Lucky Number 7

This is weekend NUMBER 7 without Nick.

Our weekend has been insanely busy!!!

Yesterday was one of Dannika's best friend, Jackson's 2nd Birthday party!

She was PARTIED out at his 'Cars' themed party.

And my friend, Becca is one insane party thrower. 

She literally invited like 50 people!

I would never invite that many people for fear of what would happen to my house!

It ended up being a huge success and we all had so much fun (and her house was fine).

I did learn a few things at the birthday party...

1. I am rethinking the thought of having more children. After spending 3 hours with 15 or so screaming, crazy, cake sugar high kids...I needed a Xanax...I actually need one just thinking about...haha.

2.  I am really socially awkward when around more than 4-5 people that I don't know or barely know...there were literally like 30 people that I didn't really know well there. ONE of the many reasons why I don't really like going to spouse's socials. If you were there, you probably noticed, I stuck close to my comfort zone...friends that I already know and have known for some time now. Again...I needed a Xanax with the amount of people that were there! I should work on that. Maybe I'll try exposure therapy...we'll start with a spouse's social that Nick's unit does once a month...or maybe not.

3.This kinda goes back to #2, but I am more comfortable around women I know really well and guys. I just get along better with guys. I've been a Marine for 9 years now and I am the ONLY girl as of now in my work center. I will have to write a WHOLE another blog about this topic. For the majority of the party, I sat outside with two close girlfriends and one of their husbands. I had the most fun laughing about randomness with them, and my friend's husband is HILARIOUS. He definitely made our convos a little more lighthearted. 

4. It was nice to talk to some of my other friends about the deployment. I told them that I was enjoying the time apart from Nick. I was having a lot of fun doing mommy and me things with Dannika. I miss him like crazy, but I don't dwell on it as much as I did last deployment. I'm pretty sure I was sobbing depressed every single day last time. This time, I'm embracing it! I find that talking on facebook about how depressed I am and how much I miss Nick, makes me really depressed. I've managed to keep those feelings to myself and just post positive posts and posts about how awesome Nick is, and how lucky I am to have him. It helps! Try it!

After the party, I sat in traffic for an hour and a half, got home, picked up Nick's care package, drove to the post office to find it closed, went grocery shopping, and went on our traditional Sundried Tomato date.

This was the first time we went for an early dinner.

We normally go for brunch.

However, the staff that we always see were there, and it's really cool that the manager makes it a point to always brings our food to us now.
I will have to get a picture with him, Dannika, and "Nick".

No, I am not saying that if you didn't marry a Marine, you're not a real woman. It's a figure of speech. And let's face it ladies...it really DOES take a special kind of person to deal with the Marine Corps on a daily basis. Hence the reason that our divorce rate alone in the Corps is at 80%!!!!!!!! The average person can't handle our life!

On to weekend number 8!! 

Slideshow Love

I'm home all day with my sick baby.

She's really crabby :-(

While a free day off of work is always welcome...it's unwelcome when it's because I have to tend to a sick child.

Oh, the perils of single parenting...

I'm just happy she is sleeping a lot.

So, as most of my friends know, I own a Mac and have a slight obsession with it.

I hate PC with a pash (yeah...it's a word I just made up).

Everything I own is a Mac.

I have the 27" Mac desktop.

I have a Macbook laptop that is currently on deployment in Afghanistan.

I have an IPad 2 that I waited 6 weeks to receive because I HAD TO have it when it first came out.

I am currently waiting on the IPhone 5 to come out, and I will probably be one of the maniacs camping out at the Mac store the day before release (ok, not really, but I did consider it before).

One of my favorite things about my Mac (besides IPhoto, Aperture, ICloud, Apple mail, Safari....etc. etc. etc. etc. etc. etc.) is the IMovie feature.

It makes it SOOOO easy to make cute little slideshows and movies.

I used it to make Dannika's 2nd Birthday Party Slideshow {you can watch it below, but I am warning you that it is LONG...I had it play continuously on our TV during her entire party}

I actually had a lot of fun making it, and it didn't take me that long!
I think it took longer for me to pick out which photos I wanted in it.

So today, while I sat here missing Nick, I decided to make him a slideshow of "Us".
I know...so cheesy...and people are probably hating on how disgustingly mushy we can be.
I can't help it...we just never left the honeymoon stage!
I fell in love with Taylor Swift's video Ours, and the song seemed fitting so that's the one I chose for the music.

For my military wives who haven't seen it...watch it below.

And...
Here is my final product.
Enjoy it if you must...and if you don't want to watch it...I'm totally ok with that too.
It was made for my better half :-)

Compassion

These last few days have been hard for me to be compassionate towards others.

I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that Nick is gone, and sometimes I get selfish and think it's unfair that I have to go through this.

That, I know, is the wrong attitude to have, and God is probably rolling his eyes at me.

I also have a big mouth.

I have what some people would call "diarrhea of the mouth" (sounds pleasant, huh?)

I just say things sometimes without thinking, and by the time I'm done...I'm smacking my head over and over into a wall saying, "WHY WHY WHYYYY Did I say that?!"

Church helped me to calm down and just reflect on the last few days.

"Water under the bridge..."

Here is my cute little angel getting ready to go to Sunday school. I love getting her after service is over and getting a goodie bag with all the cool arts and crafts she did that day.

Can you believe that we went 2 1/2 years without a "band aid worthy boo boo"?!?! Surprisingly enough, she fell in the church parking lot. I guess if there's one place you wanna get hurt, it's at God's house.

 

 Sundried Tomato Date #6 :-)

One of my friends called me a "Spartan Wife" after I posted this on facebook:

It's hard being a Marine AND a Marine wife...I don't worry about Nick like most Marine wives do...and for me...I think that if he sees combat, it's exciting cause I know I would be excited if I was in combat...the adrenaline rush is what we live for, and when I tell a Marine wife that...they look at me like I'm freaking crazy and like I don't care for the safety of my husband...when in reality...my husband and I are both Marines...we have crazy views on what we consider is badass...to include being shot at...and I'm not even in a combat MOS....maybe I'm not as normal of a housewife as I think I am. I love Nick more than my own life...I also love him even more and am more proud of him for his heroic actions in the Battle of Fallujah...I think it's cool.........call me crazy. You can take a girl outta her Louis Vuitton, but you can't take the Marine Corps outta THIS girl.

Remember in the Movie "300" when he is leaving his wife for battle and she tells him to 'Come home with your shield or on it'. 

Exactly how I feel. 

We had some backyard fun as well with the water table.

Nick put these up in our backyard. They make me smile.

I put crayola colored bath drops in the water for her. She thought it was so cool.

Oh and lastly...

Superbowl Sunday was last Sunday!

Dannika and her buddy Kanoa have spent every single Superbowl together since they have been alive!

Superbowl 2010 (Nick and Sunny were both deployed). Look how little our babies were!

Superbowl 2011 (Sunny was here, but Nick was in the field)

Superbowl 2012 (Nick and Sunny are both deployed again)

And this year, Mr. Jackson joined us :-) Look at how adorable these kiddos are.

Hopefully next year, we can all spend Superbowl together with our daddies!

Officially ONE Month

Today is officially ONE month since Nick has been gone!!

The Battery that he replaced came home today, and I'm totally excited about all the Romeo Battery wives!

This month has flown by for me, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the next SIX will fly by as well!

Dannika and I have been keeping ourselves suuuuper busy!

Tomorrow is Superbowl Sunday, and we are going over to Kim's house to celebrate it!

Dannika and Kim's son, Kanoa have spent every single Superbowl together since they were born!!!!

It's a huge tradition!

Their first Superbowl, Sunny and Nick were deployed.

Their second Superbowl, Nick was in the field, so it was just Sunny, Kim, and the rest of their kiddos.

Their third Superbowl will be tomorrow...and once again...Sunny and Nick are both deployed :-(

Luckily, this time, we have our "Daddy dolls", so it will be Sunny and Nick's official first Superbowl Sunday together!!!!

Thank God that Sunny will be home in less than 2 months!!!!!!!!!!!

Last Sunday, Dannika and I had dinner with our adopted family, the Gilberts!

It was our first traditional Sunday night dinner with the Gilbert family since Nick has been gone.

They have become Dannika's California grandparents, Aunt, and Uncle(s). 

They became our second family during Nick's last deployment.

It is actually our (the Gilbert Family and ours) second deployment together for Nick...haha!

Other than that...

This week has been no different than the last 3!

I've been insanely busy at work, Dannika and I have gone to the Sundried Tomato Cafe every Saturday, and my Crossfit work outs get more insane by the day :-)

Life is good.

It'll just keep getting better.

When my other half comes home, it'll be perfect...absolutely perfect :-)

Happy One Month Tango Battery!!!!

Jeff Gilbert...of course HE would be the one feeding Nick his beer.

Melissa G....She's pretty gangsta. Dannika loves her :-)

Papa (LtCol G) and Mama G giving "Nick" some lovin'

SUNDRIED TOMATO!

 They have the best, flakiest sweet rolls!!

 Photobooth fun on our MAC

Photobooth fun before our 5TH date at the Sundried Tomato!

THREE, TRES, SAM, TROIS!

Well...we are at week THREE!

Again....

The weeks are FLYING.

Work has been insane with stupid Marines doing stupid things...like drinking and driving...drugs...and domestic violence.

It's just been really bad lately, so I've spent the week sitting in briefs and formations about these things.

I got to have my FIRST skype date last sunday with Nick!!!

I was so excited!

Check him out...

What a handsome guy, huh?

And Dannika and I went on our 4TH SUNDRIED TOMATO DATE!!!

I love how the staff ALL know us now, and everytime we leave, they always tell us, "See you next weekend!"

The weekly "table note" for Nick...it actually hasn't been a month yet, but we've been there 4 times since he's left, and to me...that's a month!!!!

This is the infamous "silly face" or "funny face" (whichever she feels like calling it)

I'm so glad that Nick joined us today. I was really starting to miss him.

I've kept up with my weekly care packages.

I've been working out the way I did before last November hit....crossfit, weights, elliptical...6 times a week, and on my rest day, I put Dannika in the jogging stroller and walk 6 miles.

I have not had any red meat since the boys left.

I had chicken once (at my friend's Scentsy party).

I feel great!

I have started inquiring about a custom closet makeover.

And Dannika has only had ONE accident in her big girl panties (she was potty trained the day before Nick left).

Next weekend, I am painting a wall in my house and doing this cool thing to my hallway that I saw on pinterest. 

I get sad every once in a while cause I feel like I don't get to talk to Nick as much as some of the other wives (except for Becca...she's heard from her man the least out of everyone), but Dannika has been keeping me so busy, I don't have time to go into depression about it....lol.

I have yet to spend time with my girlfriends like I planned on. 

Work has just been tiring me out.

Work, the Marine Corps, single motherhood, and everything else that comes with that.

Either way,

I am blessed beyond belief, and I never stop counting my blessings.

Hope everyone had a blessed week...

"If you don't love a Marine....Raise your standards!"

(a funny bumper sticker I saw)