20 Weeks Left!!!

On your mark. Get set. Go!!!!!
That's today's motto.

It is February 12, 2010 and we have officially
reached the 20 week countdown until my amazing soldier is back home.
All day today, I fluttered around on cloud nine.
I counted the weeks on the calendar and got up and started dancing.

I hope these 20 weeks fly by as fast as the last 32 weeks have.
I have so much to look forward too these next weeks ahead.
I'm looking forward to being back in Washington in May.
I can't wait to set our apartment up, and get things situated
for my Soldiers arrival back home.
I'm even taking notes on ways to decorate our apartment.
Thank You HGTV!

But most importantly,
I'm excited to lay eyes on him again for the first time in 9 months.
Even if I'm in the bleachers waiting for
the moment to just latch on to him.
I wont be able to peel my eyes off of him and
I know this already.
I get tingles and butterflies just thinking about it!

20 weeks! Its all downhill from here!

My Hair is Pink!

Yep, its PINK!
I love it.

The salon I work for is having a "Locks of Love" marathon.
So to honor the "Locks of Love" foundation, we each put a strip of pink in our hair.
It's such a good feeling to be taking part in this event.

The marathon will be on February 20th. We will have raffles and prizes, along with food and fun for everyone who joins us. "Locks of Love" is a non-profit organization that provides hair pieces to financially disadvantaged children in the United States and Canada under the age 21 suffering from long-term medical hair loss from any diagnosis.
"Locks of Love" creates a unique need for children by using donated hair to make the highest quality hair prosthetic's.

We are all really excited to be one of the salon's in our area to accept "Locks of Love" hair donations. Any 10 inches or more of hair can help out these less fortunate children in need! Hoping for a great outcome during our marathon. I will post pictures after the event takes place!





Rockin' the Pink!

"Things I Love" Thursday!

Things I Love...

Dark Chocolate




Eat Pray Love




Rhianna's New Album: Rated R




Sierra Mist Cranberry Splash

I Have Realized....

I'm such a lucky girl....and when I say lucky, I'm truly lucky.
I have learned a lot throughout the time James and I have been apart due to his heroism, sacrifice and bravery for our country.
For one...James is my best friend. I never thought in my whole life, I could ever find a love like ours. To know that he is not just my husband but also my best friend, is the best gift I could ever receive.

Everyday I wake up and roll over wishing I could fling my arm or leg around him.
He is my security every time he's with me. Whether were driving in the car and a pan-handler is reaching through my side of the car for change, (that did REALLY happen) while James is yelling at him to "back away" in English and the homeless man only speaks Spanish. Or, he is making a wooden door guard out of 2x4's for me to stick under the door handle for when he is gone training for weeks or a month. He always makes sure I am taken care of. Whether he is protecting me, or just wrapping his arms around me.

We love to get in the car and just drive. Grabbing our camera's and just going is one of my favorite things to do with him. We rarely have a set destination, but we find fun in wondering where we will end up. And we always have tons of pictures when we get back. (Well he does, because I am somehow camera illiterate and can't take good pictures like he can. HELP!)

It's amazing how he is so far away, and can still put a smile on my face everyday we are apart. It doesn't matter if its through an email, instant message, or a phone-call. I'm always left smiling for the rest of the day. It's so comforting to answer the phone to him on the other line. I never knew I could love an email, instant message or phone-call so much.

That's one of the little things I have always taken for granted, but now realize how important it is to me.

I've also realized how true the saying "absence makes the heart grow fonder" is. Everyday I miss him more then I did the day before. And that's a lot. That's like all the miles it takes to get all the way around the world times a million. I never knew I could miss somebody so much. Especially when minutes feel like days and days feel like an eternity to get through. But ya know, its the little things James and I have been through or done together, that get me through everyday. All I have to do is look back at the memories we have already made together, and it keeps me pushing through and staying strong. I'm surrounded by our pictures all the time.

He's always with me, no matter how many miles, bodies of water, or continents stand between us. I love that I can lay my head down at night, and even though he is not here, he is STILL the last person I see and kiss before I go to bed (and yes, I kiss my picture frame).

I LOVE YOU J-DUB. :)

"Things I Love" Thursdays!!

"Things I Love"

I've decided to do a "Things I Love" Thursday. I will post things I love every Thursday on my blog. It's a great way to share who I am.



I Love...

My Soldier




Audrey Hepburn




The Smell and Taste of Coffee




When I Get Mail



This is just to name a few...stay tuned for next week!

Bologna Can Blow Up?

I came to the conclusion when I walked out of the house for work this afternoon that I HATE TODAY. My emotions are all over the place. They aren't stable in one place, they are EVERYWHERE. Its been about 5 days now since I talked to James, and that plays a major part of why I feel the way I do. I feel like I can't talk to anybody about it because all they say is "He will call, don't worry." If its one thing I can't stand during this whole deployment its the words "Don't Worry."
How can I not worry? He is my husband. The person I married for the rest of my life. I love him more then life itself. He is fighting in a war-zone, but "Don't Worry." Half the time when someone says that to me, I just wanna touch their face with my knuckles. I DON'T always know what he is doing, but he does inform me when he will be away for a while. Its easier when I know he will be out for a while vs. having a blackout and not knowing what the hell is going on. Just because he informs me of being away, it DOESN'T stop my emotions from going insane.
I can assure you, I do worry and will worry until I see his number come up on my phone or his name in my in-box. So please stop saying "Don't Worry!!"

Two things that actually made me smile today:

1. My dad bought me a smiley face cookie. I loved that because it made me smile.
2. My friend Kellee always puts me in a good mood when I'm feeling sad. Our facebook conversation today went something along the lines of this:

Kellee: Bologna can blow up?
Chelsey: It sure can.
Kellee: I didn't know that.
Chelsey: I like blowing peeps up.
Chelsey: Not like human beings. The marshmallow.
Kellee: LMFAO. Im laughing because I read it right the first time and the second sentence was just hilarious.
Kellee: I like to put two peeps in the microwave facing each other with toothpicks because they stab each other when they blow up.

We like to crack ourselves up, along with making each other laugh our asses off. Our conversations always have some random thoughts or made-up quotes in them. These two little things helped put a smile on my face.
I'm so fortunate to have such an awesome friend to help me through this. She always understands because she is living the same life. I'm also fortunate to have two amazing parents. They always know how to make me feel better. Even if its with a smiley face cookie.
Oh, and something I ordered for James came in the mail today. I was SO EXCITED when I opened it up. Its a secret. He can't see it until the day he gets home. That little thing made me jump up and down with excitement. So that's 3 things that made me smile today. I am missing him so much. I can't explain the emptiness and the feelings that keep bottling up in the pit of my stomach. I'm so ready for this all to be over with.

I hope tomorrow will be a better day. At least I have a 4th thing to smile about: I have the day off.


The Smiley Face Cookie from Dad!



"Fightin' Peeps"

I HATE Monday Mornings and LOVE Monday Nights

I Hate Monday Mornings.
I never get a good night sleep on Sunday nights, knowing that I work early Monday morning. I love my job as a hairstylist, but on Mondays, I'm not fond of standing on my feet first thing in the morning. And no matter how hard I try to get up at a reasonable time to make it to work on-time, I never succeed on Mondays. It's not like I did anything over this weekend. I don't do much on the weekends anyways. And lately, the weekends have just been ridiculously boring. But this morning, my alarm went off, and the sound of Loony Tunes was ringing in my ear. Yes, that's my alarm tone. Believe me, its a cute tone, but it is the most annoying thing to hear first thing in the morning. I end up screaming "I hate you Bugs Bunny" every Monday when I hear it. This is a little bit of how my Monday morning routine works:

• Alarm Rings at 7:00am/I scream at Bugs Bunny Ringtone
  
• I throw myself out of bed after hitting snooze 17 times (literally)
  
• I sleep walk to the bathroom and take a shower
• I venture back into my room to get ready after I sit and stare at the floor for about 15 minutes thinking about how much I hate Mondays.

(By this time it is now 8:15am and I need to be to work by 9:00am with a 17 minute drive there)

• I finally put on my face (minus the mascara-that comes later)
  
• I throw my hair in a clip(I can do my hair @ work) and pick out the simplest clothes because I hate Mondays.

(It's now 8:38am and need to be to work at 9:00am with still...a 17 minute drive there)

• I make it down the stairs, let the dog out, and grab a breakfast bar to go
• I grab the 4 bags I carry with me to and from work because I like making more work for myself
• I go out and finally start my car to warm up for 5 mins (by now its 8:45am and I still have a 17 minute drive)
• I get in the car and realize I forgot some item inside (cellphone, a bag, etc.) It happens every Monday morning
• I finally pull out of the drive way and start my 17 minute drive to work at 8:50am still without any coffee in my system. Coffee is my drug of choice. So every person who pulls in front of me, or gets on my bumper on the way to work, is going to get the Monday morning road rage.
• 9:07am, I have finally arrived at my job until 3pm.

Im a coffee lover. I have to have atleast 2 and a half cups of coffee on a Monday morning to even put me in my routine and snap me into my bubbly self. When 3pm eventually rolls around, I drive home in a better mood because in 5 hours, The Bachelor will be on. My dad goes off to bowl on his bowling league, and my mom and I sit in the living room, drink our favorite Cafe Mocha's from Tim Hortons and watch our favorite Monday night show. We yell during commercials, and get all hyped up on the drama that takes place. That is my "escape" from reality for 2 hours. Im missing my husband so badly right now. I miss him every single day more and more. When I dont talk to him for days, it puts me in a funk. I hate feeling funky. It makes my whole body hurt. But on a good note: Today is February 1st. This means I can rip January off the calendar and watch it make its way down the paper shredder because its over and done and Im one month closer to seeing the love of my life. Its such an exciting feeling!! Im signing off now, I can hear my Cafe Mocha calling me and The Bachelor will be on in 22 minutes.


I LOVE Tim Hortons


"The Bachelor"