Happy Anniversary, Baby!

Today is Ryan's and my 6 year anniversary. To this day, I'm still amazed of the happenings of our wedding day. The fact that I could tell my mother that I was going to get married in 2 days & expect her to be happy about it is crazy! I constantly strive to make my parents happy. It is something that is just instilled in me. I was going to get married two days later & hopefully they would support me. I guess the crazier thing is that they did!! No, it's not crazy. They could see what an amazing man Ryan is, and our wedding came together perfectly.

Now, six years later. We have a beautiful baby girl & are happier than we've ever been. Life is good! I am the luckiest girl in the world & I'm thankful that Ryan wanted to marry me that day. On September 28, 2001, I got my other half in every sense of the words. He is the one who has slowed me down & made me realize that things aren't as big of a deal as I tend to make them out to be. He's my shoulder to fall on when things go wrong & he's the one jumping up and down when things go right. He's what I need when I need it, and I honestly didn't think that existed anymore. To say that he means everything to me doesn't even begin to cover it. He is the love of my life & I am truly thankful that God allowed him to be with me.

I love you, Ryan. I can't imagine my life without you. I look forward to the many, many years ahead of us.

I MISS DALLAS!

No, not the traffic or having to work & take my baby to daycare. Minus those things & being away from family, I miss it so much. I miss worshipping at PRCC!! Besides one time at PBC (camp), PRCC is the only place that I have ever been able to really worship. After I got over the issues that you deal with when working for a church, I was able to let go & worship God each & every Sunday. I was moved. There would be mornings that I would be so down & empty then would leave the worship so full & refreshed. There were moments that moved me to tears while singing. I can't describe it exactly. Actually, I'm noticing that I'm not doing a very good job of relaying my feelings. Just know, I felt closer to God in some of my moments in the PRCC building than I have felt in my whole life. So, seeing pictures today on a friend's blog got me teary.

Then seeing the friend's husband standing on PRCC's stage, I lost it. I miss my Dallas friends SO much! I knew leaving would be hard. I just didn't realize that 6 months later would be just as hard as the day I left. There's a void where friends once were. Sure, we're still friends, but being 13 hours away doesn't allow us to have a close friendship like we once had. And...Grey's Anatomy is getting ready to come back on. I miss my Grey's Anatomy buddy. :-( I guess it is several things happening at once that make me remember how good we had it there. Go girls...I'm missin' ya tonight. LOVE YOU!

Disclaimer: I'm ok. I'm not depressed. So, don't worry. I'm just having a moment & missing some friends.

No More Bold Statements

You won't be hearing me make any more bold statements about what I am going to do childrearing-wise. Sydney is 11 months old today & still has her paci. At first, I was saying that I would take it away after Florida, then we planned to go to CT. So, we decided it would be in the best interest of our parents not to take it away until after we came back. Then I decided that we would let things settle & then take it. While that part is technically still true, it won't be today. She hasn't been sleeping hardly at all at night. She takes AMAZING naps, but won't sleep at night. I'm exhausted. The only thing that is helping me get some sleep is that sweet little paci. (Which is that is the only time she gets it--when she's sleeping.) I'm pretty sure she has at least 6 teeth moving right now...all under the surface. I can't blame her for being fussy. I would be too!! We've been giving her teething tablets, Tylenol (when it gets it's worst), and Orajel. Sometimes that doesn't even help. So the vertict...the paci is staying for a little while longer.

While I realize that there are children much, much older than Sydney with their paci, I still wanted her off hers before she was 1. That gives me a month from today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can keep that goal.

On another note, I can't believe she'll be 1 year old in a month!!!! AH! Where did this year go? We've already been here in KY for 6 months! It is crazy how fast time is flying. I keep making that comment, but time just keeps speeding up. Anyone have any ideas on how to make it slow down? I would love to find the secret!!

Happy Birthday, Baby!!

Today is my honey's 32nd birthday!!! I am blessed having this man in my life. He is an amazing husband & father. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in life. I've heard that one of the reasons we marry is to have someone else experience our life with us so that we don't go unnoticed. Well, I'm not sure that's the major reason, but I'm thankful to be experiencing my life with Ryan by my side. I'm thankful that he has picked me to share in his life.

I love you, Baby. I hope you have an awesome birthday!!

Rest of trip

On my last blog I left off on Tuesday. Wednesday & Thursday were sightseeing days mostly. I walked the base in the afternoon to get some fresh air & exercise. Wednesday night we went down to the USS Pittsburgh. There I was able to meet Joe, one of Ryan's friends. Joe & Ryan were on the USS Philadelphia together when Ryan was on active duty. It was neat to put a face to the name that I've heard all of these years. Joe is a super nice guy & it was great to meet him. Hopefully one of these days I'll get to meet his wife & daughter, too. It just didn't work out this time. Friday Ryan got out early & we headed back to Providence for one last look before we left. I had such a good time on this trip. I can't even put it in to words how much I loved seeing that area & Ryan's old stomping grounds! It was very special.

Now, I'm happy to be back home. I got to Paducah on Saturday to see my girl! My mom kind of laughed, but I really think she's grown!! She's now shaking her head no & crawling correctly. She wasn't doing either of those when we left. It's great to be back with her & now to be home. Hopefully we'll get back in the swing of things quickly.

I'm thankful for these beautiful cool days!! I can't wait to get out to the parks with Sydney. Keep watching my blog for those types of pictures!! I'm sure we'll be taking tons!

New England

We are having a GREAT time & from what I hear, Sydney is too. I knew she would. There was no doubt about that!! We've done so much stuff since coming on Saturday!! We were in Providence, RI on Saturday & Sunday. We also went to Newport, RI. GORGEOUS!! We rented a Mustang Convertible for Saturday. It was so much fun!! I told Ryan that we definitely NEEDED one of those! Haha! It's not very practical for a family of 3, but oh what fun it was!! We had a great time & I long to go back one day when we can spend more time. Saturday night we went back to downtown Providence. There we were able to experience Waterfire. It was awesome!!! We had a very romantic evening. We walked & sat--just taking in the beautiful sight & sounds.

Sunday afternoon we headed to Groton to the base to get Ryan checked-in & us settled in our hotel room. We lucked out & got a room at the hotel on base. Since I can't drive the rental car, it allows me to get out & do a few things & not be stuck in the room. After we got settled we walked around base. We went down to the pier & were able to tour the USS Providence which just came back in from sea a few days ago. There were several men on board performing their duties. It was really, really cool!!!! Just knowing that type of boat is what Ryan was attached to for 4 years is crazy!! I can't imagine being underway for 6 months & having that little bunk be my bed & that shower be my shower! Ah...what our sailors do for us. It was pretty awesome seeing these heroes in action...and being with my hero at the same time! After getting the tour, we headed to Mystic, CT. There we ate at Mystic Pizza. Some of you will remember the movie Mystic Pizza. It was one of Julia Roberts first movies. Anyway, I thought it was cool to eat there. After our meal, we walked around Mystic. It was really cool. We saw one of the biggest sailboats I've ever seen. We also got to see a drawbridge in action. It was one neat day!

Monday I hung out at the room most of the day. Then we went to the Submarine Museum & went on board the USS Nautilus. They have it set up as a museum now. It was neat. It wasn't as cool as seeing the one still in use, but it was still fun. After that, we got cleaned up & went to Foxwoods Casino. There we gambled a little--no more than we would spend on going to a movie. We ate at the Hard Rock Cafe there. It was one of the coolest Hard Rock restaurants I've ever been to.

Today I was lazy & stayed in the room most of the day. I read my book & waited for Ryan to get out of his school. We went to the local mall since it was pouring down outside. Then we came back so Ryan could do some work. Now, I'm off to bed.
_____________________

Today being September 11. I just want to say a special thanks to the men & women who still work to protect us. Being on this base, it has raised my awareness of how much these individuals give up just to be in the military. It is not just when they are away from family that they are sacrificing. So, thank you. Thank you for protecting me & my family. Thank you for loving our country more than you love yourself...and probably more than we do. (All of this goes for you, too, Ryan & Jon. Love you both!)

Headed out...again

This should be the last "trip" for a while. We'll still have the Paducah visits, but this should be the last vacation until next year. Today I'm headed to pass Sydney off to some AMAZING grandparents! Both sets are splitting the week next week so that Ryan and I can go to Groton, CT--just the two of us. Ryan has a Navy school that he's going to & I'm going for the vacation. We found a cheap flight for me & since his hotel is paid for we'll only have to pay for my food. I'm excited to get a chance to see his old stomping ground. I've wanted to go for so long, but it has been too expensive of a trip so we've gone & done other things. I'm excited that this has all worked out!!

Thank you grandparents for taking care of the kiddo so that we can have a trip just the two of us. It means a lot to both of us!!

We're home

Our trip was awesome!! We spent the first night with Kit & Laura and had a great time. We have decided that we are definitely going to have to go back to Atlanta for a much longer visit soon.

The next morning, we hit the road for Ormond Beach, Fl. With construction, horrible traffic, and thunderstorms it took us 8 hours instead of 6 1/2. No fun! But, we did get there at a decent time & were able relax and enjoy the night.

The next day, we went to the beach in the morning & to the lighthouse just south of the area that afternoon. To get to the top of the lighthouse, you have to climb 203 stairs. It was 175 feet tall & gave a magnificent view once at the top. Since I am a little afraid of heights, coming down the lighthouse was a bit scary. The view from the top was definitely worth it, though.
Monday, we spent the whole day at the beach! It was so much fun. I have been longing for a beach vacation & I was relishing every moment of that day. We rented an umbrella so that we could keep Sydney out of the sun most of the day. Later that morning we also rented a body board. That ended up being much more fun than I had expected. By the end of the day, Ryan was burned and I was completely exhausted!!
Tuesday we headed to Jacksonville, FL. There we went to the Navy base. I had been wanting to get Sydney a Navy shirt, but since there isn't a Navy base close to E-town I haven't been able to. So, we took off that day in hopes of success. After checking out the beach on base (where I had a sand crab walk straight by my foot!!! AH!) and searching for the exchange, we finally found out that the Exchange & Commissary (mini-Walmart & grocery) were off-base. We finally found it & had great success. We got a very cute shirt for Sydney & I even got an amazingly soft sweatshirt for me! :-)

Wednesday we drove around, but basically spent most of the morning in the room. We slept in and were 100% lazy! Yay!! After being lazy, we headed out to the pool. Ryan worked on our website at one of the tables under an umbrella while Sydney and I played in the pool. So, it was win-win for everyone!

Thursday we went shopping in St. Augustine at one of their outlet malls. Yes, they have 2 outlet malls!! We walked away with some steals for all of us!!! On the way to St. Augustine we took A1A up the coast instead of interstate 95. We had no idea how long it would take us, but decided the drive might be worth the extra time. We were right!! It was a gorgeous drive.

Friday got up before the crack of dawn so that we could see the sunrise over the ocean. Ryan went to Starbucks and got us drinks for the occasion. I was highly thankful since I am not a morning person. The sunrise was magical. After the sun made her debut, we combed the sand for seashells & were quite lucky. Once we made it back to our resort, we sat at the pool deck & enjoyed the calmness of the morning. Although it was quite cloudy, I noticed that I was getting some sun, so I went in and changed into my bathing suit. That act had me wanting to stay by the pool all day! It was SO relaxing. So, we ended up deciding to hang out by the pool most of the day. Since our A/C wasn't working in our room, we ended up being forced out anyway. Don't worry, though, they did get it fixed before the day was over. Actually, they got it fixed just as a thunderstorm popped up & forced us indoors!! Perfect timing!
That night we went for a walk along the populated Daytona stretch in search for t-shirts marking our trip. Since Ryan and I don't have very many t-shirts (literally) we decided this would be a good time to get one that isn't just another Old Navy t-shirt.

Saturday we headed back home thankful of the time we were given just to concentrate on being a family. It was some of the most special moments we have ever had. Thanks, Ryan, for letting us go & for being such an amazing husband. Thanks, Dad, for giving us the week!!! It definitely was more than we could have imagined!!