Shelby Rose

It's hard to believe that Shelby Rose will be here in about 15 weeks (or less)!! It seems like not so long ago I was wondering if the tests were correct and I was really pregnant because it just didn't feel like it! It feels like it now!! She is very active and must have a head of hair already because this heartburn is no fun! :) I'm getting excited to see what she looks like! We are starting to get everything ready for her arrival. The stroller and pack and play have both been ordered and are on the way! We also have a swing, bouncer, tub, Boppy, Nap Nanny, and a lot of the little things too! Daddy just has to put everything together now! 

We have been enjoying our football Saturdays during which we lay around all day and relax! I am looking forward to a Baby Expo in October and a craft fair in November! I also have a CPR class and my last class towards my graduate certificate coming up in the next few weeks! I am not looking forward to the glucose test coming up in a couple of weeks! Yuck! Tyler and I both got our flu shots and Tdap shots in preparation for Shelby! My arm is still sore! :( 

Tyler did good in his classes and is trying to figure out which ones to take next. He went to a promotion board and is now promotable! He still has to go to WLC (Warrior Leadership Course) and get some more points, but he is working on it! He also got an award, the Good Conduct Medal! (They get this one once every 3 years if they don't get into any trouble!)

It's hard to believe how fast time is flying! I like how fast the week days go by (work is pretty boring for me now), but I wish the weekends would slow down! Before I know it the holidays will be over and Shelby will be here! Then I will really want time to slow down! We only have 8 more months on the island right now! I am working on finishing up the last few things I want to see and do here. Next weekend I am going to visit the Iolani Palace. We have a three day weekend for Columbus Day which is awesome! Tyler will be going home for a few days for Timmy and Danielle's wedding in October! I really wish I could go to see some fall color, but I am too far along to feel comfortable traveling that far. Dakota and I will just hang out here!

It's a Girl!!

It's a GIRL!! We are having a baby girl!! I am super excited! We are still deciding on a name. We have the first name, but can't decide on a middle name! We are going for another ultrasound on Friday when they will do measurements. We have started shopping a little bit and I have a pretty good idea of what I want to get! Momma has sent two packages so far full of clothes! She is going to be one spoiled little girl!

There is not much else going on in our lives besides getting ready for baby girl. Tyler will not move to the EOD unit until January. I will be working up until I go on maternity leave and then more than likely I will not go back. I am not certain as of yet, though. We are on a wait list for on-base childcare, but I am not sure how I feel about that so far. We are looking forward to football starting in 2 weeks! We enjoyed watching the Olympics, but now we are back to nothing being on TV. We have seen a few good movies this summer, which is pretty much our main entertainment. We have also taken Dakota to the beach a few times. She loves the dog beach! It will be one thing that we will really miss when we leave. Tyler is taking two classes this semester and doing very well. I have been working on my continuing education units that will be due in February. I want to be done before I start class in October. I have also been taking a photography class. It has been pretty interesting so far. :)

Well, obviously I am not doing a very good job at improving my blogging skills! :) I'll keep trying! The trip to Kauai was amazing! We really enjoyed this island! We saw the Waimea Canyon, did a helicopter tour to see  the Na Pali Coast, and did a zipline safari where we got to canoe, zipline, swim in some freshwater pools, and hike through the forest! The cabins we stayed at were great! My trip home was also wonderful! I had a great time in Birmingham with Maria-Jade! We ate out at some of my favorite restaurants and did some shopping! Laura's wedding was beautiful and tons of fun! I was so happy to see momma and daddy! We went down to the beach one day and I had some yummy seafood!

So of course the big news is that I am now 12 weeks pregnant! Super exciting! I stopped birth control and we were going to start really trying to get pregnant (so that I could deliver before we left the island), and turns out I was already pregnant! The due date is January 8, 2013! We will hopefully find out what we are having on July 28th! :) I am greatly missing my caffeine but other than that the pregnancy is going very well! No morning sickness! :)

So Tyler's class date is July 5th, 2013! I am so happy that in one year, we will be off the island!!! We have enjoyed our time here, but are definitely missing life on the main land! He is working on trying to get tasked under the EOD unit here on base. They require 3 months of on the job training before you go to class, but you can do more, so we will see how that works out!

I did a 5K with Sarah the beginning of May, but wasn't able to run it all (I already knew I was pregnant, so I took it easy!). I am now trying to walk when I feel like I have the energy (that's been my only real symptom so far). I am still reading my Bible, but I am very behind...So now I should have it read by the time we leave Hawaii! I received my first letter from Darlin today! She asks for prayers for her mother! I will take my last class to get my Graduate Certificate in October, and then I will be done!

So that is my news for now! Thanks for reading! :)

Life in 2012

What is going on in our lives:

So I am not doing a very good job keeping up a blog. I am going to try to do better!! Here’s an update on the past year or so of our lives…We celebrated our first anniversary in Waikiki! I have taken 3 classes with CMU, currently working on my 4^th. Only one more to go after this! We went to Maui last September, and it is my favorite island so far! So many great sights to see, and I loved the feel of Upcountry! We are now planning a trip to Kauai at the end of April for our second anniversary! Maria-Jade and Kassim came to visit us, and we had tons of fun! I miss my BFF so much! We went home to Michigan for Christmas and Tyler’s sister, Amanda’s wedding, and they on to Alabama for New Year’s and Erin’s wedding! It was a fun and busy trip! The next trip home for me will be in June for a short visit in Birmingham and Laura’s wedding! Tyler will go in October for Timmy’s wedding!

So now for the news that is a little more interesting. I made some pretty big resolutions this year that I am working hard to keep. I have been really focusing on getting in shape. I am doing Jillian videos, the Couch to 5K program, and walking a ton! It’s starting to show some results! I am also reading the Bible front to back this year. It’s going good so far, though I am a little behind. I just sponsored a little girl from Compassion International. I had thought about doing this last October when they do a funds campaign at work (you can just allocate a portion of your check to go straight to a charity). I talked to some people at work and heard about Compassion International. For some reason I never went through with sponsoring someone. Recently a friend posted on her blog about it and I decided to just go ahead and do it! J I just read The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (awesome book!!!) so it has got me thinking a lot about goals and resolutions. I am going to finish my certificate from CMU before the end of the year. My next goal to tackle is to give up caffeine. I am really addicted to my coffee that I drink daily. This will be a tough one.

So Tyler has recently decided to try to change his MOS (job for the Army) to an EOD tech, which is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. (If you have seen the show Bomb Patrol Afghanistan, that’s who they are.) So, he has submitted a packet, gone through an interview, and been approved. Now we are just waiting on the next step which is mostly just paperwork and then he gets a class start date. We will PCS to Eglin AFB in Florida for him to start the program. He will go to Fort Lee in Virginia for 10 weeks and then come back to Eglin to do at least 28 weeks of training. We are both pretty excited about it and of course a little nervous. Tyler is ready to do a job that he really enjoys and work with people that are more like a family unit. I am ready to be close to home for a little while! We will still be in Hawaii until next June (2013). Since we are on an overseas tour, we pretty much have to stay here the full 3 years.

So there is my update for now about how we are and what is going on. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I work on keeping my resolutions. Pray that Tyler’s transition to a new job goes smoothly. The program is really tough so it will be a stressful time. Also pray for little Darlin in Honduras (she is the little girl I am sponsoring). Oh, and Dakota is doing well! J She is on a diet and is enjoying our many walks!

Update of the last few months

Wow! I didn’t realize that I have not posted on here since November! So, the job is going great! I started out on a swing shift from 11AM-7:30PM, but after a little while, I changed to days. I dislike the traffic now, but I feel that I get more out of my day with regular business hours. We got through the holidays okay; definitely does not feel the same here since the seasons don’t change. Momma and daddy came for a visit in February and we went to the Big Island for a couple of days. Love it! There are a lot less people there and everything is more spread out. I have started school again. I can get money since I am a military spouse, so I am taking advantage of it while I have the time. I am getting a Graduate Certificate in General Administration. I’m hoping this will help me to get some kind of management job within the GS system when we move. Tyler went to the Philippines in March for a mission. He is doing good with his classes so far. We are looking forward to a hunting trip to Maui in September and for a visit from Maria-Jade and Kassim this fall!! J We are settled into a routine now but are definitely missing the mainland. We already have our tickets to come home in December!!

Excited!!

So I am so very excited! I start the new job on Monday! I am so blessed to have gotten this job! Things have been going really well for Tyler and I. I have a much more positive view of things now... and Tyler is getting used to Army life. Sometimes he doesn't get home until 8 when he leaves the house before 5... but sometimes he gets off at 1! We are both learning to take the good with the bad and make the most of it. Tyler is doing really well in school... he is halfway through with his first semester! It takes up a lot of free time... but it is definately worth it. I really cannot believe it is already November and that Thanksgiving is right around the corner. I am going to attempt to cook a meal complete with all the trimmings... we'll see how that goes! :) I am excited about decorating for Christmas and doing some shopping! It actually is a little bit cooler with all the rain...so hopefully it will kind of feel like Christmas here. I have started attending a new church (for a while I was going to the church on post). I actually found a Southern Baptist church here only about 10 minutes away and it is awesome! The people are very welcoming and I started going to a women's Bible study as well! So things are good and soon I can help Tyler save for our future life after the Army!! So excited!! :)

No More Waiting!!!

I HAVE A JOB!!!! I am soooo excited!!!! It feels like I have been waiting forever! Really it has only been 2 months...but still! lol! I will soon be working as a full time radiologic technologist at Tripler Army Medical Center. I am sooo excited about this job. It is the first one I applied for and the one I wanted the most. I am so glad I will get to use my degree here in Hawaii and contribute to our income. I think that this will be a rewarding job to be working with military soldiers and families. I am so blessed!!! :) (Also, a big plus is no weekends and no holidays! This is very rare in medical positions!!!)