What a Crazy Friday

Last Friday had to be the scariest day I've encountered since this whole pregnancy began. It started off with me waking up around 5:15am to take a shower. As I was getting ready to get out, I grabbed on to Jason's towel bar, which is closest to the shower, to get over to mine.  As I was leaning out with my weight holding onto the towel bar, the bar gave away and I basically flipped out of the tub and landed between the toilet and wall.  I let out a horrible scream and Jason came flying in to see what happened.  I think I turned to land on my side and my hip/arms/knees took the majority of the fall.  I have nasty bruises on all of those places, and nothing on my tummy, so that's why I think I didn't even hit my stomach.  But, we decided right away that we would go into the office when it opened at 8am.  So,we did and waited until almost 9am when the nurse came out and told me that I would need to go up to labor and delivery to be monitored.  So, Jason and I headed up there where I was hooked up so they could check Cooper's heartbeat, any contractions, and my placenta.  I guess I had a few contractions, but everything else looks good.  Since I did have contractions, they've given me preterm labor instructions. I've felt pretty good, except I've had more Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing serious to worry about.  It was a horrible day and I'm glad it's over.  Needless to say, the towel bar is no longer up so that I can't even be tempted to put my weight on it and now I hang the towel over the shower curtain bar. No more reaching for me!  :)  Oh-and only 6 more weeks from this Thursday!!!!

Picture Update

Below is a picture of me at 32 weeks and some days...this child is growing!!! 

Thanksgiving was nice, but went quickly.  We had Jason's Dad and Mary for dinner, along with my parents.  It was a nice meal and everyone enjoyed themselves. 

Jason is continuing to finish the upstairs hallway and all he has left is to paint the walls!  The ceiling is completely done and looks awesome!  I can't wait to see the finished project. 

And Jason shot a doe this weekend!  I think, and it's only my assumption, that he's beginning to like bow hunting less and less because if you don't shoot the deer in the right place, they can suffer and it's harder to shoot them a second time.  Shotgun season starts this Saturday, so hopefully he gets a buck then.  It's been a rough bow hunting season, as Jason hasn't seen too many.  Or he has just missed them by an hour or so.  He's frustrated, but I think he's looking forward to starting a different season.

We had our 32 week appt last Friday and all is well.  I saw a different doctor and he said my chart looks great and I'm measuring right on.  We have our next appt next Friday for our 34 week appt.  Cooper will be here before we know it!  We can't wait and we're so excited! 

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

Almost 32 Weeks...

So, this Thursday (Thanksgiving), I'll be 32 weeks pregnant, which means I'll be almost officially 8 months pregnant.  I've been feeling great, although since Cooper's getting bigger and pushing my organs out of the way, I can hardly breathe sometimes and I have to change positions in order to so.  :)  But, it's all totally worth it.  And, since I'll be 32 weeks pregnant, I have only 2 months or 8 weeks left to go!!!!  This Tuesday night is our last night of  birthing classes and so far they've been pretty good.  I feel like I've learned a lot and I'm pretty sure Jason feels the same way.  My Mom had to go with me last week as Jason was on travel to North Caroline and Tennessee.  So glad to have him back home.  We toured the hospital last week and while I wished Jason would have been there to see all of that, it really wasn't that big of a deal.  The hospital isn't that big, so I would assume he won't get lost if he needs to drop me off at the door when we go into labor. 

Jason is still trying to hunt down the big buck and so far, he hasn't really seen too many.  I hope and pray that he gets one soon because he sits out there all day long on the weekends and doesn't see much.  I can only imagine how frustrating that is.

Yesterday, Jason stayed home in the morning and we went to breakfast, did some Thanksgiving shopping, and worked on projects around the house.  I cleaned and cleaned and he took off the rest of the popcorn ceiling in the hallway upstairs.  He just needs to spackle the ceiling, paint it, and then paint the walls and that project is done!  We have a few more things to do in Cooper's room for projects, like put up pictures, hang up his curtains when they come in and get a new light.  We can't stand the light in his room now and when the fan is on, it makes a loud humming noise, so that light is going in the garbage.  :) 

Well, that's all for a Monday.  Nothing too crazy going on right now.  But, we did start our every other week appointments and in 4 weeks it will be every week!  I'm getting so excited and anxious!  I can't wait to meet Cooper!

3D Ultrasound

Yesterday we had our 3D ultrasound and the glucose testing.  Little Cooper would not cooperate again because ideally they like the baby to be facing toward my tummy and Cooper was facing toward my spine.  :)  So, the technician was a little disappointed with the pictures, but Jason and I loved them!  You can see his little nose, his face features, his hand (he was sucking his thumb and you can see it on video!), and his one foot that was up by his face!  We think he's adorable and it's making me that much more anxious to meet him!  Pretty soon we'll be counting down in single digits and I can't wait.  I can't wait to hold him, squeeze him, and give him tons and tons of kisses. 


The glucose test, tests for gestational diabetes and I just had to drink an orange drink and wait an hour.  After an hour, they drew some blood and we're just waiting on the results.  The orange drink wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  I've heard people getting sick from drinking it and I was fine.  It basically just tasted like orange pop from McDonald's. 


Jason will be out hunting most of the weekend.  He's taking a half day today because the weather is beautiful and he's seen some big bucks on his cameras.  I hope he gets a big one! 


My Mom and I are going to do some shopping tonight for Cooper's lamp and lamp shade, curtains, and a new shirt for me for my baby shower tomorrow.  I can't wait to see what the little guy gets!  Hopefully more necessity items like bottles, nipples, diapers, etc.  I'm so nervous we're not going to get any of those things!  He'll have them though because we definitely have to have them!


And then this weekend, other than the baby shower, my Mom and I are going to work on a craft project for Cooper's room and taking wallpaper down in the upstairs bathroom.  That's a project that I started and need help with.  I just want the wallpaper down and don't really care if it's painted.  Although, I'm sure I'll want that done too.  :)  But, nothing on the walls is better than half torn off wallpaper with seashells! 


Hope everyone has a nice weekend and I'll try to see where I can scan in pictures of Cooper to show everyone!

Almost 25 weeks!

I haven't blogged in a while because I just don't have the energy to or the time.  I'm making time today at work.  :) 


We finally ordered Cooper's bedding and we, probably more me than Jason, are so excited to get it!  Hopefully it's here by the end of the week.  Then this month some time, we're ordering his crib and dresser.  I can't wait to put all of this up in his room!  I'll post pictures once it's all decorated and ready to go.  The more this pregnancy goes on, the more we get excited to meet this little guy. 


This Thursday I'll be 25 weeks and in about 4 weeks, we have the 3D ultrasound where we can really see what he looks like.  Jason wants to bring a VHS tape so that we can record the ultrasound and show our families.  One thing about this pregnancy experience that I don't care for is that my normal doctor, Dr. Coleman, has been on medical leave and originally they thought it would only be for 6 weeks.  It's been way longer and I know she needs to heal, but I just feel more comfortable with her and hope she recovers quickly.  I'm just praying that she'll be there to deliver our little boy. 


I guess I've 'popped' recently because everyone wants to touch my belly.  :)  I seriously don't mind it.  He's pretty active, so more than likely, anyone who touches my belly will feel him.  I just can't wait to hold him and see what he looks like!  It's all starting to feel more and more real now that we're buying furniture and baby showers are going to happen soon.  I just wish January would hurry up!!!

Today is the DAY!!!!

Today is the day we are to find out whether we are having a girl or boy!!!  Hopefully this little babe cooperates and lets us know, but we're so excited!  I could hardly sleep last night I was so excited and all I did was dream about babies.  I get to leave work around 1:45 to go home, drink some orange juice as I've heard this gets the little babe all crazy, and then head over to my normal check-up at 3:15 and then the gender ultrasound is at 4:00.  We'll let everyone know as soon as we're outta there!  I'm crossing my fingers we're able to see!!!  :)  Talk to everyone soon!

One Week...

Jason and I are so excited for next Tuesday, we can hardly contain ourselves.  That is when we find out (hopefully) what we are having!!!  Our appt is at 4pm, so we'll call family members after we find out!  We can't wait!!!!

Traveling Again...

I'm on the road again and will be again next week.  Although next week we'll be in Bloomington, IL.  I'm currently in my hotel room in Memphis, TN.  It hasn't been too bad, although I'm anxious to go home.  I was sitting in my hotel room last night and I was starving and I think I finally felt the baby kick me.  I'm not 100% sure that it was, but I'm really thinking it was.  I told the baby that we'd be eating soon and to just hold on.  :)  I was hoping it would happen again tonight, but I believe it will be every so often that I feel this little tyke.  We are so excited about finding out what we're having....August 24th will be here soon!  Especially since I'm traveling more.  I have thoughts that it's a girl, but I've had 2 separate dreams that it's a boy.  I'll take whatever...we only care that it's healthy.  Well, that's about all I have tonight.  I don't have much to do except look on the internet and read my book.  Our flight isn't until 2:30 tomorrow afternoon, so we'll be getting to sleep in.  I'm really looking forward to waking up whenever I feel like it.  :) 

Lazy Monday

I've never really updated on what Jason and I did on the weekends, but since I have nothing really to do, here goes.  First of all, you anxious grandparents :), Baby G is doing good.  Nothing too exciting going on right now.  Our next appointment is August 3rd at 4pm, which is just a regular appointment.  The next one after that, which should be the last week in August/first week of September, will be to determine if we're having a boy or a girl.  We are so excited and are waiting patiently!!!  We can't wait to find out and let everyone know!!!  Then this might all start feeling more real and we can start buying gender appropriate things.

Friday night we celebrated Jason's weight loss challenge (it's not over yet), but he lost a bunch of weight before his weigh-in and I made pineapple pizza.  After that, the Schmidt's were having a bonfire, so we went over there and hung out a while before the mosquitos started getting really bad.  We went in their house for a bit and decided we were both beat, and went home.

Saturday was supposed to be our productive day and we did get a lot done during the morning, like mowing the lawn, Jason pulled weeds, and I tried to help as much as I could.  But, the heat got to both of us pretty bad and we decided to go to the pool at Geneva.  Wise choice because it was hardly busy and the water felt great.  After that we made dinner and relaxed. 

Sunday was a lazy day.  We didn't have motivation to do anything and I think maybe because Jason was leaving today and we wanted to spend as much time together as we could.  So, we took some old things to the Goodwill that were left over from our garage sale, rented The Great Outdoors and Greenzone, and ordered Casey's pizza and that was it.  We watched both movies and lounged all night. 

Next weekend we are really going to work hard around the house because we took this weekend off.  We are getting new carpeting hopefully next month, but Jason has to do the tiling first. 

This Thursday I'm going to The House on the Rock with my Mom and sister, Jenna.  I'm so excited and can't wait!!!  It should be a really great time and it will feel like a mini vacation to me!  Then in Sept., we're taking a few days off work to go up to Minnesota to go fishing and relax.  We are both really looking forward to it since the weather will be perfect and it should be pretty up there hoping the leaves are starting to turn.

Hope everyone had a nice weekend and we'll get back here soon!

Julie & Jason

Update to Last Post

No strep for me!  I went to the doctor this morning and it's just a viral thing.  I hope that's all it is anyway.  I was exhausted tonight when I got home from work tonight after running to Wal-Mart and fell asleep right away in bed.  I didn't wake up until 7:30 and then had 2 frozen ice things and I'm wondering if I'm not just overheated.  I was soooooo thirsty and it's about 96 degrees here, which feels like 110 with the heat index.  Hot, hot, hot.  And Jason is going for a run tonight.  I just hope that he does okay and doesn't get sick.  Lots of water when he gets back!

What a Day So Far...

Well, it's only 8:53am and I'm still at home.  Not because of anything pregnancy wise or just because I slept in-I have to go to the doctor at 9:30 this morning to see if I have strep throat.  I will feel silly if it's not and I've missed work this morning, but I'm trying to think that I'm being proactive.  I've read that strep throat stays in your throat, so it won't affect the baby, but everyone tells me I should go just to check it out.  So that's what I'm doing.  I need to be leaving shortly, so I'll post later when I find out what it is. 

Busy Friday & Saturday

I had today off since it was my RDO.  I had planned on having a yard sale and this weekend is it.  Jason actually got to go to the John Deere Classic in Moline for work, so lucky for him, he didn't have to help.  :)  My niece, Mom, and sister all have things selling in it.  There is so much stuff!!!  We all did pretty well today and it's running tomorrow as well, from 7am-3pm.  Makes for a long day, but it's kind of fun.  Jason will miss tomorrow as well since he gets to be in a golf tournament.  Jenna is going to help me out all day since she's selling her things.  She's bringing me a doughnut in the morning.  :)  Chocolate w/sprinkles is the best and I cannot wait. 

Baby news:  not much new.  I think I'm starting to show and my sister both think I am as well.  I can't believe at 12 weeks that I would showing!  I think this is going to be a BIG baby!  Only a  little less than 8 weeks until we find out if we're having a girl or boy!  We're so excited and can't wait! 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Travel, Travel, Travel

I cannot explain how much I can't wait to go home.  Instead of flying to Madisonville, KY, the guy I'm with wanted to drive the 8 hours instead.  It's a long drive and I didn't know if I could take riding with him home.  So, we don't technically have to stay today, but he wants to.  Three reasons why, 1) he doesn't want to go back to work Thursday, 2) he's afraid that he might get a shower that's bad if we stay somewhere closer to home, and 3) he doesn't care if he sees his family early.  He told me yesterday that he has no reason to hurry home!  WHAT?!!!?  He's got a NEW fiance and a 1 year old at home.  If that were me, I'd be hurrying home to see them.  And even though I don't have a baby, I want to hurry home to see Jason!!!  So, after stewing about this all evening and just getting more mad, I decided that I was going to call him and see about driving a few hours today so that our drive home on Thursday wouldn't be so long.  He didn't want to at first, but I should have a say in this too, so I pushed for it and we are staying in Marion, IL tonight and then driving the 5 1/2 hours home tomorrow.  He's so frustrating and self-centered, I could just smack him.  Not really, but it would be fun.  :)  There's so much more to this story, but I won't get into it.  I've said enough and I'm just thankful that tomorrow I finally get to see my husband.  I can't wait! 

Friday is Here!

I am so thankful today is Friday.  I don't know what it is, but I think the 4 day weekend I had wasn't long enough and I did not want to come to work this past Tuesday.  It has been the longest week it feels like, and I can't wait until 3pm today. 

I just found out this morning that I may be traveling the 14th-17th of this month to Kentucky to see a first article test.  That's okay with me....anything to get me out of this office for a while.  Although I'm not too thrilled with the person I will be traveling with, but it will be okay. 

Jason is busy this weekend with a friend's bachelor party that starts today at noon and ends tomorrow night.  Long bachelor party if you ask me. :)  Today they're going golfing at noon, dinne, and then who knows what.  Tomorrow they're going paintballing in the afternoon, dinner which I think is a cookout, and then poker at a friend's house.  I'm sure he'll be pretty beat up after the paintballing tomorrow.  Hopefully not too bad though.

Jason and I are looking forward to his Mom & Don visiting soon.  We haven't seen them since I believe after Christmas and it will be nice to catch up and visit.  I'm hoping Jason doesn't work while they're here, because he has a tendency to forget to slow down every once in a while. 

The house painting is coming along.  The 'man shed' is completely painted and now he concentrating on just the house.  I'm really hoping this gets done this year.  Not only because I can't stand the outside of the house, but the old stain is fading and the house just really needs it.  I will post pictures soon because it's always fun to see before and after pics. 

Hope everyone has a nice weekend and I'm sure we'll be talking to everyone soon!

I swear, all it's done around here lately is rain, rain, rain.  Yesterday we got around 3 inches in about 15 minutes!  The drive home from work was a little scary at first when I couldn't see anything and people were slowing down to 30 mph and turning on their hazard lights.  As soon as I got closer to Blue Grass, the rain subsided and it sprinkled for a bit. 

I have had no motivation this week to come to work.  Maybe it's because I STILL haven't done anything work wise and it's incredibly boring to sit here day after day and do nothing.  I've signed up for more classes because at least that gives me something to think about and challenge myself a bit. 

Let's see....we've got a million things in the near future that we'd like to get done on the house.  Here's our current list of things we'd like to get done this year.  Paint the hallway going upstairs, tear down the wallpaper in the upstairs bathroom and paint it and paint the vanity, paint the dogs room, tear up the carpet downstairs and get new along with tile by the garage door, and paint the house.  I believe Jason is currently contemplating hiring someone to paint the top of the house because he's afraird of falling off the roof and I completely agree with this.  The area isn't that big, but I'll worry about him.  We've got lots to do, but hopefully since most of it's painting, it will go fast.  The house is the only thing that concerns me.  That will take some time and we have to get it done this year since the paint is already a year old.

It's Going to be a Fun Weekend!

Jason and I are expecting company this weekend!  Gary and Mary are coming down to visit and the boys are going to be moving dirt/rocks around at the farm.  I have no idea what the ladies are going to do....maybe have a fire and just hang out, but it should be a nice relaxing weekend for the ladies anyway! :) 

Work has been extremely slow this week.  I am taking a class that should take me a while to complete, so at least I finally have something to do. 

Jason's been busy this week between work and after work functions.  Monday night I believe we took it easy, Tuesday he had a metting for Habitat for Humanity, Wednesday night he tilled up the garden and planted it, and last night he had a YPN event where he was an ice cream taster.  I'm sure he really hated that! :)

Well, I'd better get to taking my class (I'm typing this while at work).  Hopefully today is a great day and the weekend is even better!!!

I would like to say that our entryway is done, as in painted!!!  Jasons surprised me while I was gone on travel and it looks great!  I'll post pictures later since I haven't taken them yet and it's late.  Which takes me to another point...I have no idea why I'm up.  Yesterday was not a good day/night to fly into Chicago.  Our last flight got canceled last night due to the weather, so we rented 2 minivans and drove the 3 hours home.  I finally got home around 4am.  I was exhausted today and I guess I'm running on what last adrenaline I have left. 

We had a really nice evening eating dinner with the Pinter's.  Their boys were great and very entertaining I must add.  I tried to hide my laughter almost the entire night while Don & Steph were trying to be serious with Neal.  How do you not laugh at a child who's trying to act like broccoli is the worst tasting food ever and make the most hilarious face ever?!  I had to turn away and then Jason and Neal made a game out of it and had an eating contest and of course, Neal didn't remember how much he hated it the 2 minutes before.  :) 

This weekend we have a busy Saturday.  A wedding shower in the afternoon and a wedding in the evening.  The shower is for a friend who works with Jason and the wedding is another friend of Jason's that used to play football with him in the Davenport league. 

I don't have to work tomorrow, so I'm going to clean up around the house and do some deep cleaning.  It needs it bad.  I might throw a little shopping in there, but not for me though....for the shower.  Shopping is shopping though!  :)

It's late and I'm beat.  I think Jason might take a half day tomorrow to spend some time with me.  I'm really looking forward to it since I've missed him while I was gone this week.  Hopefully the traveling for us both calms down a bit for now...I'm crossing my fingers.

Great Start to the Weekend!

Jason had a great start to the weekend!  He shot his first turkey!  Enjoy the pictures below!

Fast Weekend

This weekend has got to be the fastest ever.  I had yesterday off and went and got my hair colored.  Jason flew out to Memphis from Cedar Rapids and had to be  up by 3:45 in the morning in order to leave home by 4:45.  I was a nice wife and made him and his co-worker coffee. :)  His meeting went well, which he was worried about and couldn't hardly sleep the night before because of it.  After his meeting, their flight was supposed to fly out at 5:25pm, but got delayed until 6:15.  No big deal since he had a 2 hour layover in Chicago.  Due to the weather, his flight in Chicago was delayed and he didn't get into Cedar Rapids until 11:30.  He finally made it home at 1:00am. 

Today was relaxing.  Jason went turkey hunting in the morning, fishing in the afternoon, and he's back out turkey hunting now.  Although it's dark here, I have no clue what he's doing.  He did come home in between to mow the lawn, which needed it badly.  Looks great now! 

I did some cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping.  I'm so excited because I bought a new welcome mat for the front entrance of the house and a new shower curtain for the upstairs bathroom!  I'm a little nervous that Jason won't like it as he likes to help pick things out, but we needed a new liner and while I was at the store, I thought I might as well buy a new curtain too.  I think it looks better, but I'll have to see what the boss says about it.  :) 

Tomorrow Jason is going  back out turkey hunting.  I'm hoping he got a turkey tonight since he's not home, otherwise it will be all day again tomorrow.  We're almost finished painting the entryway and I think Jason has that on his list for tomorrow as well.  I'd like to get it done asap as it's been a project for almost 6 months now.  I'm crossing my fingers!

It's Great To Be Home!!!

I finally returned home on Friday afternoon and I was so excited to finally be back.  Jason picked me up at the airport in Moline and surprised me with dinner at a restaurant in Bettendorf, IA.  Then we came home and I loved on the puppies and Sadie would not leave me alone.  She was so cute.  :) 

Yesterday Jason and I went mushroom hunting in the morning at the farm and we didn't find anything!!!  The other guy that was with us found 3 mushrooms, but that was it.  It was a little disappointing, but there's always next year!  We had Richie, Jason's Big Brother Big Sister brother, with us and we had taken him with us and afterward took him to Pizza Ranch for some lunch.  I don't think Richie enjoyed it too much since he fell once and got caught on practically every thorn bush in the woods.  But, it was something different that Jason hasn't done with him and maybe if he takes him out again, there will be more success.

Last night we went to dinner with my Aunt Sue, Uncle Neal, Annie, Steve, Mom, Dad, and Jenna.  We went to China Garden and it was a nice time.  While we didn't want to eat out twice in one day, it was nice to catch up with everyone and visit with them.

Today is Molly's Confirmation and I'm her sponsor.  It's at 2 this afternoon and afterward we are going to the Machine Shed in Davenport to celebrate. All I've done is out for the past 2 weeks and I'm ready for a home cooked meal!  I'll definitely get one this week since Jason will be gone and I can cook for myself.

It's great to be back and I'm glad that my next trip will only be for a few days rather than 2 weeks.  I'm sad to see Jason leave, but definitely glad I'm no longer in Texarkana!!!

3 Days Left...

Another day down, only 3 more to go.  I've never posted this much in 1 week and it's only because I'm not cleaning the house, doing laundry, dishes, etc.  I have the time needless to say!  I'm getting soooooo anxious to go home.  I'm starting to get bummed about it, but hopefully these next few days go quickly.  Last Friday in class, the main instructor Tad, said that he'd like to see more quality people come down for a 4 month course instead of the 6 months or what we're doing now for 2 weeks.  And he looked directly at me and said that he thinks it would really benefit me.  I just took it with a grain of salt thinking he was just talking, until he mentioned it again today...and with dates.  It would run from July to the end of October and I'm really nervous that he's going to mention it to Brian, my Division Chief, who is in charge of the training.  I don't want to come down here for 4 months....how are Jason and I ever going to start a family?  How are we supposed to make our marriage work being miles away?  I hope I'm just worrying for nothing, but it's all I can think about right now.  I've got a lump in my throat just thinking about it and now I'm starting to wonder if I made a mistake in taking this job.  Ho-hum.  I guess I'll just have to wait it out and see. 

And the Weekend is Over...

I'm only happy the weekend is over because that means that I only have 4 more days until I get to see Jason and our puppies.  It's been great down here and the people have been really nice, but I'm ready to come home.  Yesterday we drove to Smithsville, OK to go horseback riding, not my #1 choice, but I did it because the girl that I'm with wanted to.  First off, the directions led us onto a road that started out as blacktop, but turned into a country back road with bridges made of out boards and half of them were sticking up!  Neither one of us could get signal on our phones and we started to get really nervous.  After what felt like an hour on this road, we flagged down a lady in a truck and asked her where the main highway was because we needed to get to Smithsville.  Turns out we were about 1,000 feet from the main highway....thank God.  When we finally got to the ranch, they had a dog that looked EXACTLY like Sadie Mae and it made me sad.  I started missing her and Andy like crazy and then I got upset last night talking to Jason on the phone.  2 weeks isn't a lot, but we haven't ever been apart this long before.  But, I'm better today because I did a little shopping!!!  Melanie and I drove to Shreveport, LA to the Louisiana Boardwalk where they have lots of little stores and I got a beautiful purse and wallet and some pants.  We ate at a restaurant comparable to the Cheesecake Factory and it was delicious.  We left there and went to some other shopping places, but were tired from the first and we ended up driving back to the hotel.  I've seen a lot of 'different' places down here that were very interesting to put it nicely!  :)  And I didn't bring my camera, so I don't have any pictures, but I've sure got some stories!

MRAP

Today was such an exciting day for me in Texarkana.  I got to drive an MRAP M-ATV!!!  MRAP stands for  Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle and it's one of the newer configurations of vehicles for the armed services.  There are many different versions of the MRAP vehicle, but I was lucky enough to drive the M-ATV.  I thought the director was joking when he said the blonde could start out driving first, but he wasn't!  I was so excited and so nervous all at the same time.  It was the greatest experience I've had yet and I couldn't believe I was actually driving it!  I drove on the base, on dirt roads, and up a 50% incline.  The incline was a little nerve wracking....my hands and feet were shaking the whole time.  But, I did it and I'm so glad I did.  Here is a link to check out the MRAP vehicles.... http://www.oshkoshdefense.com/defense/products~matv~home.cfm.  Go to the third video on the right hand side and this one shows you what the vehicle can do.  This was such a neat experience and I hope I get to see many more exciting things!

And one quick thing before I end this....yesterday we went and saw live-fire testing for the Bradley....too cool.  :)

Texarkana - Day #1

So, I just got to Texarkana around 6:30 tonight and while the flights were good and the 3 hour drive from Dallas to Texarkana went well, I'm sure starting to miss my family back home.  I'm trying to think positive and tell myself that it's only for 11 more nights.  :)  I wish the days would fly by and I could see my husband!!!  This is going to be the first time that I've been away from Jason longer than a week and it's going to feel like an eternity.  Oh well, I'd better get used to it because it's only the first day!!! 

Travel, Travel, Travel

It's a lot to have 2 posts in one day, but the last post I had started on last week and I finally got around to downloading my photos, so it finally got posted today. 

Jason and I are going on lots of travel soon....here are our schedules for this month and May:

April 11-23:  Julie in Texarkana, TX  (2 weeks w/no breaks on the weekends...I'm sure going to miss my husband)

April 26-28:  Jason in Cleveland, OH & Chicago

May 4-6:  Jason in Nashville, TN

May 10-13:  Julie in Picatinny, NJ

At least we'll get to see each other on the weekends!!!  It's definitely going to be tough, but we'll just have to learn how to deal with it.  I don't know how we're both going to do with the first trip with me being gone for 2 weeks and not seeing each other on the weekend. I'm pretty sure I know how Jason will do....he'll be turkey hunting that first weekend, so his mind will be occupied.  Hopefully I can find some good malls in Texarkana or hopefully we can go to Dallas to do some shopping!!!

Let's see, what else is going on in our world.  Jason finally got someone to rent out the tillable property, so we're pretty happy about that.  He's a neighbor right down the road and he and his wife are very nice people.  He's a small farmer, which is what Jason kind of wanted anyway. 

Well, that's about it!  Hope all is well with everyone and we'll talk to you soon!

-Jason & Julie  :)

Ft. Benning, GA

Monday I went on travel to Ft. Benning, GA for some training for one of the items that I will be receiving in my quality job.  Here is a little history on Ft. Benning from Wikipedia:

Ft. Benning is named for Brigadier General Henry L. Benning, a Confederate Army General and a native of Columbus.  It was established in October 1918 as Camp Benning, and was assigned permanent status in 1918.  The base covers 182,000 acres.  During WWII, Ft. Benning included 197,159 acres and had billeting space for 3,970 officers and 94,873 enlisted persons.  The Chattahoochee River runs through Ft. Benning, which straddles the Georgia/Alabama state line; 93 percent of Ft. Benning is located in Georgia and 7 percent in Alabama.

Ft. Benning's first mission was to provide basic training for units participating in WWI.  With the end of that war, Benning was closed until the Army could find another use.  The first tenant unit was the Infantry School, which General George Marshall commanded beginning in 1934.  The Infantry School is still located at Ft. Benning, the wooden permanent buildings completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

In 1940, the 2nd Armored Division was formed at Ft. Benning; it first saw action in North Africa and the Pacific Theater of Operations.

During WWII, Ft. Benning became home to the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, known as the Triple Nickel.  Their training began in December 1943 and was an important milestone for black Americans.  The battalion, later expanded to become the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion, was trained at Ft. Benning but did not deploy overseas.  During this period, the specialized duties of the Triple Nickel were primarily in a firefighting role, with over one thousand parachute jumps as smoke jumpers.  The 555th was secretly deployed to the Pacific Northwest of the United States in response to the concern that forest fires were being set by the Japanese military using long-range incendiary balloons.

The Airborne School on Main Post has three 249 foot drop towers called 'Free Towers'.  They are used to train paratroopers.  The towers were modeled after the parachute towers at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.  Only three towers stand today; the fourth tower was toppled by a tornado in March 14, 1954.

The 4th Infantry Division, first of four divisions committed by the United States to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, reorganized and completed its basic training at Ft. Benning from October 1950 to May 1951, when it deployed to Germany for five years.

Today, Ft. Benning is a self-sustaining military community, which supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve component soldiers, retirees, and civilian employees on a daily basis.  It is a power projection platform, and possesses the capability to deploy combat-ready forces by air, rail, and highway.  Ft. Benning is the home of the United States Army Infantry Center and School, the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, elements of the 75th Ranger Regiment, the 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, the 14th Combat Support Hospital and many other additional tenant units.

I was there on travel to be trained on the Claymore and get feedback on the positives and negatives of this item.  The Claymore is a directional anti-personnel mine.  It fires shrapnel, in the form of steel balls.  It is used primarily in ambushes and as an anti-infiltration device against enemy infantry.  It is also of some use against unarmored vehicles.  Below is a photo from Wikipedia of the Claymore.

I had the opportunity to train as the soldiers would out on the range.  They wanted us to see what has to be done in order to set up the Claymore and the time it takes to do so.

Here is the link for all my pictures from the training.  There are other people from other locations that showed up, so they're in the photos as well.  And you'll be able to spot me easily as I'm in the orange jacket.  :)

Claymore

Honeymoon Pics

This was a view from our room of the beach.

This was us riding our horses in the ocean!

Jason swimming with horse.

Jason and I swimming in the falls.

A beautiful Jamaican sunset.

Rick's Cafe cliff diving.

Jason and I on the catamaran sunset cruise.

Our view from our beach chairs every day.  :)

Our last night before dinner at Krystal.

We have many more pictures, but that will be just a good excuse to visit family.  :)  Hope you enjoy them!

Honeymoon-Jamaica 2010

Jamaica was THE most beautiful place we have ever been.  The people, the country...it was fantastic.  Jamaicans are so friendly and just aim to please.  I have never had so many hand shakes/fist bumps in my entire life. :) The sunsets were absolutely the most amazing thing we've ever seen, however, they disappear in just a few minutes, I swear.  One minute you're looking at it and the next minute, it's gone. 

We arrived to the Montego Bay airport Sunday, the 14th around 10:30 in the morning.  We immediately found our bus and were on our way.  I was very nervous riding to our hotel on the first day because they are crazy drivers!!!  I can say that because on one of our tours, our guide admitted that they are very bad drivers, but have fewer accidents than Americans.  And they also drive on the opposite side of the road, so that took some getting used to.

We made a few stops along the way and arrived at our hotel in Negril, Jamaica, the Riu Palace Tropical Bay Resort.  BEAUTIFUL.  Our room was ready, we went and changed, then went directly to the beach.  We didn't do too much the first day because we had been on a plane for the majority of the morning and just wanted to relax on the beach.  The water was perfect.....warm and calm. 

On Monday, Jason and I went down the road to a resort where they have horse back riding.  We both had our own horse and rode up into the mountains and back down where we were able to ride in the ocean with our horses.  I opted to not go swimming with my horse, but Jason did.  It was neat to see him do this and will post pictures in another post. 

Tuesday we relaxed and did nothing....that was our goal.  Wednesday we went to many places.  The first stop was to the Black River where we saw some crocodiles and various birds and trees.  We then had lunch at the same place where the restaurant was about 100 degrees and I thought we were all going to pass out it was so hot.  They finally turned on the air conditioning and then it was bearable.  We got back on our bus and headed to YS Falls.  You could walk and walk forever and see falls.  Jason jumped from a rope into the falls and we went swimming in them.  It was gorgeous.  Then we took a scenic drive through the mountains on basically a one car road and drove to the Appleton Estates where they make rum.  On our way, we saw where the people live up in the mountains and it was fascinating to see.  We learned so much that day about their culture.  As we were riding on buses, we'd see many houses that looked abandoned.  Come to find out, the people buy the cement blocks (yes, this is how they build their houses), build what they can, buy more cement bricks, and once they have bought all of them, they can finish their house.  They take the cement blocks, build their houses, then put mortar on top of them and their house is finished.  Once it's finished, they own it.  Also, we saw many sugar cane fields.  We learned that when the sugar cane is ready to be harvested, they burn the fields to get rid of bugs and to soften the leaves, otherwise the leaves are very sharp and they will cut their hands.  We actually saw a field on fire when we were on our way home that day.  There were many little stands along the road way where they were selling fruits, jewelry, beer, t-shirts, really anything you wanted.  Very interesting to see.

Thursday we went on a sunset catamaran tour where they took us to Rick's Cafe.  Jason went cliff diving and I watched from the boat.  It was beautiful and the rum punch was delicious.  We also went snorkeling and saw the neatest sting ray.  It was leopard print!

Friday we relaxed and didn't do much of anything.  We went swimming, had some jerk chicken with red beans and rice, and just laid around in the sun.  We were just taking it all in on our last day. 

It's 5:03 AM...

...and we can't sleep.  In a few hours we'll be heading to Chicago to stay at our hotel to fly out tomorrow morning to go to Jamaica!!! 

I started my new job this week and I haven't started anything work wise, but I do like all of the people I work with.  I didn't have a computer all week, so I spent my days reading the Quality Manual....BORING.  But, at 2:55 PM on Friday (I leave at 3:00 when I work on Friday's), they brought my computer down.  I knew it would end up this way.  Oh well, it will have to wait until I get back from vacation!

Jason had to get a tetanus shot this week because he got caught on some barbwire and cut his hand open.  Nothing major, he didn't need any stitches or anything.  His poison ivy is getting better.  It's not as scabbed over as it was and now the areas where he had it are just red.  I'm super glad he went to the doctor for it.  It was pretty nasty.

I don't have much else to say except that we're super excited to leave for vacation and we'll definitely post some pictures when we get back!!!  I only hope the weather cooperates because when I looked at weather.com, it has forecasted rain for the entire week we are there.  Hopefully  if it does rain, it's just a small shower and clears up within minutes. Looking forward to white sandy beaches and warm water!!!!

First Day of Work

Today was my first day of work.  I didn't have a computer, so I really didn't have too much to do.  Then, my Team Leader and anyone else that is management, is gone for the week, so today was pretty slow for me.  I did get to sit with my friend, Trish, who showed me a few things. About halfway through the day, I get a phone call asking me what my availability is April 12th-23rd....turns out I have to go to Texarkana, TX for 2 weeks of training for my job.  I guess interns, which I'm not, normally go down there for 6 months to get this training!  So, I'm not going to complain one bit.  Jason and I have thrown around the idea of him flying down there on the 17th so that we can see each other, but we'll have to see.  I guess it was kind of a crazy first day at my new job with that news!

On a side note, some friends of ours from town here, let everyone know that they are expecting again!  They had twin boys the first time around and are expecting ANOTHER SET OF TWINS!!!!!  How crazy is that?!  And then our friends Melanie & Nick,who play on our volleyball team, announced yesterday that they are expecting their first baby!  Both couples are due in the fall time, so it will be a busy fall for all of them!!!

What A Morning....

This morning didn't start off the way I had planned.  I think Sadie may be looking for a different home....any takers???  Just kidding, but I was about to leave her outside for anyone to have her the way she acted this morning.  I was all ready for work, all I needed to do was make my coffee that I was brewing.  I went outside to let the dogs back in (Jason is on travel, so I'm in charge of the dogs) and Andy was in the yard like a good boy.  But where was Sadie???  In the pasture behind our house.  She had crossed the creek on our side, climbed through the fence, jumped back over the creek on the other side, and was running around eating cow poop!!!  I couldn't see her at first since her white coat blended in with the snow, but once I saw her, I thought I was going to blow a gasket.  I called and called her and she thought it was a game at first!!!  She was running back and forth down the fence line and finally she got the hint that I was a little mad at her.  I tried to help her across but she didn't get it.  She tried crossing through the creek, yeah, that was going to work, and got her precious little paws wet and decided she didn't want to do that.  So, she ran and ran until she FINALLY found the opening where she had crossed at first.  Oh my gosh....I seriously thought at one point that I was going to have to call my Dad and have him come over because I didn't know if she'd figure out how to get back over.  I started crying because A) I didn't think she'd make it back over, and B) I was super late for work.  I couldn't just leave her out there, although I was so mad that I wanted to.  But, when she came through the fence, I didn't even have to yell at her because she went directly up to her kennel and that's where she's going to stay until I get home.  What a way to start my morning....ugh.

A Great Weekend!

This past weekend, Jason's Dad and Mary came to visit us.  They got into town Friday evening and just took off this morning.  They spent the majority of their time out at the farm and it was nice to sit around the fire and visit.  Saturday I had a baby shower to go to, so Jason was their guide and took them everywhere on the farm.  It was a beautiful day, I believe it was around 35 degrees out!  A heat wave!!!  And Sunday was just as nice.  We basically did the same thing Sunday, and Jason cut some wood to clear out some space and trees that had been knocked down.  It's starting to look better and we can't wait until the snow melts and we can really see what's under all of it. 

Jason is traveling this week, heading up to northern Wisconsin and Michigan.  He should be back late Thursday night or early Friday.  The dogs and I are going to have a party this week!!!  Just kidding, although there are some exciting shows that we will be watching.  The Bachelor finale is on tonight....it's one of their favorites as well as the season finale of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  I know they can't wait and neither can I!  Jason's probably going to be sad that he doesn't get to watch these with me (he'll deny it, but he watches every week :)). 

This week looks like great weather around here and I'm glad for that.  We had big plans to go out to the farm this coming weekend, but it looks like it's supposed to rain both Saturday and Sunday, so hopefully we can get some projects finished at home then.  We are also going to start painting the house within the next month or so and I am REALLY looking forward to that. 

And 1 week and 5 days until Jamaica!  :)

More Snow?!

I just have to blog real quick about more snow....I don't want anymore!!! Jason and I are ready for spring and it's so close, but with more snow coming, it seems so far away. We're ready to get out to the property and be able to spend some time out there and not have to bundle up in 3 layers of clothing. We want to tromp through the streams and creeks and go mushroom hunting!!! Hurry up spring!! At least give us a day in the 40's....that's all I want!!! And no more snow.:)

What A Stinker....

Jason left this morning for Iowa City with some friends to go to Fin & Feather as well as Scheel's, which are both sporting goods stores. He's looking for a gun for turkey hunting, so that's all he told me. About 1:00, he calls me and said that he spent more money than he should have. I asked him how much and he tells me he spent $1300!!! He said, "Well,maybe I should have called you first, but I can do so much with it!!" I told him I felt a little guilty buying 12 rolls of paper towels,but I no longer did because of his major purchase. He asked if I were mad,and I said no,but deep down I thought he went a little overboard with the purchase. He's such a brat...he was just testing me and just wanted to see my reaction! He never did purchase anything and wants to keep on looking. He's such a little stinker. :)

Ash Wednesday

It's been a while since we've written a post, so we'll do some catching up. We finally got to go out to our property this past weekend and it was a blast.  We first took my parents out and Jason and my Dad put up no trespassing signs.  It was a little tough since we had to walk through the snow, but it was good exercise for all of us.  We went out on Sunday and Jason cleared some trees that had fallen down and burned some of the wood and then stacked the rest.  This hasn't even made a dent in all of the trees and brush that needs to be cut down/cleaned up, but it does look good what he's gotten done so far.  We have plans to head out there this weekend as well and clean it up a bit. 

Jason did some traveling this week.  He flew out Monday morning to Charlotte and came home today.  It's so nice to have him around and it just throws me all off when he's gone.  I'm starting to get used to him traveling in the sense that I'm getting more comfortable staying here, but I just like him to be home.  It makes me feel so much more comfortable. At least I have him for a little over a week in a row.  :)

Today was Ash Wednesday.  We went to mass tonight with my sister and the church was packed.  Father Crossen calls people that only come to Christmas and Easter, Chreasters, so I wonder what he would call people who only come to those two holidays plus Ash Wednesday???  It was great to see the church so packed and afterward, we went out to dinner with my sister and brother-in-law.  We went to the Thai restaurant in town and it was delicious as always!!!

I'm going to sign off....I haven't slept well since Jason's been gone, so I'm about ready to fall asleep as I'm typing this.  I'm really looking forward to getting a good night's sleep,I hope anyway. :)  Oh, and it's 3 weeks and 2 days until Jamaica!!!!!!!!

All in One Week

Just wanted to post this real quick before we head off to volleyball....what an eventful week this has been for Jason & I.  First, it was finding out that Jason's offer was accepted on the land and then second, I just found out yesterday that I am getting another job on the Arsenal!  I don't have to worry about BRAC anymore and not having a job....thank the Lord!!!  I will be going to JMC (Joint Munitions Command) and I will be a Quality Assurance Specialist.  Completely new job, so lots of training involved, plus more traveling than I have ever done before.  So, while I'm excited about it, I'm also nervous at the same time because it is changing fields and meeting all new people.  This will be a completely different building with people that I have never probably seen before.  It will be exciting and I am looking forward to it.  I'm just finally glad to be over worrying about having a job....what a relief.  :)

It's Official!!!

It's official!  Jason and I are farm land owners.  Jason has had his eye on 140 acres about 15 miles west of us for sometime now, and he finally put an offer in and it was accepted.  We couldn't be more excited.  Jason has all sorts of plans for hunting and for recreational purposes.  He can't wait to go buy deer stands and go fishing out on the property since we are right on the Cedar River.  We went out with my parents on Sunday to see the land, but I only got to see part of it because the creek was running pretty fast and I didn't have the right shoes on to walk over it, just in case my foot fell in it.  It looks beautiful and I know Andy & Sadie will love it.  I really hope Jason gets a huge buck next year....this is what he's always wanted and he finally can go out on his own property instead of getting permission to hunt on someone else's property-and I may learn how to hunt since I think this is what Jason wants.  Scary thought, huh?!  I'll have to post pictures once the ground thaws a bit and we can get back into the property.  Jason can't stop smiling and I couldn't be more happier for him.  :)

One Crazy Week

This has been a crazy week. Jason has been traveling all over the south and I’ve been hanging out at home with the dogs….pretty uneventful for me. Monday started off pretty rough, not for Jason and me, but for my nephew. He’s 16 now, will be turning 17 in April, so he has his license. He’s been driving for almost a year now, and has been doing pretty well with it. Monday on the other hand, was pretty scary for him. The truck that he drives needed the brakes worked on, so he asked my parents if he could drive their 4Runner to school. They had no problem with it, so off he went. The roads were good, except for one spot in Illinois City. Illinois City is a small town about 5-7 miles from their house, where we all went to grade school. Well, I guess there was a culvert that had gotten blocked with ice, so all of the water was going on the road. Dakota said he saw it coming, so he slowed down, but as he was driving over it, the back tires spun and he shot over into the other lane. He tried to correct it and when it got into the correct lane, the tires grabbed the dry pavement and shot him into the ditch where the 4Runner rolled side over side and landed in a ditch. God was watching out for him that day as he climbed out with just a few scrapes. He couldn’t get out the driver’s side door because that was what side landed on the ground. So, he climbed up and through the passenger side door. As all of this was happening, there was another man coming toward him that saw all of this happen. He had slowed down as he knew it wasn’t going to end up well and once it was all over, he stopped to help Dakota and called 911. He told the dispatcher that a vehicle had rolled and he wasn’t sure if anyone would be hurt or coming out alive. Thank God he was okay. Dakota was really shaken up about it, and was more scared because he totaled my parent’s car. No one cared that he wrecked the car, just that he was okay because you can always replace a vehicle, but never a life. He went and got checked out at the hospital, in which everything came back fine. No stitches or anything. His Mom, my sister Jill, her birthday was the next day and she said this was the best gift she could have gotten-that Dakota walked away safe and sound. We are all very thankful it turned out the way it did.

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 was a little off for us.  We were supposed to drive to Milwaukee to spend Christmas with his Mom and Don, but that trip got canceled due to the weather.  I was disappointed since we were looking forward to spending the weekend with them, but we're going up there on the 16th of January to celebrate.  So, on Christmas day, Jason & I went to Riverside Casino with my parents and ate lunch and did some gambling.  I won $177!  After that, we were driving home and decided to go see Avatar, which was awesome!  Jason & I both highly suggest going to see this movie if you haven't.....well worth the money.

This past weekend, Jason's Dad and Stepmom came down to celebrate Christmas and poor Jason came down with something, either the flu or food poisoning, and spent the majority of the time sleeping in our bedroom or laying on the couch. His sickness started literally 5 minutes before they got here.  I felt horrible for him, but he's starting to feel better now.  I guess Christmas wasn't meant to be this year for us!  But, I had a nice time visiting with Gary & Mary and Jason did as well when he could. 

I had a nice birthday celebrating with my parents and Jenna & Dustin.  We went to Geneva to eat and have some drinks.  Afterward, everyone came back to our house and we played Catch Phrase and had some nice conversation. 

I am really looking forward to spring coming and I know it's a while away, but not really.  I believe it's only 10 weeks from this Saturday and our vacation is 9 weeks from this Saturday!!!  I still have to change my name on my passport and once that's done, I can sit back and relax and wait for it to get here.  It's going to be so nice to get out of here, especially if it doesn't warm up!!!

Hope everyone had a nice holiday and welcome 2010!!!