much about life and was such an amazing man. He made a huge impact on just about every one in their community. He is missed every day. My son's middle name is after him, and I was so glad that he could be there with me as I did this walk. His little legs even walked about half a lap for his great-grandpa. I am so thankful to my husband for coming with me and doing this walk and supporting me. He knew how much it meant to me. I was only able to fundraise for less than a week, and my amazing friends and family helped me to raise over 200 dollars for the ALS Association! The Wilmington chapter exceeded it's total goal of $85,000 and raised a total of $101,959.00!!! This is so amazing!! Thank you everyone who helped out! I hope to be a part of an ALS walk somewhere every year from here on out! I know my grandpa was there with us. He even brought a little sunshine to the walk. And I hope he was proud. 

I love you Pa. I'll see you again some day.

Logan & I at opening ceremony.

What a great turnout!!

Logan James walking for his great-grandpa James Barger.

I'm so blessed to have them.

Tornado

So, I'm sure most of you have heard about the tornados that ravaged the south this past weekend.. Unfortunately, I got a first hand look at the devastation they caused. We had been hearing all day Saturday that it was supposed to rain hard and hail, but the skies were mostly blue and their was no rain in sight. Late Saturday afternoon the winds had started picking up quite a bit around town. I got online to see what was being forecasted for us and saw that we were under a tornado warning. Evan and I didn't really think much of it because hurricane warnings are so frequent around here and then nothing ever happens. So around 8:30 Saturday night Logan was asleep and we were just watching a movie. The wind and lightning  started to get really bad and we were peeking out the window taking a look at things. My friend was texting me telling me that they were thinking about going to get their son from Saturday Night Daycare on base, and then she said they had lost power at their house. We lost power for just a few seconds. I then text our best friends who were supposed to be coming over and asked if they had lost power as well. About 5 minutes later I received a frantic call from Evan's best friend saying that a tornado had just touched down on base housing right at their house and that homes were flattened, they had lost windows in their home, and he had just helped a neighbor rescue her baby from the rubble! I was frantic and got off the phone with him immediately so I could call our friend and tell her to go get their son. The daycare is on the same road that Megan and Greg live on and I had no clue if it had been damaged. My friend then told me that they couldn't get their garage door open because they had no power. Without even thinking, Evan jumped in his truck and said he was going to get little Evan! He flew over there just as the parents were about to take off walking. Thankfully, the daycare was not harmed and neither were any of the kids, but the elementary school directly across the street was basically destroyed.

All of my friends are healthy and okay, and their home was even spared and they are allowed to go back and live in it as of today. The toddler that our friend helped to save was a 2 year old who has a broken leg, arm and ribs, a collapsed lung and internal bleeding. The toddler was on life support, but I was told today that his doctor is amazed at his progress and he is expected to make it through! God is so good! I have been a mess thinking of this child and his parents!

The mom, whom I do not know but have seen a few times, was laying the toddler down in his crib in the upstairs of their home when the tornado hit and ripped the top floor off of the home. The mom and child were thrown from the house into the back yard. When Greg and a couple of his neighbors got outside she was standing on top of the pile of rubble screaming for them to find her baby. This is an image that will haunt me, an I am certain will haunt these Marines forever. They started searching through the rubble and Greg lifted up a wall that was being held up by the child's crib. They baby was inside. A man had come from the houses behind them and grabbed the baby and took it to Megan and Greg's living room where he began CPR. The mother's jaw is broken and all of her teeth had been knocked out.

The amount of destruction and devastation was unbelievable to me...You just don't imagine ever seeing vehicles through living rooms and piled up on top of each other. That seems to be only a scene from a movie. When I saw my best friend's home and the homes around her's all I could do was cry when I thought of how close they had come to being so seriously injured or killed. God was watching out for them and so many other families. I still just cannot believe all of this happened so close to us. The tornado touched down about a mile from our house. I have been thanking God and counting my blessings constantly since Saturday. Things could have been so much worse. Please pray for those families that lost everything and other families around the country who lost loved ones as well as their homes.

Behind their neighbor's house, where the toddler was found.

Houses right next to them with no top floor.

Bowman Ct.

Love conquers all.

ALS WALK

Here is the link if anyone is interested in making a donation to the ALS Association. I am participating in the walk tomorrow in honor or my grandpa who was taking by this heartbreaking disease. Any donations will really mean the world to me! Thank you!


https://secure2.convio.net/alsa/site/Donation2?idb=1570853817&df_id=17871&FR_ID=7042&17871.donation=form1&PROXY_ID=3013301&PROXY_TYPE=20

Slacker

My goodness I have been slacking on my posts lately!! I have finally started to get more followers, so I had better get on the ball and keep up the posts! The weather has been SO gorgeous lately that we have spent most of our days doing one thing or another outside. Spring is so great down here. It's a little warmer than spring most other places so we can bust out the shorts and tank tops early, but it's not the dead of summer yet so NO HUMIDITY! Summers in the south are just miserable. I cannot stand humidity, and I cannot stand to choke to death when I walk out of my house! So we have been enjoying the days while we can!

Last weekend I went down to Wilmington with a few friends to the Azalea Festival. It was so nice and such a great time. The atmosphere down there was so friendly and calm. The fireworks, the fried food and the company were all amazing! Logan was just enamored with the fireworks and it was the cutest thing ever! I think one of the most amazing parts of parenthood is watching your child experience something for the very first time. I love taking him to see and do new things just so I can see the sheer joy and pleasure on his face. Ah, to see the world through a child's eyes again! Everything is so magical to them. It is such a neat experience! We all had a great time, despite the rain. Evan and Greg were at Busco riding 4-wheelers again, so Aunt Megan stepped in as fill in daddy/date for us. ;)

First Fireworks

She spoils him rotten!

Azalea Festival. Wilmington, NC

Megan and I NEVER pass up an opportunity, when in Wilmo, to have a photo-op with One Tree Hill casting sites!

In PCSing news (Permanent Change of Station, or moving in civilian language): After going back and forth and making changes a million times, we have finally nailed down moving dates! The movers have been booked and will be here to do a walk-through of the house next week! It was such an exciting feeling to see actual paperwork on my table! I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! It's looking like we will have almost a month to get moved out of our current house, find a new place in VA and get settled in! I am beyond excited for the next chapter of our lives. Camp Lejeune has been a lot of hard times, and a handful of unforgettable ones. The people I have met here have mostly been toxic and people that I never want to have to deal with again. But for the very few who are good and true friends, I will hold them dearly in my heart forever and ever.  <3

This weekend, Evan and I are going to be participating in a walk for ALS. This is a horrible disease that took my grandpa from me way before I was ready to let him go. I'll post more about the walk and about my papaw after I have done it. I just found out about the walk last weekend when we were in Wilmington so my expectations for fundraising were not high. But my amazing family and friends have been so generous that I have raised over 200 dollars in less than a week just from posting on Facebook and sending E-mails! I am so exciting to honor my papaw in this walk, but I know it's going to be such an emotional day for me. 

Well, it's WAY past bedtime, and I've got to rise and shine early in the A.M. to help a friend do a little yard saling :) Sweet dreams everyone! 

Top 2 Tuesday: Favorite Drinks

#1:: Dr. Pepper -- I LOVE Dr. Pepper. It's the greatest drink EVER. I have one every morning as my cup of coffee. :)

#2: Bud Light Draft -- Classy, I know. ;)

"They just want their country to love them as much as they love their country.."

I know that people in the military community and in a lot of other places in the country are on edge as to what is going to come about with our pay and this new bill being passed, or not. I am very skeptical that our pay will actually be frozen, but this is definitely an issue I am keeping a close eye on. This issue has brought about an entirely different one that has saddened me so much...

I suppose that always being surrounded by people who love and support our military men and women has made me blind to the fact that not everyone shares that same feeling. After reading comments made by, in my opinion, very un-educated Americans, I am completely astonished. The fact that someone would say that they don't owe military members respect or support breaks my heart. My husband was not "forced" into his job. He is not a Marine because he isn't intelligent enough to hold down any other job. My husband could probably run this country and do a much better job than is being down now. He is one of the most intelligent people I know. He enlisted because it's what he always wanted to do. He did not volunteer for 2 deployments (one in which he missed the birth of our first child) because he had no other options. He did it because he loves his country and has always wanted to be part of something bigger than himself. 

Other comments I have read stated things like "military spouses are lazy, uneducated and  do nothing but live off their husband's money and sleep around." This also breaks my heart, and quite frankly, pisses me off! I have a college degree and am working towards finishing another. My momma did NOT raise a lazy child, and I have worked over half of the time I have been married. I support and contribute to this family just as much as my husband, and without the recognition of the government. I guess if I am anything it is naive. I was living in a bubble thinking that the only military haters were those members from the so-called "church" in Kansas. The fact that people who get to peacefully sleep in their beds at night without worry or threat are not appreciative of those who provide this freedom sickens and saddens me. It breaks my heart for those currently serving, those who have served previously and especially those who have sacrificed it all for this freedom. 

After reading some of the nasty things people have said, I cannot help but to think of my dad. He was drafted into the Vietnam war right out of high school. Their were no "Welcome Home" banners, flags or ceremonies when he returned home. No one was there to greet him with a beer, a hug or a "Thank you."  As a "grateful nation," we can never again allow our troops to be treated like this. And this includes saying you do not respect them. It's no secret that most people do not agree with the wars we are fighting now. Nobody in their right mind "enjoys" a war. But to say you do not support or respect those doing what you are too cowardly to do is an outrage. Claiming that people who willingly leave their families and homes and walk directly into battle are the same as people who are unwilling to work and stand by for government handouts is absurd! 

I didn't mean for this to turn into a soapbox rant, but it was really weighing heavily on my mind and heart and I had to get it out. I think it's safe to say that MOST of us would agree that withholding or even delaying the pay of those who write the biggest check of all to this country is ridiculous even as just a thought. And MOST of us are rational, respectable and grateful citizens of this wonderful country. But the bottom line is, "If you cannot stand behind our troops, feel free to stand IN FRONT of them.."

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS! <3

Swearing under oath to protect the country he loves for 4 MORE years.

Cinderella wants to go to the ball!

So this past weekend was so amazing! As you know, my parent's came down and although I didn't get to spend much time with them, it was great to have them here and I know Logan enjoyed getting to spend time with them! I'm sure he got to eat whatever he wanted and stay up as late and he could last! ;)

This weekend was Evan's battalion's birthday ball, and also our last ball with our best friends Megan and Greg. Greg is getting out of the military in a couple months so we all wanted to go to "adult prom" as we like to call it, one more time together. This was without a doubt the best ball we have been to! We ALL had a blast! And with a ball that was mainly Staff and brass, we were definitely the life of the party! ;) We stayed at the gorgeous Hilton on the river and everything was beautiful.

Gator Ball '11 - My favorite one of us

I will definitely miss going to these without her..

And I cannot forget to mention, one of Evan's best friends Matt proposed to his girlfriend! We all gathered outside the hall to take some pictures and we just thought they were going to go first. But Matt surprised us all when he dropped down and one knee and proposed to Bri! It was a great photo-op and we already had our cameras ready! She was more than surprised and it was the cutest thing ever!! I am so so happy for the two of them! No one deserves happiness more than Matt and I hope they have a long and happy life together!

The rest are just a few pictures to highlight the night.

The ladies & the gentlemen. 

Hubs & I bustin' a move.

When we returned home from the ball on Sunday we had a great breakfast at IHop and then mom and dad got on the road back to WV. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and recuperating. 

Evan got the day off on Monday for going to the ball and it was nice to have an extra long weekend. We cleaned out the garage on Monday, packed a little bit and enjoyed the gorgeous 80 degree weather! Another successful weekend in the books!

Life is wonderful. I am so blessed.

Top 2 Tuesday: Songs on your ipod

This week's top in Top 2 Tuesday is songs on your ipod. I don't really listen to my actual IPod that much, but ITunes is almost always playing in our house.

(I still cannot figure out how to get the button for the Top 2 Tuesday sit on here, so if someone could help me that would be fantastic! haha)

Anyway .. The top 2 most played songs on my ipod lately are: 

"Crazy girl" by Eli Young Band, who I am SO excited to get to see perform live tomorrow night!! (pictures of that to follow)

"Devi's dance floor" by Flogging Molly, who I have also seen live!

I LOVE music, so I LOVED this week's top 2 idea!

Busy/Wonderful weekend ahead!

Finally Friday!! We started our weekend bright and early at 6 A.M.! We headed out to the base for the Purple Heart ceremony of one of our dearest friends, Greg. Greg was hit by and IED in Afghanistan last August and has a T.B.I. due to the injury. He was awarded the Purple Heart today for his sacrifices for our country. I am so proud to know him and be a part of his life. The sacrifices of so many people in our military are something we should all take a minute and be thankful for. I am so proud to know and love so many brave guys! He was also finally promoted to Sgt. today, so congrats on that as well. :)

Our busy day then took us to lunch with some new friends! Casey, Jessica and I all met on myspace years ago and have been talking on there, and then on to Facebook for the past few years. We all also have kiddos around the same age. Today, we all finally got our crap together and had lunch! How lucky are we to have the cutest lil babies ever! I had a great time with the girls and it was so fun to hang out with people I relate to. I cannot wait to do it again!

My parents should be here anytime, and I cannot wait to see them! They are coming down to babysit Logan tomorrow day and night while we go to New Bern to ball for Evan's unit. It should be tons of fun. I can't wait to get all dulled up and see my man in his blues!

It will probably be a couple days before I get to post again. But I'll be back with tons of pictures! Have a great weekend everyone!!

"...like a soldier comin' home alive, that's beautiful every time.."

Evan & Greg. Best friends since, forever.