2011

I had great intentions of getting this written yesterday, but I'm not quite that on top of things. So I'll just write it on the first day of 2012 instead of the last day of 2011.

While creeping on facebook waiting for the new year to approach, I noticed that a ton of people were so terribly thankful for 2011 to be behind them. It was apparently an awful year for many. To be completely honest, I have no idea what made 2011 so awful. It was definitely one of the most challenging years I have ever had, but not a bad year overall. People be crazy.

In order to make a decent guess on if 2011 really was awful, I'm going to give a brief run down of my year. Ready...

Get set....

Go!


January:

The Marine officially signed with the Marines and got his ship date for boot camp, May 23rd. I went back to Tulsa for my second semester as a big bad college student. My roommate moved out and I had my dorm room to myself. I started taking more classes that related to my major and fewer gen ed classes. I celebrated the Monsters birthday with her and she didn't scream, cry, or tell me she hated me. The Marine's ship date changed to February 7th.

February:
 

Snowmagedden began in Tulsa while I took a week off from school and spent it at home with the Marine before he left for boot camp. We had a going away party and sent the Marine away to start a new journey in his life. I went back to school and started my training to become a Marine girlfriend. I began writing a letter a day to the Marine while he was in boot camp. I was blessed by a group of family and friends that came to my aid when my world was turned on its side. I got a beautiful Valentines day surprise. I got my first letter back from the Marine and my first taste of what beauty a mailbox can bring. I went to Colorado with the Marine's family and had a wonderful weekend just forgetting about the real world.

March:

I continued writing a letter a day and stopped getting funny looks from the people at the front desk when I dropped off a letter everyday.  Spring break came and I worked at Happy Hands and babysat my favorite monsters. Nothing too monumental happened in March, really. I learned how to adapt. I stopped worrying so much. I failed regularly on being strong, but I grew like it was nobody's business.

April:

Writing a letter a day never slowed down, although the only day I missed was in April, but of course, I made up for it. If I remember correctly, I spent every weekend at home this month. Which wasn't really intentional, it just kind of happened.  I came home the first weekend for a special little monster's 1st birthday party, as semi-official photographer. I took tons of pictures of random things. You're welcome! The second weekend... I'm not exactly sure what I was doing home. Maybe I didn't come home. Who knows. The third weekend, I think, was when I went to World of Fun with the Marine's family and church. The fourth was Easter and I learned what it felt like to have the responsibility of showing up to both of our families events alone. When the Marine can't show up to something, I make sure I try to be there. Just representing. The last weekend I came home from school for good and attended my final prom. Which we definitely attended in a wagon and tricycle. I ended my first 4.0 semester in April. April was also the month that I got into the single digits on the countdown.

May:

This month is by far my favorite of 2011. I went to San Diego with the Marine's family. We went to Knott's Berry Farm, Disneyland, and the beach while in California. We also explored downtown San Diego every night we were there. Or at least close. It was a great trip, but of course my favorite part was going to MCRD to see the Marine on family day and for his graduation. It was a fabulous feeling and I would do it all over again. The Marine came home with us for a few days. He left again for MCT after a week at home. I was home for the summer. I traveled to Mississippi with the BFF for a wedding that we totally crashed.

June:


I celebrated my birthday. Well actually, my birthday was far from spectacular, but I still aged so it's all good. I started babysitting a little girl on a regular basis, which was definitely a Godsend. I wouldn't have made it without having a reason to get up and do something everyday. I made a decision that I wanted to go abroad and volunteer at some point in my life, still working on that one.. The Marine relocated to Pensacola, Florida for his schooling and the time difference disappeared.



July:


In July, I traveled to Ohio to babysit Major who I hadn't seen in almost a year. It was a fantastic trip. We got to explore Cleveland and see all that it had to offer while babysitting one of the sweetest little boys I know. We spent the 4th of July there. Beautiful. I cannot wait to go back for whatever reason! I watched the cutest monster I know show her very first bucket calf, Sally, at the Pratt County Fair. I planned a trip to Florida that fell through.

August:


I babysat some super cute kiddos for a week while their parents took a vacation to Vegas. A wee bit jealous. I demanded the Marine make time for me. I went around him and to his roommate to help me plan my trip. I convinced my parents I was old enough to drive 16 hours alone. And off I went. I visited the Marine for the first time in Florida. I went back to school for my second year as a big bad college student. I got a new roommate that is much better than the old. I started my first practicum and fell more in love with my major.

September:

This month, I traveled back to Pensacola over Labor Day weekend. Trust me, do not drive back on Monday. Traffic is not okay, even for driving afternoon/evening/all night. School continued on. I didn't have time in my schedule to go to Happy Hands, which was very upsetting. I was taking 18 hours and some how surviving. I ran the Warrior Dash with Jessie at the end of the month, which was a great decision!

October:


In October, I debated transferring schools. Then I gave up on that idea. I traveled to Pensacola again. This time, Jessie came with me, which made the drive so much easier. My second family came down and we went to Toy Story on ice. Had a fantastic time! My mom came down the  next weekend and we went to the Dolly Parton concert. My dad came down on another weekend. It was a month full of good weekends. Never once did I have a dull and boring weekend in October.

November:

I ran the Ruckus run up in Kansas City with my sister this month. It was great to be able to have time to bond with her when neither of us were at home.  It was so much fun to run the Ruckus with her, and I can't wait to do it again in March! I got the fantastic opportunity of going to Washington DC to visit Gallaudet. It was great to be able to go this year with some of the best girls I know. I also got to take my last trip to Pensacola this month. Four months in a row! I'm a champion! Thanksgiving happened this month, as normal.

December:

For the final month, I finished my third semester at Tulsa (which was halfway!) and I also pulled out a second 4.0! I came up with a plan to take 19 credit hours next semester but only appear to take 18, leaving me without having to pay for the extra hour.  The Marine came home for Christmas, the first time he was home since boot leave. Home until the very last day of the year. I helped out with the Christmas program at church. And by helped out, I mean I played with kids.

So overall, I would say 2011 was a successful year. I am excited to move on and see what I can accomplish in 2012, but 2011 was far from awful.




Happy New Years!!

Not ready!

After a semester like that, who would have guessed that two weeks could fly by so quickly?! The time has almost come for the Marine to return to California and I'm just in shock that it's over. I'm certain that the monster and I were just in Wichita to pick him up. Definitely not so excited for the drop off.

All I can really say is, it goes on. You fight. You work your booty off. You don't quit. And at the end of the day, it goes on. The distance is a significant part of our relationship by now and we are fairly used to it. We know how to manage it, but I sure do not like it. Soon the countdown will begin until the next time I see him. Until then, I'm going to go cherish him and the time we have left together.

Love!

Two Years

Let's start this out right. With a laugh, or two.

Two years ago today, the Marine and I decided to make it Facebook official and actually start dating one another exclusively. It took a lot of work to get to that point alone, but there hasn't been a moment I have regretted it.

Now two years later, I'm so amazed by all that we have accomplished together, as a team, and as individuals. We have had plenty of struggles thrown on our plate that many relationships don't experience, especially teenage relationships (at least 50% teenage).

Let's be real. We suck some days. We fight and want to stab each other in the kidney. Happens often when you put two extremely stubborn people together. We know it happens and we accept it. The part that matters is how we handle it, and we actually do pretty well with that. We have been put through some crazy intense things this past year and we are still standing. Leaning on one another to get through the days, but standing, we are!

We aren't guaranteed a happy ending, but we are working together towards one. We aren't perfect. We struggle, flounder, and fight each other. But we love each other. We forgive, cherish, and fight for each other.

This is what I ask of you:

Watch us grow. Teach us lessons that we need to learn. Show us secrets. Help us. But most of all, love us through every day. Every struggle. Every smile. Love us.

We are just two kids who can't seem to leave each other alone. Two kids in love. Two kids who aren't exactly kids anymore. And you guys, you're the ones that we pull strength from when the days apart stretch into weeks and months.

I love you, Marine! :)

I have loved the time we have gotten together. Cherished that time more now than ever. I cannot wait to see everything we have in store for us. I love you more than the stars in the sky.

Blogging is out the window...

The Marine had a safe and relatively uneventful flight back to the Midwest! I am more than happy to have him home for a few days, but that pretty much means blogging is out of the window. For the most part anyways...

It was great fun going to pick him up. I told him that there was no way, no how that I would be at that airport to pick him. He was going to go home with his older brother.

Come on now. You really think I would be letting him touch foot in Kansas without me being there? What a gullible little Marine.

I took the monster with me and we had a great time in Wichita before his flight got in. We went to the mall and saw Santa..

She told him everything she wanted. No candy cane. An iCarly zhuzhu pet. A PINK doodlebear. And something else that I've forgotten by now. She didn't scream, cry, or look at me with fear in her eyes so I took the trip as a success. She was hesitant at first, but once she realized I wasn't leaving her to fend for herself she did really good and wanted to go back!

That little monster is so much fun to be around. I love having time where it's just the two of us (three if you count Ava).

And finally! When we had exhausted all that the mall had for us (or we were running out of time), we headed to the airport. She wasn't informed why we were going to Wichita, she just thought we were seeing Santa. As we got closer and closer to the airport she put two and two together. And then it was as though she was given her own line of cocaine.

The girl went bonkers. It was absolutely adorable. She took off running and screamed at him when she saw him. I think she melted the hearts of everybody in the airport. Love her to pieces.

Yesterday, that little goon had two Christmas programs; one for school and one for church. I'm so glad the Marine was home to watch her. She is one heck of a girl. My kids better be phenomenal or I might love her more than my own spawn!

Cutest Jessie, Angel, and Cow I have ever seen! :)

Oh My!

His flight lands in 22 hours! I cannot wait, at all. I'm so excited to have the Marine home for Christmas and love on him for a whole two weeks!

Can. Not. Wait.

And no. You can't see him. None of you! I'm locking him in a small room with me and we aren't leaving until it's time to go back to the airport.

Kidding!

Sort of.

If you bring me gifts, cookies, or a baby, you can borrow him for a few moments. But you CANNOT take him out of my eyesight.

I'm clearly no good at sharing. I've never found it necessary so...

If you absolutely need to see him, you should let him know! Or me know, because I'm good at planning his time away! But I should warn you, if you ask for him, it's pretty darn likely you'll get me, too! Which is definitely not a bad thing seeing as how awesome I am ;)

3 Down 3 To Go!

I am proud to say that I have successfully (or close to it) completed my third semester at the University of Tulsa! I conquered 18 credit hours without too much stress or pain, ask the roommates. They delighted in the fact that I rarely studied. The shock on their faces when I actually did study was just fabulous!

My favorite part about completing this semester is that it marks the halfway point in my undergraduate college education! If you're shocked about this because I'm only 19. Or I graduated high school in 2010. It's cool, because I'm pretty amazed by it, too!

I knew that going into college with 30 some credit hours from the great ol' PCC would be nice, but I didn't actually expect to be able to do a lot with that. I figured I'd get a couple classes out of the way, but not much. Turns out I did better than that! I get to graduate in 3 years! Woo hoo!

This is something that I took time to think over and debate on before I made the decision. I left the decision in God's hands. I was told that I probably wouldn't be able to graduate in three years because of all the requirements for my major. If God could find a way for me to get everything done, then I figured it was the right choice. If not, then I was in for four years. A plan was made and I only needed three years!

I know that a lot of people think I'm crazy for ending my college years a year early, but as far as I can see it's a pretty decent decision. If you haven't noticed, I'm going to school to go back to school on the opposite side of the desk! I never get to leave school. But instead of me paying $40,000 a year to attend, they will be paying me. Not that much, of course. I mean come on-teachers aren't worthy of big dollars ;)

All the same, I am so excited to be at the half-way mark. Even if that means I have 19 credit hours to get through next semester. If you have a moment, you should pray for my sanity!

The Boy

If you keep up on here, you will realize that I never call the boyfriend by much other than "the Marine." This has to do with the fact that the title of the blog is "A Girl and Her Marine" and a lot less to do with his identity. If you ask him what he is, he will tell you he's a Marine. He's proud of that and I am proud of him. But..

For me, he's the boy first.

I fell in love with the boy well before the idea of the USMC had entered his thick skull. I loved a boy that wasn't sure where he was going or what he was doing. He was lost and a little confused, but that didn't matter to me. What mattered was I loved a boy that loved me back with absolutely everything he had in him.

When I think of the boy, I don't think of cammies or high fades. I think of sitting on his legs just to tickle his feet. Watching him with my favorite monsters, G-Lynn and K-Dot. I think of his laugh. The one that he refuses to fake. When he smiles, you know he means it. I think of the kisses that stop me in my tracks. He's not 0500 PT. He's not Dress Blues. He's not duty stations or deployments. He's the boy who just happens to be a Marine, too, and best of all, he's mine.

For you, he may always be "the Marine". That's more than okay. If you ask him, he would probably prefer that over "the boy" any day ;-) but I didn't fall in love with a Marine. I fell in love with a boy who became a Marine.




To:
The Boy

 I loved you when we got married on a post-it. I loved you when we spent countless hours together building us and who we are before I left for TU. I loved you when your ship date changed and I lost you to the Marines. I loved you through every letter I sent and even more through each one I received. I realized just how much I loved you on family day when every feeling came crashing around me when I spotted you and that brother of yours had to keep me on my feet. I have loved you through every fight, argument, and death match we have worked through.

I love you because of you. We may not have it easy some days, but we have so little to worry about in comparison with some. I have loved watching the changes take place in you. You aren't the same boy I fell in love with. You are very clearly the Marine. You are strong, proud, and confident. But you will always be the boy to me. You will always be the one that brightens my day and brings a smile to my face. Marine or no marine, I have loved you from the start and I thank God for everyday I have with you. In case you missed it earlier, I love you.

These are a few of my...

Recently, I discovered that, thanks to Marine's friend, the Marine had been relocated to California. I knew it was coming so it wasn't shocking or upsetting. In this time I have made an observation about myself.

I really dislike time zones. The whole difference throws me off and I'm not a fan. When the boy was at boot camp it was easy. Letters don't have a time stamp. I have to admit, it works out in my favor exceptionally well. The Marine has always gone to sleep earlier than I do. Now we cut out two hours of the space between our bed times.

Still. Not a fan. In honor of not liking time zones, I'm just going to spill a few of the girls least favorite things.

Alarm Clocks. Wow. These were probably the worst invention ever. Handy for people that need to be somewhere on time. Not so handy for those of us that can't wake up. Even after walking across the room four times just to press snooze. I love to sleep until I'm ready to wake up. If you wake me before that, it's similar to waking a hibernating bear. Ask anybody who has done it.

But on the bright side of alarm clocks. Check this one out! If ever you wish to brighten up my alarm clock experience. That is it.

Audiology. Pretty much a waste of 3 hours a week. It's probably useful information and some day I will probably be thankful for having taken it, but right now... if it fell off the planet, I wouldn't blink. :) Come to class with me someday and you can love it too!

Bananas. It's not the banana itself that I don't like, it's the crazy itchy throat afterwards. And they taunt me. I always think I should want a banana, but I take about two bites and realize it was a poor decision. Darn things.

Driving. If I could just transport myself everywhere using jetpacks or apparition, I would be much happier. Really. Especially when I'm surrounded by Oklahoma drivers.. You would hate it too....

Finals. Who's idea was this? Really. Not a good idea in my mind. It doesn't help that I'm the most scatterbrained person on the planet and I can't sit down and study to save my life... Well at least it's over in 2 days!

And we already discussed time zones. I'm sure there are many more things I don't like, but I really should study... Plus, I couldn't handle doing the entire alphabet :)

December 6th

I don't remember the exact date. It was either the last day of classes (the 6th) or the last Friday of classes (the 3rd) and considering I already missed the 3rd, I picked the 6th.

A year ago today, I was finishing up classes for my very first semester as a college student. I was excited to have completed it and was ready to get home for Christmas. I still had a few finals to finish before I was set free, but still the rush was incredible. The boyfriend was being a slight pain, which was unsurprising since we struggled more those months than any other time in our relationship.

I didn't think too much of it. I just figured he was grumpy for some reason or another. His sister asked me what was going on with him. Again, I didn't think anything of it. So when I asked her what was up I was so unprepared for her answer.

"He signed with the Marines."

Wait. What? Are you sure?

And then the madness broke out.  

It has been a year. A year of tears, struggles, mini-reunions, and, strangely enough, happiness. Something I never asked for has turned into something I would never take away. It may have made my life tougher. It may have rearranged it a bit. After all, a life with a Marine is much different than a life with an accountant.

His life, though, has been changed for the better. He has been changed. I guess in a funny, backwards way, I've been changed, too.

Who would have guessed the difference a year can make?

Definitely not me.

30 Day Challenge

I enjoyed having the 10 Day challenge (that I stretched out into 10 weeks shhh) to do, but now it's over! I have debated doing a 30 day challenge, but there are too many to choose from! Plus with the boy coming home for Christmas it's pretty darn unlikely I will write everyday.. Or ever. :)

If I were to do one, it would take me at least a month to pick which one. My first thought was this one...

(You can click on it to make it bigger)

But I mean... I'm far from a photographer. I use my phone for pictures way more often than my camera. Which has very little to do with the fact that my phone normally takes better pictures, and more to do with I forget my camera when I need it the most.

So moving on.. I kept looking and I stumbled upon this one..

Letters. Well that's just perfect. It's been proven that I can write letters for 30 consecutive days. As I got to looking at it though I realized that I don't know who I would write to on half of these, and it would scare me if I did have to write to some of them. I'm decent at writing to the boy. The rest of you? You are a little bit scarier.

I decided to keep looking...

That's not nearly as scary. I mostly just write about myself and what I'm up to. Pretty much what I've been doing anyways, but this would at least give me some structure to what I'm writing. Not bad, but I do kind of want a challenge. If it's too easy, then what am I doing it for?

Finally..  I found one that I think I will be able to accomplish with a bit of a challenge. The best part? It doesn't require writing everyday!

:) While I'm accomplishing this 30 day challenge, I will be searching for the perfect one to start once the next semester gets to going!

One Picture

Wow. I definitely didn't plan for this to end on the last day of classes, but it worked out that way. I'm so very excited that the only thing left for the semester is a couple finals and a paper. I can't believe that the semester has flown by so quickly! Without further ado, here's one picture of myself (on this very day)!

Gorgeous! :)

The Deed is Done

It's been done! I have deactivated my Facebook account tonight at 7 PM in an attempt to focus myself on school instead of everybody's lives. Not that you aren't interesting! Promise! I just really should focus on school and maybe actually study! Gasp!

I will be back before Christmas. Or after Christmas. Sometime. I will be back! I hope you all stop in here! Feel free to post comments any time! I love to see who all stops in and how different posts reach different people.

You're all golden! Have fabulous finals!

Cheerleader

If you ask me on any given day which branch of the military is the best or my favorite, the answer will come spilling out of my mouth before I can stop it. The Marines, of course!

There's an obvious reason for my answer and it has nothing to do with the length of boot camp, the terrain on which they fight, or the color of their cammies. It has everything to do with which branch the boy chose.

If he would have picked any other branch, that one would be my favorite. It would be the best in my eyes. I love him because of him, not because he's a Marine. The Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, or Army. It would be my favorite if he picked it.

I'll let boys be boys and argue over which branch is the best. I'll let them stand up for their own branch, because that is what they should do. But me? I'm going to root my heart out for the Marines. I'm going to give love to every soldier, sailor, airman, and Marine. I'm going to pray for every family and every branch.

While the Marines will always rank number one in my house, it's not because I don't respect the other branches. Never that. It's simply because that's where my heart is.

A Nightmare

I've been waiting to write my first post in December because so many things take place this month and I haven't had any idea where to start. I'll wait until those dates arrive to give a more elaborate description of everything happening!

Yesterday I spent the entire day with kids. I had practicum with my preschool kids bright and early. I worked at Happy Hands all afternoon. And finally, I babysat the cutest twins ever all evening. It was definitely one of my preferred ways to spend a day.

Today I'm just the girl. Nothing too exciting is happening on this date. I got to enjoy a beautiful Holiday party for the Deaf children of Tulsa. It was wonderful. I love seeing all their faces light up. Such a beautiful thing!

Today, though, started out rough. You know when you're having a dream and you wake up in the middle? When you fall back asleep it's never the same and you're always left wondering what happens? Yeah. I wish that would have happened.

I woke up at a respectable time for most people. About 8. I had what would be called a nightmare. The jist of it was that the Marine died. Shrapnel to the head. It was miserable. When I woke up, I planned to go back to sleep because it was too early and plus, I wanted that out of my head. So back to bed.

The story continued. He was still dead. It started right where I left off. I can't be sure, but I think the crying took place in real time as well as dream land because my eyes were all funny when I got up. There was a huge knot in my stomach as well.

Of course, my first instinct when I woke up was to check with Marine to make sure he survived the night. He has been busy all day and hasn't been around his phone (I'm hoping) to assure me that I'm not crazy.

The knot stays.

If you happen to spot him, let me know! I need a little peace of mind right now :)

Thankful

So for those of you living under rocks with no calendars, it's NOVEMBER!!! I really like November and everything that comes with it. Normally these things happen in October, but apparently Oklahoma threw a fit and waited until November to let the leaves change and the weather start to get cooler.

I'm excited for boots, scarves, jackets, and hot cocoa. If I had a fire place, I'd be excited to put that to good use, too, but alas, no fireplace for Stephanie. And yes, in a few months, I will be complaining about the cold, but for now. I'm okay with it.

On Facebook, people are saying one thing they are thankful for each day. I'm going to that here. :)

November 1: I am thankful for my parents. They have always supported me and been my biggest fans. They let me grow up and make my own mistakes. They let me become me. I can't thank them enough for everything they have done for me.

November 2: I am thankful for my Marine. We aren't always on the same page and we can drive each other crazy, but I have never doubted that he loves me as much as I love him. He gives me strength and courage to do things that I never thought possible. I am excited to see what God has in store for the two of us.

November 3: I am thankful for my school. Yes, there are some days where it looks much more appetizing to drop out and become a hobo, but I thank God for my ability to attend a school that has a good Deaf Education program and that is close enough to home for a quick trip.

November 4: I am thankful for Sulley, my monster car. It may not be the highest quality car, but it has allowed me to travel many different places that I need to.

November 5: I am thankful for my sister. She has always been there for me and will continue to be around for me. We may not always get along, but I know she's always on my team.  She's my biggest cheerleader and the best big sister I could ask for.

November 6: I am thankful for the time I get to spend with so many amazing children. Every where I go I find some kids that are just absolutely fantastic. I'm especially thankful for the ones that love me just as much as I love them, Gaby Lynn, Kami Janae, Isabel Sophia, and Major Everett (who has kind of forgotten who I am) along with so many others!

November 7: I am thankful for my friends. Old, new, together, or far apart. Without all of them, I would probably be crazy by now! They are always around when I need them and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people!

November 8: I am thankful for the opportunities I have been given throughout my life to explore and see the world around me. I am never quite happy being in one place. I love to see everything I can lay my eyes on. Even though I can't pack up and leave any time I want, I have been given many amazing opportunities to explore in the short 19 years I have been around.

November 9: I am thankful for my second family. Once the marine and I started dating they just took me under their wing and accepted me as one of their own. They are an absolutely amazing group of people and I can't imagine what I would do without their love and support to help me through those many days.

November 10: I am thankful for the beautiful language that is American Sign Language. I have seen how it can change somebody's life and I hope it never gets diminished through technology. While being on the campus at Gallaudet, I really learned the importance of this beautiful language. I hope that it continues to grow and flourish despite the advances in technology.

November 11: I am thankful for books. Escaping into somebody else's world for just a little bit is amazing to me. It helps me stay sane when school is over the top of my head. I use them as a stress reliever and it starts to show when I haven't gotten enough reading done. My head looks like it's going to pop!

November 12: I am thankful that I have a bed to turn to every night. There were 4.6 million people homeless last night. It's a heartbreaking number and I am so thankful to have a roof over my head and food in my fridge.. that may just be expired after the trip.. I better check that.

November 13: I am thankful for my teachers. There are not many teachers in the Deaf Education department but each and every one of them knows me. They know who I am and what I want to do. They know where I'm from and where I'm going. I picked a school that was small enough to not overwhelm me and I'm thrilled I did. I love the connection and interaction I have with my professors. Even the one at home with her babies right now..

November 14: I am thankful for technology. Without it, I would probably just collapse. It has made this long distance relationship so much easier. Granted we did go old-fashioned during boot camp, but even then I used technology to talk to both of our families which helped immensely. Loving the advances for many reasons, but that's a big one.

November 15: I am thankful for my Grima. She's absolutely the best. There aren't even really any words to describe her. She is just my favorite. I love her so very much. And trust me, if you met her, you would love her too.

November 16: I am thankful for a place to sleep and my homes. Sometimes I wonder where exactly my home is, but then I realize that I have so many different homes. Each one of them is as much my home as the next. And I really like sleep. So that's good.

November 17: I am thankful for Thanksgiving vacation! Being away from home and my family during school is a good thing on many levels, but it is still always wonderful to be able to go home and see exactly where I came from.

November 18: I am thankful for the beautiful beach, the coffee shop, and the nice hotel man. All of which have made my 12 hour trip with no sleep much, much better!

November 19: I am thankful for birthdays that give me a WHOLE day to be thankful for somebody :) Especially today.

November 20: I am thankful that good-byes aren't forever. I suck at leaving, but I'm reminded that this isn't forever. I am so happy that there are always mini-reunions.

November 21: I am thankful for all members of the military. No matter their branch. They have given up and sacrificed so much. I am thankful for both them and their families. Without them, our country wouldn't be what it is today. I'm also thankful for the Marines. I am thankful that I can trust them to protect and teach my Marine to be the best he can be so that I don't have to worry about him.

November 22: I am thankful for a church family. Especially one that loves me. That supports me. One that I love right back. :)

November 23: I am thankful for quality time spent with different people. Each and every person gives me a different perspective or lights up a different part of my life and I love all of you. So thank you for spending time with me and just being you.

November 24: I am thankful for Black Friday. I can't wait! Christmas shopping is going to be conquered!

November 25: I am thankful for the delicious food I got to eat on Thanksgiving. And that I will now get to eat for leftovers for the next few days. :) I know many people go without a lot of things and I am very thankful to have everything that I do have.

November 26: I am thankful for the closing of the semester. A little less stress on my plate for a couple weeks can't be a bad thing. It also will be the opening of another semester. I'm all for change.

November 27: I am thankful for the weather. While it has finally started to get cold, it has stayed incredibly nice for a while now and that is just brilliant. I love being able to go outside without a jacket and be perfectly reasonable.

November 28: I am thankful for my roommates/suitemates. They have made dorm living a whole new experience from last year and we all know that is a good thing.

November 29: I am thankful for Netflix. I'm facing a few days of nothing between my last day of classes and my first final. Netflix will be on the go!

November 30: I am thankful for pictures. I love being able to capture moments and see other people's moments that they felt were worth sharing. I'm thankful that facebook is so easily accessible and I can watch all my favorite littles grow and change.

A Fairy Tale?

I'm in a relationship that most of you won't understand. One of you knows exactly what we go through, but the rest of you are just as clueless about my relationship as I am about yours. I don't say that to be rude. It's true. I don't know your relationship and I doubt you know mine.

Some of you that happen upon here understand to a degree. Maybe you're in a long distance relationship while one (or both) of you is at college. Perhaps you're dating the military, too. Even if you're simply dating a boy some of this will make sense.

Our relationship is ours. You only hear and read what I want you to. You don't have the full picture. I once got "yelled" at about my relationship. It was through text message and I made the decision that not responding was my best option. She only knew my relationship through Facebook. Nothing that I had ever told her.

This lovely gal was going on about how I thought I had the best relationship ever and that I was just living my fairy tale life, but that I really had no idea what a real relationship is and the two of us were never going to make it because I was incredibly naive. It went on like this for some time.

Please note that this was while the Marine was at boot camp. Last I checked, boot camp is nothing like a fairy tale. . . What do I know?

We may not be living a fairy tale exactly, but we do choose to make the most out of everyday. We may not know everything about relationships, but we're learning. We are far from perfect and that's just the way we like it. We fight until we're blue in the face some days. Well I'm blue, at least. He's just quiet.

Through all of that, we love each other. I am proud of my Marine and I wouldn't trade a day of this crazy, hectic life with my frustrating, yet fascinating, Marine for a simple, predictable day with an accountant. He is my fairy tale.

I mean come on. He's like a Marine Burrito..

Almost there...

Shooty shoot shoot. Who knew ten weeks could by so quickly. This week is week two and I get to tell you two songs. I really wish it were more specific. What type of songs are we looking for? I guess maybe that's the point. Creativity or something. Silly.

2. Red Solo Cup. Gosh this song cracks me up. I always turn it up as loud as it will go on my computer so the roommate can sing along with me.

1. The song that I look forward to being played a lot lately is Amen by Eden's Edge. I don't know what it is about it. I just love it right now.

School

Here I am. Sitting in Starbucks trying to write a final paper that is due on Tuesday. Yes, I procrastinated once again and am paying the price. If we're honest, I probably won't get the paper written tonight either and I'll be stuck scrambling around trying to get it finished tomorrow night.

All of my classes chose the week after Thanksgiving break to have all their major projects due. Or at least some sort of project. My homework is scattered around me and I'm stressed out! It has got me to thinking....

I grew up knowing that I would attend college. I didn't even realize that there was another option until I was in high school and couldn't imagine doing something else. I don't exactly know where that mind set came from.

Don't get me wrong, I have never once regretted my decision to go to college. I have met many, many amazing people that I would never have had the chance to meet if it weren't for TU. Every once in a while though I do wish that I had taken a year off after high school. School is just exhausting. It's probably a good thing I didn't. I would never go back.

So now as a junior, I'm starting to give graduate programs a glance. And they are scary. My plan right now is to not attend graduate school right out of the gate. Most people would probably suggest I do, but I just don't know about that yet.

Recently, I got the opportunity to go visit Gallaudet University in Washington DC. It was fantastic. The group of girls was great and there were enough of us that we could break up into groups and not get totally sick of each other. We will save that trip for another post. While we were there we visited Gallaudet's graduate programs open house. Neat, right?

At first, I just kind of scoffed at the idea. I had/have/whatevs no real intention of going to graduate school. My idea was that I'll leave school and go get a job (I do have a grant that I have to work off still....). Get my masters later through some online program.

But once I was there, I found this amazing program. It just seemed to fit exactly what I want and what I need. It's not a Master's program. Simply a certification program. It's all online for one calendar year. The only time you have to be on campus is three days at the beginning and three days at the end. The best part? The program is something about working with infants and toddlers who are deaf. Perfect, right?

Fingers crossed everything continues to work out. If I survive this week that is...

Birthday Boy

I got the joy of spending this past weekend in Pensacola with the Marine. The best part about it was that he celebrated his 23rd birthday on Saturday! Okay, I celebrated. He threw a fit. Classic.

I found out while I was in Washington DC that the boy wasn't going to be able to make it home for Thanksgiving. I knew there was a chance that he wasn't going to, but I had kept my hopes high that he would surprise me.

We decided in October that if he didn't come home for Thanksgiving I was going to visit him for his birthday. After missing the birthday ball, I wasn't going to be missing both his birthday and Thanksgiving all this month. I'm not given a lot of opportunities to decide what I get to celebrate with him and what I miss, but his birthday is one that I did get to decide. So, of course, I went.

Here's a series of pictures.. I'm simply trying to convince him to smile. You wouldn't think it could be that hard. Say Cheeseburger! I wish..

Not even the birthday hat could get him. There are a couple that get close to a smile. My favorite part is that his eyes are closed in nearly all of them. It's like if he closes his eyes I will disappear. What a mess.

Anyways...

Happy Birthday, Marine! (I'm a few days behind on here, but pretend!) I hope your next 23 years are filled with amazing things! In the 4 years I have known you, you have grown, changed, and become somebody that I cannot imagine my life without. You are going to go on and do great things with your life and I can't wait to see what those things are. You have one of the biggest hearts I have ever seen and I am thankful to be able to witness that. The love you have for your family, fellow Marines, and even me (baha shocking, I know) is something I hope you never lose and only continues to grow. You are one fantastic person, even if you are the biggest pain I know. I love you and miss you. See you soon.

All my love.