The BEST News!

I got THE BEST NEWS yesterday!!  And it came from Don's Unit's most reliable source: the Commander!  Let's just say that I won't have to wait as long as I thought for my sweetie to come home from deployment!!!  OPSEC is the most important thing, so I'm not going to say any more than that...  ♥  But I can't stop smiling!  It's going to be a good year!

I Love This Man!  ♥

2011: The Year I've Been Waiting For!

Finally, the year has come when my sweetie & I will be reunited! ...Does that sound like a tag line for a movie or what?!  But it's true!  Now we will no longer have to say, "We'll be back together next year."  Instead, it's "See you this year!!"  And tomorrow is the 7 month mark of this deployment!  We're over halfway done, baby!  Hooray for 2011!!

Here's to 2011 & all the wonderful things it has in store for each of us!  What are you most looking forward to this year?!  ♥

Insomnia - Caught My Eye

Can't sleep. Even took a bubble bath & listened to some of my favorite piano music, but still no good. I must be missing someone... Do you ever feel so lonely but only one certain person could take that lonliness away? You could be in a crowded room & still...lonely. But if they were beside you, holding your hand...ah, the world would be perfect again ♥

Anyway, I'm officially having too much fun with my new Tumblr page! Here are some great pictures I've found lately! I really like how easy peasy it is to import pics into Tumblr & have them look perfect in your layout! Oooh, I wish it were that easy in Blogger!

Off I go to pour a little Port to sip on :)  We bought it in Portugal {but of course!} & it's so delicious!  Then, for some reading & hopefully sleep soon after that.  My doggies have been dreaming for hours already ♥

We're Halfway Done With Deployment!

We've done it!  Six months down!  We're halfway to the finish line, the end of this separation, the incredible reunion that will mark the completion of this deployment!  Hallelujah!!!  Afghanistan, you're going to have to give my husband back very soon :)

The time has actually gone by fairly quickly, looking back on it.  The days are oh so slow & the nights can be even longer, but 182.62 of the 365 days are OVER!  {Not that I'm counting or anything....oops, you know that isn't true!}  Wahoo!!!  Let's get this thing taken care of, baby, so we can be back together where we belong!  You're incredible, but I want you home now, please!  ♥

Here's to the time flying by & a safe & speedy return this Spring!  I'm so proud of my sweetie for what he does on a daily basis!  Sometimes I get so used to it all, but then I stop & think, "My husband is protecting our country every day!"  I'm one very proud wife ♥

GOD BLESS AMERICA!!  ♥

Deployment Shleployment

Ugh, do we really have 6 months of this deployment left? It feels like it's been an eternity since Don was here with me.  And today was one of those days where everything seemed to make me teary.  Every song that came onto my iPod was one that reminded me of him in some way, so I was always pushing the "next" button.  Church...well, Church is always a place where I seem to miss him a lot.  And then when he calls, it's like I don't know what to say except, "I miss you so much!  I love you more than anything!"  In the grand scheme of things, that's much more important than telling him about grocery shopping or funny things the dogs did.  But oh goodness, I'm so lonely for him.

Thankfully, my Mom will be here in two days!!  Tomorrow, breakfast with a friend & tidying up the house.  Tuesday is my 25th Birthday, but I'm going to pretend it's not.  No fun being without loved ones on your birthday!  Plus, we celebrated quite nicely while I was home, so I already had my birthday!  Then Wednesday, Mom gets here & we'll have so much fun visiting the Christmas Markets & doing crystal shopping!

The time will pass.  It has been passing.  I just wish it would pass faster & bring my baby home to me.

{ These cheery happy photos courtesy of TinyWhiteDaisies & La Belle Vie }

Back to my knitting project & my TV show.  Oh, & this post has been interrupted many times because Lushie keeps dropping a toy in my lap!  I suppose I can't be too lonely, can I?  :)

Somebody will always be keeping me company, even if their entire head blocks the laptop screen while I'm trying to write :)

Another Quiet Morning

I did better with my sleeping last night! Didn't wake up until 5:45, & that really was an improvement! Can't wait to get rid of this jet lag! It's no fun waking up before the sun, being unable to go back to sleep, & wandering downstairs to sit in a quiet house! Layla & Lucius aren't even awake yet!  But I'll get back into the groove of things before long :)

Time to make my coffee & get myself ready for the day!  I need to restock the kitchen & do some cleaning, not to mention take care of all my plants that died while I was gone!  Sad face....  Oh well, I know that I have a nap waiting for me this afternoon & a sweet phone call from my hunny tonight!  ♥  We're almost halfway through this wretched deployment!  {I'm so proud of him, but I am awfully sick & tired of being apart!  Grr.}

Launch Yourself On Every Wave

I don't like going to bed alone at night, & I don't like waking up in the morning knowing I have a full day ahead of me -- one little day in 6 months worth of days ahead of me until Don is home for good. Talk about overwhelming! Needless to say, I've been staying up late & sleeping in. It's 12:33 AM. Enough said.

I really like this quote.  Live in the present.  I need to remember that as much as I want to be able to snap my fingers & have this deployment behind me, there will be wonderful things that will happen to me in the meantime.  I shouldn't wish these 6 months away, even though I want to.  Launch yourself on every wave.  Opportunities.  Possibilities.  Challenges.  I need to grab hold of these things in order to help the time go by and to give me something to be proud of later on!  Find eternity in each moment...  No need to explain what this brings to mind.  Every moment is precious!  ♥

Hello, November!

Oh, how I love turning the page on my calendar, putting another month behind me!  Wahoo!  November has always been one of my favorite months.  For one thing, it's my birthday month {goodness, I'll be 25 this year!  AH!}, plus there is Thanksgiving, the beginning of the college basketball season, & the hint of Christmas right around the corner!  What do you love about this time of year?!

I slept in this morning, having a difficult time getting out of bed alone.  But finally, up I got & off I went to Post to mail a box to Don {that always makes me feel better!} & to pick up a box from Jo-Ann Fabrics full of yarn for a blanket I'm going to knit for Don!  It's going to take me a looooong time, but it's going to be awesome!  Although I'm in the middle of another project right now, I couldn't help but start this one tonight :)

I'm missing Don like crazy.  I'm not sure what to do during the day, but then I remind myself: one day at a time.  I can't think about the fact that I'm going to miss him terribly for the next 6 or 7 months.  Instead, I have to focus on today, on staying busy, on trusting God & giving Him my worries in prayer.  Thank goodness for His Peace!

My randomly chosen images for this post are from I Like It Preppy, La Belle Vie, & We Heart It

That last GORGEOUS photo is of the incredible Plaza De Espana in Seville, Spain where Don & I were just over a week ago.  *sigh*  Isn't it breathtaking?!  My photos didn't turn out quite as perfect as this, but oh, what a place!

Don't forget to enter your blog in my new Saturday Around The World listing for a chance to be featured here on {Amanda & Don}!  You can enter until Tuesday @ midnight EST.   I love reading your comments & seeing your numbers grow!

Boo! Scare Me Straight To May! A German Halloween...

Boo! Happy Halloween! Hmm, if I could have one wish for this holiday, it would be for someone to scare me straight to the day when Don will be home from this deployment for good! That's totally possible, right? Totally possible :)  I hope that you all are out gathering delicious candy while wearing cutesy costumes right now! What did you dress up as this year?  I was myself.  Here in Germany, the festivities {as far as I'm concerned} have ended, the lights are out, the doors locked & my rouladens closed up.  Wait, they've been that way pretty much all night!  Why?

Church for me is at 3:30 each Sunday {we have to share the Post Chapel!}, & tonight we had dinner afterward.  I didn't get home until later, so I didn't bother handing out candy this year.  Plus, since I live in a German neighborhood with only a handful of other Americans, almost all of our Trick-Or-Treaters aren't American.  Let's just say that they take the whole "trick or treat" saying seriously.  Vandalism has been known to happen.  When I didn't open the door once tonight, I heard a bit of commotion from the crowd of German teenagers outside.  Let's hope my front porch looks the same in the morning.

So inside I stayed, watching Mad Men, knitting, snuggling with my dogs, & all the while thinking of my sweetheart who is still en route to his final destination & tired from the lack of a quiet place to sleep.  Oh, I want him home again.

I'm ready for that scare now!  Is this deployment over?  BOO!

Don't forget to enter your blog in my new Saturday Around The World listing for a chance to be featured here on {Amanda & Don}!  You can enter until Tuesday @ midnight EST.   I love reading your comments & seeing your numbers grow!

Images from Sogni e Sorrisi, We Heart It, & Front Porch Ideas & More

Back From R&R, Ready For May!

Don & I had such a wonderful R&R together, a lovely two week break from his year long deployment in Afghanistan. We cherished every minute, spent every waking moment together, & prayed for God to slow down time for us.  I wish He could transport us to next May so that we could have all of this behind us...  Our two weeks together went by too fast, of course, but we made many wonderful memories!  We spent a lot of time here in Germany at our home, then took a nice warm trip to Portugal & Spain!

Saying goodbye late this morning at the airport was heartbreaking.  We have almost 5 months of this deployment behind us, 6 to 7 still ahead of us.  But we kept smiling, holding hands, wrapping our arms around each other...  Then crying, saying short prayers, & not wanting to let go.  I watched him go through the security line, blowing kisses whenever he looked back, my nose & eyes red from tears.  I drove home in a fog & have been that way pretty much ever since.  The house is just a building again, not a home.  Empty, quiet, no arms to hold me.  But I'm so thankful for each minute that we had & for the incredible relationship that we share!  This deployment is a team effort, & we are sticking together like glue!  We've got this, baby.  And the next time you come home, you won't be going anywhere for a while!!!  :)

I miss him like crazy already, & I certainly am not looking forward to crawling into bed alone.  But I'll keep my cell phone right by the bed, & I'll pray until I'm calm enough to sleep.  And I may even let Layla & Lucius up to snuggle with me :)  I miss you, sweetheart.

I'll get back to my regular posting tomorrow with another Saturday Around The World!  And I'll feature two blogs this week, one from tomorrow's blog party & the other from the last that we had while I was out!

Hope that you all have been doing great!  ♥

My Heart Is Oh So Ready!

You probably won't be hearing much from me for a while starting pretty soon! Don't worry; it's for a very {very very very VERY!} good reason.  Alright, I can't hold it in.  If you want to know where I'll be, here it is: I'll be in the arms of my sweetheart!  ♥  And we'll be together in Portugal!  Ooh, I cannot wipe the grin off of my face!  Four months of this deployment are behind us, which is quite a milestone!  But it's the longest we've ever been apart, & I'm so anxious to have him home again, by my side, back where he belongs!  Now, I wait by my phone  ♥  I am the happiest girl in the world!  And the most excited!  Oh, I'm going to be pacing while I wait for him at the airport!!!

I may post once or twice here & there, but I can't make any promises! While I'm away, I hope that you all have wonderful days & fabulous weekends! If you get lonely, remember all our lovely bloggers from Saturday Around The World!  {And you still have over 24 hours so participate this week!  Join in on the par-tay!}  Go to them for your blog fix! But don't forget about me! :)  I promise I'll share photos & stories when I return!

My nails are painted, the house is clean, my heart is oh so ready!  I will talk to you all later!!

Don't forget to enter your blog in my new Saturday Around The World listing for a chance to be featured here on {Amanda & Don}!  You can enter until Tuesday @ midnight EST.  We're having fuuuun, aren't we?!  My lovely readers around the globe have the best blogs!