Home Sweet Home

Home, it was just what I needed.

I've been in a bit of a slump here in stay-at-home-mom/military wifeville. The newness of this town is gone, Nathan has been working (really) long hours and I know we'll be making another move within the next few months. No one said this lifestyle was going to be easy and I'm quickly learning why the divorce rate is so high in the military. I'm kidding, I'm kidding, at least about us. The divorce rate in the military is quite high, there is no way a weak marriage could survive something like this. I've learned to cherish the time we do get to spend together as a family. We try not to be lazy on the weekends, which is why we decided to pack up and head home for Labor Day. I love being at home, everything seems so much better. We were able to see family and friends and celebrate Mackenzie's first birthday. Mackenzie had a great time climbing up the stairs at Grandma and Grandpa LaVine's house, chasing the cat, and running around on the golf course. She also loved the extra attention from family members. I left Ft. Wayne feeling refreshed and energized, I'm hoping it lasts for more than a couple days.

I love this picture

Lakeside


Mackenzie wasn't into having her picture taken, she wanted to run around
and play in the water

This girl loved her cake!





This clearly isn't a good picture, but I find it interesting to look at everyone's face.


Refreshed after a 3 hour nap


Walking with dad

My dad, love him

Saturday Night

Saturday night, around 9:15 Mackenzie and I were involved in a car accident. No one was injured, thank God! We were stopped at a red light when we were rear ended by a Ford F250. What followed was pure chaos. My first instinct was to call 911 so that if Mackenzie was hurt help would be there soon. Since I am not all that familiar with street names around this particular area, it was difficult explaining where we were. The driver, Mr. White, was no help at all. My mind was clouded and all I could do was listen to her cry. She looked okay-no bumps, no blood. The 911 operated had instructed me not to remove MC from her car seat, in case there were any neck/head injuries. At this point I was frantic, my cell phone was almost dead and I couldn't get a hold of Nathan. Luckily, an off-duty paramedic, Chris, had witnessed the accident and stopped to help. Chris checked out Mackenzie and believed that she was okay. He suggested that I still have her checked out at the hospital. We were greeted by a State Trooper, EMS and fire engine. Mr. White had still not spoken any words to me and looking back, I am glad he hadn't. Mackenzie and her car seat were removed from the vehicle and into the EMS. The two paramedics were awesome, she had stopped crying at this point and was now playing with a roll of sticky tape. They attempted to tape her head to the seat, but she continued to rip it off. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with, haha! I gave the Trooper my information and overheard Chris, my friendly, off-duty paramedic, tell the Trooper that he smelled alcohol on Mr. White. WHAT???? I had no time to process, the EMS was waiting on me to take MC to the hospital.

Nathan met Mac and I at the hospital. The moment I saw him I broke down in tears. Mac was putting on a show for the crowd that had gathered around and I was reminded just how precious this little girl is to our family. She has become our everything and for a split second that was jeopardized by an individual that chose to drink and drive.

I later found out that Mr. White hit us traveling at 40-45 mph. He failed his sobriety test and refused to take a breathalyzer at the scene. He was arrested and charged with a DUI. I was surprised to see that Mr. White is the same age as us, he looked so much older that night. Could that be from heavy drinking? This sounds terrible, but I'm going to say it anyway- I hope that Mr. White sat in jail Saturday night terrified that he may have seriously hurt a baby, my baby.

Due to the fact that Mackenzie and I had to go to the hospital Nathan had to notify his chain of command. I was surprised and thankful for the amount of support we received from his fellow Marines. One of them even came to the hospital at 11:00 to give us a ride home, thanks! It feels good knowing we have people to rely when both sides of the family are so far away.

It's Moving Day......And When It Rains, It Pours!

Yep, it's moving day. The movers will be arriving at the storage unit around 9:30, I'm not sure how that is going to play out since most of our stuff is already in boxes. It will be up to me to decide which items will be going to the apartment and which will be going to the new storage unit. I'm a little nervous about this, I don't make decisions under pressure very well. And since Nathan is out in the field all day, I have no one to call to help in this decision making....yikes!

Yesterday was a VERY, VERY trying day. In a matter of 90 minutes I received the following news....

*There is a good chance that Nathan will not be able to fly back to FW so that we could drive out together. That means Mackenzie, Cappy and myself in the car for 10-12 hours! Who's jealous? I don't have enough arms to keep track of everything. I am slightly encouraged by my accomplishment of making the trip (alone) a few months back. The only difference is now I will have the dog, this could go either way.
**We were told a few weeks back by TMO that we would need to install shipping bolts into our front-loading washer. Apparently, the bolts prevent the drum from shifting out of place. This would have been very helpful information to have, oh I don't know, before we already moved the washer out of the house. My brother attempted to install the bolts, they wouldn't go in, the drum has already been thrown off. I called HH Gregg and the guy told me that once the drum is out of place, it means we will be purchasing a new unit. SWEET!!! How come there isn't a BIG YELLOW sticker on the back of the washer saying, DO NOT MOVE WITHOUT INSTALLING SHIPPING BOLTS!
***Lastly, as I was on the phone telling Nathan about the washer I had another call from our property manager. I've come to learn that when I get a call from her, I am usually about to spend a large amount of money. Our renters had sent her an email complaining about water in the basement after a big storm that came through a week ago. Now the house smells moldy and they want to know what to do. (Background info, these renters annoy me. They are young, never lived on their own before and call the property manager over EVERYTHING. One time it cost me $50 to have the repair guy install a lightbulb. Where has common sense gone?) Marla, I am sorry if I was every this annoying when I rented your house! Long story short, the property manager will go over and check things out. I am waiting for the next phone call......

Almost done.....we can do this.....everything will be fine

Nathan comes home tomorrow for the first time in 5 months. As I rocked Mackenzie to sleep tonight I thought about the last time Nathan was in this house. It was January 18th, it was cold. I remember a lot of details from this day, like how Nathan had a close shave, a fresh haircut and was wearing a blue dress shirt. I mostly sat around, watching him pack a single duffel bag and then checking it over and over again. I begged Nathan to read a few bedtime stories to the video camera so I could have Mac watch them. I wanted her to see his face and hear his voice. Mackenzie was easy back then, not very entertaining, but those were the days when she would sleep for hours in the swing. At one point Nathan looked at her, looked at me and said, "It's hard for me to look at her." This, of course, broke my heart. I remember hugging him good-bye and watching him walk out the door. That was a rough day.

A few days after Nathan left I proudly hooked up the video camera, sat the baby swing (and the baby) in front of the TV, pushed the play button and what do I find??? My sweet husband reading the bedtime stories, only to be drowned out by my crying and sniffling that I managed to direct straight into the microphone. The picture was a little shaky too, that must have been from me wiping away the tears. Oh well, we live and learn.....I clearly cannot handle anything like this on the day Nathan is scheduled to leave.

Here are a few other things I've learned about myself during these past 5 months.
1) I can successfully manage 4 checkbooks without overdrawing
2) I can live off cereal
3) I cannot watch Extreme Home Makeover without crying
4) I don't care about sports when my husband is not around
5) I'm pretty good at writing letters
6) I can survive my workday on very small amounts of sleep
7) I am easily annoyed by people that complain
8) I can be a sometimes-single mom
9) I am very prideful (some might say, um, stubborn) and I like to do things on my own

Inspired by a Lifetime Movie

Wow! The past few weeks have been extremely busy. I've been meaning to share a few pictures and a conversation I had with my husband last weekend. The weather has been great and Mackenzie loves being outside, however, she seems to have an aversion to grass. It's very entertaining to watch as she tries to keep both feet off the ground. The babe has also started crawling and is into EVERYTHING! Some of her favorite items include dog bones, the dog leash, any electrical cord, cell phones and shoes. Who needs toys? And of course being the good mother that I am, I let her play with all of the above items......all at once.

Onto the conversation with the husband. I had the TV on (a lot) last weekend and kept seeing a preview for a Lifetime Movie, here is the description

Tia McLealand has it made: She's blissfully in love with Nick, pregnant with his child and successful at work to boot. Then Nick is killed in a chopper crash with his National Guard unit. Unwilling to let her child grow up without a father, Tia marries her powerful billionaire boss, Michael, after he offers to raise the baby as his own, a magnanimous offer that Tia doesn't question - until years later.

Well, surprise, surprise, Nick didn't actually die in the chopper crash and comes back wanting a relationship with Tia. Tia has to decide between Nick and Michael. Obviously, this is a very common situation a girl might find herself in so I started thinking about what I would do. Nathan was relieved to learn that I would probably go back to him. There was a brief pause after I told him this and then Nathan said, "Actually, I would just kill the other guy so you didn't have to choose and I would have my wife back." Is he a sweetheart or what? That man is spending too much time with his fellow Marines and needs a woman in his life again (that would be me).

It's Finally Over....For Now Anyway

I find myself starting this post over and over again, I am struggling with what I really want to say. I want to share all of the details of the past week, but there are so many memorable moments, emotions, ups and downs that I don't know where to start. I am actually feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Nathan is now a Marine Officer, he is truly in his element. The commissioning ceremony was surprisingly emotional, almost bittersweet. I felt so proud of my husband and everything he had accomplished, but I could not deny what this moment meant for us down the road. I tried my best to stay present, however, as I stood there holding MC my mind was flooded with thoughts of separation, deployments, single parenthood and of course the safety of my man. When I saw Nathan after the ceremony I could tell he was also feeling a variety of emotions, we probably weren't thinking about the same things though. Nathan reminded me later that we aren't "normal" I think he was trying to make me feel better.

Nathan and Mackenzie together for the first time in 10 weeks.

She didn't cry and I think that is a smile.

Our little family.

The commissioning ceremony.

Pinning on his bars.

Nathan and Mac