Coming Home!!!!!

Ok, so a new post is LONG overdue! So much has gone on, and no lie, I can't even muster up the energy to watch The Office lately, so posting has been put on the back-burner.

CAM'S HOME!!!!! He got back into Jacksonville on September 24th. We were told that they would arrive on base sometime late on Wednesday night and we were told to be on base ready to greet our Marines around 1:00 AM Thursday morning.

Forget about the fact that I had spent the entire day Wednesday, trying to move things in to Cam's apartment and waiting on the families to arrive with the furniture. Forget about the fact that as we were hauling things up the stairs (with 3 crazy kids who were up way past their bedtime), I somehow managed to find my way on top of a fire ant bed. I got close to 10 bites on each foot and even though I was super dramatic about it (if you know me at all, you know I'd rather run into an anaconda than a fire ant), I was determined not to let it spoil Cam's homecoming. Forget about the fact that it was 1 in the morning and Jac had still not gone to sleep and was crazy grumpy (I had to literally force him, kicking and screaming, into his carseat)! With all this weighing heavily on my emotions (and my cankles), we headed to the base.

They actually had a pretty cool set-up going on and if I was a night person at all, I might would have been a little more pumped about it. They had a space walk and carnival games set-up for the kids and were serving hot dogs, drinks, and snacks (did I mention it was 1 in the morning...ick!).

At around 2, they came in and gave us the 30 minute warning. We were told the Marines were on base and would be arriving at the Area 1 gym (where we were) in about a half hour. Jac slept through most of the night in his stroller, but woke up to whine every now and then.

At around 5 AM (maybe 6), the buses were finally pulling up to the gym (30 minutes???? Yeah, right!). The Marines began pouring out and reuiniting with their families. I had no clue which bus he was on, there were probably 5 or 6 full buses. I searched for a while before deciding to plant myself in one spot and let Cam find me...he did! When I heard him standing behind me, I whipped around and threw my arms around him. After a few seconds of hugging, I stopped to check his face and see that it really was him and I wasn't groping a stranger. (AWKWARD!) We were good though. :)

The next day, we went out to breakfast with our families and they headed back to Florence with Jac, so we could spend a couple of days alone together. It was awesome!

I have to say that this whole experience has been an emotional roller coaster. Maybe my biggest concern was worrying that Jac wouldn't remember Cam at all. I knew that it wouldn't be long before things would be back to normal with those two, but I was honestly worried how Cam would take it. I knew that throughout the entire deployment, in all their family readiness classes, the always make sure that the Marines with young children understand that more than likely, their kids won't know who they are. I always tried to make sure that we included Cam in everything we did (even if it wasn't physically). Jac has a picture hanging in his room of him with Cam and every night, he "kissed" daddy and told him good-night. SKYPE has been a total blessing. I honestly thing we'd be in a totally different place now if we hadn't had it and I'm certain that it made the whole "No Daddy Adjustment" so much smoother for Jac. It reallly was like having him here with us. Things have really fallen back in to place and so far, it's back to the "new normal."

Speaking of the "new normal," this long distance relationship thing is absolutely killing me. Being apart from my husband for son long has made this suck a lot worse. When we are together, it's hard to focus on anything else, including work. I'm really struggling right now because we can't be together all the time and it drives me crazy having to say good-bye all the time. Sometimes I worry that I made a mistake by coming back to Florence, and have almost conviced myself that I'd feel a lot better back in Jacksonville where even if I had the worse work day in the world, I could come home and spend a quiet evening at home with my cute little family. What's that cliche' quote??? "The grass is always greener....??" That's about right. I'm trying really hard to stay positive, but am finding myself way more frustrated at work that I have been before, and I'm just really tired! The good news is that in about 5 months, I'll have my stay-in-SC husband back home for good! I can't wait!

So anyhow, I've got early morning duty at work this week (I miss the OCS policy of teachers having no non-instructioal duties), and it's got me and Jac pretty ill. I have to be at work at 7AM and I'm still not ready for bed! I better call it quits for now. Thanks for tuning in and I hope I didn't leave you hanging for too long!

I Really Do!

I really want to post a blog update...but I just can't bear to type for more than a minute or two.



Works going OK. I feel like I'm working all the time, yet, I'm not making any progress. I'm beginning to remember what I find so frustrating about this profession.



My morning commute is killer! I take a shower at night so that I can sleep a little later in the morning, but I still have to leave the house by 6:30 to take Jac to Mrs. Gloria's and head to work. Usually I pull into the parking lot shortly after 7:15.

I got to talk to Cam on Skype one final time on last Wed. night (Thur. morning for him). It was a little bit sad, because I knew it would be a few weeks longer before I could see his face again. Even still, I'm so excited! This means that it really is getting close! Even though it was late when we talked, I was a bad Mommy and woke Jac up so that Cam could get one more look at his little boy to last until he gets home. The next morning after we spoke, Cam and the rest of his guys moved out of their "cans" and into a squad bay for holding until their flight out.

I really feel like that God has done some major work in my life during this time. It's been a rough experience and one that I would never want to do again, but I've learned so much! I am planning on posting in a little more detail next time, but since it is late (10...haha), I think I should be going to bed. After all, my little boy is an early-riser, and I would like to feel rested when I start my week at work again. To be continued....

Employed!

So I had a job interview last week and really felt like things went well, although it was only a ten minute interview. I totally felt prepared for anything, but as it turned out, I way over-did it! The principal told me he would be calling whoever he chose for the job on Tuesday of last week. If you didn't get chosen, you would get a letter in the mail in a few days thanking you for your time. So...I didn't get a call on Tuesday and was pretty bummed about it.

You can imagine my surprise when I get a call from the district office this morning informing me that I had been recommended for the job! I thought maybe she was mistaken (and in all honesty, I'm still not positive she wasn't), but even still, she told me that they are writing up my contract and it should be ready in the next day or so! Woo Hoo! What a load off!

Now, I've got a week or two to start collecting supplies (and mooching off of my teacher friends/cousins) and get my classroom ready for school to start on the 17th! I'm getting nervous!

In other news, I almost went into cardiac arrest 2 weeks ago, when Jac fell into my parent's garden pond. Kimberly and I were trying to clean up some glass off of the patio (thanks to another toddler fiasco) when I just so happened to turn around and see Jac floating in the pond. I jumped up and ran like the wind to scoop him out. Poor baby, he was clinging to a rock on the edge of the pool. His head was above the water, but he had gone under because his hair was all wet. He was wearing his brand new tennis shoes that were now drenched and had algea scuff marks on the toe. I pulled him out and took off all of his clothes. He cried for all of 30 seconds and didn't even cough once. I think he may have held his breath when he fell in (thanks YMCA). He's a tough little guy, but it really made me realize how fragile children are. You can't look away from them even for a minute. I'm thinking of investing in a large cage.

Speaking of drowning in the water, Kimberly was in the pool with Penn and Samantha last week. Oddly enough, Jac has decided that he's scared to death of pools of water when adults are near, but makes a mad dash toward the pond and pool when he thinks no one is looking. So, Jac was playing with the outside toys, chasing Kory around, etc. We were so proud of Penn. He went under the water (and held his breath) and went all the way to the bottom (2ft) of the pool and came back up. We were super excited at his amazing feat and cheered like he had just done a backflip. All of a sudden, we saw what he went down to the bottom to get...MY BLACKBERRY!!! Apparently, Jac though it would be pretty fun to see if a cell phone will sink or float (he's the inquisitive type). FYI...they sink. Penn actually saved my phone from the dark abyss that is the bottom of the pool. I ran inside and tore the phone apart, dried it off, and threw it in a ziploc bag with Rice-A-Roni (we had no plain rice) to help draw the moisture out. I left it there overnight. Later, Pack took it apart and vacuumed out some more moisture from the inside. All of our efforts paid off and it's still working, thank goodness. I've been using Cam's phone this past week, because I want to be postive it's going to work for me. Maybe God's trying to teache me not to be so materialistic? Oh how I love my phone!

Things with Cam have been pretty good lately. Their Internet hasn't been going out so much and we've been able to talk and e-mail pretty regularly. Since Saturday was August 1, I can now say that Cam will be home next month. It's been pretty tough without him lately. We just celebrated our anniversary on July 22. Well...maybe celebrated isn't the right word. We'll say....OBSERVED (how romantic...right?). We'll be "celebrating" come September! I sent him a heartfelt care package filled with granola bars, and flavored powder for bottled water (classic), and he sent me a beautiful bouquet of roses and a letter. He found out that most of the people he works with are actually going to get to come home about a month early, but he has to stay behind and help out Aviation Ordinance. I'm getting really excited and we've got lots of stuff planned for when he gets home. Hopefully, I won't be too distracted at my new job! :)

I don't have any idea how many people care about what's going on in my life, or read my blog (if anyone), but if you're one of those troopers, I just want to say thanks. Your friendship, prayers, advise, and support mean so much to me. If nothing else, getting things out there, at least helps me to make sense of things. That was a little random, but it had to be said. :)

I'm gonna hit the sack tonight, before I start typing crazy stuff out of sheer exhaustion. I'll leave you with a pic, I call "Happiness." :)

Follow-Up

Despite my accident, and a girl collapsing in the middle...I PASSED THE PLT! Now' I've just gotta wait for a call from the district and hopefully an interview. Whether I get a job for next year or not, at least I've got my license (well, technically...I don't actually have a license yet) and I'm available and capable to be employed! Yay!

I Did It!

So, the plan was for me to become a runner. I've never been so motivated to do something in my whole life, and I knew that if I didn't start now, I probably never would. Here's the problem. I'm married to a super athletic, marathon runner.

Cam started running about the time I got pregnant. I think he can thank me for that. I informed him shortly after finding out I was going to be packin on the pounds that typically, the man gains as much if not more weight than the woman does when she's pregnant. I think it really freaked him out, because after that, he started up. He ran for well over a hundred , maybe two hundred days (I don't know the exact number, but he does) consecutively. He even went running when he was spending the week with me in the hospital when Jac was born. He was so motivated, that he signed up to run a marathon, before he'd ever even run a 5K, 10K or half-marathon. In February of last year...he did it!

After I started to get back to my normal self, I tried to run, but I just couldn't do it. I hated running and it depressed me to know that I could never keep up with Cam (speed or distance). I ran out of breath, I tripped, and my body ached. When Cam left for Iraq, I promised myself that I would try to start and set a goal to run a 5K with Cam when he got home. I joined the Y and have been going several times a week to work out and "train" (Keep in mind I'm using that word very loosely). I've even been documenting my speed, distance, and weight (and am very proud to say that I've lost no weight since the beginning of my expedition..so sad) in a notepad everyday to keep me accountable. I try to run a little harder and a little better everyday and motivate my self by thinking of my hunk running in triple digit temps, in the sand. If he can do it there, certainly I can torture myself for 40 minutes in an AC gym on a treadmill, while I watch TV.

Last week, when I talked to Cam, he mentioned that he would be running a 10K in Iraq on the fourth. I half jokingly mentioned that I could run the Spirit of Florence 5K at Timrod Park with him...how cute! LOL! Somehow he convinced me to do it. Yesterday was the big day. Cam talked me into it...so I talked Kimberly (and Jude) into it too. We did it though. I was so excited that I actually finished it...and in only 31 minutes (my best time so far!). Kimberly put those walkers to shame by finishing 1st place female walkers overall and she was pushing a stroller the whole time...not an easy feat! I got 3rd place for my age group...not too impressive, but at least I've got something to show for it!

Later, Cam asked me if I had fun...running???...seriously???? I'm trying to enjoy running, but the fact is, I don't. Not too worry though, I've still got almost 3 months to help myself love it more and become a running stud like my hubby. Maybe this post will hold me to my word. I guess we'll have to wait and see!

Doctor Visit

So, I took Jac back to the doctor yesterday, because he's still pulling on his ears on occasion. I was also a little concerned because he hasn't been eating like he normally does, he's had a little cold, and he's had diarrhea off and on for the past 2 months or so. I know it's gross, but I worry about him staying hydrated. Before, I kinda thought it was due to the antibiotic he was taking for the first and second ear infections, or maybe it was the fresh fruits and veggies he was eating. He never acts like his stomach bothers him, only the diaper rash he gets because of it. After a nervous wait (trying to keep him entertained without a temper tantrum), 1 cup juice, 1 pack of smarties, 2 suckers, and countless toys, we finally got to see the doctor. He told me that one of Jac's ears looked red and the other looked ok. He was concerned about the upset stomach and ordered a stool test (ew) to make sure he didn't get a separate infection caused by the first antibiotic. We did the test yesterday (he had the humungo "poo blowout" while I was at the gym and mom and dad had to bottle it up...hahahaha...perfect timing) and turned it in this morning. I hope that he doesn't have another infection, but I also hope we can find out the cause of his upset stomachs. Anyhow, he slept until almost 8:30 this morning (and that NEVER happens) and was feeling great. Hopefully we'll nip it in the bud this time!

Twitter-ish

Bought a new bumper for the pick-up I rear-ended. SUCKS!

I'm being eaten alive by mosquitoes. I'm a compulsive bite-counter, and I've totally lost count. I will say that I got 3 bites from the time I exited my car until I entered the house.

Toys-R-Us has the most awesome reusable shopping bags/gift bags for only 1.49. If only I could remember to take them to the store with me.

While gaining some skin pigmentation, Jac's losing the teeny bit of hair color he had. At least he can pull it off and still look cool.

Jon and Kate + 8...are we really surprised? We all saw it coming. I'd be lying if I didn't say I was hoping their "big announcement" was that she's pregnant. LOL

Cam's finally got a "tentative" date of return...Sept. 25th. I can start my countdown finally!

People say, "Never wake a sleeping baby." Sometimes they're just too cute and you just want to hold them. Fight it...my little sleeping angel turns into the spawn of satan when I wake him "before his time."

The Splash Pad is awesome!

I'm unofficially training to run a 5k with Cam (maybe not "with him" but at least at the same time) when he gets home.

I really miss going to a restaurant without a screaming toddler. I guess learning to walk has totally spoiled eating out for us for the next little bit. Let's hope this is a quick phase.

We're really loving our cheapo 2ft pool from Dollar General. Especially after we put the kiddos down for a nap!

I hope you enjoyed reading these little snippets of my life. That's all I can think of for now!

This was the pic I sent to Cam for Father's Day. I didn't want to post for the world to see before Cam got to see it in person. He's so stinkin cute!

Long Time, No Post

Yeah, I know I'm slack. You'd think with all these extra hours I'm having not working and all, I'd have tons of time to write. WRONG! Here's how my summer has been going so far.

On normal mornings, Jac wakes up at about 6:15 or 6:30 (on mornings where we HAVE to get up early, I usually have to wake him up at 7:30 ish...go figure). Anyhow, after wake up time, it's breakfast and a cartoon or two. Then we usually hop in the shower, get dressed, hit the town for errands, grab a bite to eat for lunch, come home for a nap, swim lessons at 4, home for supper, bath if necessary, and finally hit the rack around 8:30 ish.

Thankfully, tomorrow is our last day of swimming class for a while. Jac and Penn have been doing awesome (except for the one day...I won't go into detail about it, but it was bad). Today, Penn looked like he was about to take off all by himself! Jac likes to chill with the armies on and can even balance himself unassisted. They're learning to kick and paddle. Penn is holding his breath when he goes under, but Jac sticks out his tongue...we're workin on it. Seriously though, these kids LOVE the water and we try to go to the pool every chance we get!

Last Wednesday, I got to go to Jacksonville and see my former students and co-workers on their last day of school. I'm so glad I got the opportunity to go back and that I left on good terms. The kids were all so glad to see me, and I was happy to see them. I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Then on Friday night, I was starting to get nervous about that dumb PLT test I had to sign up to take on Saturday. I was on my way to Walgreen's to pick up a prescription diaper cream for Jac when I got distracted and rear-ended the truck in front of me. The people were really nice about it and Dad came out to do the talkin and worked out a deal with them to get their car fixed. My car will have to be put on the waiting list I guess. There goes my (near) perfect driving record. Well, according to the insurance company and the Highway Department, it's still perfect! :)

So, I'm sure you can imagine how completely dreary I felt about starting on this sour note and having to take the test, but I shrugged it off and headed to FMU early Saturday morning, trying to be optimistic. I really wanted to focus on managing my time, because a lot of the people I talk to that have failed the test, said that they didn't finish it. It is a 2 hour timed test. Well I focused the best I could and got started. About 15 minutes into the test, they girl sitting 2 rows next to me collapsed and fell out of her seat! We weren't sure what to do. For most of us, we didn't want to stand up and gawk, but we didn't know what to do to help. I could see people kinda freak out on the inside. We were all worried and concerned for her, but at the same time, they didn't stop the test! Finally, after about 5 to 10 scary/awkward minutes, on of the proctors ran in the room and yelled for us to stop working and told us that people were coming to help. After they got the situation under control, we were given time to collect ourselves and then we started testing again. I have no idea how I did, but I did finish it. I guess I'll know more in about a month. I'll let you know if I pass it; if I fail, I'll probably just avoid the topic all together. HA!

Yesterday, we went on our first excursion to the zoo in Columbia with our church. Our cousins, Brandon and Andrew, hung out with us for the day. We were so glad they were there to help chase down babies. They're really good kids and we hope that we didn't spoil their day having to hang out with the baby group. Our little ones were troopers. They really loved seeing all the animals and wanted to get out and look (no surprise there). We spent about 5 hours there and they really didn't fuss much at all. At the end of the trip, the moms got Dippin Dots, while the boys picked out a prize from the shop. Penn chose "the Big Bad Wolf" (I think it's a meerkat) and Jac fell in love with a rubber snake (that's actually quite painful when he whips you in the legs with it). All in all, a fun day, especially the ride home where they both slept the whole way back.

Cam's doing same as usual...boring I know...he feels the same way. He was kinda bummed last week because he found out that he was probably going to have to get a room mate. Since he has been in Iraq and because he is a Sgt., he's had a room all to himself. Earlier this week he found out that one of his friends from Lejeune who had been stationed in Al Asad was coming to TQ with him. Now, he's actally pretty excited about sharing his room. He knows this guy pretty well and maybe now, he'll have someone to keep him company. He's also been training for MCMAPS (the Marine Corps martial arts program). He's working on his green belt and will finish that in a couple of weeks. He's hoping to earn a black belt before he gets out of the military next April. Hopefully, they'll let him go on a black belt course when he gets back to Lejeune. I'm so proud of my motivated Marine (you know it's true, Cam)!

Me? I'm alright. My supposedly mundane day-to-day life, is alot like a roller coaster ride. I go through so many emotions in one day. Loneliness, exhaustion, excitement, happiness, and nostalgic just to name a few. Sometimes, I try to stay so busy that I won't have time time even think about the deployment and how much I miss him. We're getting so close to the 4 month mark and it isn't getting any easier. I'm just getting antsy and September seems like an eternity away!

I bought a new Sara Groves cd last week and remembered how much I love her music. I can always relate to her songs. So I'm gonna close with these lyrics from the song "Undone" (from The Other Side of Something), because I can't come up with the right words to describe how I feel on my own. I hope you understand.

Baby will you help me get undone?

I don't even remember how I got this on.

I started out pretending

Now I don't recognize myself

And I could use a little help.

You have no pretenses

All your walls are fences

I can see right through

You have no two faces

You know where our place is

and that's why I need you

Oh baby

Baby will you help me get undone

I truly believe you are the only one

Who will be the best reminder of

Where I am coming from

So if you'll help me now

I want to get undone

P.S. Sorry for the long post (it's what you get when I wait weeks between posts!)

My Cutie

Video #1: Jac loves to splash around in puddles. This one was at church. Notice how Pack so wrecklessly drives off while my son is unattended in a dangerous parking lot!

Video #2: My big boy can climb up and slide down the slide at Mrs. G's house all by himself! What happened to my little baby?

Takin a Breather

After a week of pure torture with some kinda gross stomach bug, I finally started feeling a bit better and getting my appetite back on Friday night. Friday was Penn's 2nd birthday! We all celebrated by going to Chuck-E-Cheese's for supper. This was our first adventure at CEC, and I was pretty nervous about how Jac would do. He absolutely loved it! Not that I didn't think he would. I guess I was more nervous about how I would cope chasing around my 18 month old toddler as he explored this kiddie paradise. I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty exhausting, but totally worth it! He rode all of the little kid rides and he especially loved getting his picture taken by the little token machines (about 6 times...maybe more) and then trying to eat his picture. He also liked crawling up the ski-ball ramp and pulling tickets off. After we finally wrangled the kids up and blew ChuckE some kisses, we had to call it quits for the night.



By Saturday, I was back to my normal glutton self. Good thing too...Saturday was a big day for the family. We were having Penn's big birthday party and a few more surprises with it. My mom wanted to have a belated 60th surprise party for one of my aunts (she's actually 61) and all of my aunts wanted to have a surprise 60th party for my mom. The whole ordeal was actually very confusing, but worked out perfectly! Amazingly, no one spilled the beans ahead of time and both women were totally caught off-guard. Not to mention, Penn had a blast at his Elmo/Basketball party. I stayed up til the wee hours on Saturday morning, putting together a slide show for them and then had to get the birthday signs ready to be hung. At the end of the night, we were totally pooped.



At least we had a nice day off today, with no real agenda. I took off to the mall with mom to try to spend some of her giftcards and then met the in-laws for dinner at Percy and Willies. Jac left with them to spend the night, and now I'm missing my baby and trying to be productive while waiting (hoping) on Cam to call.



Currently I am in employment limbo for the 2009-2010 school year. I still do not have SC teaching certification (because my certification expired last June). My NC certification is still good, but that doesn't do me a whole lot of good here. In order to be re-certified I have to take the PLT portion of the PRAXIS II. To make sure that my test results are in before the next school year, I have to take the test on June 13. The test costs $90 plus a $50 registration fee and a $45 late registration fee. If you can't do the math that quickly...that's $185!!!!!!! Am I the only one that thinks that the ETS is totally ripping people off? All this is assuming that I pass it the first time I take it (and lots of people do not).



Also, with the economy in the pits, all signs point to the fact that even if I get my SC certification, districts may not be hiring. At least that's the rumor. If all else fails, I'm still on the sub list so I can get my whopping $60 a day if I choose. I'm thinking about new employment opportunities. Who knows what next year will bring? Please pray that some doors open and I have a stable job for next year! I'm scared!

Catching Up

I've been a slacker lately about updating the blog. Luckily, it's been mostly because there hasn't been much "blogworthy" action going on in my life. Things have kinda settled down a bit.

About 3 weeks ago or so, Jac had another bout with an ear infection. We had to go back on the antibiotic for another 10 days. Just as soon as we stopped it again, he started running fever again. This time, only for 1 day. I'm thinking this was just a fluke and I was being paranoid. The past 2 days, we've been fighting with "the squirts" (as Mrs. Gloria says...lol). He doesn't act like his tummy is bothering him, but his little but is raw from diaper rash and he hasn't had very much of an appetite. I'm so ready for him to get back to his normal healthy self.

Cam's been doing fine. For a while, it seems like there was some kind of action going on all the time, and each time, they would turn off their phones and Internet so it really left me hanging in agony. A couple of weeks ago, I spoke with him on Monday night, and didn't hear from him again until Friday! It really freaked me out! I spent all of my extra time searching for news on the web about what was going on, and each time coming up with nothing. He still won't tell me excactly what happend, just that he's OK and he hates memorial services. Thanks babe, now I feel lots better!

Creepy picture of me having an intimate conversation with my hubby...apparently it's cold in his room.

School's been alright for me. Back to work as usual now. This week starts their state testing so it should be pretty dull. Nothing else to report here.

We're just about finished with the Mother's Day festivities. Cam sent me a bouquet of roses yesterday. He also had some flowers sent to my mom and his mom. (What a good boy!) Jac made me a pretty little handprint stepping stone (with the help of Aunt Kimberly). I would include a picture, but you can't really see it with the camera flash. We all went to eat Mexican food for our Mother's Day lunch after church and they gave all of the mother's a rose when they brought the ticket! I was impressed. We spent the rest of the day playing in the backyard. We set up the little pool and sprinklers and all sat out and watched the kids play. Later we set up the tents in the back to practice for this weekend and then let the boys run around inside them. They had a blast!

Jac splashing himself with water. He was cold and I loved the way you could see his ribs from inhaling whenever he was shocked by how cold the water was.

So since the last time I blogged, we've hit the 2 month mark (5 more to go...WOOHOO!). At church this morning, we were talking about focusing so much on your dreams that you forget to notice all the blessings you already have. That really hit home. With Cam being gone, it seems like all I care about is September. I try to rush through every day just to hurry Cam home. I forget that I've got a beautiful baby boy that will only be a sweet little baby for a little while longer. I really don't want to take this time for granted, but as much as I try to convince myself not to rush things...I miss and worry about my husband more than I could have ever imagined, and I can't wait to have my family all together again!

My Baby's Got Moves!

I knew it already, but here's proof....BTW he gets it from his mom!

A Recap

The past week has been a total blur! When I try to think back over everything that's happened, it almost seems like one of those "out of body" experiences you hear about. I guess I'll start with Wednesday.

As I was getting ready for work, the phone rang, and it was Uncle Joby calling. I know from experience that nothing good comes from phone calls between the hours of 9PM and 7AM (so if your thinking of calling me to chat between those times...DON'T!). Uncle Joby told my Dad that Aunt Connie had taken a turn for the worst during the night and he needed my Dad to help him. I had to go to work and the kids were going on a field trip to Clemson Extension. The whole day, I was worried, but my cousin Beth kept me informed by e-mailing me on my g-mail so I could get updates on my Blackberry. After work, I went straight to the hospital and my mother-in-law, Dotty, picked up Jac and let him spend the night. They started to ween her off of the sedatives and I was able to go in and talk to her for a minute with her awake and alert. I wish I would have known that this would be the last time I would see her.

On Thursday (the last day before Spring Break), I went to work as usual and got an e-mail early in the day saying that Aunt Connie had a very good night and they were hopeful. A couple of hours later, Beth came to the door and told me that we needed to get to the hospital fast, because they called and told us that she wasn't going to make it after all. I was so confused and don't even remember what I said to the kids when I left. They told me to split them up into the other 5th grade classrooms and then I could leave. I rushed to the hospital and when I arrived, I was met by my pastor, who told me that the doctors had done all they could do and my family was waiting in the family room. When I walked in, I saw my family sitting in silence with tears in their eyes. A few minutes later, the nurse came in and informed us that she had passed. We all sat their for hours as some friends came by to offer their condolences. People that aren't from our family have a hard time understanding how close a big family can be. We are closer to our Aunts than most people are with their own mothers, so this loss is a huge one for us. It's also hard, to watch my mom and the rest of her sisters and brothers go through this kind of pain, not to mention my cousin Sherri and Uncle Joby.

As we sat their, stunned, my phone rang. It was the babysitter, Mrs. Gloria. She told me that Jac was running a fever of 103.6 and was going to give him some Tylenol. I left the hospital to go get him after this. At Mrs. G's house, you could tell that Jac wasn't feeling good because his face was red and he was whining a lot, but he still wanted to play and always seems to have a little burst of energy when I get there. He didn't really have any other symptoms, so I thought it was just a fluke and that he would sleep it off. We came back to Mom and Dad's and played for a little while before Jac finally gave in and took another nap. Mom and Dad were with the rest of the family at Aunt Ann's house. When Jac woke up, he was burning up. I decided to take him to Urgent Care because I knew that it was too late to go to the doctor's office. Both of the places I went by were already closed and wouldn't see me so I took him to the McLeod ER.

After filling out paperwork, we only waited for a few minutes when they called us back to check his vitals. At this point, his temp was 105 and the nurse was kinda freaking out about it, which in turn, scared the living daylights out of me! She took us straight back to the exam room and they immediately sent in a doctor. Jac was really scared and screaming his head off. They were running all kinds of tests and drilling me with questions to try to figure out what the problem was and then gave him an IV. By this point, my mom had made it to the hospital and was in the room with us. I was trying my best to stay calm so that I didn't worry my Mom or upset Jac any more, but inside, I was a wreck! Jac must have cried for 2 or 3 hours straight before the fever really started going down and the nurses left for a while.

After 2 chest x-rays (The first one didn't work out because Jac was thrashing around so.), blood work, a urine sample, and an exam, the doctor told us that it didn't appear that he had meningitis. MENINGITIS???? WTF???? Good thing they didn't tell me that was a possibility earlier or I would have flipped!! They did say that after looking at his lungs, he had "a touch" of pneumonia (as if there is such a thing) and an ear infection. He hadn't even been sick, not even a cold (no coughing, sneezing, or anything), and has never had an ear infection or any signs of it (like pulling on his ears)! He kinda keeps a runny nose, but that's usually from crying....he's a "juicy" baby. They pumped him with some antibiotics in his IV and gave us a prescription and finally let us leave with strict instructions to follow up with Urgent Care the next morning and with his Primary Care Manager this week (I'll have to follow-up with another whole post on how "awesome" TRICARE insurance has been on this matter...please notice the sarcasm). I think it was almost 2:00AM by this point and Jac's temp was down to 99. something and he was totally wired. For a kid who usually sleeps from 7PM to 7AM, that is very unusual. I'm starting to think they were pumping him with caffeine instead of antibiotics.

On Friday, he was still running a pretty high temp at first, but it tapered off later in the day and on Saturday it was only 101, first thing in the morning with no Tylenol, and no fever later. Dotty kept Jac again on Friday and Saturday so that I could go to the visitation and the funeral. Sunday morning was Easter, and since he had a rockin Easter outfit and no fever, we went to the Sunrise service at church (and sat in the nursery with Penn and Samantha), and left after breakfast to take a nap before the Carmon Easter Egg Hunt. It was awesome to get together with my family after such a stressful week and really appreciate how blessed I am to have so many people in my life who mean so much.

This weekend would have been a tough one no matter what. God really held me together somehow. I just wish that my best friend could have been here with me. Cam told me the other day that he made his intentions (of not going in for a second enlistment) clear with the guy trying to get him to re-enlist. He could re-sign now, while he's in Iraq and get a nice chunk of money tax free, but it is SO not worth it! If we had some kind of assurance that he wouldn't have to deploy again, it would be a different story, but that absolutely would not happen. He wants to be here with us, and I can't wait for the day when we'll be under the same roof again!

I know this might have been a long boring post, but I really felt like I needed to get everything out there. If you made it this far, have a look at some pics of our Easter Celebration.

Reading a story to Penn and Samantha while Jac ransacks the rest of the nursery.

He's so freakin cute!

Doing a "no no" (standing in the chair) while cheesin for the camera (he hasn't done that in a long time!)

Jac at the Egg hunt...he was on a mission

The Next Place

I was remembering Aunt Connie (an amazing lady, and an incredible aunt) and thought about this book. She went to "The Next Place" on Thursday morning. This one of my favorite books ever written. I thought I'd share with everyone else. Maybe it will comfort you, the way it comforted me.

The Next Place by Warren Hansen

The next place that I gowill be as peaceful and familiar as a sleepy summer Sunday and a sweet, untroubled mind.

And yet... it won’t be anything like any place I’ve ever been or seen... or even dreamed of in the place I leave behind.

I won’t know where I’m going and I won’t know where I’ve been, as I tumble through the always and look back toward the when.

I’ll glide beyond the rainbows. I’ll drift above the sky, I’ll fly into the wonder, without ever wondering why.

I wont remember getting there. Somehow I’ll just arrive. But I’ll know I belong there and feel much more alive than I have ever felt before.

I will be absolutely free of the things I held onto that were holding onto me.

The next place I go will be so quiet and still that the whispered song of sweet belonging will rise up to fill,

The listening sky with joyful silence, and with unheard harmonies of music made by no one playing, like a hush upon a breeze.

There will be no place for darkness in that place of living light. Where an ever-dawning morning pushes back the dying night.

The very air will fill with brilliance, as the brightly shining sun and the moon and half a million stars are married into one.

The next place that I go won’t really be a place at all there wont be any seasons winter, summer, spring or fall----

Nor a Monday nor a Friday nor December nor July and the seconds will be standing still while hours hurry by.

I will not be a boy or a girl a woman or a man I’ll simply be just, simply me. No worse or better than.

My skin will not be dark or light I won’t be fat or tall the body I once lived in won’t be part of me at all.

I will finally be perfect I will be without a flaw. I will never make one more mistake, or break the smallest law.

And the me that was impatient, or was angry or unkind, will simply be a memory. The me I left behind.

I will travel empty handed there is not a single thing I have collected in my life that I would ever want to bring,

Except the love of those who loved me, and the warmth of those who cared. The happiness and memories and magic we shared.

Though I will know the joy of solitude... I’ll never be alone. I’ll be embraced by all the family and friends I’ve ever known.

Although I might not see there faces, all our hearts will beat as one, and the circle of our spirits will shine brighter than the sun.

I will cherish all the friendship I was fortunate to find, all the love and all the laughter in the place I leave behind.

All these good things will go with me. They will make my spirit glow. and that light will shine forever in the next place that I go.

Crazy Week

Well, I finished my first week of 5th grade with flying colors! Now it's time to start round two. This week is complete with a field trip and a day off for Good Friday so it should be pretty chump. I was pretty nervous the first day, because I didn't have a clue what to do. Let's just say I'm pretty good at wingin it when I'm clueless so it all worked out just fine. It's a big change from first grade (although there are some startling similarities), but I feel so much less tired at the end of the day and the school day seems to fly by. (Partly because, I'm only there from 7:30-2:45-ish as opposed to 7:30-4:30.) I'm much more willing to try to stick it out a few more years in the education field as an upper-grade teacher (keyword....TRY).

We found out early this week that my Mom's sister, Connie, had been hospitalized. She's had a really rough time and is currently is stable, but critical condition. They weren't sure what the problem was at first, but the doctors now think that she had pnemonia and had become septic (the infection entered her bloodstream). She has been on a venilator and has tubes in her throat. They tried to take her off of the meds. to sedate her, but she started trying to pull tubes out so they put her back under until they are ready to take the tubes out.

Also, this week one of my Mom's other sisters, Betty was admitted to the hospital due to a problem that she's had over the past few months and are talking about putting a pacemaker in. Needless to say, the Carmon family has had a really rough week. We're all so blessed to have a big family, especially during such a difficult time. Everyone, has just been really worried and stressed out. You know...you really feel like you want to do something, but you just don't know what to do! It makes you feel totally helpless. You want to visit and make sure that everyone knows you're there, but at the same time, you don't want to smother them (and with a family of close to 50 people that's easy to do!)

I didn't get to talk to Cam as much this past week, because of drama in TQ (where he is stationed). I was kind of a wreck about it, but I didn't want to tell anyone that I was worried. I know that I get to talk to my husband more than most people get to talk to their loved ones, but the fact that we talk so regularly made me all the more upset when I didn't hear from him for 2 whole days this week. Plus, I'm constantly consumed by the fact that there may be some things that come up that Cam isn't allowed to tell me, or even worse, things that he chooses not to tell me because he doesn't want me to worry (which, by the way, makes me worry way more!).

Come to find out, whenever something happens (deaths), they shut off their phones and Internet, until they work out all of the details, like notifying the family and investigating to find out all the info. It makes sense though; they don't want it to get back to the family as a rumor before they know exactly what happened. Maybe we should remind these higher-ups that Cam's forkin out $100 a month for this Internet that they can flip a freakin switch to turn off whenever they get the urge.

I get so sleepy waiting on him to call around 10:30 each night. When it gets past 11, I start to realize that he isn't going to call and then I'm wide awake worrying that something happened, and trying to assure myself that he just woke up late and didn't have time to call. Oh yeah, we celebrated (if you can call it celebrating) our 1 month deployment down anniversary this week...woohoo! September can't come fast enough!! This is killing me!

This week wasn't all bad news though. Yesterday, they had the preschool egg hunt at church and Jac had a blast! He was so cute running around crackin the little plastic eggs together and putting them in Elmo's head. After that Kimberly decided that little Jude should make his debut at Art's Alive so we had a little Packard/Coker excursion. Jac was pretty much done by the time we got there. He rode around pretty good in the jogger for the first little bit, but by the time we decided to eat, he was ready to nap (aka...cranky as all get-out!). Sadly this ended our day a little earlier than we wanted and we didn't get to do the sidewalk chalk art with them, but Jac was screaming and I was about to be, so we came home for a nice little nap.

I'll close with some pics, and maybe some video footage (if I can upload it), of our weekend!

Welcome to the World Baby Jude!!

I'm so excited that the new addition to our family is here! He's so cute and looks so much like Penn, it's scary. I actually thought it was extra cool, because I wasn't around when Penn was born. Now, I can pretend I was!

Everything seemed to move pretty quickly. Kimberly went into the hospital and started being induced at around 6:30 this morning and delivered at 12:01. I hate to admit it, but she actually made it look pretty easy. Jude was 8lbs 1oz, 22 in long and most importantly...totally healthy! Such a cutie!

The bad news is that now that Kimberly is officially "out of work," it means I have to get on the ball and get to work starting Monday. I'm pretty nervous about the switch to 5th. I'm sure it will be a piece of cake...right...RIGHT????!!!!

Jac spent the day with the babysitter today and had a blast. Mrs. Gloria brought him and Penn to the hospital and Jac was wired! (but in a really good mood). I don't even think he noticed the baby until I started showing him Jude's crazy toes. Maybe this will be some good "big brother" practice for Jac, for future reference...you know? :)

We've really been working on his little fireball temper lately and I think we're maybe on the verge of improving. He'll scream and stomp for what he wants and I make him go sit in "time out" (wherever we're close to...today it was the puppy bed...lol). At first he may try to escape, but when I sit him back down and tell him to stay put....it hurts his feelings a little and he won't move after that. When he stops screaming (not necessarily crying) I go back and pick him up and do a little sweet talking and he sorta gets over it. We still have a long way to go and I'm pretty scared about what will happen when he becomes more verbal.

Cam has been doing pretty good lately. Not that I think he would be honest with me and tell me that he wasn't, (I can usually tell by the way he says "hello" what kind of day he's had) but now that we're 1 month down, we're both starting to see the teeny little light at the end of a very long, lonely, tunnel. Too bad I don't know a specific date to expect him home. I want to do a paper clip chain or something to give me some kind of visual of where we are, where we've been, and how much longer to go.

We're falling into a groove with our schedule a bit, but I'm sure it's all about to be overturned when I start work on Monday. Right now, he calls me on SKYPE around 3PM every day (his bedtime). We're going to try him calling around 11PM every week day (first thing in the morning his time) and normal times on the weekend. It's really sad, you know? Before I would get frustrated because I didn't feel like we got to spend much time together because of work, or different things coming up. Now, I realize how much I took for granted while he was here. I miss him so much, but at the same time, waiting on is call is the highlight of my day! Even though we only get to talk about 5 minutes, it's good to know he's OK . Plus, he never lets me wake up without an e-mail (and I try to do the same). Without e-mail, I'd never remember to tell him anything!

Before I go...I have to show off my little cutie! Here's a picture of him with G-ma's glasses and taking a nap on mom's bed. Anyway...I love my little guy!

Feeling the Heat

So far, everything is going OK. Cam has gotten the chance to call just about every day. We talk around 3 my time, but it's around 10 his. When I start working, things will be changing a bit and he may have to call early in the morning his time, and late at night mine. Whatever, I'm trying not to be too picky. At least we do get to talk often. During the day I can expect to get at least 1 e-mail and now he has an address for me to send him stuff!

In the car the morning Cam left.

He seems really tired when I talk to him. They're working like 15 hour days 7 days a week and he's still running pretty much every day. There's so much that I want to remember to tell him but I can never remember when we're on Skype. I just end up saying "There was something I wanted to tell you..." about 5 times and then remember after we hang up. He said there are alot of sandstorms and the other day it rained during one, so it was literally raining mud. He sounded pretty excited because he got to drive the CWO's truck around to pick people up and he said he got to go "mud boggin." Should be pretty safe though since it sounds like there was no wet grass to slide on and that's what usually gives him trouble. haha

I'm so proud of my very smart little boy! He's so advanced for his age...I mean...he's not even 1 and a half yet and he's already hit the "terrible twos." Incredible. The past 3 days have been full of back-arching, screeching, and going limp. Maybe even some foot stomping too! Not to mention all of the snot and tears! I don't know if it's because of DST, playing hard, missing Dad, moving, or just having an out-of-whack schedule, but I'm hoping this passes quickly. Jac's not the kind of kid who just "gets over it" or can be distracted. If I ignore him, it gets worse. If I speak firmly, it gets worse. I hate giving him what he wants when he acts like that (I don't want him to think that's how to get my attention), but most of the time, it's my sanity. He wants to play outside all day long and he's perfectly happy. The minute we need to come inside to catch the phone, use the bathroom, or whatever, the tantrum starts. Oh, and lets not mention the fact that he will refuse to eat if I don't let him hold his own spoon. You should have seen spaghetti night. Ugh...I'm exhausted after only a week and a half of being a stay-at-home-mom. Now I remember why I work! haha. Well, at least we still have bedtime. My little angel sleeps in his room from 7 to 7 uninterrupted! Thank God...I need some rest!

He's lucky he's got the cute thing going for him!

Eating his cupcake from Grandma...he's so rotten!

I've finally gotten over whatever nasty thing I had. I was so sick of coughing I could throw up...literally! Eww. Jac and I are still in Tricare Insurance limbo because of the move. I'm so scared we're gonna get really sick and get stuck with the bill because I haven't turned in the paperwork!

Penn came over this afternoon for a little dip in the baby pool and a bubble bath. After chasing them around, Mom came home and I painted a bookshelf, had a shower, ate supper and went off to church. I'm zonked! It's bedtime...after all...I gotta get up and shower before Jac rises at 7, otherwise I'll have to wait until naptime after lunch. I don't think I could do this all the time! Goodnight!

Ahh...peace

I LOVE SKYPE!

I got to talk to my man today...about 3 times...maybe 4. He finally made it to Iraq. He said that they flew them in at night to avoid being fired at...freaks me out! Anyhow, he got his Internet hooked up today and has to pay a whopping $100 a month for the second best connection. He said that the best connection was $180 and the smallest was $77. Crazy!

So glad we got him a laptop for Christmas! It's already been worth the money. We both have a webcam and got to talk on Skype. Jac was so excited to see his Daddy and couldn't stop laughing. He kept trying to kiss the screen. He's got a room to himself which I think is pretty good, but makes it seem even more lonely.

Here's a song that I really wanted to play at the end of our wedding as we were walking out the church. Everybody thought it would be too wierd so I didn't do it (my biggest regret). It makes me sad, but it's perfect.

"Walk Through The World" -Marc Cohn

I'm writing you this letter from some old hotel
I can feel the distance between us
From the Spanish Steps to the Liberty Bell
I know the angels have seen us... seen us, baby
They see you down on Seventh Avenue,
While you're just hanging by a thread
And I'm sitting in a lonely room without a view,
Wishing I was there with you instead

Won't you walk through this world with me
Walk through this world.
Over the miles of mystery,
Walk through this world with me.
I'm staring out across the rooftops, baby.
I've seen the writing on the wall.
Heard a little bit of thunder, at the seventh wonder,
but everything is bound to rise and fall, that's all

Walk through this world with me
Walk through the world.
Over the mountains and the shining sea,
Walk through this world with me...
Walk on... Walk on, Walk on...

Let me get this ringing out of my ears,
Let me get these stars out of my eyes.
'Cause I just want to look back over all the years
with you right there standing by my side.

I'm writing you this letter from some old hotel, they can see us, baby

(listen to the song here: http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.Discography&artistid=5672&albid=8792725&songid=30804258 )

Again!

I got another call from Cam yesterday morning around 11. Not much news. He's still in Kuwait and it sounds like they're all pretty bored there. Just sitting around waiting to go to Iraq next. He hasn't called today and I don't think he will (since they are like 8 hours ahead of us and that would make it about 1 in the morning on Thurs). Hopefully that means they are on the way or maybe they have already arrived in Iraq. I can't wait to get his address so I can send him a present in the mail.

Mom and I are heading back to J-ville tomorrow to start getting packed up. Dad, Pack, and maybe Bob will come up on Friday night or Saturday morning to start packing up a moving truck. Jac will be staying with "Grandma Dotty" for the weekend. I'm pretty sad about leaving our first home together. That's probably why I haven't started packing anything up before now.

Anyhow, it's almost time for church so I better be going. I've got to give the kid a bath since I won't have time in the morning. Peace out!

First Good News

Cam called around lunchtime yesterday to let me know that they had arrived in Kuwait safely. He didn't know how long they would be stuck there or when he would get to call again, but hearing that they landed safely after a 23 hour flight was a huge load off. That's pretty much all the news I have right now.

Missing him...

He's Gone

So this post should be short and sweet. Cam had to be on base this morning at 5:30. After we got there and unloaded the rain started coming down. We waited for as long as we could, but Jac was freezing and hungry so we sat in the car for a bit before we had to say goodbye.

Bottom line...THIS SUCKS! Today was the hardest day of my life thus far. I'm so thankful that in almost 3 years of active duty, this is the first and last time we will have to do this. I don't think any amount of reenlistment bonus is worth having to watch a dad have to say goodbye to his family. As sad and lonely as I feel, I know he's having a much harder time.

So as Jac's shirt says..."It's all downhill from here." After today, maybe it will start sucking a little less until it's time for him to get home. I'm hoping to hear from him in the next couple of days and I'll post an update. I'm back in Florence for now and will be headed back to NC in a few days to start packing for the big move.

That's all for now...

Time Is Slippin Away!

Well folks, D-Day is near. Cam was told on Friday morning that they would gather on base to leave this Thursday. Today, they told him that they flight will now be leaving on Sunday morning which is much better news. I was feeling pretty positive about the whole thing, trying to think of it as just a small transition phase of our life together, but getting an actual date makes it all more real. My last day of work will be on Friday, so all this couldn't possibly come at a worse time, but let's face it...Friday is gonna suck regardless, so I might as well be here and say my goodbye's.

Mom and Dad came up on Saturday night to babysit Jac so that Cam and I could get away for a night. We justified spending the extra money saying, this is our anniversary (July 22) and both of our birthday celebrations (June 30, Aug. 26). We went to the same Bed & Breakfast in Wilmington we stayed at on our honeymoon. It was awesome! Cam called in earlier that day and they had a cancellation on one of their best rooms, so we were pretty pumped about getting it. When we finally arrived shortly after 8, the owner realized that Coker sounds alot like Coger, and he had already checked another couple into our room by mistake! All of their rooms are pretty amazing so we didn't put up a fight (as long as we had our hot tub) and took another room. I would feel horrible about kicking another couple out. As it turns out, our new room (The Cabana Suite) was probably better anyway. It was a little smaller and didn't have a fireplace, but everything else was pretty great.

The plaque outside our room

Wet bar, closet, and freakin awesome hot tub!

Bed, Dresser, and Art...with a Carribbean vibe

View from the front of the bed...I know...we should have taken a pic BEFORE we pulled down the covers.

On Sunday morning, we slept in, went downstairs to eat a late breakfast, and then headed to town for a little shopping. I got a sweet new hippie shirt from Loose Lucy's so I was pleased with my purchase...it actually fits! Anyhow, it was an awesome night...I hope it ties me over for the next 6-7 months!

I'm planning on going back to Florence on Sunday after Cam leaves. I'll probably be zonked! Mom is off all week next week, so she may come back to J-ville with me to start getting packed up for the big move...maybe the first weekend in March? Who knows.

I've got so much to do here at school to get ready to leave. The problem is that I'm having a hard time caring about any of it. All I want to do is spend time with Cam and Jac. My slackness here at work is a direct result of wanting to be with him every spare second I have. I can't even think about him not being here without getting a lump in my throat and watery eyes. I know that God's in control, but that doesn't make me miss him any less.

My favorite place to be...with my boys!

Happy (Belated) B-Day Jac!

Big news! Cam got promoted at work! It's really kind of a big deal (at least I think so). He went up on a sergeant board for his company, battalion, regiment, and MLG and won all of them! We're talking a big percentage of Camp Lejeune here. So...I took the day off so that I could be there to see his ceremony, and apparently they decided to "surprise" him. Long story short...I missed it. So while I was sittin at home waiting for him to get here and celebrate, I was feeling a bit nostalgic and I put together this little slideshow of Jac's first year. I can't believe my little tiny baby is a toddler! :( Here it goes!

Snow Day!

We were pretty ticked when we left Florence, everyone was talking about snow. Go figure we would have to leave the day BEFORE it snows. Anyway, when we got back home to Jacksonville, and what do you know...it's was supposed to snow here too! I was stoked and woke up about 3 times during the night that night to peek through the blinds and check for snow. It didn't really start snowing good until close to lunch time. We let it collect for a little while and finally took Jac and Kory outside for some playtime. Jac wasn't too crazy about the coldness. He was laughing the whole time, but didn't want to touch it or walk in it. He preferred to stick to the sidewalk. Afterwards, Jac laid down for a little afternoon nap and Cam made a run to K-mart. While he was gone, I built a little snowman at the top of our staircase. Now the snow is melting, and I'm pretty much done with winter. Go ahead and bring on the hot weather!

It's Official

So...we finally made a decision. After spending a couple of months weighing the pros and cons of me going home for Cam's deployment, we decided that I will come back to live in Florence until he gets out of the USMC. You know what that means...yes...I'll be mooching off Mom and Dad for the next year or so.

I'm not gonna lie, it's a big relief. After our test-run when Cam was at Mojave Viper, I was wiped out! I can't imagine having to stay in Jacksonville all by myself with a baby for 7-13 months. The one weekend I actually stayed home that month left me more exhausted than the drive back and forth from Jacksonville to Florence. Plus, having some type of adult conversation after work will be awesome. I also don't have to worry about Jac having one of his little mini panic attacks when I have to run out to the car to look for something, or heaven forbid...the BATHROOM! I'll be able to take a shower in peace, and if I get sick, I've got a back-up. Not to mention the unlimited baby-sitters and the little "nest-egg" we're hoping to save by me staying here. If Cam is planning on going to school when he gets home (and he is), we're gonna need every extra penny we can get.

Leaving my kids in the middle of they year is tough. They drive me absolutely nuts and I firmly believe that I am not cut out to be a first grade teacher (that is if I am cut out to be a teacher at all), but in all honesty, they are such a sweet group of kids. I know they are going to take the news hard. Kids come and go all the time, and you sort of get used to saying goodbye to them after a while. A good boss, on the other hand, is extremely hard to find. Our principal is so nice (some say too nice). She tries hard to help teachers out (and keep them sane). She's the type of person that you really don't want to disappoint. I finally worked up the nerve to type up my resignation letter and meet with her last week. I was super-nervous and literally sick about it. I didn't want to leave it in her box or on her desk to just "find." I wanted to meet with her and talk about why I made the decision to leave in the middle of a school year. Her reaction was an answered prayer. She was so supportive and actually said that she admired me for putting my family first. She also said that she would be more than willing to write up a letter of reference for me if I choose to work (big relief!). I was so worried that she was going to be angry or that she would try to talk me out of leaving, but instead she gave me a hug and said that she would miss me. Seriously...I have the best boss in the world! Am I a complete idiot for giving all of this up???

So now, my to-do list is getting longer by the second. There are:

assessments and conferences to complete
boxes to pack
furniture to move
utilities to cancel
addresses to change
lessons to plan
storage buildings to scout
Land Rover to sell (anyone interested??? lol)

NOT TO MENTION

baby to feed
diapers to change
clothes to wash
pre-deployment crap to think about

...all the while trying to spend some quality family time with my soon-to-be overseas husband! I don't even want to think about having to tackle this new endeavor without my best-friend and the only person who really understands my warped sense of the world. What the heck am I getting myself into??? Don't get me wrong, I have the most incredible parents for not only LETTING me come home to live, but actually WANTING me to come. I know that sometimes "The Family" (my little mafia) can be a bit suffocating, but I am totally blessed to have their support, no matter what!

Oh yeah, so, since first grade isn't really working out that great for me, (I'm not all about tying shoes, bagging up lost teeth, and sending kids to the nurse's office for a dry change of clothes), I figure I'll try my hand at fifth and take over Kimmi's class when she goes out on maternity leave. I'm sure that I'll have a whole new (and more mature...lol) set of pet peeves to go with it. More to come on that later.

So I guess this is the start to a whole new chapter of my life. A little scary, a little exciting, a lot sad, but at least I'm not doing it alone.

Updates...

So it's been a little while since I've updated this thing. We've been back home in SC since the 23rd. We left a little later than we wanted to because of Jac's one year well baby appointment at the Naval Hospital. I love taking a healthy baby to the dr. to hear just how healthy he is. Everything was fine...we really didn't have any concerns anyway. He weighs almost 24 pounds! That's like half of what I weighed in the third grade! They said he was in the 50-75th percentile in his height and weight and 95 in head circumference. Yikes! I was feeling a little upset about that, but apparently he's growing right along and they didn't have any conerns. Got to have a big head to fit his big brain inside I guess.

Then, along came Christmas. First at the Dot's for a celebration with Cam's step siblings. I think G-ma Dotty was upset because Jac got cranky so we laid him down in the pop up crib and he missed presents (it's not like he would open them himself anyway).

The next morning....SANTA CAME!! Jac had fun playing with his new vibrating hedgehog and Penn's aquadoodle. After all the siblings got here, the house was packed with presents, people, and puppies. I always knew that we had a big family (my parents, big bro, big sis, Kimmi, and me) but with all of us crammed into Mom and Dad's house, all 17 of us (with one on the way) that is, you can really feel intimidated. We all sat down in 3 different rooms to eat breakfast. Finally, Cam, Jac and I all layed down for a nap.

After lunch we headed to Aunt Ann's house for the Carmon family gift exchange, and then went straight over the Meme's house for our last party. I was really excited about this one because of Cam's special present I was able to organize from the family. It's always hard to switch gears from my family to Cam's. My family is so huge. When we all get together and open presents, we can go through hundreds of packages in a matter of minutes. In Cam's family, they open presents one-by-one. All of the attention is on you and it's so quiet (with only 6 people besides us), it's nerve racking. Everyone is watching your reaction and it takes a good 3 hours to finish the whole process. Anyhow, after being tourtured with anxiety, Cam finally got to open his big present... A LAPTOP!! I was so excited about it. I really wanted him to have one to take with him in Iraq, so that we can talk on a webcam and he could watch movies and everything. After all the fuss, we went home and I crashed while Cam played with his new toy all night long.

Jac playing with his new toy at Meme's

Fast forward a couple of days and we were headed to Highlands, NC with Kimberly, Pack, and Penn. We had a blast in our cool lodge and pretending like we were rich going to nice restaurants and shopping around the ritzy little town. We did a little bit of hiking and climbing (you know...to remind me just how out of shape I actually am, and what an annoyingly athletic stud I'm married to). Jac stayed with Grandma Dotty for three nights. It was all I could do not to cry without him there, but I had a blast on this last little excursion with Cam before he deploys.

Stopping for some pictures at an overlook.

Our last night in Highlands

Back in Flo-town...HAPPY 2009!! It was time to pack up the Land Rover and head back to reality in Jacksonville for a much more somber coundown...days until Iraq. It's just now starting to become real, with talk about what I'm gonna do while he's away and possibly moving back to Florence. They are officially changing the time overseas from just 7 months to 7-14 months, meaning there is a possibility he might be extended. They will be the last USMC unit in Iraq (the rest of the Marine Corps will be in Afghanistan) and they are responsible for moving the USMC base over to an Army base. I'm definitely not ready for all of this, but I know it'll all be worth it when he get's back and we run like the wind away from military life and start all over again.

Oh well, too much to think about right now...time for some quality DS time with my hubby...lol!