We had a gorgeous weekend here in Omaha. I'm glad, we needed to finally warm up here after all the cold and snowy days.

Sunday night, my friends and I get together for dinner at someone's place. It's always great, dinner is always fresh and very well prepared. I've had great fish, chicken, and Ashley's husband makes some really awesome desserts. I haven't had an Sunday dinners at my house, just cause it's easier to go where everyone is closer. It's also a mess at the house. And I do always try to contribute to the dinners, by usually bring a nice wine that we can enjoy with the meal. Last night's dinner was awesome.

After dinner, we usually just relax and watch tv or a movie. Last night though we played the Friends' edition of Scene It, a game that's done from watching a DVD and guessing the answers. It was a ton of fun and though I didn't win this time, I WILL next time! Haha! I will have to watch my Friends' DVD collection again so that I can kick butt!

People ask me what is the worst part about my husband being away. Well, there's a lot. Little things like throwing the trash away or cleaning out the litter box of the kitties. I really HATE doing that.

The worst part is the loneliness. I hate feeling so alone in my house, at work, even with friends. I don't have my better half near me and it feels like my heart is torn in two and I can't do anything about it. I know it's the military life. I could have it so much worse. I could be without my husband for 6, 8, even 18 months! So I try not to feel sorry for myself too much and I try to keep busy with friends. It's hard though when there's a story I want to tell him and don't want to bombard his e-mail with all my crap. I don't want to stress him out with my stuff and my worries.

I pray every night that he is doing well and that he is safe. I also hope that he misses me, though that would be bad cause I wouldn't want him more stressed out than he already is from work. But just a little missing here and there would be good. haha.

Only a couple more weeks to go. I can do it! SPRING is here and I can't wait to enjoy it with him!

EEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I GOT TICKETS FOR THE SOUL TO SOUL II CONCERT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I get to see Tim McGraw & Faith Hill on June 6, 2007!

Yay! Our couple friends Chris and Michelle also got some tickets. I'm so excited! I was thinking Rick would be mad, cause just bought them on a whim, but he just asked if he had to go. Well, unless someone else wants to go with me, NIKKI, then I will totally force him to go. Haha, he was forced to go to the James Blunt concert last year and he ended up really like it all, so I think he will enjoy it in the end. EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I HATE MY JOB

I know that I have said that in the past and I threaten to leave the job. It's still hasn't happened. I applied for another position in this place but still haven't gotten any information on whether or not I got it. Most likely I haven't. It's just kind of frustrating because I want to to keep going up and up or go to another company but then I feel bad. They are moving into another building by the end of this year, so it's a lot of work that my replacement would have and a lot more to learn, since I have been given new responsibilities. So I don't think that I will quit until after the move, if I am still in this same position. I also feel bad, cause I would be leaving the Office Manager, and I think she's come to rely on me for a lot of venting and ideas for how to make the company better, though most ideas are not taken into consideration.

I feel like I can't go higher that where I am in life. I feel like I will always have mediocre jobs, that nothing will be better for my financially in my jobs because I don't have a degree. I also can't find a job related to the things I have done in the past. BLAH.

I HATE MY JOB LIFE.

OH mylanta! I forgot that I didn't put pictures up of Ashley's birthday. It was the 23rd of Feb. So we all went out to Downtown to a bar called the Dubliner. It was a lot of fun and I got to finally see Zynda after being gone for 4 months. Becki, Ashley's best friend, lives in Georgia, so she came up to visit her for her birthday. She's just the coolest dudette. She's be back again later this month, so I'll probably have more pics of us going out.

RESPECT!!! WHAT UP !?!

Stu, Me, Zynda

THUMBS UP!

Ashley, Becki and Me Nectar de Pollo!

It's MEEEEE!

BORED OUT OF MY MIND!!!

I hate my job, I have nothing to do today. I did the one thing that I HAD to do today. Blah, what else to do to kill the next 6 hours of my day!

On a good note, it's been one month since Rick has been gone. So that means it's just 5-6 weeks before he comes home. :) I'm so excited. I am so bored without him here and it's quite lonely at night. Though I hope he dosen't mind that I am starting to take over most of the bed. Haha. I miss him so much, I don't know how other people do it for longer periods of time.

Hmmmm... okay, I guess that's my little vent for the day.

Ciao!

Yesterday was my birthday and it was actually one of the most stressful days I had had in a while and also since Rick left. I have been trying so hard to be brave and think about all the positives of him being gone, like losing weight, finally getting to my knitting, and that it's only 2 months, etc. But yesterday, he called me at work right after he had gotten back from a flight. And I know he was tired and that he's under even more stressful situations than I am. But he didn't seem that enthused to talk to me, and barely said Happy Birthday to me. And that's when I broke down. I couldn't stop crying all day. I could barely answer the phones at work without sounding depressed. My co-workers Rachel and Elizabeth took me out to lunch and that was fun, but I was still not feleing well from the morning. The afternoon went by slowly and when I got home, I made plans for dinner with Ashley, Elvis and Zynda. Again, still crying througout all of this. Finally I started getting ready and got a lot of phone calls from friends saying Happy Birthday. So that was nice. Well, on the way out, I had forgotten that I had set the alarm and it went off. So I was late to dinner waiting around to see if cops came even though I had disarmed it. Finally, I got to dinner almost 30 minutes late and crying and depressed as hell. Ashley took me into the bathroom and we talked for awhile about what had happened during the day. I was able to calm down and then go and enjoy dinner. After dinner, Zynda and I went to get some Starbucks and we talked for quite a while. It was good to vent and enjoy a Chai Tea. :) I am feeling a bit blah today. I don't hear from Rick very often, not even through e-mails, and it's getting to me. Other couple friends are saying that's such a good way to keep in touch and that is not working for us. I don't know if it's cause he doens't have time or doesn't want to or another million other excuses. I also don't want to complain to him about it cause that's another stress he doesn't need to deal with. So it is very stressful to keep it all in. I can't wait until he comes home. And then I won't have to worry about stuff like again, or at least until the next deployment.

On February 16, 2007, my friends Ashley and Elvis got married at the Omaha Courthouse!!! It was very nice ceremony done by a judge. Jimmy was Elvis's witness and I was Ashley's. Afterwards, we went out to dinner at M's Pub. I wish them lots of love and happiness and that their future together is bright... wow, very Hallmark card like. Haha!

In the last couple of days, Bella and Leo have been missing their daddy. So they decided that they wanted to send themselves to Daddy and keep him company while he is away. Bella's eyes remind me of the Puss in Boots in the movie Shrek! Haha!

I miss Rick a lot. Though, I do like having the whole bed to myself. But then it's a colder bed and it's not as welcoming at night as when he is there. I can't wait until he gets back. 1 week down, 7 more to go. Yes, it's going to be a long count down.

I miss the hubby.

It's been weird being on my own again. Not too long thank goodness but still, it's hard. I'll be looking forward to the weekends that I have stuff to do and not being bored at home and being sad by myself.

Okay, haven't written in a while. But I was just wanting to let you know that IT'S SNOWING!!!!

I love the snow... I don't like driving in it but I love being indoors and watching it fall. I am right now at work, HELL to be exact, but it's okay for the moment. I have the snow to watch. I'm surprised that so much is falling since I don't think the town was thinking it would be this much.

Nothing much is going on. Rick and I are getting ready for his deployment. Pretty dang sad about it. But hopefully the 2 months will be QUICK. And that he will be home safe and will be here for the start of SPRING. But for now, we are enjoying the SNOW.... :)

I hate my job, started putting more resumes out there. Hoping someone will call me soon and get me out of here! Hoping that I will have a new job once Rick gets back.

Okay, that's it for now. :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!
Lots to talk about! Let's see... where do I start???

My mom just left this morning, she had been here since the 18th of December, her first time out this far East in the US. It was pretty chilly for her, so we got some nice thermals to help her out. It had been months, since July, that I had seen her and she looked so good! We set up the guest room for her. She slept in every day and made dinner for Rick and I every night. She cooked everything that we loved and would clean the house while I was gone to work.

Last week, I finally had all my days off for the holidays and I got to spend a lot of time with her. It was a lot of fun. We drank a lot of tea and talked about what was going on in our lives and how I was going to convince her to move out here! Haha, she's contemplating it. :)

On Sunday, New Year's Eve, it snowed! It was the first really snow fall of the season and I was SOOOO happy that my mom got to enjoy it! I played in it all afternoon, coming in and out of the house, taking Leo and Bella outside to check it out (they were NOT happy with the cold.) and then watching it fall with my mom and husband. My mom didn't venture out until the next day, when it was finally sunny and a little warmer than the day before.

She left this morning, with lots of snow still on the ground and ready to go back to California and it's semi warmer weather.

I cried and cried and Rick was there to comfort me. I still can't believe that when I get home tomorrow, she won't be there, ready to greet me and ask me what I want for dinner. I'll probably see her again in about 6 months. That's something to look forward to!

Today at work, one of the program coordinators came up to me and asked if I could translate some words to her. I did and then asked her what the information was wanted for. This year, her family "adopted" a family at one of the schools that we have programs set up for. It was their Christmas list. And her family was going to provided them with their gifts for this year. The first 2 children asked for coats, some toys, socks, pants. The last child had a different idea of what he wanted to Christmas.

This was his list:

Tide
Ramen
Pinto Beans
Rice
Body Wash
Toliet Paper

It was shock, and very saddening. The child hadn't asked for a toy or even a piece of clothing that could help him with the weather here. He asked for nessecities for his family. So I told the coordinator that Rick and I would want to help in some way and that she would let me know....

Next day...
The coordinator told me it was a bigger family than she anticipated. So Rick and I will definetly be helping out. I'm so excited! Rick in the past has helped people with anonymous donations, I never really did, so it's exciting that we get to do this together and be able to help a family with their needs!

<-------- Birthday Girl!

Whoa! What a month November has been! Rick and I have been so busy on the weekends, even weekends that we are suppose to be relaxing are usually then filled with going out to visit friends. This month, we have parties to go to, a wedding and then a birthday last weekend and now this weekend is Thanksgiving. But the wonderful thing about this is that I no longer have to count down the days until Rick leaves me on deployment because he's not leaving until Feb.!

Ashley and Elvis ------->

Last weekend was Jenny's birthday. She turned the big 3-0! And looking gorgeous while doing it. We had dinner at a place here that we had never gone and it was sooo good! M's Pub has awesome and it's a really cute restuarant. There were about 12 of our, including my friend Ashley and her BF Elvis and some other couples. After dinner, we went out for a couple more drinks, and then went home. I was so tired! I'm ready to just sleep and eat for this upcoming weekend and I can't wait!

Yes, my husband is making a funny face.

Okay, now I know I shouldn't been getting too excited about this, but Rick is (almost positive) staying for Christmas instead of deploying!!!!!!!

Now, I can't get too excited about this, since we haven't gotten a confirmation from anyone and the military is famous for changing its mind. But I'm on CLOUD 9 at the moment and it's made my day better! YAY! Anything to make my work day better...

P.S. This past weekend, I saw the movie Stranger Than Fiction. I recommended it. It's different from the other characters that Wil Ferrell has play, so that's good!

It's been over a year now since my second wedding. Haha, if you know me, you know what I am talking about. :)

I was just looking at some pictures from that wedding. It was probably the bestest way to go. Short and sweet and I got to wear the mostest perfect dress for me and still have my cheesecake and pizza!

We have a friend that is getting married tomorrow. Well, she is having her wedding party and all that. She got married a while ago and is having the party tomorrow. It should be fun, lots of people we will know and all of it brings back the memories of my wedding and how great it was. ESPECIALLY THE CHEESECAKE!! Hmmmm.... if anyone knows Layers in Monterey, they know that's the best place to get cake and other wonderful sweets. Most people at the wedding remember the cheesecake over everything. HMMMM.... I'm going to have to get some next time I'm there.

Hmmm... nothing really going on here. We have quite a bit of work to do on our yard this weekend. Earlier this week, we had a nice wind storm and it blew off all the leaves off the trees in our front yard. Our trees were still quite full of leaves, so our yard is a mess. I'm not really looking forward to it. It's been really chilly outside.

Hmmm.... okay, I think I'm done for today. Work is boring as usual and I'm still looking for a new job. We'll see what happens.

WHOO HOOO!!!

My best friend Felicity is having a baby BOY!! She just found out. I'm so excited for her! Yay! Now I know what color to buy things in! That's so exciting for her! I wish her the best on all the rest of her pregnacy and that her family is healthy and strong and ready for a new adventure!! YAY!!

I HATE MY JOB.

Everyone get that? I HATE MY JOB.

Everyday when I am getting ready to come to work, I think about a million and one excuses of why not to come. But then I remember that I have a family, we do need my paycheck to come into the family account. That's the only thing that keeps me going. I've talked to Rick about it... but it just seems like I need to stay here for a little longer, so that I can eventually leave and get a better one.

I know I can do better than this job. I know I am smarter than this, that I can do so much more. But... it just seems that I don't know where I am heading. I didn't finish my degree and I don't know how useful a Spanish degree would be. So I don't know what I am going to try to finish my degree in.

I don't feel useful, this job depresses me every time I come in. I don't think it's healthy for me to be here. :( I am going to try to get out of here soon. SOON!! I hope I can.... I will try to be as positive as I can when I am here, but it's hard to keep that constant happiness when I HATE MY JOB. Okay, I'm done for the moment. Maybe I'll vent later about this.

For quite some time, I have been drinking tea in the mornings. I love having my black or green tea in the mornings. They have just enough caffine so that I'm not super wired, just a nice pick me up at 8am that is always needed.

My favorite to drink is Chai tea. It doesn't even need to have milk in it. And I rarely drink any tea with sugar. I also love to have green tea with a hint of Jasmine in it. I thought it was weird when I first bought it but I really wanted some tea for the next morning so I bought the box and I really like it. At home, right now I have 4 boxes of tea. I bring one package to work in the morning, one for the afternoon and then save my chamomile tea for the evenings. Last night, I had one cup of it and by 10pm, I was passed out. It was nice to end the night with my tea.
There are also health benefits to tea: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15197558/. READ ME!

Fall has come into Omaha.

Kinda. Leaves are starting to turn.

Kinda.

Yesterday, the weather was beautiful. But HOT! I don't think we had had a hot day in weeks. It was bad. This town is starting to get mosquitos and gnats. Which I don't get, it's been cold and were they just staying in the warmest places they could find and then came out as soon as it got over 80 degrees!?! I got bite about a million time. Okay, that's exaggerated. But they are still my own bites and are killer itches. I haven't been outside today, we'll see how it feels at 4:30.

It was nice to play outside yesterday at the house. We are still not done with cleaning out the apt. but are almost outta there. You know, it's the stuff that can't fit into the boxes or super heavy that you can't move by yourself. Being outside at the house was awesome though. We had the ktties out and playing, then resting and Rick got a little sun on his face. I got bit by stupid gnats. What are they good for in this world? Perhaps the spiders just needed another thing to eat. GRR!!!

Leo and Bella are getting to playful lately and that was fun to watch in the yard. They compliment each other very well. Here's a recent picture of them together, hanging out on the front porch. Note the work that will eventually will have to get done to it. We will have to replace boards and stain it all nice. I can't wait. lol.