Love Doesn't Have to Be...

I have been listening to way too much country music, but I just can't help myself!  Check this one out while I start counting down the sleeps until I get to see my MonkeyHubby again!

Everlasting Friends

source

I got to have dinner with one of these always-pick-up-right-where-you-left-off friends tonight.  We haven't seen each other in well over two years, and probably haven't spoken past a "Hey, how ya doin?" text in the same amount of time.  But we sat and talked and talked over club sandwiches at McAlister's Deli for hours like it's something we do all the time.  It.  Was.  Awesome.  Friends like that are priceless.  So glad I can say I have a few of them.

Only thing that could've made tonight better??  If Monkey could've joined us...soon Monkey-man, soon!

C'mon Universe

Oh, how I hope this fortune cookie is true!  Universe - bring the hubby home!  Today for the most part has been an uneventful and good day.  It included PeiWei dinner with Toe and Mom (to include amazing fortune above!!), Old Man HB got his teeth cleaned - they're pearly white again, I finally managed a Sausage BOB from Whataburger for breakfast, and I'm watching way too much Family Guy as I lay in bed all lazy like and surf the interwebs this evening.  Pretty good Monday if I do say so myself.  How did y'all start of your weeks?!

Giggity, giggity, giggity!

Gifts from Afar

Dear MonkeyHubby, I got my small surprise in the mail today.  Thank you!!  You know I've wanted the box set of Friends for years but never felt it worthy of dropping $200 to make the purchase.  I guess we'll have to thank the hadji's in Afghanistan for this one.
Dear Oreos, Travie says you're just a convenient substitute for the time being.  After eating 8 of you, I'm thinking he may be right.
Dear Coach Coupon, I know I've ignored you for a couple weeks, but I promise to spend some quality time with you this weekend and then send you off in style, along with a chunk of my money.  Wee!
Dear Dad, I have had the absolute most awesomest time hanging out with you over the past few weeks while I heal.  I love chatting, four-wheeling, shooting, running errands, talking, watching history/military/how-to/mythbusters/scifi/smithsonian anything and everything with you.  I hope you have the grandest of times in Colorado, I will miss you, and already can't wait to hang out with you again.

My Dad and I have tons in common and can always find something enjoyable to do together.  What is one of your favorite things to do with your Dad?

Three Thoughts on Thursday

1. My favorite sushi and a lots of good girlfriend gabbing can cure the blech-est of moods.
2. Afternoon naps are fabulous!  I took an hour long one today.  S has always had it right.
3. Relationships are fragile.  They require more work, dedication, determination, and can be worthy of it all for the right person, than anything else in this life.  But even more so, that work, dedication, and determination that it takes to truly love someone, has to be two-sided.  And all too often, especially in my generation, it seems to be one-sided.  Now, Monkey and I have had our issues, as all couples inevitably do, but I am thankful, grateful, that we both put in tons of effort to our relationship, to bettering our marriage.  I feel blessed, and am blessed, to have a husband, a man, who is beginning to understand, and striving to always be better at loving me and letting me learn to love him better as well.  Loving your spouse is a job you go to every day folks, every day you have to make the choice.  But if you make the choice, and your spouse makes the choice too, my, oh my, how wonderful life can be!

Thinking of my hubby tonight and all the goofy things he does that make me smile...see above! :)

Pig's Ramblings

Dear Old Man HB, You acted like my dog again today!  You talked to me and told me all about your day when I came to visit you and you cuddled up on top of me right away.  It was fabulous to feel like a little family again.  Although, I do have to say, you do not fit on the couch well when you stretch out like above, hah!
Dear Pimple Growing Under My Nose, You SUCK.  And hurt.  And need to get a head so I can pop you and make you go away.
Dear Travie, Props on the book recommendation.  I'm about 50 pages in today and really enjoying The 5 Love Languages.  Your marriage can always, and only, get better than it already is when you put a little extra work into it folks!
Dear S, Why don't we live closer?!  I wish I was boozing and gossiping and laughing hysterically with you this evening.  Sigh.
Dear MonkeyHubby, You had me all smiles this afternoon!  Flirting with me like we're 19 again?!  I'm not sure what got into you, but please, share more!

When it comes to awesome love, what does your spouse do that still makes the butterflies flutter?!

Thinking About Military Things

So I spent yesterday and a good bit of today working on neatly combining all of the brilliant, encouraging, love-filled letters that I received while I was in basic training into one compilation binder.  (Yes, yes, I'm a little over-organized and anal sometimes, oops!)  However, over the course of this little project, I've mulled over a ton of different military things.  Military training, BCT memories, my current medical-military situation, my husband's current deployment, what our Army futures may or may not hold, how our friends are affected by their military realities, how my grandparents dealt with military life years ago, and, not the least of these thoughts,  how 9/11, 11 years ago, changed life in the service  for generations to come.  It entered us into a decade-long, and still raging, war, it boomed the numbers of men and women who stepped up to serve and sacrifice for their country,  and it reminded us what is really put on the line by our country's finest service members, not just military, but firefighters and law enforcement officers as well.  There are a lot of men and women, and their families, making sacrifices each and every day for this country's betterment.  Yet, if you have a conversation with most of them and try and thank them for their sacrifices, which I'm learning so many in this country aren't willing to make, they'll tell you, "It's just what I do".  And, speaking for Monkey and myself, it is just that, just what we do.  We go to work, we train hard, we carry more weight, literally, than we should, we travel from state to state and across the world, we spend months in separate, cold twin-size beds, and go weeks, or months, without communicating.  But it's just what we do.  And honestly, as long as we can talk, we love what we do.  We are proud as hell to put on the uniforms that we do everyday, and I'm sure so many of our fellow service members feel the same way.  So, even though they wouldn't want you to thank them, or make a big deal out of what they do everyday, think about them today.  Send up a few prayers and spread thoughts of good juju for the finest of men and women on a day that we will never forget.

By Maria Dryfhout

Pig's Ramblings

Dear Old Man HB, You provided the absolute best cuddles yesterday to cure my weird mood.  Sometimes you act a little aloof, like you don't remember I'm your Mama, but you'll get there.  I know these past few months have been weird, but you're still my #1 furry-footed-man.
Dear Sun, You and I are just not friends like we used to be.  I am pink, pink, pink!  I guess this is what I get for covering up and not visiting with you at all this summer.  My bad dude!  It wasn't really by choice, trust me...  Although, my hands are fine, still shades darker than the rest of me...sigh.
Dear Left Hip, You're actually starting to bug me less and less.  You only seem to act up after way too much standing/walking, or first thing in the morning after rolling around all night (I am NOT a still-sleeper).  Other than that, you're feeling pretty good, and I do appreciate it.  I'm tempted to take a jog around the block, but the doc said I'd feel much better after a couple weeks but I was not, and he repeated "not" multiple times, to test anything out.  So, sigh, I'll continue to do push-ups and sit on my ass.
Dear MonkeyHubby, We laughed a lot this morning.  We were both a little sarcastic and giggly.  I love it.

I had a pretty darn good weekend folks, how about y'all?!  I ventured out to Haslet, enjoyed the Johnson family and Derek's antics, saw Lawless in the theater (not too shabby), ate good food with a good glass of wine at Cheddar's, had home made ice cream, read for, apparently, too long by the pool, and uber-enjoyed the 60 degree weather we had in the mornings.  Lazy, easy, breezy weekend.  Here's to hoping this week feels the same!

Three Thoughts on Thursday

1.  I am thoroughly enjoying all the time I've been getting to spend with my Dad while I'm home on leave.  We can pretty much always manage to have something to talk about, and he hasn't seemed to mind chauffeuring me around and running errands!  Taking the four-wheelers out to warm them up and putt-around yesterday was the best.  Only thing that may be better is when that ammo comes in next week and we can go shoot!
2. When you're searching for an end-of-season bikini steal, you can't beat Old Navy.  Not only were they the only store where I was able to still find matching tops and bottoms, the suit I finally picked out cost me a whopping $8.  Really, what more could you hope for?!
3. Strawberries and blueberries are yummy, but when all you're craving as a before-bedtime snack is Oreo's...they really just don't cut it.  Why must I try and be healthy?!  Maybe I should just try and pass out before I give in to the chocolate craving...

G'nite folks!

My Aggie Bling

I love my Aggie ring.  (For all of you non-Texas A&M University-graduates out there, an Aggie ring is the best kind of college class ring in the universe.  Really, it's true.)  It's gold.  It's big.  It's gawdy, and I love it.  I've worn it daily (outside of not being allowed to wear anything during basic training) for a little over 5 years now, and feel totally naked when I take it off.  I've even squeezed it on my apparently weight-gaining chubby finger for over a year now knowing that it really needed to be resized.  Well, I finally gave in this past week and took it to a jeweler who my Dad highly recommended.  And, if you know my Dad, that means they're pretty legit.  I was nervous as hell to leave it in anyone's hands, and made sure and let the ladies at the shop know it (oops!), but they were uber-professional and took amazing care of it.  Not only can you not even tell in the slightest that it was enlarged, not only did they offer me a decent discount for my military services, it's also the shiniest I think it's ever been.  Ever.

Definitely check out Gold N Carats in North Irving for anything you may need jewelry-wise.

Shopped Til My Hip Said Stop

What happens to a gal who loves to shop when she is finally kicks off her Army greens and is reunited with civilian life to include the malls that go along with?!



Now, I was not anywhere near as reckless as the e-card suggests (honest to God!!), but needless to say, I've shopped a lot since my con-leave began and I returned to Texas.  All warranted of course...  No, really!  I had all of like four civilian clothes outfits to last me thirty days worth of leave, ugh, no that would not work! O:) Nevertheless, I've added some cute shorts, even cuter tops, cute and charitable black flip flops (check out Buyamba Soles here) -- because all I had was brown and you cannot wear brown flip flops with black t-shirts, big no-no -- a cute outfit to wear to church one weekend while I'm home, and tons of awesome new undies -- which were quite needed thanks to all the lovely muscle I gained at basic.

Either way, I've enjoyed my spoil-myself days, and feel pretty darn satisfied.  You'd be amazed at how good it feels to spend some time and money on yourself after months of sacrificing life's little luxuries like wearing polka dot bikini briefs and enjoying a shirt without sleeves when it's a hundred degrees outside.

The best part of today's mall visit?!  Getting to spend a little moolah with an old bestie.  So good to see her pretty face, and, more than anything, to see her happier than I've seen her in ages.  And, as MonkeyHubby would be happy to know, I walked slow as not to wear out my hip and I spent way less money than she did!

Now, I've got some laundry to do...

Pig's Ramblings

Dear HurleyBurley, You gave the BEST cuddles this afternoon.  You warmed my lap, my toes, the sides of my thighs, and my belly (you move around aLOT!), while I finished the Dan Brown book I was reading.  (If you liked the Da Vinci Code check out The Lost Symbol.)

Dear 21st Century Communication Capabilities, It still amazes me that we can make crystal clear phone calls that reach from the mountains in Afghanistan, through the landscapes of Europe, across the Atlantic, passing through the US's East coast, and into the heart of Texas.  But boy am I grateful for all the smart men and women who have made it possible over the years, because it makes Army relationships a million times easier.  God bless Alexander Graham Bell!!

Dear Victoria's Secret,  You finagled your way into my wallet hardcore yesterday!  But I'm A-okay with it. :) New comfy sweats, cute civilian undies that I'm thankfully allowed to wear under my uniforms now, and, of course, a cute combo for Monkey's homecoming is ALL worth the 'arm and a leg' I gave for you.

Dear SPCJohnson, I can't imagine how sore you are right now old man.  I hope your combatives level 2 certification is worth all the joint pain you seem to be enduring!  Tell Evans to keep going easy on you!

Dear MonkeyHubby, Can we start counting down days yet?  When will know if the date is set is stone? UGH! So much anticipation for your return I can't hold it in!

So, I finished the book I'd been reading for the past couple of weeks and am need of a new attention-getter.  Anyone read a good novel lately? Suggestions are thoroughly welcomed.

xoxo-