Waking up and remembering an experience

As I was going through the letters from me to Peter while in Basic, I thought about all the things I wrote to him. Then I came across a letter [its not the Letter that is important, but my reason for writing the letter] that reminds me that my Heavenly Father has a hand in all things. There are reasons for everything that we do and everything that happens. I had a great dream about this, and woke up this morning VERY thankful for everything that I have and for everything that has happened since I met Peter.

After having a problem with our car, I had tried calling EVERYONE I could think of, with no real answers as to why I could not take care of it myself. The Financial Company responsible for the Loan on Peters car were being nothing short of JERKS, and I was at my wits end. My sister-in-law was getting frustrated as well, even though I felt like i needed to take care of this whole situation without involving Peter [who was in the MIDDLE of Basic Training in OKLAHOMA]. I also was hesitant to call his Battery Commander, even though he told us to contact him for anything, becasue I didnt want Peter to get into trouble at all. I am the worlds biggest fraidy cat of getting in trouble. dont ask why, I have no idea why im like that. Anyway, I prayed about what I should do, and kept feeling like I needed to call the BC. With Erika standing next to me, I made that VERY frightening phone call. After 2 rings I heard "......Wannebo" [I cant tell you what the .... stands for becasue my mind only heard Wannebo] I sat there dumbfounded for about 5 seconds, and then said "Peter?", and burst into tears when I heard that wonderful voice say "Baby???". Of course I looked at Erika and thought OH my gosh, im going crazy. She was laughing as she said "Dont cry... just Talk!". I managed to get out what I needed to and as he wrote it down on his pad of paper on the other side of the phone, someone walked in and told him to hang up the phone [They are not supposed to get personal calls]. I waited a minute got over the shock that I had called and actually was able to speak to the one person I really wanted to, and called back. This time another Private answered the phone, and i left a message with him to have the BC call me back if he could. Then i asked if Peter got in trouble for answering the phone and it being me, to which he responded 'yeah he got chewed out for a minute, but its ok now". After I hung up, I thought and couldnt stop thinking about what a tender mercy the Lord had shown me. He knew I needed to just hear Peters voice and I would be fine.

Everything with the car was so screwed up, and we eventually got it all taken care of but I will NEVER forget that day and that phone call.

Just remember that the Lord has a plan for us all. Heavenly Father is never the one who moves away from us, he is constant and always there. We just need to be better on our end about talking to him and most importantly, Thanking him for everything we have.

Card

that i sent to Peter while he was in Basic Training.

here it is...


It isnt easy
being so in love with you
and not being able to see you
every day. There are times
when I`d give anything
just to be able
to gaze into your eyes
or hold you in my arms,
even for a few minutes.
I always feel incomplete,
like a part of me is missing,
when we`re not together.
I know that, right now,
this is how things have to be,
but that doesn`t make it
any easier to bear.
Every day without you
just reminds me of the joy
you add to my life,
joy that I`m missing... alot

[inside]

So dont forget that I love you,
that I`m thinking of you,
and that I`m counting
every minute
until we`re together again.
-Linda Lee Elrond

Day Two...

After such a LONG day yesterday, I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to head to church. once I looked outside, I wasnt to sure I wanted to do my hair or put any makeup on. It was Raining [well still is now] and I immediately had a downing of my spirits. I thought "What a 4th of July this is going to be." I got ready anyway [in 30 minutes, I might add, Peter would be so proud of me ♥

Day One ♥

So today I dropped Peter off and said goodbye for a "month". Its not as bad as I thought it would be, but then again it has only been 7 hours since I left the Battery parking lot. Lily knew that Peter was leaving it seemed, because she kept fidgeting when she saw Peter getting ready. It was odd. I tried to take some pictures and look good because I wont be seeing him for a while and we need to have pictures anyway. After he had been gone for a few hours, I was thinking about going over to the gym and walking on the treadmill , and started looking for the FOB key for the neighborhood center, and wouldnt you know it, Peter took it on his keys! no working out for me this month. frick!

So I wanted to know what the place Peter is going to looks like, so i looked it up online. I dont think that I can post the pictures now but ill make a special post when Peter gets home. Tomorrow will be spent Celebrating the 4th of July and making the most out of Church. I hope the kids behave, and I am going to pray for patience with them, because I am sure I wont be in the mood for anything tomorrow.

Thanks to anyone who reads this and doesnt think ill of me venting a little every once in a while... ♥

last picture

Last pictures together for a month... or so....

1:15 AM....

Yes, it is that late/early... I have come out to the living room because Peter is fast asleep, after watching a few episodes of 30 Rock, and I dont want to bother him. I cant sleep even though I should be getting alot of rest because i only have half of the day with him tomorrow. He is leaving [cant say when exactly or where for fear of the OPSEC patrol... sooo shhhhhh... ] and that means a few things.

* my bed will be empty for a while [ no more than a month ]

* I will have to get used to sleeping alone

* I wont be able to talk to him everyday

*People will ask questions that I can exactly answer

*I will miss him terribly.

I have been thinking alot lately about this whole OPSEC thing. For anyone who doesnt know what OPSEC is or means... here is what the Military says it means.

What is OPSEC?

Operations Security, or OPSEC, is keeping potential adversaries from discovering our critical information. As the name suggests, it protects our operations planned, in progress, and those completed. Success depends on secrecy and surprise, so the military can accomplish the mission faster and with less risk. Our adversaries want our information, and they don't concentrate on only sailors to get it. They want you, the family member.

Protecting Critical Information

Even though information may not be secret, it can be what we call critical information. Critical information deals with specific facts about military intentions, capabilities, operations or activities. If an adversary knew this detailed information, our mission accomplishment and personnel safety could be jeopardized. It must be protected to ensure an adversary doesn't gain a significant advantage. By being a member of the military family, you! u will often know some bits of critical information. Do not discuss them outside of your immediate family and especially not over the telephone.

Examples Of Critical Information

Detailed information about the mission of assigned units.
Details on locations and times of unit deployments.
Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, deployment information).
References to trends in unit morale or personnel problems.

Details concerning security procedures.

Personally I think that some Army [Military] Wives get a little too anal about this. I have seen [and done] things that dont seem bad at all, like posting that you husband is leaving in a FEW days. Coming home in a FEW weeks, OR even "My husband is coming home on Wednesday!" [that is just an example] and I have seen other Military/ Army wives JUMP down that persons throat while screaming "OPSEC, OPSEC, OPSEC... REMEMBER OPSEC". All I think to myself is "REALLY?" You have nothing better to do in your own life than to remind someone else about OPSEC, which is clearly something you dont have a good understanding what it is in the first place, or you would have realized that nothing in that statement was violating OPSEC rules. You have no idea where her husband is coming from, only that he is coming home. You do not know if he is on Military orders/time, or if he is coming home from a weekend with the boys. Things like that really make me upset. I hate when people dont read, and yet want to tell everyone else what they are doing wrong.

My other peeve with OPSEC, is that i know alot of people in the Military [Family, Friends from high school, and now being married to a man who joined the Army and knowing all his friends] who post the exact DATES and TIMES of flights, deployments, and other various 'MOVEMENTS' yet NOTHING is said to them. My feeling is that, YES we do need to keep exact dates and times quiet, but I do not want to be slammed for saying that "my husband is leaving for a month". Really I have no idea if it will be a 3,4,5 weeks... And if you look up or have known anyone in the Amry they all know where they do training. All you have to do is ask and you are told. I guess my problem is with all the people who sit on their high horse like they have never ever said anything that would be construed as violating OPSEC. "Loose Lips Sink Ships". Yeah pretty much. Vent over.

Guess I am just a teensy bit sad that my husband, who is my best friend and buddy, is going to be leaving me for a "month". We literally do everything together. He is my laughing partner, and the person i can just sit and be quiet next to. If i am watching TV, or on my computer, just having him in the room watching TV or playing games on his computer is soothing. We like to be near one another, it helps us to breathe better. that has always been our thing. We breathe easier when we are near to one another.

Here is a good scripture that a friend marked in my scriptures. It gives me comfort and makes all the little trials seem not so bad...

D&C section 58 verses 2-4

2. For verily I say unto you, blessed is he that keepeth my commandments, whether in life or in death; and he that is faithful in tribulation, the reward of the same is greater in the kingdom of heaven.

3. Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation.

4. For after much tribulation come the blessings. Wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand.

I am so glad that i have good friends who look out for me and love me. I am glad i have Family who also look out for me, not only the ones that I have had all my life, but the Family I was blessed to marry into. ♥

I married my best friend ♥

missing Cali

Lately I have been missing California a WHOLE lot. It seems like out here it has been hot and humid and I miss my dry heat weather. We have been going to the pool every day for the past few days and we both have gotten some color. I am getting Tanner by the day and tomorrow I am going to buy some actual tanning spray to help it along while Peter is gone. Keeping with the theme of missing Cali so much I have come up with a very short list of things I miss at the moment from there...

* my mom

*my sister

*my brother [even though he usually only makes fun of me ha ha]

*DISNEYLAND

*The Beach!

*the mountains

*the Moreno Valley and Valley View Wards.

*all of my girls that I used to hang out with.

Basically I am having Cali withdrawals because we haven't been there since the end of January. We have also decided that we are not going to be able to go home until Christmas, so I am looking forward to spending time if we can actually manage it

leaving again. ...

Not me. Peter. He is leaving for NTC and I am really feeling this now. i have tried hard to either, not think about the fact that he is going to be gone for almost all of July, or to think about the "vacation" time he gets when he comes back. We were going to be going to Cali in August to see our family, but now it looks like money will be just a little too tight by the time we get back. I hate money being tight so we have now decided that we are going to try to just go to Houston Texas to visit Garrett and Tiffany [Peters cousin and his wife]. We will see what happens though. I am just going to try and save as much as i can while Peter is gone and hopefully we will have enough to go somewhere! ♥ I am going to try and stay positive. We haven't been apart for more than 2 nights since January 28th. Yeah yeah yeah, i know. I NEVER enjoy being away from him. I am sure no woman likes to be apart from her love, but I especially do not like being apart from Peter. It is hard to breathe, and i always breathe better when he is around. I know he will miss me, but he is going to be busy. I am going to just try and be as active as i can with out spending money. HA HA yeah i know women being active without spending any money sounds like a joke. Actually there is a fitness center across the street where i can work out with out having to pay a gym membership. They also have a pool where i can swim and burn off some extra calories, while getting a tan, and I can Volunteer at the USO right around the corner which is free and I can have conversations with people! I am also going to hang out with some Army Wives i have met here and hopefully that will make my time with out Peter go A LOT faster! ♥ we will be 1,400 miles away from each other and then we will be together again. That is all I could ever ask for.

Slacking off....

I have been absolutely awful about blogging. I thought it would be easy to get back into, but NOPE, i was wrong. I always think about things to blog, and then when it comes down to it, i never get it on the site. Distractions are my main problem. I look at one persons blog, and then it leads me to someone else's blog...etc... I get so sidetracked and spend sometimes hours looking through other peoples blogs [mainly crafty blogs] and i forget about my own sometimes. I hope my blog doesn't hate me for neglecting it so much. I swear ill try to be better. Especially since Peter is going to be heading off to NTC [National Training Center] at Fort Irwin in Cali. It is going to be weird not having him around the house. I know some women are in the mindset that "i get the whole bed to my self. or, I dont have to do his laundry, or cook for him." Yeah, NO. I LOVE having Peter home with me. I love Cooking for him. I love doing laundry [seriously, its the one chore that i actually like doing.] I love seeing him sitting on the couch, or in bed playing video games, or being on his computer. It makes me feel safe. As an Army Wife, i have been told MANY times that i would feel differently when he leaves but i think it is all a matter of personal opinion. When Peter is gone, I am a freaking obsessed person about having all the doors and windows locked. When he is home, i dont even check them. I cant tell you how many nights we went to bed, and the front door was unlocked. [we live on a military base and no one is going to break into a Soldiers home while he is there] I dont feel like i need the WHOLE King sized bed we share, all to my self. I have plenty of space to sprawl out when he is in bed with me. I like to hear him whistling in the shower or singing. I love when he plays Music on his computer and sings along to it. His voice is my favorite thing about him. [well one of my favorite things. haha] I just have been reading on a lot of Army Wife Forums and blogs and pages on Facebook, about Women who dont care that their husbands are gone "because it is part of the job he signed up for". I completely understand him signing up for it and yeah i signed up too because we were ALREADY married Before he joined. Is it such a bad thing to not like having an empty bed, or be able to talk to or see your best friend everyday? I just hope that in time i will be more "ok" with having him gone. For now i will continue to LOVE having him home every second he can be. NOT because i am controlling but because i like to spend time with him. When he is near everything feels completely fine. ♥

Clock that i want for my wall...

I found this while looking through some pages! i think it is AWESOME and would look GREAT for my clock wall! now i just need to save a little bit and then order it! I m really exicted!

Time Fades wall decal from Threadless by Blik

all pictures are gone!

Freak! we deleted our email accounts and made an account for the both of us, and now all the pictures tied to that account are gone!!! booo! ill try to re upload the pictures but dont know howlong it will take!

Nina

♥ Winter Quarters Temple ♥

We had the wonderful opportunity to go to the Temple on Saturday. it was AMAZING ! Peter got asked to be there and since I am not one to skip out on going to the temple if i can, we decided to make a day out of it. Little did we know when we signed up to go that we would be leaving at 4 AM to make the 4 hour drive from Fort Riley Kansas to Omaha Nebraska! i didnt go to bed until 1:30 am, and we had to be up at 3:15 so i got maybe an hour and a half of sleep. it was more like a power-nap haha. Peter slept alot of the way there, so it was nice to kind of feel alone in the car and get the chance to watch the sun come up. it was beautiful =D




we thought it is just a beautiful Temple and we are so blessed to be able to go inside and do the work of the Lord. we are going to go back as soon as we can. ♥




we decided that it was time for us to take some pictures, it was hot and we got kind of sticky from all the humidity but we had to! haha next time ill make sure and take alot more pictures ♥

it was all around a great day!

Going to the Temple Tomorrow

at 4 am!! its about a 4 hour drive from Fort Riley Kansas, to Omaha Nebraska where the Winter Quarters Temple is! We are going with our Youth and are staying to do a session for us, and then we are going to go over to the trail center and try to "bump into" Sis. Lianna Bonelli ♥ ill post pictures of everything! Super EXCITED!!!!

my Lily is sooo spoiled

When she came to us, she came with a small petmate carrier that she slept in. It is her safe place. Well i didnt like seeing her in such a small place even if she is a small dog, so i bought her a bigger one. after a while [like 4 weeks] i decided i didnt like that on either, becasue it seemed too small for her. SOOOOOOOO Peter and i did some talking and decided that she should have a large wire black kennel


i know i know, she is such a tiny dog, for such a big kennel. BUT she is my baby right now and deserves the best and biggest amount of room we can give her ♥

what a spoiled brat haha. but she is my brat

Baby Quilt

I have been wanting to make a baby quilt for a while now and have a few babies thati know of that are on the way, so i picked up a pattern that had the material with it and i got to sewing! I decided that my sister-in-law is going to need a cute blanket when her son is born here sometime in this next week or two, so the pattern and print is Monkey Themed

this is what the finished blanket looks like ♥ [although if i ever make another one i will NOT be using any kind of fleece or fuzzy material. it was sooo hard to work with!]




and this is the back [ it was a plain piece of material, nothing fancy done to it thank goodness!]





i am hoping to make more of them! i know of at least 5 babies being born before the end of the year ♥

in Reference to Last post

I have been very very bad...

I got really busy and kept forgetting that my meeting were on Wednesdays... i havent lost any weight, and i only really think about it when i try to put on certain clothing items and they are two tight or dont fit over my hips... It will be eaier for me when Peter is gone to NTC [National Training Center , in Cali] during the month of July. When he isnt here i dont have a problem with eating healthy. haha but when he is here, its junk food all the time! haha any way ill keep trying my hardest to eat better and get out walking more...

starting Day one of new ME!

So i took a big step today and joined Weight Watchers... i decided that i am tired of being over-weight and i gained about 30 pounds since NOVEMBER when i moved out to Lawton Oklahoma to be with Peter. bad choices i made are the reason i gained so much weight. 2 years ago i lost 40 lbs when i lived in Maryland and then came back to cali, met Peter and managed to stay the same weight for about a year and a half. All my life i have been heavy and overweight. im just excited about the prospect of shedding the pounds. ill keep updated on my progress... ♥

Package from my mom ♥

Yesterday [Saturday] i got a package from my mom... i know she was sending me a toaster [which i was SOOOOO happy about because i HATE sandwiches that are not toasted] when i opened the package this is what i found!

Beneful for Lily



Hot Cheetos [because they are my FAVORITE!]


Clothes! Silverware, Makeup, Headbands, Easter Candy, and my Tiara from when i was 15


how blessed i am to have such a wonderful mother! ♥

crafty things i made ♥

I have been working on some new crafts and this is how they are turning out...

[this is a Peacock barrett i made and had some spare ribbon laying around]


[ i found a picture of a peacock flower online and thought i would try to make my own, i need to cut better so it is more roundish]


[just another softer view of the Peacock flower]


[these are some candles i decorated to go in my bathroom which has a Bamboo theme]

FINISHED PURSE!

i finished my purse that i was working on yesterday, i knwo its not the best thing ever but im just starting again ♥

crafty lady!

so since i have been wanting a sewing machine, but haven't had the money to buy a good one, i looked on craigslist and there was a Brother LS 1520 listed for 20 bucks... i know they only cost between 75 and 100 for this model but i just haven't had that much extra money lately from moving and all that good stuff. so i was EXCITED to find this! of course i am super excited to start sewing , i used to use my moms machine to make purses but she would never let me use her really good one, because, well its really good ha ha! so i am making a purse to start off with because i HATE all my purses right now and need a basic black cute purse. I have some thick Zebra print ribbon that i have been making hair bows out of, so i decided to use that for the strap... my needle just broke and Im 75% of the way done so its off to Walmart to buy some new needles and get back into it! ill post pictures when i am finished! WOOOOOOOOOO HHHHHHHOOOOOOOOO im so excited!

Hacked!!!

so i tried to log onto my Facebook account and was told i didn't enter the right password... so i went right away and changed it because i haven't changed my password in over 2 years... stupid because now i have to change ALL my passwords since i use the same one with everything! what a hassle! BLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEHHHHHHH!!!!!

Spring is here!!

I went outside this morning and saw little blossoms on a very small tree in front of our apartment! i was so excited that they are Cherry Blossoms! LOVE it!

Saturday session of General Conference

We woke up and watched the Saturday Session of General Conference and i thought it was wonderful. What great Leaders we have in our wonderful church. my Favorite talk today, yes i had a favorite ,was by Elder Ballard. he talked about Mothers and Daughters and Women in the church. Made me miss my mom even more than ever! im so glad i had a good example of what to be like. She is very selfless and has done so much for me and i am SURE that we were able to pick each other before we came to earth. I may not have been born to her but i have always been meant for her and she has been meant for me. what a wonderful blessing Mothers are.

have a great day!

busy busy busy

the past few days have been everything but busy! well except for my little dog who is still sick. we are taking her to the vet tomorrow becasue she isnt eating and i think she might have caught something and didnt shown symptoms of it until we got her. now im just worried about her becasue she is sooo little. hopefully we can just get some kind of medicine and she can go back to being a healthy little girl again =]

lately i have been missing hime. home is in Moreno Valley California. yes i was born in Riverside but raised in MoVal my whole life. I miss my family and my friends. its lonely here durgin the day when Peter is gone and its times like these that i wish i would have kept my car. if i had my own car i could find a job to keep me occupied. although i know that it doesnt make any sense to get a car right now for me, becasue when Peter deploys we will be paying his car off finally and then i wont have to worry about that car payment and the insurance will go down to almost $500 YEAR! plus ill have his car while he is away and we can save up and get a nice "family" car. we both have some cars that we really like...

top of the list is a
* Chevy Equinox
then maybe thinking about the Mazda CX9. its a really nice car and i LOVE Mazdas. i just want a good car that i am not going to have to worry about breaking down all the time. Peters Honda Accord has been really good to us and i actually like it. i will like it more when its finally paid off!

until we get a second car or peter gets deployed its basically me being stuck at home during the day and then spending the evening at home because he doesn't like to go out really after work, which is totally understandable becasue he works super early in the morning, but i have got to find something to do or i think i will go crazy!

things i want and need

i decided that i needed to make a list of things that i can show to Peter when he asks me "what do you want?". i have a very bad habit of not voicing things that i want when he asks so i end up with nothing... =[ my bad haha. so here we go...

*Cricut Expression


*Nikon D40


*Scrapbooking storage
[different kinds]

*Sewing Machine
not sure what kind right now....

well that is alot of things right there and just by posting them i feel selfish!
do you ever find yourself feeling selfish for wanting things? I always am thinking of what Peter needs and how we can get all the things he wants, and i sometimes forget about me. im way more willing to return something that is mine for the greater good of our family than to ever ask him to return something that is his.

out to the Field...

for four days Peter will be out in the "Field" doing his job... ♥ to me it is basically a glorified camping trip with the boys haha.

I dont know what is going to happen when Peter gets deployed, and im in the process over the next few months of deciding whether or not i want to move back to Southern California or stay here at Fort Riley Kansas for the whole year he will be gone. =/ the biggest factor is whether or not i am pregnant [cross your fingers that i AM!]. We really want a baby. also, i dont know too many peolpe here [DUH we dont have kids, so play dates are out of the question!] I am going to start being more active in church, becasue our Ward here is pretty much a Military Ward. although alot of the ladies here have young kids, babies or are elderly. i dont mind elderly women but i want friends that are around my age.

Pros for Leaving Kansas:
*All my friends are back home
*my family is home
*Peters family is back home
*I know SOOO many people back in our OLD Stake
*I can get my old job back and can work doing something i like

Cons for leaving Kansas:
*Lose our spot in housing and we are going to be getting better housing next year
...............
* ummm thats about the only CON to leaving Kansas... haha

its going to be a LONG hand very HARD decision to make becasue we will be here for most likely more than just 1 or 2 years. we might be here for about 4 years!

so anyway while Peter is out to the field ill be home alone with just my little doggie to keep me company... maybe ill play Assassins Creed... ♥

Lily Wannebo

is the cutest [and i mean this Literally!!] most adorable little Chihuahua/MiniPincher mix ever! I found her on this FortRileyYardSales online website, kinda of like Craigslist but specifically for Fort Riley, and there was a listing on there with these two pictures that just melted my heart! i had to have her! i went back and forth for a few days wondering if Peter would actually like her becasue she is a chihuahua and he likes bigger dogs... after tossing the idea around for several days we decided to actually meet her and see if we clicked. The moment i saw her i knew i had to have her! she is sooo sweet and loving.

Best part about the whole thing is that she is trained to Sit, Stay, and sleep in her little doggy carrier. She is also Potty trained. she lets me know when she needs to go outside which is nice!!

I know she will bewith our family FOREVER! i could never give her up. Peter loves her and is just as sweet as can be with her, even though she growls at him when he comes home from PT in the morning, but she warms back up to him as soon as he crawls in bed... haha

we love our girl

Long time no post...

Peter had finished Basic Training, AIT [Job Training] and we have moved to Fort Riley Kansas! WOO HOO! , well we had heard awful things about how bad it was here, but we have not found anything like that! we took some time and explored and found some really neat places and things to do. There is a town called Manhattan [No not Manhattan New York] and it is home to the great Kansas State University! so yeah they have a college town about 20 minutes away from an Army Base. I thought that would be cool, but apparently the College kids are less than thrilled that there are Soldiers here. so we have been warned not to go out to "Aggie Ville" in Uniform. Roger that!

We have onpost housing, and it is really nice for us. we dont have to pay for it, becasue the Army gives a housing allowance that covers the apartment. =] We are right down the street from where Peter works which is nice becasue i had heard that it sometimes takes people 20 or 30 minutes to get to work ever morning. it takes us all of about 5 minutes... =] Our apartment is 2 bedrooms which is nice becasue i am going to start collecting scrapbooking items and build my own area to sit and comfortably scrapbook =] AWESOME!

so i havent been keeping up my blog as much as i would like, but i am hopefully going to start blogging more about all the cool things i am working on for our house and scrapbooking-wise... you might also see me post alittle about Military things and all the crazy stuff i see... =]

until next time, Love yah!

Nina