Today & Everyday

Ocean City 2011

2011-07-27T11:57:00.001-07:00

The family spent July 4th in Ocean City, Maryland! We stayed in a nice hotel so no camping for us this time. We enjoyed a lot of putt-putt golf and walking the boardwalk. It was nice to spend time with family and refreshing to get away from home for awhile. We were not intending to go to Ocean City since our big trip to Disney World at the end of August but we all wanted to go to OC like we do every year. We surprised Jeramy's mom with the reservations for Mother's Day!

Fun Project!

2011-07-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

For those who know me best, you already know that I love thrift stores and worn in things. I found these two nightstands online and they were $20 for the set! We have been using round easy to put together tables next to our bed but I always wanted actual nightstands. These do not match our bedroom furniture but I love to paint and re-do items. I am considering staining these a dark color to match our furniture. They are heavy-duty and definitely a bargain!

These are the before picture . . .

Summer 2011

2011-07-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone! I haven't posted in a very long time. Time has been flying by very quickly. I feel like Christmas just ended and Jeramy just got home from deployment but now it's almost August and soon school will start again.

This summer has been quite eventful. I feel like I am going through an early-life crisis most of the time. I will be 24 years old in February and while it is still "young"...I feel like I should be in a different point in my life right now. I keep reminding myself that good things will come in time and that I am right where God wants me to be. I have more than most and I am grateful for the wonderful people in my life but some days it is hard to feel that way.

I am anxious to start school next month and anxious to FINISH school for good. I do not have much more to go but I want to be able to get a better job. I want to WANT to go to work and feel like I am working towards something. Most of the jobs I have had in my life have been entry-level and pretty much a dead end because there has not been any promotions or raises. It can be very discouraging.

Well I guess that is all that's on my mind for now. The following pictures are just an update about the happenings of mi vida :)

Keith Urban Concert ~ July 26, 2011

Jake Owen was the opening act for Keith Urban

Rascal Flatts Concert in June

Sara Evans was one of the three opening acts for Rascal Flatts

And...I had to include a picture of my babies. They are getting so big!

Photography

2010-09-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

I have always had a love for photography. I took a class in high school and just fell in love with the techniques...snapping pictures...and watching my pictures come to life in the dark room. It's an amazing feeling to capture the beauty of something and be able to keep that beauty with you always in the form of a photograph. Here are a few pictures I took that I don't think are too shabby :)

September

2010-09-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

I have not posted in a long time. I guess I have forgotten about my blog or just didn't have time to post anything. Many things have happened since my last post and it would take me forever to update everything.

The biggest thing that has taken place is the...deployment...It is our first and last deployment and we are already half way finished. It definitely has been a roller coaster of ups and downs and it has been very emotional. Jeramy and I hit some rough patches..to say the least but everything is looking better now. We are trying to move forward and give each other the strength we both need to make it through this. My husband says that the highest divorced rate for navy marriages occurs during the first deployment...we are determined to not let that happen to us. We have come a long way and we know the world doesn't make since without each other. I have been in a relationship with him since I was 15. He is my best friend and I just can't imagine what my life would be without him..even if he is thousands of miles away right now. We are both very excited for his homecoming and we've already been making plans to try new things and go to new places. We have plans to do some home improvements and even buy a pool next year for our backyard! We are excited to be able to put this deployment behind us and start the next chapter in our lives. Jeramy does not want to re-enlist so this is probably the hardest thing we'll ever have to do during his military career.

After Jeramy left I took up not only one...not only two..but THREE jobs. What was I thinking? The money was nice and I tried to convince myself that I was okay but man was I tired! I have noticed that I have always tried to push myself to see how far I could go. I handled three jobs for about 3 months and then unfortunate events took place and I quit one of them. It was my favorite job of the three but new management took over and there were some disagreements but I know that I am less stressed and better without it. I still have two jobs but it works out nicely and I am not working as much as I was..thank goodness! It is nice to be able to relax at home and spend time with Shilo and Rosie.

Speaking of my babies...Shilo turned two in July and Rosie will be two in 4 months! They are getting so old and it makes me sad. I wish they could remain puppies furever!

Well I guess that is all I can think of at the moment. I hope to continue to blog and not wait so long to do so. I will end this post with some pictures of course :)

My mom and I at the Train concert

Train concert! I finally got to see my favorite band perform!

Shilo enjoying the nice summer day :)

This summer I was successful in growing my own sunflowers! They're my favorite flower!

I passed the time by lots of puppy play dates with my friend Holly and her dog, Jazzy!

I went to the Colbie and Sheryl Crow concert!

Rosie...almost two but still the baby in the family!

Snow!

2010-01-31T10:18:00.000-08:00

On Saturday I woke up to find snow on the ground! The news was saying that it hasn't snowed this much in 20 years for this area. I stayed home all day yesterday because my manager called and told me to not worry about coming in. The roads were already bad and the snow was still coming down. I tried to venture out today but I could not get my car out of the ice on the road so I guess you could say that I am snowed in which isn't always a bad thing. Jeramy is out to sea right now so he missed all of the excitement but when he gets off the ship and sees all the snow on the ground he will be very surprised! I have been cleaning the house and baking since any outside activity can only be a few minutes or you'll freeze. The doggies love the snow. They have been begging to go outside and play in it every 30 minutes. Shilo likes it more than Rosie. I think Rosie is fed up with the snow now. She is so small so she sinks into the snow and she has to hop over the snow to walk through it. I shoveled the sidewalk this morning and put salt down. It was my first time I ever had to shovel snow and it was definitely a workout!

My shoveled and salted sidewalk!

Favorite picture of the day! Rosie was eating the snow!

Shilo looking gangsta in her hoodie

My front yard and neighborhood!

The view from my living room window!

My garden nome's hat..lol.

Front of the house

Shilo was digging in the snow and Rosie was waiting to see what she found

Rosie having to hop around the yard because she is so small

Dogs awake at 7am to play in the snow!

I think this is the moment where she had enough of the snow..

It's November Already!!!???!!!??

2009-11-04T20:05:00.000-08:00

It's November already!!!???!!! I thought I would add some pictures to update my blog!

Jeramy left a few days ago to go out to sea again and he will be gone on his birthday so we surprised him with a "family dinner" disguised as his bday party!

Megan, Me, Tori, Shilo, and Rosie on Halloween!

Having fun at work!

Me and my co-worker who does not like the camera

House decorated for Halloween...wished I could have done more but I have some good plans for next year :)

My nephew and his date ready for his first high school homecoming!

He looks really nervous!

Rosie enjoying the fall day!
(9 months old)

Shilo posing for her picture!

(1 year and 5 months old)

Our House!

2009-08-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

Jeramy and I are now homeowners!!!! It was a long and pain in the ass process but it's our's now! I could probably spend hours typing all of the problems that we had with buying this house but that's behind us now.

The house is growing on me. It takes a while for a place to feel like home and I think Jeramy is still trying to overcome that since he has been gone so much since we moved-in. He has lived in the house for maybe ten days but I think it's less than 10 days and we moved in on July 31st.

Our house is 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom..kitchen, dining room, living room, and a two-car garage. I still have a little bit unpacking and trying to figure out where everything goes. Here are some pictures of the house so far. Things will probably change and I will have to post more pictures of the other two bedrooms.

The front of the house...doggies playing in the yard.

The garage

The backyard...doggies running around

Backyard again..

The backyard again

The back of the house

The side yard and the house across the street...we are going to re-do the drive way and it will go all the way back to the garage...then we want to do a privacy fence around the backyard

The front yard

Bathroom sink

The dog's beds...they love laying there looking out the windows

Family Day Cruise 2009

2009-07-24T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was able to go onto Jeramy's ship (U.S.S. Harry S. Truman) for the friends and family cruise. It was an experience since we got there around 5am and did not get home until around 10pm. The ship went out into the Chesapeake Bay and I was able to take some good pictures. Jeramy took me on a tour of his ship and we mostly hung out with Jeramy's good friend and his wife. I did get sea sick for the first half of the day but Jeramy and I went and took a nap and afterwards I felt better. There was a mini airshow over the water with a few jets that flew out to meet up with the ship. One of them broke the sound barrier and caused a sonic boom which was very very very loud. Overall I am glad I was able to go out on an aircraft carrier. It was really neat seeing where Jeramy works, eats, and sleeps.

I have a few updates on the house. We have done the home inspection, the VA appraisal, and the termite/moisture inspection. There are a few things that we are asking the seller to fix before closing which may push our closing date back. Our realtor swears that we will be able to close on the 31st (apparently he is going to be buying a car at the beginning of the month and really wants us to close..lol). We are still packing and getting ready for moving day which is in less than a week now. I am not looking forward to moving but I am really excited about the house! Jeramy and I have been talking about ways to improve the house and what colors we want to paint the rooms. Of course I will be posting before and after pictures of all that stuff.

Here are some pictures from the Family Day Cruise...sorry they are all out of order :)

Virginia Beach

The satellite thingys on the ship

During the airshow....the ladies in the yellow shirts are the Washington Redskin Cheerleaders.....I am a Dallas fan but it was cool they were there

A pretty picture of Jeramy's ship...I wanted to get the numbers 75 lit up..it's a little blurry because Jeramy was driving through the parking lot..lol

This was when we could see the naval base..the tugboats were coming out to get us!

A bridge that I forgot the name for....Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel? Monitor Merrimac? You get the idea :)

Coast Guard!

The flight deck

The water was more blue the further we went out

A helicopter was landing on the flight deck to be re-fueled

Jeramy and his friend

The super structure....we actually stood on up there and that's where I got a lot of my pictures

Watching the airshow....hence the earplugs

The End Of The Road Is In Sight

2009-07-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

So I have a few updates!! Jeramy and I finally found the house we want to buy. We put in an offer and within two days the owner accepted and within three days we had the inspection down on the house. We have the ball rolling because we need to close by the end of the month. We have two more inspections to go through and then we can just get the closing date. The owner that lives in the house was packing while we were there for the inspection. She is ready to move as soon as possible and we are ready to move in as soon as possible.

The house is a rancher with three bedrooms, one bathroom. There is hardwood floors throughout and a large two-car garage. The whole yard is fenced in so Shilo and Rosie will enjoy that. There is nothing that really needs to be fixed in order to move in. We have been told that our interest rate may be lower now (lower than 4.75) so I have to talk with my mortgage lender about that and get that all squared away. I am including some pictures of the house with more pictures to come later once we move in.

The "sold" sign in front of the house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The front of the house

Our backyard!

The garage!!!

Not Meant To Be

2009-06-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

So.....I've got some bad news. I've been really upset about this whole situation but last week the bank that owns the house, Washington Mutual, informed us that they will not accept VA loans (which is the loan Jeramy and I have). So.....we can't buy that house. I feel like they have wasted our time for a month. The whole situation seems fishy to me. We schedule an inspection for this past week and then they told me realtor that they were going to send out their own contractors first before we did our inspection to see what was wrong with the house and to see if they would fix whatever it was (since our offer said to do repairs up to VA standards). Well then they called us and said they will not accept VA loans. I don't know why but I think it's because something was wrong with the house and it would not pass VA inspection and they were unwilling to fix it. So there was no point in even trying to get a VA loan for that house. I guess we were just not meant to have this house. It needed a lot of work so I guess it's a blessing that we won't have to do it all. Maybe God has another plan for us and a better house :)

I have been getting ready for a camping trip with Jeramy's family at Assateague Island in Maryland. I am super excited but I've been stressing because of all the stuff I need to remember to bring. I need a vacation from just preparing for the vacation. Jeramy of course is out to sea so he will not be coming along. I am bringing my niece instead so we can spend some time together. She is excited but apprehensive about the communal showers and the wild horses. Once she gets there though I think she will love it because I know I do.

The puppies are doing great. My mom is staying at the apartment to watch the doggies while I'm at the island. I hope they behave for her. They can be crazy sometimes....I mean all of the time.....lol. I have to show her around and how I do things so it will be the same as if I were here.

I am meeting our realtor today to see some more houses. I have nine more lined up and I guess I'll take it one house and one day at a time. We don't have that much time so we need to get the ball rolling and it's soo much harder without Jeramy here.

Here are some pictures of the doggies because one of my blogs just wouldn't be the same without pics of them :)

Excited!!!!!

2009-05-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Our 1 year anniversary was last Sunday (May 17th). It definitely does not feel like a year! We survived the "hardest year of marriage"! For our anniversary we spent time at home watching movies. Jeramy made me some yummy steaks on the grill while I made the side dishes. Jeramy had leave time all week so it felt like we celebrated our anniversary all week since I did not have school or work and he didn't have to report back to the ship. We've been house hunting and spending time with the girls (Shilo & Rosie) all week and I am not looking forward to Jeramy leaving yet again. Last time he was gone for a whole month and it felt like eternity. I guess because while he was gone so much happened (I got a job...his grandmother passed away...his dog passed away...). I was anxious to get him home to tell him everything that had happened.

Okay so on to the BIG EXCITING NEWS!!!! WE FOUND A HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!!! We are [almost] homeowners!!!!!!!

We found a house that had everything we wanted! We had to sacrifrice maybe two things (a big size garage and fireplace) but it had a lot of things on our list that we couldn't find in our price range. It is a 4 bedroom, 1.5 bath...two-story home with an attached one-car garage. There is a formal dining room and a roomy kitchen. There is a spare room downstairs where the sliding doors to the large covered, enclosed patio and the half bath is. It can't be classified as a bedroom because there is no closet but I guess it's sort of a 5 bedroom house. The door to the garage is off from the kitchen. The stairs is right when you come in with the living room on the right and the dining room to the left. The house is really ugly inside (yellow shag carpet on the stairs....) but I fell in love with it despite the ugliness. I can't wait to make the house beautiful again!

We were able to get a 4.75% fixed interest rate for a 30 year VA loan. The house is appraised at $193,000 and our accepted offer was $142,000....that's $51,000 equity! When we put a bid on the house we found out that another couple also submitted a bid so for a few days we were at a bidding war. Our bid was the highest to begin with so our realtor talked them into accepting our original bid. The price we are getting the house for is far below what we though we were going to pay so that is another good thing about this house.

The house needs cosmetic work but we are very excited to fix it up. We are going to do a lot of the repairs ourselves. We are going to replace some carpet and re-do the hardwood floors. I have picked out some paint colors that I like and I am ready to get my paintbrush and get to work!! We have to go through the inspections and wait for our closing date to sign the zillion papers. Our closing date is set for June 7th.

The House :)

Luna and Uncle Jeramy :)

Updates Updates Updates

2009-05-11T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hey! I haven't posted in awhile because I've been busy with school, my new job, and getting ready for Jeramy to come home.

I just received my grades for my classes and I got.....**drum roll please**...all 1 A and 4 Bs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The A was in research methods which I am very happy about because it was the only government class I was taking. It reassures me that I chose the right major because every govt. class I have taken I've gotten good grades in! I got a B+ on my final writing paper which was supposed to be 10-12 pages but I only turned in 8! I guess what I had was really good so I got a B+!!!!

Jeramy came home today finally!!!! He was gone for a month and I am really glad to have him back home. He is on leave right now and does not have to report back to the ship until the 19th!!! So we have the whole week to celebrate our one year anniversary!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It does not seem like it has been a whole year but on May 17th we've been married for a whole year! We have no idea what we are going to do but since Jeramy has leave now we are able to go and do something fun.

Yesterday was Mother's Day! My mom and sister came over to the apartment and I cooked dinner for them since it was their day. Rosie and Shilo did buy me a nice gift for mother's day (a pretty Beagle keychain and an angel for my kitchen). It was nice visiting with family and I finally got my sister to play RockBand with me!

I got a job at Toys R Us!!!! So far I like it alot. The people are nice..the managers are nicer. I like being around all the kiddies (except for the ones that cry all through the store). I mostly work at the register. We have this "goal card" where we have a goal of battery sales, buyer protection plans, loyalty cards, geoffrey birthday club sign ups, etc.. Anyway....on Saturday I sold $78.00 in batteries and my manager told me on Sunday that I was number one in battery sales and number two in BPP sales. I just started working there so I was excited!! She said that I was doing a really good job and to keep up the work. Another co-worker said she doesn't think anybody has ever sold $78.00 in batteries in one shift. I only worked 5 hours that shift so it wasn't that long.

That is all of the updates I can think of right now......I have no pics to post for this entry but I will post some pics of the doggies!!!

My dad came to visit and Shilo loved playing with him!

Don't Know What I Would Do . . .

2009-04-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

. . . without my puppy dogs! This weekend I went to Maryland to visit family and of course Shilo and Rosie came too! They enjoyed my aunt's big backyard and was definitely worn out the rest of the night and the next day. They have been keeping me company while Jeramy has been gone and they make me laugh everyday because some of the stupid stuff they do. Gotta love my puppies!

Rosie on my lap where she often resides...

My aunt's dog, Missy. She must have been a model in a past life.

Sunrise on the way up to Maryland

Rosie running her booty off!

Rosie!

Me and Shilo...she is wearing her sun visor that Aunt Julia gave her..lol

Aaron

Flower on my aunt's apple tree

Shilo in her cage on the way to Maryland....

Can The Navy Send Him Home...NOW??? Please :)

2009-04-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

So, all of you probably know that Jeramy and I have been house hunting for the past few weeks. So far we have seen 11 houses and I am already tired of seeing housing. Jeramy left on Thursday for a few week underway but we don't think house hunting should stop. We thought it would be a good idea for me to continue to narrow our search and mark some houses off of our lists that wouldn't work for us.

Below is house 11 and I am IN LOVE! I couldn't catch my breath when I walked in and I may have took 2 steps and said "this is our house". I was really excited but then reality set in and I realized...we can't bid on it until Jeramy comes home :( I guess I have to have faith that if this is the house then it will be our's. My real estate agent said if I got to talk to Jeramy and we were interested I could talk to the sellers and put down a deposit...or good faith money to take the house off the market until Jeramy gets to come home. I guess I'll have to wait and see and not get my hopes up (even though that is probably out of the question).

House #11 (it has a huge side yard that...the one car garage is around back with a driveway)

Beautiful!! (the TV comes with the house)

TV and amazing wood-burning fireplace

The cute stairs (upstairs is two bedrooms and batroom...then to the left after the first three stairs is a third smaller bedroom that is perfect for a computer room)

The breakfast nook

The kitchen :) (newly remodled...all brand new stainless steel appliances with the instruction booklets still inside..lol)

The dining room I have been looking for!

The entry way to the dining room...love the arch

The third bedroom that is off of the stairs to the left...small but a roomy closet...perfect for a computer room (or Shilo's own room...hahahah)

Newly remodeled shower

Bathroom...sink looks rusty but that could be fixed...bathroom was on the small size but we could make it work

The master bedroom...the door on the right is storage space and it has a large closet....not shown in the picture is a little nook to the right of where I am standing where a little reading chair and lamp could sit under another window

This is soooo a Jamie house..lol. It looks super small from the outside but it's really roomy inside. My real estate agent grew up in the house across the street and I love this neighborhood. It has a lot of unique charm and I want to pack up right now and move in tonight.

Shilo's Babymaker Has Been Removed..lol

2009-04-09T19:46:00.001-07:00

Shilo was spayed on Monday! I am relieved to be done with it because I have been dreading it for awhile. Now that it is all over with...I realize that it's just a normal procedure and she was perfectly fine the next day. I'm sure she feels differently though..lol. I went through PETA to get the spaying done. They charged $70 which is the cheapest I found after calling lots of vet offices. I figured since they are people for the ethical treatment of animals...they would take good care of her. Rosie also got her first set of puppy shots for $10.00 which isn't bad at all. I am still going to get her into a vet to get an overall puppy checkup.

Shilo was in a lot of pain after the surgery and disoriented. When she came home, I had her new cage set up for her. Jeramy's mother was kind enough to let us have a larger, roomier cage that she was not using anymore for Shilo. Shilo has lots of room now and is able to really spread out and sleep comfortably. The first thing Shilo did was go to Rosie's cage and sniff her out. Then she laid right beside Rosie's cage and stayed there until I made her move to a more comfortable setting. Shilo was shiffering and wimpering which the vet said was normal. She wouldn't eat anything except some ice chips but luckily she never experience an upset stomach which I've heard is common after the surgery. While she was getting the surgery, I went to the store to buy her favorite bone...busy bones....she loves them! I bought the giant busy bone and I think it really made her feel better when I gave it to her. She sat there and chewed on the whole thing and then ate a whole bowl of food. She woke up alot through the night probably because she was in pain and uncomfortable but the next morning she was definitely back to her normal self. She was jumping up on the coach and running around...giving me a heart attack because she isn't supposed to be doing that for 10 days. Her incision is healing nicely and hopefully she will be able to get a bath soon because she is getting stinky..lol. Jeramy and I took her and Rosie to the park and they were running around like crazy dogs. This little girl there loved Shilo and kept telling her mom "that's a nice doggy"...lol. It's comforting to know that Shilo is great around children because when Jeramy and I decide to have some youngins...we know that we won't have to worry about Shilo's behavior (except making licking the baby to death).

Soon after Shilo came home...she was shivering and whining so I put her in her cage and covered her up.

Shilo's new cage...compared to Rosie's small cage..lol

Rosie didn't leave Shilo's side

Shilo feeling a little bit better..looking at me like "please get this stupid thing off of me"

Poor Shilo :(

Also, we have not made a bid on the house yet but we are hoping to very soon. We've had to wait on a few things to get cleared up. I saw two more houses today that we are interested in so I am going to make appointments to see them too if this house we are interested in doesn't go as we've planned. We have 60 days from the day we are approved for the loan to find a house so I gotta get busy!

House Hunters

2009-04-04T16:38:00.000-07:00

Jeramy and I are officially house hunters. We are going to buy a house soon (if we find one we really like). We are hoping to have everything finished before he leaves for his deployment. We've seen five houses thus far but we found a house today that we are in love with. It's an older home (built in the 1953 - same year my mom was born..haha) but it has a lot of the nice touches that we like including the rounded entryways and beautiful hardwood floors. I usually don't care for hardwood floors but these are beautiful. It has four bedrooms...but only one bath! There is a possibility of putting a bath in upstairs which me and Jeramy like to have room to improve. There is a garage..narrow but long...long enough to put two cars in there easily. It has a roomy "family room"...a formal dining room...a breakfast nook...another room attached to the garage where the washer and dryer go. It's about 1800 square feet so definitely enough room when we start having little ones :) We love the neighborhood and the backyard is the perfect size! We will probably put a bid on the house next week if everything goes well. The realtor said a lot of people have been looking at the house so hopefully we can get in there and get our bid accepted. I am posted a picture of the house but it isn't our's yet so keep your fingers crossed for us!

Front of the house...the garage is attached on the left

This is the backyard...it's pretty big which we love! Needs some flowers and some grass seed but it a beautiful backyard!

This is the covered patio in the backyard. It's larger than it seems in the picture....perfect for a nice outdoor table and a big grill!

Welcome Baby Aaron Lee Taylor!

2009-03-27T20:57:00.001-07:00

On Thursday evening, my sister gave birth to her fourth child. Aaron Lee Taylor came into the world at 6:07pm. He weighed 7 pounds and 11 ounces and is very tall at 19 3/4 inches. He is a cutiepie!!! I was blessed to be able to watch the entire birthing experience. I wanted to see what to expect when the time comes for me to scream at the top of my lungs and squeeze Jeramy's hand so hard that he may also scream at the top of his lungs..lol. The experience was very interesting and pretty cool....and of course very disgusting. I enjoyed being there to see everything and even though it looks very painful...I still want to have kids someday. My sister had to go in Thursday morning for an induction but the whole process went slow until a nurse that knew what she was doing came in and pumped up the patocin. Soon my sister was dialating faster and before I knew it...the baby was here! Aaron is my 10th niece/nephew (Scott, Victoria, Jay, Will, Megan, Douglas, Luna, Macy, Bryson, and Aaron) and my 6th nephew!!

Of course I took way too many pictures but I got some great shots and in a few years Aaron will have a little cousin to play with :)

Bill acting silly at the hospital!

Dougie is a big brother now!

Aaron around 5 minutes old :)

Doing my aunt duty...feeding the baby

Welcome Aaron!

Welcome Home!

2009-03-23T16:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to update really quick....Jeramy is back home after two very long weeks. The past two weeks has seemed like a couple of months. I think it seemed so long because so much happened while he was gone so I had a lot to tell him to catch him up on the happenings at home. He left a day after Rosie came to live with us so he was surprised to see her. Right now he is playing his playstation 3 waiting for the cornbread to be done so we can have a big bowl of chili and a buttery slice of cornbread! He has liberty tomorrow (he has the day off) so we will be able to spend some time together and we are taking the dogs to Fido Field! Jeramy has not gone to the dog park yet so I am excited to take him. He loves to run around with Shilo so I am sure Jeramy and Shilo will both be worn out tomorrow night.

A few days ago I went outside and took some pictures and thought I would share those since I always post some sort of pictures when I update. I also took the picture that is the header of my blog :)

Thank Heavens for Pet Insurance!

2009-03-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

Shilo had a vet appointment today...and now all of my money is gone..lol. This is Shilo's first appointment since I have enrolled her in the pet insurance so hopefully I will get a majority of my money back! She had her blood work done today which has to be done a week before she gets spayed. She was also checked for heart worms and did another fecal sample (results will be in later this week). I also bought a 7-month supply of flee preventative and 6-month supply of heartworm preventative (combined cost $120.00...but the insurance will cover it). She also had another eye smear and she has conjuntivitis. She is on another de-wormer because she was diagnosed with whipworm about a month ago so this is just another de-wormer to get it all taken care of. She also was prescribed antibiotic eye drops for the wonderful eye infection she has. I found out that Shilo know weighs 27 pounds!!!!!!! When we first brough her home..she was 3 pounds! Nobody can't say I ain't feeding her..lol. The entire vet visit costs $384.88!!!! This is the largest bill I have paid since going to the vet. I feel a little reassured though because of the insurance. The vet assistant actually filled out the form for the insurance and faxed it in for me. I have to cover the costs and then the insurance company reimburses me the expenses. Pets are very expensive! I didn't know it would be this expensive when we got Shilo but I am proud to say that she is very well taken care of and gets grade A medical expertise. We were thinking about taking her to a spaying-on-wheels type of thing which is a trailor that spays/neuters animals for cheaper prices but I feel comfortable with my vet. He is a nice man and the ladies at the front desk always answers my questions thoroughly. They also offer an on-call vet 24-hours a day..7 days a week which is also very nice. I looked into Banfield and their wellness plan but they do not cover accidents nor spaying if the dog is less than 6 months old. I just went with VPI pet insurance and got the best plan they had. The only thing my plan does not cover is cancer which hopefully I will not have to worry about until Shilo gets a lot older and then I can upgrade my plan.

Rosie will be 7 weeks old on Wednesday! She has not visited the vet yet but she is enrolled in VPI also (I get a multiple-pet discount as well as a military discount). I will be making her an appointment at the beginning of next month (after we get paid again because Shilo has used up all of our funds..lol). Hopefully the reimbursement will arrive before Rosie's appointment which will give us money for her expenses.

Even though Shilo and Rosie are so expensive...they are both totally worth it! I love my doggies!

Shilo and Harold

Rosie in her new jacket

Rosie's and Shilo's Place :)

Fido Field!

2009-03-11T13:08:00.001-07:00

Since it was nice outside, Shilo and I went to Fido Field! It's a large dog park close by and Shilo just loves it there. We've been twice..this was our third time..and she was so excited and anxious to get out of the car when we arrived. I think she knew where we were and she wanted to play! There were a few other dogs there but Shilo liked playing with Shelby, a 5 month old yellow lab. I am glad that I found this place and became a member because it's a way for Shilo to get some exercise since we live in an apartment and she meets a lot of different dogs. The socialization is good for Shilo.

I made the dreaded vet appointment....Shilo is getting spayed on the 31st. I am nervous for her and worried about the whole procedure. I know it's routine and she will be okay but I don't want to drop her off in the morning and spend all day worrying about her but she needs to be spayed so I can stop worrying about it while she is at the dog park around the male dogs.

Rosie turned 6 weeks old today! Her personality is shining through more and more everyday. She runs all over the apartment like she owns it and tries to steal Shilo's bones when she is chewing on them. She does this thing where the hunkers down and then pounces on Shilo...lol. I am glad that get along so well since that was my number one concern with getting another puppy. Since they are both still young..they will grow up together and keep each other company. I found a nice dog cage at the thrift store for $10.00 which can't be beat anywhere. I cleaned it up and it looks great! Rosie goes in and out of it herself already and sleeps through the night with no whining. She is adjusting very quickly..way easier than Shilo did...maybe I am just more experienced now so it was easier.

Harold playing with Shilo

Harold chewing on Shilo's bone...it's almost as big as him!

After the dog park...Shilo was very happy and tired :)

Tug-of-war with a stick!

Shelby about to bite Shilo's butt..lol.

"Hey! What's up"

Rosie stole Shilo's bed so she had to lay in Rosie's bed....she was squeezed in the bed and trying to get comfortable while Rosie had the big bed all to herself..lol.

Love 4 Pups

2009-03-06T05:00:00.001-08:00

So, as of today, Harold and Rosie are 5 weeks and 2 days old!! It doesn't even seem like they are that old. Jeramy and I got Shilo when she was 5 weeks and she was definitely bigger than the new guys...lol. I am going to make an appointment for Shilo to get spayed now that she is insured. Yep....I insured my pet..lol. I've heard great things about it from a lot of people so I thought I would try it and I can cancel my policy whenever so if it doesn't seem to be cutting costs than I can cancel it. Shilo is on the best insurance plan out there. I take her health very seriously..lol..and she gets every shot that is probably out there and she gets fecal samples every 6 months (the routine sample last month told us she had worms). So, the vet getes to be a little expensive. I also have to get Shilo's refill and Rosie started on the TopSpot for fleas and Heatguard for heartworm preventative. Rosie cannot be insured until she is 6 weeks old (and then it takes two weeks to become effective...so 8 weeks old). I would have liked to take her to the vet earlier than that but she seems to be healthy with no signs of rooms. She does scratch a lot so I need to definitely get her checked for fleas even though I haven't seen any around. Jeramy's mom should be picking up Harold before next week. I am a little sad because I know Rosie will be lonely but I am sure I can come over whenever and let them play together. She also has a brother in Williamsburg and she is living with Shilo which results in no dull moments.

It's Friday and Jeramy is off of work. I decided to skip class so I can spend time with him and cook breakfast (...that's just my excuse...i just really didn't want to go to this class because on Wednesday we weren't doing anything so I left after 15 mins). So I figured I could sleep in....which did not happen when you have 3 dogs in the house. At exactly 7:30 which is the time I get up every morning, all three dogs began to whine (they are all in their crates). I did not realize that while I was trying to get myself on a sleep schedule...I was doing the same for the dogs because I get them right out of the cages as soon as I wake up. So here I am...at 8am...writing my blog...while Jeramy gets to sleep in the nice warm bed. I will probably send Shilo in there in an hour or so...lol.

Rosie chewing on my rug...

Rosie and Shilo bonding on Shilo's bed

Rosie Posie :)

Rosie enjoying the breezy weather..

Rosie running after me

This was a good picture but I cut her legs off :( They kept moving so much!

Harold!

Beverly Hills Chihuhua...hahahha

Sister & Brother

VIDEOS OF THE PUPPIES!!! (I tried to get it so it wouldn't be a link but I couldn't figure it out. Just click on the link and it will take you to a video of the pups!)

Harold and Rosie - March 4, 20008

Harold, Rosie, and Shilo - March 5th, 2008

Puppy Love & Snow Day

2009-03-03T10:07:00.000-08:00

Jeramy came home on Saturday...a day early...so that was surprise! We went bowling with his sister and brother-in-law that night and on Sunday Jeramy had to go and order the new navy uniforms. It was very rainy and messy out so he said I didn't have to go to the NEX with him so I stayed home and washed lots of clothes and uniforms (the disadvantage to being a navy wife..lol....your sailor comes home but with tons of laundry that hasn't been washed in 2 weeks). Jeramy told me over the phone that I had a mystery surprise and I had no idea what it could be. When he got home he told me that my surprise was that I could shine his new boots. I told him that he should think again and didn't think much more about my surprise. Well we got in the car to go to Williamsburg to pick up the puppies from my sister's place and he asked me to look into the glove box to see if he left his wallet in there. Well...when I opened it...there sat a 32gb iPod Touch!!!!!!! I was very excited because I had been talking about wanting one. I can't believe he spent that much money on it because they are very expensive but he said that he wanted me to have the things I want when he was able to buy them because one day he may not be able to buy me nice things. I thought that was really sweet and he definitely won the award for best husband of 2009...lol.

Jeramy and I brought the puppies home on Sunday night...Harold (Jeramy's mom's pup) and Rosie (we decided to name her Rosie because she was the only girl out of the litter and it rhymes with her mom's name...Josie). So Harold and Rosie have been playing together and I occasionally let Shilo go play with them. I blocked off the kitchen so they have the entire kitchen to run around and play.

It was calling for snow yesterday so when Jeramy got up for work....i got up and immediately looked out the window...and there was SNOW!!! Finally..in Newport News..it snowed!! I told Jeramy who is groggy and brushing his teeth..lol..and then I grabbed my laptop and checked to see if classes were canceled but apparently I was awake before the rest of the world and they had not canceled them yet. Around 5:45am...I got the text message that all classes were canceled! Yay! I enjoyed the day by taking the doggies outside. Shilo loved the snow a lot and she was running around and kicking up the snow. The puppies were very scared and cold so I didn't leave them out there long at all. I just wanted to get a few pictures.

Harold

Rosie

Rosie liked the taste of the snow!

Back of our truck...weird snow pattern..and it looks like the truck is leaning or something but i guess it's the camera

one of many trees limbs/branches that fell

Having Fun on a Nice Day

2009-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

My class for today was canceled so I decided to take my nephew, Douglas, to the Virginia Living Museum this morning. He was a little confused about about anywhere with me alone. Usually it's me and Ottie...or the other kids tag along. This time it was just the two of us.

When we arrived at the museum, he seemed a little overwhelmed because many field trips were arriving (just my luck!). We got our tickets and went the opposite way of all the kids. The first stop was the huge fish tank with fish, sharks, and one huge turtle. I think this was his favorite by far. He also liked this little bird that kept walking back and forth in a window and chirping. I told Dougie that the bird was crazy and he said "yea" and continued to laugh at the bird. Some other animals that he liked was the alligator, the wolves, and all of the fish. There were this really big fish and when I put my finger near the water..they would come to the surface and open their mouths really big. Douglas found that hilarious...especially when I pretended the fish was going to bite my finger. Toward the end of our adventure, he got really tired but made it to the gift shop anyway. He loved this snake that he found and a little bag with VA Living Museum on it and a grey wolf inside. We decided to meet Ottie at BK, have lunch, and then we would all go back home. Before I got to BK which is not far from where the museum was...he fell asleep and I had to wake him up and carry him into the restuarant.

On a side note, I groomed Shilo today. I trimmed her toenails, brushed her teeth, trimmed her fur, and gave her a bath. This was her first fur-cut..hahaha...so I was expecting her to be scared of me snipping at her body but she was very still and was not scared at all. She looks a lot better and she is ready to be put into any dog show and win! (If the dog show was for good looking coats and not behavior..lol)

Fox

An Otter

Dougie and the alligator!

Got Stress?

2009-02-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

So....I turned 21 on Friday. I went to Jeramy's parent's for a little get together with his family since we all seem to have birthdays around the same time. I drank a little bit and then bought my own alcoholic beverages from the store. I felt like I needed to buy some on my birthday..lol. On Saturday, my mom and sister came over. My mom brought a birthday cake and we went to BK for lunch. My sister bought me a new movie so we watched that together. Overall, I had a really good bday. I thought it was going to suck because Jeramy wasn't here but it was fun.

On Saturday night, I brought the puppy home. I know it seems like she is too young but Josie does not want nothing to do with the puppies anymore. My sister had to get puppy formula and start them on wet puppy food. I figured I would bring her home and do exactly what my sister was doing that way she won't have 7 puppies to feed. She was adjusting well and played a little with Shilo. Shilo did very well with the little one and I think they should get along fine. I also persuaded Jeramy's mom to adopt the last puppy without a home. So that is one more puppy that is staying in the family. She said she will name him Harold..lol.

This morning I found out that Shilo tested positive for whipworm. I did a routine fecal test and the vet office called me this morning and told me the news. I had to go pick up her medicine. I asked them if it was contagious and could a 3-week old puppy get it. They said yes so I took the puppy back to my sister's for the time being. I don't want the puppy to get sick. I think it is also a good thing because the puppy wasn't eating well this morning so she was able to get some of her mommy's milk (my sister and I had to hold Josie down so the puppies could eat). After her belly was full she fell right to sleep...I put her in her bed and told her to be good..lol.

School has been going well...got lots of work to do because the semester is getting in full swing and all my professors are piling on the work but it is nothing I can't handle :)

Jeramy should be back around March 1st and I have no idea when he will be leaving next. He said they posted the ship's schedule so hopefully I will see when the dates are and be able to plan our anniversary. We want to go stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg for a weekend. There is an indoor waterpark!!!! (if you know me...then you will know this is the only reason why I want to go...oh..and to spend time with my husband..haha) We may not being able to go on our anniversary but as long as we go and spend time together then I will have no complaints.

The puppy in her bed :)

Shilo "sniffing" out her new sister

I was very prepared for her :)

Jeramy's brother celebrating his birthday with me!

Happy Birthday to me :)

What Should We Name Her?

2009-02-17T19:37:00.000-08:00

I went to see the puppies tonight at my sister's house. Even though I had my doubts about getting another puppy...once I saw her...I knew that I couldn't pass her up. She is soooo soft and furry. She is a little round ball of hair. She curled up in my hands and went to sleep for awhile and even cuddled with Jeramy. Sometimes when you look at her it appears she has blue eyes (it looks more prevalent in the pictures probably because of the flash). Her eyes are not completely open and still a little squinty so it is hard to tell. As of tomorrow (Feb. 18th) she will be 3 weeks old. She should be weaned by 5 weeks but she may stay with her mommy longer though. We have not picked out a name yet but some that we have in mind are Shelby and Saleen (both picked by Jeramy of course...gotta have love for Mustangs) Here are some pictures:

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-12T10:42:00.000-08:00

I am ridiculous and like to take pictures of Shilo for the holidays as if she is a child or something..lol. So..of course I had to take her Valentine's Day portrait. Jeramy makes fun of me and says I am crazy so I bought him a shirt that says "I do everything the voices in my wife's head tell me to"...lol. As of right now Jeramy is still deployed but it supposed to return on Saturday. Hopefully that will be the case and I can see him for Valentine's Day.

This is Shilo's "elvis" lip..lol

Jeramy was making her dance in her dress and luckily I snapped this picture when he kissed the top of her head.

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Luna's First Birthday

2009-02-09T11:29:00.001-08:00

On February 2, our niece turned 1!!! We went to Luna's part on Saturday and here are some pictures of her big day!

She was very tired after all the presents were opened!

The Dreaded Question

2009-02-05T18:17:00.000-08:00

If you know me very well, then you will know that I dread the question "What are you going to do after you graduate?" with a passion. I am on my 6th semester as a college student and I still do not know 100% sure what I want to do for the rest of my life but in the past few days I feel like I am going in the right direction. My indecisiveness is contributed to the fact that I like everything. I love photography, I love learning about history, I love literature, I love government...so how do I narrow this down into something specific in order to declare a major or get a job? As all of you probably know, my major is political science....and I changed to this major on a whim. I took a government class my first semester at JMU and I loved it. For some reason it was just different than my AP Government class in high school an I just loved learning about the government. So...I switched my major. I did not look into what I could do with this degree or anything. All I knew was that I loved my decision and the government classes I have taken thus far have been great and I have succeeded in all of them. So...what do I do with a bachelor of arts degree in political science? I have no idea...lol.

This past week I made an advising appointment with the head of the masters of art in teaching department. CNU offers a 5-year master's program where I would complete my bachelor's in polisci and then stay for one more year as a grad student to get my masters and liscensure for teaching. Well I have been interested in this so I made an appointment to just talk with the woman about the program. She was very nice and excited about my interest. She went through my classes and told me what else I needed to take. She told me that there are not many governmnet classes so the state of VA requires CNU to do a "History/Social Science" curriculum instead of just government. This means that I would be qualified to teach government, history, psychology, sociology, etc. (basically any social science). I thought this was a bummer at first because it means more classes but then I was thinking of how many jobs I would be qualified for and that got me excited. I wouldn't have to just stick with one field...I could teach a variety of subjects.

On the down side, I won't be completely finished with school until May 2012. This seems like an eternity longer to stay in school but if you think about it...I will only be 24 years old with a master's degree. When I look at it that way..it doesn't seem bad at all. There is this lab that I can take next semester where I would be "shadowing" a middle/high school teacher in order to see if this is what I really want to do...so that's another plus. Also, CNU is working with surrounding school systems so I could potentially be employed with the school system during my grad year...either as a tutor, substitute teacher, or teacher assitant.....meaning $$$ and more experience in the field. I would also be all finished with school before Jeramy gets out of the Navy. It will continue to give me something challenging while he is gone all the time.

I've talked this over with Jeramy and he said it sounds like a good opportunity (which is a change because he does not like it when I have to stay in school any longer). In the future, this career will work around our children when we decide to have them. I will be home during the afternoons, weekends, and holidays. Teachers are needed everywhere so if we move for some reason..I shouldn't have too much difficulty finding another job.

What to do for the rest of my life is a big decision.....but I feel like I am getting closer to knowing what I want to do :)

Update on the Puppies

2009-02-03T09:48:00.001-08:00

The puppies will be one week old tomorrow and so far they are doing great. Josie was lucky to give birth to all 7 of the puppies with no major complications. My sister said they are eating a lot and getting bigger by the day. Hopefully I will be going up there sometime before next week and I will take some more pictures. I have been trying to think of a name for the girl puppy (Jeramy said I could keep her....even though I already knew he would let me..lol). I really like the name Bella (she is the main character is the Twilight Series that I'm obsessed with) but Jeramy doesn't really care for it. I want to find a name we both agree on since we will both be living with the dog. I also like Rosie (kind of keeping with the "Josie" name since she is the only female...maybe name her after her mom...?). We have a few weeks before she comes home so we can keep brainstorming.

Shilo is doing well. I haven't posted pictures of her for awhile but I will take her "valentine's" protraits here soon...haha. I know I am ridiculous. I also bought Shilo and "puppy" matching dresses to wear (Jeramy looked at me like I was crazy..and I told him that he should just let me have my fun and dress up the dogs)

School is picking up and my energy is going down. I have a lot of stuff on my to-do list and I just sit here and stare at it not knowing where to begin. I have one more class today but I really don't want to go. It's rainy/snowy and very cold outside...and finding a parking spot is like trying to find a lost earring on a beach that goes for miles. Serioulsy..there were no parking spots today for my class. I had to park way across campus..across a street...and walk to my class...in the rain I might add. Parking is being ridiculous. I feel like CNU is adding more students every year and not adding more parking. It doesn't help either that commuters share parking lots with residents. I really don't want to go to class but next class the syllabus says "Library Research Day" so I dont know what that means so I could go to class and find out or I could e-mail her from the comforts of my warm fuzzy blanket and find out what that means. We will see...I have an hour to decide......

Puppies!!!

2009-01-28T18:31:00.000-08:00

Josie gave birth to 7 cute little puppies this morning! There are 6 males and 1 female. The female was born first (and is the smallest of the litter...also the only puppy that is entirely black) which I think is because she was anxious to get away from all of the males. So here is the story...

Last night my sister calls me and tells me that she thinks Josie would have the puppies sometime last night and that I should maybe come over and spend the night. I wasn't sure if she really was going to have the puppies and I had lots of homework to do so I decided to stay home and told my sister that if the puppies come then call me even if it's 3am. I really wanted to be there to see the puppies come. I never watched a dog give birth and might never be able to again so I didn't want to miss this opportunity.

This morning around 8am, my sister calls my cell phone and I thought it was my alarm so I of course made the sound stop and rolled back over. Well then the house phone rang and I knew it had to be Ottie so I jumped up and answered. She told me that two puppies were already here and that I needed to hurry up and come over. I literally went to Ottie's in my PJs...with my hair all crazy...didn't brush my teeth...no socks on...lol. I did use the restroom though so that was good. I got Shilo up (she had been in the cage all night and I didn't know how long I was going to be gone so I didnt want to leave her) and I think she knew something was going on because she was behaving very well. I got her leash on her and she went straight for the car. I opened the door and she jumped in and sat on the passenger seat like she was ready to roll. The whole time that I was speeding down the road in morning traffic, she stayed in her seat and was very calm which is very un-Shilo like..lol.

Before I could get to my sisters, 5 puppies were already born. Soon after I arrived, Bill (my sister's husband) came home. We noticed that she was still have contractions so we thought maybe more puppies were on the way. Bill said maybe one or two more by the looks of it. Bill left because he had to return to work and I was sitting there taking pictures and watching Josie lick the puppies clean when I noticed the "down there" area on Josie was enlarging and before I could call my sister..the 6th puppy was born. It was very gross but also really cool and interesting. Josie pretty much did what she had to do and it was neat watching her. Douglas was watching it to but he acted like it didn't effect him (maybe he will be a doctor or veternarian one day). We were sure that the 6 puppies were it because she only has 6 nipples. Well about 30 minutes later...the "down there" area enlarged again and before I could say "Ottie"...the 7th puppy was born. Josie was more agressive with this one and I guess ripped the ambilical cord and the puppy was bleeding a good amount. My sister held the puppy to try and stop the bleeding. The puppy wasn't moving at all so we were worred but soon the puppy got its breath and started wiggling around.

Josie was very exhausted and hadn't ate much in the last few days. As the puppies were nursing, I kept handing Josie food and she was gobbling it up! So far the puppies are doing very well and Josie is allowing the puppies to nurse which is great.

Update on Josie

2009-01-24T20:46:00.000-08:00

As many of you know..my sister's dog is pregnant and is expecting puppies pretty much any time now. I was able to go visit her today and bring her lots of treats in a goody bag. She has gotten really big and wobbles when she walks. I felt the puppies move around a few times which was a very strange feeling. The puppies felt like they were the size of a golf ball. We don't know how many puppies are in there but she has 6 nipples and my mom says that means she will have 6 puppies but I don't know if that's an old wives tale or not.

My sister being silly....

My sister's pregnant belly.....it's a boy!

I was making a weird face because she licked my face ...notice the big belly....her's not mine..lol

Josie's belly!

Josie again...It was hard getting a picture of her because she kept pacing and moving around.

On This Historical Day...

2009-01-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in the library at CNU because I thought my class started at 2:00pm but when no one showed up, I looked at my schedule and it said 2:30pm. Since I haven't nothing to do...I thought writing a post on my blog would pass the time.

Jeramy left yesterday for his fast cruise. They kept saying when it would be and then he kept walking through the door to come home at night. His ship kept postponing it so we weren't sure when it would start. When he didn't come home last night..I figured they were keeping him this time. I have no idea when he will be able to come home or be able to call for that matter. I guess this is what happens when you marry a navy sailor. When duty calls..he has to report...and I get no say in the matter..lol.

I started the Spring semester yesterday. My professors seem very nice and some are very funny. I am worried about my research methods class and my writing class though. If you know me well...you know how much I despise writing a paper. I hate the process and always second guess myself. I would rather read an 1000 page book in a week than write a darn paper. My ecology, comtemporary mathematics, and computer science classes since like they will be easy but will require studying and keeping up with the assignments and readings. The computer science class requires working with a partner (which I also hate). I would rather work by myself instead of relying on someone else. My professor in that class informed us that he is indeed cousins with Dick Cheney. His name is Lonnie Cheney so I guess it's credible. I found out that he also taught at Hampton High School while my sister was going there. My sister says she knew who he was but never actually had him as a teacher. I guess it's a small world after all.

Now on to more important things....I was very excited to watch the inauguration today. The fact that this country has come so far to elect its first black president is very encouraging. A lot of people in my family as well as fellow navy wives were totally against Obama (including my husband) but I voted for him and I'm glad I did. I feel like he will make a great President and will bring the change that this country needs. I will be proud to tell my kids that I watch the first black president be sworn into office and tell them that anything is possible. My ecology professor told us today that this was the first time he taught in our classroom since 9-11-01. It's amazing to see how far we've come in 7 years...from 9-11-01 to the inauguration of the first black President.

I like the fact that Obama did the whistle stop train ride just like Lincoln did before he became President. Obama was sworn in on the Lincoln's family bible and followed a menu of food that Lincoln ate. I never been much of a history person but ever since I took a very interesting history course at JMU, I've grown to love and appreciate our country more. I want to go to D.C. soon and see all of the monuments and museums. Maybe over the summer I can convince Jeramy to go with me or maybe go with a friend.

Well I must get to my writing class so I can stress over the 9-10 page paper that I will have to write this semester.

Happy Inauguration Day!!!!

So Far This Year....

2009-01-13T19:04:00.001-08:00

I have been enjoying an extra week of vacation before the new semester starts. Everyone I know started school this past Monday but for some reason CNU's first day back in January 19th. I am not complaining whatsoever. Jeramy left today for fast cruising. He was suppose to leave yesterday but they delayed it for some reason so he was able to come home last night. He may be gone as long as 3 weeks this time. He is unsure what day he will be able to leave the ship therefore I have no idea when he will be able to come home. I have been keeping myself busy though. I have been cleaning the apartment, spending time with family, and beginning to go to the gym. I went to the gym yesterday and did a brisk walk on the treadmill for four miles. I felt great afterwards and I am going to start going to the gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I want to start waking up earlier so I can do schoolwork, etc. before it gets late in the day and I end up doing my homework at midnight (which will probably still happen). So, I am going to get up at 6am every morning. I may sleep a little later on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I can't sleep too late because I have a morning class.

This past Friday I went to my sister's to spend time with the nieces and nephews. My sister has a doctor's appointment so I went to babysit Douglas. We had tacos for dinner and then the kids and I made chocolate covered strawberries and pretzels. After I made the strawberries for Jeramy and I....I wanted and needed more..haha. We had lots of fun and while we waited for the treats to chill we played board games. After the kids went to bed, my sister and I stayed up and played Nintendo DS and I didn't end up getting home until midnight!

Douglas having fun with his daddy!

The Kids - Meghan, Tori, and Will

Meghan, Me, and Tori

My sister's dog, Josie, is pregnant with puppies! Hopefully I will be able to have one if Jeramy says it's okay. This is the best picture I could get of her pregnant belly :)

It's an alien!!!! It's really Douglas behind the curtain but I thought it looked cool..lol.

I have been teaching Shilo a new trick. It's where you put the treat right in front of here and make sure she doesn't eat it. It's supposed to help her with her self-control. She does not like it at all but we are still working on it. I think she was in the middle of howling at the treat in this picture.

She is probably trying to think of how to get the treat without me seeing her...

She was very happy because she did a good job and got rewarded with the treat.
She is almost 7 months old (January 21)

She looks crazy in this picture!

Sitting pretty!

Mustang - no other car compares :)

Jeramy's mustang he got for free!

Can't wait until Spring so I had to add some pretty flowers to replace the Christmas ones!

The centerpiece I made

Another quick arrangement I did for the computer room...I am thinking about adding a pretty bow to the vase.

Cozy Night At Home

2009-01-05T11:49:00.000-08:00

Last night we decided to put our fireplace to good use! We were excited to finally use it and it is definitely a must when we go to buy a house. It was very cozy having the fire going and watching tv (even if it was the Speed channel..Jeramy chose what we watched..haha). I made chocolate covered strawberries and they turned out great. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't eat them all. They were easy to make and next time I make then I want to get some white chocolate and do a fancy drizzle on them. I told Jeramy I will have to make them for our next family night at his mom's house. Jeramy reports back to the ship tomorrow and I will miss spending this time with him. Soon he will be leaving alot for fast cruising and underways. I don't know if I am prepared for him to be gone so much but I don't have a choice in the matter..it will happen whether I am ready or not..haha.

Chocolate Covered Stawberries (there were a lot more but I just got 3 in the pic)

At first Shilo was scared of the fire but after awhile she thought it was really cool!

Family Portrait :)

A New Year....

2009-01-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

I am finally back from Nebraska and ready to start a New Year. My plane arrived around 7pm on New Year's Eve. Jeramy picked me up from the airport and I came home to make a big dinner because Jeramy lost 4 pounds since I was gone..haha. We cleaned up the kitchen and watched Speeders until 11:58. We changed the channel to watch the ball drop, kissed at midnight, kissed Shilo, and then went to bed at 12:04am. Haha...I was exhausted because I had gotten up early to drive 2 hours to the airport from my dad's then I had to fly to Detriot for a layover and then finally to Norfolk..and then cook dinner. Jeramy and I were both tired so we forced ourselves to stay up to watch the ball drop. Yesterday I was being in a un-holiday spirit because I wanted Chick-fil-a but of course they weren't open. I proceeded to tell Jeramy that New Years was a stupid holiday. Why celebrate the end of the year by closing down businesses? I can understand like Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc...but New Years really has no significant meaning except to plan new years resolutions that no one sticks too throughout the year. Ugh...I really wanted Chick-fil-a.....

Whew...2008 was crazy!!! I did so much in 2008 so I would like to recap (I stole this idea from Heather..thanks!) ...Let's see....I got married, transferred schools, moved back home, moved into Jeramy's parent's place, got our own apartment, Jeramy has gotten three more vehicles, I found out I am going to be an aunt again, I went to Nebraska twice to visit my dad, we got a puppy...I can't think of anything more but I am sure that their is plenty. I think 2009 will be a great year (despite the fact that Jeramy will be gone for most of it). I think I will take more classes at CNU and finally decide what I want to do after I finish getting my degree. I will welcome my new nephew in March. I want to be there when he is brought into the world but my sister lives in Williamsburg so I am going to have to drive quickly and figure out where the hospital is.

Jeramy is still on leave so we have just been hanging out together during the day. He starts workups in February so I am enjoying this time with him. Well, I gotta get back to cleaning the apartment. We took down all our Christmas decorations yesterday and I am trying to recover my apartment. Happy New Year Everyone (even though I was angry Chick-fil-a was closed)

Flying to Nebraska!

2008-12-27T16:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share some cool pictures that I took from the airplane. I had a layover in Detriot if that is what you want to call it. My flight was a little delayed in Norfolk so I got to Detriot late. I was slowly getting off of the plane at 11:31 and my next flight departed at 11:57...I was at Concourse A and I had to go to Concourse C which is all the way on the other side of the airport. I had to ride the indoor subway thingy. I was literally running through the airport and I made it to my gate right before they were closing the door. It was like out of a movie..haha. I was glad not to have to wait a long time but I wished I could have walked instead of ran to my next flight. The airports weren't that bad but they didn't "misplace" my luggage and I had to give them my dad's address so they could bring me my suitcase. I got it this morning about 9:30am...just in time to change out of my clothes I slept in and wore the whole day!

De-icing the plane before take off at the Detriot Airport

The city of Detriot, Michigan

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T18:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! I must say this has been a great Christmas. We have such a big family so it was really nice to see and talk to everyone these past few days (and the presents weren't bad either..hahaha). On Christmas Eve, I went to my sister's house because Jeramy had duty. I came home that night and played SIMs until about midnight. Jeramy came home early this morning and jumped on the bed saying "it's Christmas, it's Christmas...wake up..wake up". So I dragged my drowsy butt out of the bed with the comforter wrapped around me to the couch. Jeramy woke Shilo up and we started unwrapping gifts! Shilo got a new bed, two squeaky toys (one from Grandma Daugherty), and two things of treats (also one from Grandma Daugherty). She was hesitant about opening the gifts because I think we get on her for tearing up paper, etc. that she finds so she didn't know she was allowed to. She pulled a little piece of wrapping paper off and then go lay down and lick it..lol. Jeramy had to help her unwrap. Jeramy got two pairs of PJ pants and three seasons of Family Guy. I got a Ped Egg, a snowflake necklace, a hand mixer (so I can bake more!), and some lotions from my mom. Jeramy got me a Nintendo DS and a game to go along with it!!!! I was very excited because I'd been asking for one but we agreed we wouldn't get each other presents because our new flat screen was our Christmas present but he surprised me! After we unwrapped gifts, I made french toast and Jeramy made the scrambled eggs. I also made chocolate chip muffins but we were too stuffed to eat those.

We spent the rest of the day around the apartment and Jeramy later got a really nice Christmas present. One of his shipmates offered Jeramy a 1989 Ford Mustang for FREE! It needs to mechanical work (but Jeramy loves to do that sort of stuff). The exterior has some minor scratches but looks great. Jeramy was very excited and kept asking me if it was okay...I agreed to let him get it as long as we don't go in debt and I get all of my textbooks I need for next semester. Jeramy has been talking about getting a car that he really wants because he always gets cars that are in good shape, etc. He has never gotten a car that he was this excited for...and it was free so we won't have a car payment which was what he was originally intending on doing. Jeramy loves cars...working on them...driving them...washing them....reading about them...watching them on tv...haha. So....he got the keys. We now own 5 automobiles!!!! (my honda, the trailblazer, his motorcycle, the 1968 mustang, and now the 1989 mustang). I told Jeramy we will need to get a garage like Jay Leno has...hahaha.

Tomorrow I leave for Nebraska to spend time with my dad. He turns 50 on the 27th so we will have a party for him. My plane departs at 9am and I won't get back until December 31.

Christmas with the Miles Family

2008-12-24T19:16:00.000-08:00

On the evening of the 23th, Jeramy and I went to his parents house to exchange gits. We did secret santa and I was surprised to know that Jessica had my name. Jeramy and I tried to guess who had who but we were totally wrong. Jessica got me a yankee candle (vanilla cupcake scent), a $15.00 iTunes gift card, some really nice soft socks, and the Sims game I wanted (Sims 2 Apartment Life)! I was very excited about the Sims game :) Jeramy's brother-in-law Ritchie had Jeramy's name. Jeramy got a hat thingy to wear underneath his motorcycle helmet and some tools.

I took a lot of pictures but will only post some. This blog should really be "look at all the pictures Jamie takes" haha. I know I take far too many but why not try to capture the happy moments?

I loved my presents!!!

Jeramy being silly...as usual

Luna's First Christmas

Cookies, Brownies, Fudge...oh my!

2008-12-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

For the past two days, I have been baking up a storm in the kitchen. I wanted to give a little gift of baked goods to our family members for Christmas. I made Snow Top Brownies, Holiday Macaroons, Fudge, Sugar Cookies, and Mint Sandwich Cookies. In my opinion, everything came out great! No big mess ups except for the kitchen being really messy. The brownies stuck to the pan but other than that everything seemed to go okay. Of course I took pictures!

Decorative tins that the baked goods were put into

Icing for the sugar cookies (icing was from scratch)

Sugar cookies cut out and ready to be baked!

The finished project! (I made three cookie sheets so there were a lot more cookies than just these)

The mess I had to clean up!

Snowtop Brownies (whip cream as the "snow")

Holiday Macaroons (I put holiday morsels in them to give them their festive coloring)

Fudge!

Mint Sandwich Cookies before being covered with delicious chocolate...

All of the mint sandwich cookies! Whew...that' s a lot of dipping!

Yum! Yum! Yum!

Fall Semester Final Grades

2008-12-18T22:33:00.001-08:00

CNU has finally posted the semester's final grades! I am happy to report:

Political Thought: B+
Elementary Statistics: B-
Psychology: C
Theater: B

I only took four classes this past semester because I didn't want to take too many. I wanted to have time to adjust to being married and switching schools. I think my grades are a lot better than when I was at JMU. My grades weren't terrible then but it became difficult to keep up with everything since I was an resident advisor (which could be a full time job) and I worked at the library for 10 hours a week. I am quite pleased with how I did. I probably could have done better is psychology but I think I deserve the C. I didn't put as much effort into that class as I could have. I was very happy I passed Statistics. I had already taken the class twice! I got an F the first time and a D+ the second time. Neither counted towards my degree so I had to take it again. I was hoping for a C- but was surprised when I saw a B-!!! I am going to take five classes next semester. Jeramy will begin fast cruising (where he has to stay on the ship for weeks at a time but the ship never leaves port) and underways (where he is gone for a week then back for a few days then goes back out for like 3 weeks...etc.) so I should be pretty occupied with my classes to keep me busy. I was considering taking 6 classes next fall because Jeramy will be on deployment. Next semester I am taking biology, a extensive writing course, some sort of stupid math, research methods (which is like in depth statistics for my major), and computer science. After those classes I should be almost done with the general education courses and should start taking all classes geared towards my major (political science). Luckily Jeramy called me tonight (he is on duty) so I was able to share the good news with him. He told me he would trade me in if I failed statistics so I am very happy I can still be his wife...haha. Have a good weekend!!!

If I Didn't Have Bad Luck....I Wouldn't Have Any Luck At All!

2008-12-15T20:31:00.000-08:00

So, I just got some unfortunate news. Jeramy has duty (which is basically when he works all day and all night) on Christmas Eve and has to work Christmas Day. He says they were talking about letting the guys work half day on Christmas day but that still means we are will not be waking up with each other on our first Christmas morning as husband and wife. I had been really looking forward to our first Christmas in our first place but I guess stuff like this is always possible when the military is involved. Jeramy has leave beginning on December 27th through January 8th (I think it's the 8th..not quite sure) so he will be here for New Years. I am leaving on December 26th to visit my dad and won't be coming back until December 31st. So right when he has leave..I will be gone. Starting today until December 27th, Jeramy has a 3-day duty rotation meaning every three days he will have duty. So before I leave we will barely spend any time together. Next Christmas, he will be deployed for 7 months so I was really excited about being together this Christmas. I try to remind myself to be thankful that he isn't deployed and that I know where he is and he is safe but it's hard to feel that way. I have been in the holiday spirit all week, wrapping gifts, and getting really excited for the holidays and then Jeramy lowers the boom on me. I know it's not the end of the world but it doesn't make me feel any better right now. I can still spend time with my family on Christmas so I can look forward to that and seeing my dad after Christmas but I know it won't be the same without Jeramy.

A Long & Busy Day

2008-12-13T18:23:00.001-08:00

I had a very exciting and fun day!!! I had my last two finals yesterday and I am so glad that this semester is finished! Lately, I have really been in the Christmas spirit. I listen to Christmas music whenever I can and sing aloud very loudly (Jeramy does not enjoy this as much as I do). I can't wait to do some holiday cooking and exchange gifts!

Last night I decided that I wanted to cut my hair. I was growing it long to eventually donate to locks of love but it was taking too long and my hair was driving me crazy. So I tried to not cut it too short even though I would have rather it be shorter. I tried to get a better picture but I took this picture after I took my hat off and it's messy and not fixed right but you get the idea. It has lots of layers. I don't know if I like it yet but it's better than what I had.

After I got my haircut, I took Shilo to her vet's office. They had this holiday open house with giveaways and free goodies. She also got her picture taken with Santa!!! I thought that was hilarious but I don't have kids yet so I have fun with Shilo! I bought her a dark green sweater to be festive and to keep her small butt warm!

After the open house, I went to Jeramy's parents house to help him work on the mustang (he is restoring a 1968 ford mustang). I really just took pictures and asked questions because there wasn't much for me to do that I knew how to do. This is a picture of Jeramy working...he is in his own little happy world...(I swear he smiles bigger when talking about the Mustang than he did when we got married..haha)

After hanging out with Jeramy, the family and I went to the Hampton Holly Days Parade. It was really good this year and we had a blast. I had hot chocolate, cheese fries, AND cotton candy...and I ate it all..haha. It's nice to be an adult and just buy all the junk food you want without parents saying no!

The beginning of the parade...

Phoebus High School band (my alma mater)...PHS football won the state championships too so the football players were also present in the parade along with Coach Dee (head coach). He has known me since kindergarden! When I was in high school, I couldn't wait to get out but I miss the tight knit community and the school spirit! Go Phantoms!

This was a cool Limo in the parade so I had to add this picture! I should have had this when I got married!

This "book" was soo cool! I love to read and was glad to see literature represented in the parade. ALSO....the "book" gave me a thumbs up!!! Hahaha...I was like "yea books" or something along those lines and he/she gave me a thumbs up...hahaha!

This was a cool Nutcracker dude on stilts from some local dance company.

Meterologists from the local news channel 13! This is probably the closest I will ever get to seeing some sort of famous person. The head meterologist (not pictured) Jeff Lawson talked to my sister and I!!!! He asked us how the weather was and said it was too cold out there!!!

The parade was broadcasted so these are the newscasters from channel 13 news!

It wouldn't be a holiday parade without Ol' Saint Nick!
Merry Christmas!!!

The Noland Trail

2008-12-07T17:38:00.000-08:00

Today Jeramy, Shilo and I went walking on the Noland Trail. It's a five-mile trail at the Mariner's Museum in Newport News. I have been wanting to take Shilo for a long time but the timing has always been bad...it would be raining or Jeramy and I would have other plans. We had a lot of fun but towards the end...I definitely got tired and Shilo lost that skip in her step. There were a lot of dogs also walking with their owners so Shilo was able to greet with some of them. We saw two beagles too so that was neat! Of course I took some pictures so I will share them!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T18:15:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving, Jeramy and I went to his parents house for dinner. We had a great time on our first thanksgiving as husband and wife. We ate totally too much and came home to watch tv and cuddle (of course until I fell asleep watching TV). We brought home leftovers and ate them for breakfast on Friday morning. And of course I took pictures!

Luna on her first thanksgiving! (9 months old)

Shilo on her first thanksgiving! (6 months old)

Jeramy was very excited about the food being ready! There was a lot of it!!!!

The pretty table setting! It was a very pretty thanksgiving dinner!

On Friday, I got up early to go shopping at Target. I got some pretty good deals! I got five DVDs and a keyboard that comes with the stand, instructional DVD, and some other accessories. Jeramy has been learning to play the guitar and I told him I always wanted to learn to play the piano so for my birthday we decided I could get a small keyboard. Well the one we were looking was at Target for $99.99...well for Black Friday the same one was on sale for $69.99 so he said I could get it since it was cheaper. THEN...i lost my cell phone in the parking lot but luckily someone was nice enough to turn it into customer service before it was run over. Jeramy won't let me open my keyboard yet...he says I have to wait until February!

After I got back from Target, I began to decorate the apartment and of course I have to add picture of that. I have some more decorating I want to do but for now I am satisfied with it. We are planning on decorating the patio/front door but we will probably work on that next weekend so keep an eye out for more pictures!

Our first christmas tree!!!!

I have a lot of "childish" ornaments that I didn't want to put on the big tree so I had this small one and put it in Shilo's room. I told Shilo this is her tree...she seemed very excited!

Another picture of our tree! I think it fits perfectly in that corner!

Feliz Navidad!!!!! I want to get red throw pillows instead of the blue ones but I don't know if I will this Christmas.

The dining room table! The big ornament hanging from the ceiling ( i didn't know where else to put it..haha) matches the ornament balls on the christmas tree!

Jeramy is back!

2008-11-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

Jeramy got back on Friday and had the whole weekend off so we went out to dinner, the movies, and had family night at his parent's house. I took some pictures of Luna (Jeramy's sister's daughter)! She has gotten so big and is crawling now. The last time I saw her she wasn't crawling at all so it was nice to see her and everyone else. Jeramy has off work on Thursday and Friday! So we are going to spend Thanksgiving at his mom's house and then on Friday we are decorating for Christmas. Here are some pictures of Luna!

A quick update . . .

2008-11-19T19:14:00.000-08:00

In my last blog I said that I was rearranging and cleaning while Jeramy is gone so I wanted to add some pictures of the changes..

I hung Jeramy's hats on hooks above the dresser so he can easily access them (and easily put them back where they belong..hehe).

I'm happy to have a little table beside my bed. I tried to make the room girly because Jeramy wanted the comforter which I think looks a little manly so I needed some girly touches :)

I bought beige curtains because there are different color blues in the bed so it would be hard to match up the exact color. Also, there is too much brown in the room already so brown curtains would be too much. I think the beige works well and we can also use them when we get a new comforter because beige matches anything :)

I also cleaned up the living room and moved the dining room table a little bit. This is probably the cleanest the living room has ever been :

Okay..I know you guys probably don't care about my apartment but I am very proud of the bedroom. I worked hard and I think it looks a lot better than it did. The room finally feels like a bedroom. It is now my favorite room!

Reminded of Being a Navy Wife

2008-11-14T20:46:00.000-08:00

Jeramy's birthday was on Wednesday (the 12th)! He turned 22 (man..he is getting old!..haha)! I bought her a really nice razor since the one he has now is not too great. I decorated the apartment with streamers and balloons. I picked up a cake and made a nice dinner (BBQ chicken, home-made mashed potatoes (Jeramy's favorite), corn on the cob, and a nice salad. Jeramy's mom stopped by to celebrate with us!

On a not-so-cheery note...Jeramy left today for his underway. He went out on a different ship to get more qualifications. He is supposed to only be gone for a week but Jeramy said there is a slight chance that he may be gone longer but I'm praying he will be home for Thanksgiving (and praying he does not have duty that day either). I was surprised that Jeramy come home this morning before he had to report to the ship at noon so it was nice to be able to see him again even if it was for an hour or less. So once again I am reminded that I am a navy wife and this is the life that I agreed to when I said "I do". I know that this is his job and he makes me really proud of the work he does everyday.

Since Jeramy is gone I have been cleaning and rearranging. I went out today and bought curtains for the bedrooms and some other little things. I rearranged our bedroom and I am excited to get the curtains up. I think Jeramy will really like it when he comes home! Tomorrow, the family and I are going to Monster Truck Jam. I've never been to one so this should be interesting. I am trying to keep occupied and busy until Jeramy can come home again!

The apartment decorated for Jeramy!

Long Time..No See (or blog)

2008-11-07T19:02:00.000-08:00

So, I haven't written in a little while. I have been busy with school, starting a new job, quitting a new job, taking care of Jeramy, cooking, taking care of Shilo, cleaning...then more schoolwork...then more cleaning...then more cooking..haha. It's never ending but I wouldn't change a thing about it. I was looking at my old blogs and I haven't put new pictures up of Shilo. She had a vet appointment on Thursday and now weighs about 15 pounds (when we first brought her home she was only 3 pounds!). I know I talk about Shilo a lot but she is my "baby" and I don't know what I would do without her. She follows me everywhere..and I do mean everywhere (even the bathroom). If I try to close the door to keep her out she starts whining and doing the beagle howling thing. She is my constant shadow and I love it for the most part :) It's nice that I have her up my butt when Jeramy is at work.

School is going good. I should be doing homework now but somehow I can't concentrate on political philosophy at the moment. I am doing well on all of my tests and my grades seem to be a tremendous change from JMU. When I was at JMU, I had so many other things that occupied my time that my grades began to slip but now that I am back at home and only taking four classes, I am able to concentrate more on school. Jeramy helps me study from time to time. My last psychology test he helped me study for I got an A on. He is totally my luck charm and now has to help me study for everything..haha.

About the job thing...I started working at King's Creek in Williamsburg but it was too much work and it was too much manual labor..haha. I probably could stick it out but when I didn't really need the job/money to pay bills..what was the point of putting myself through hell..lol. I am not a lazy person but it just wasn't for me! So after working two days..I called up my boss and told her things just weren't working out. She said that I didn't give it a try and sounded a little pissy but oh well. I am going to stick to doing my school work and possibly look into getting a small job somewhere on campus like I had at JMU. It won't pay much but it will give me something to do. They can't work you long hours due to the fact that you're a student so it may work out better for me.

Jeramy is doing great. He is playing video games as I type this. He works a lot still and may be leaving next week..I think Nov. 14...for a little work-up on another ship. Other than that..he is doing great! His bday is on the 12th so I am glad he w ill be here for that :)

Well this blog is beginning to get lengthy so I'm going to finish up. I just wanted to update our friends and family :) Here are some recent pictures!!!

The Family on Halloween

(from right to left: Will (sumo wrestler), Douglas (Tigger), Tori (Hannah Montana), Megan (clown), Shilo (she didn't dress up as anything but wore a cute glow in the dark dress), Me (bunny rabbit)

Jeramy and Shilo fell asleep on the couch so I HAD to take a picture! Kodak Moment!!! Notice the t.v. remote still in his hand..hahaha

This is the most recent picture I have but I hate it because it makes me look like I have a fat face...lol

Shilo fell asleep like this...I have the door propped open because for some reason it closes by itself...so she had her head pushed up against the door. Her face was all smashed and wrinkly and she slept like that for about an hour....

a kodak moment of Shilo (4 months old)..she looks like she is on drugs or something..lol I like to think she is saying "wats uuuupppp" hahaha

Our Apartment

2008-10-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

I was reading some of the things I wrote when I first started the blog and I said I would post pictures of our apartment and I haven't done that yet.

Our Front Door :)

Nothing New

2008-10-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well there is nothing new to report...so why am I writing you ask? I haven't updated in awhile so I thought I'd write a quick message. I am doing okay..classes are in full swing so I have been stressed a lot but that comes with the package when you go to school.

Jeramy is doing well. He still works alot and is hardly home but I know that this is what he needs to do. He has been enjoying his new toy (the motorcycle). I rode on it with him around the parking lot and I was very nervous and scared..lol. After I got off of it though I said it was fun and I wanted to do it again. We are waiting for Jeramy to get more comfortable with it and we have to buy some protection gear for me.

Shilo is doing great. She gets more hardheaded as the days past. She is having less accidents in the apartment but they still occur. She is spoiled and has way too many toys. She is growing like a weed and has a vet appointment next Thursday so I will update with that information. Hopefully this will be the last appointment until January when she will be spayed.

Jeramy and his toy :)

Shilo got a package in the mail!

She has gotten so big!!!

Changes!!!

2008-09-18T17:35:00.000-07:00

I am loving this September weather! I have realized that I love fall. I never thought I like it because I saw it as the end of lazy days at the pool and the beginning of yucky school but I have been outside more in the past few days than I probably have all summer. I guess I'm old now so I don't like the hot weather..haha.

In tune with the changing weather I decided to change my blog to something a little more "me". I originally created this blog for Jeramy and I to keep in touch with family and friends but I have realized that I talk more about me and what I have been up to with a few hints of Jeramy. So, I have changed it to The Life of a Navy Wife. This is where I will probably be discussing his deployments, etc. therefore the new title is more fitting.

Week 4 of fall semester if almost over! Week 4!!! It feels like I just started CNU and didn't know where anything was. Since the campus is so small I got over that feeling after one day..haha. I have taken three tests so far and I've gotta a 75 in Psychology, 90 in Statistics, and I took a theater test today but have not received my grade yet but I think I did pretty well. This semester is starting out pretty good, but doesn't every semester start out good and then begins to go down the drain after midterms? I hope I can keep my grades up! I have a lot of time of boredom when Jeramy is gone so I use it to study and keep up with my reading for my 5 classes.

Shilo (which is now her new name because Jeramy nor the vet's office spells it "Shiloh" with an "h" so it has it says on her name tag...it's now Shilo) will be 3 months old on Sunday! I will post pictures of her birthday party ..haha...She is getting really big and I wish everyday that she could stay small and cute forever.

Jeramy is taking his motorcycle class this weekend and probably will start shopping around soon afterwards for a motorcycle. He wants me to ride on it with him....we'll see how that goes...

Shiloh is growing up too fast!

2008-09-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

Shiloh has gotten so big. When I look at her, I just can't believe how big she has gotten. She turned 11 weeks old on Saturday (September 6th). She is still a handful but she has learned how to "sit" and how to play fetch. She actually went to the front door today and scratched to tell me she had to go potty (30 minutes before she came back in a pooped on the floor). She is slowly learning things and growing like crazy. Here are some pictures:

Back to the Routine

2008-09-06T23:00:00.000-07:00

The first two weeks of school is over and I am getting back into my routine of homework, studying, and forcing myself to wake up to go to class. The only thing that is different is that I have to take care of Shiloh before I go to class and right after I get back. The other night I was trying to do some homework and she wanted to play so I didn't get any work done. Jeramy has been working alot and working hard to get qualified. I feel like I haven't seen him all week but at least I know he is just in Norfolk and not hundreds or thousands of miles away for a deployment. I know that he will be coming home after work every day and not counting down 6 months.

Classes are going okay. I am hoping I can get my grade point average up to where I want it to be. I am seriously thinking about getting in CNU's 5 year program for teaching. I know I need to decide what I want to do soon. If I do decide to go into teaching I would want to teach middle/high school goverment. I am going to make an appointment with the lady that is in charge of the MAT program and just go to her office and talk about what the program is and what I would be getting myself into. I would only have to be at CNU for about 3 years so I think it is definitely something to look into. It would be an easy way to get my master's. I know alot of people say that you have to have a passion for teaching but I can see myself teaching a lot more than I can see myself doing other things.

Shiloh

2008-08-17T15:56:00.001-07:00

Well we have had Shiloh living with us for the past two weeks. She is a hoot and a handful. She has been sick since we have gotten her but nothing too bad. She still eats good and has too much energy for her own good. Here are some pictures of Shiloh!

Our First Home and the New Addition

2008-08-09T04:45:00.001-07:00

Jeramy and I have moved into our apartment. We have basically everything we need...and some. There are a few things we need like a microwave and some plants but we can survive without them. We also added a new addition to our little family, a 7-week out Beagle puppy. Her name is Shiloh and she is already spoiled rotten. She doesn't like to be alone probably because she is so young so I am constantly loving on her and reassuring here that her new home will be great. The first day she was here she was a little sick but I think she is feeling better. Jeramy and I were really excited to welcome Shiloh to our new home (even though we still haven't completely unpacked). We have both been wanting a dog for a long time. He wanted a big dog and I wanted a small dog, so a beagle seemed like the perfect in-between dog.

Our new apartment is nice. It has everything we need...two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, fireplace, washer/dryer, dish washer. It is perfect for us. We need to add some curtains and I think the apartment will be very cozy. We haven't finished unpacking yet but I have been working on it little by little. We haven't got the dressers from his mom's house either so our clothes are sitting in piles around our bedroom. The kitchen is really cute and has enough storage place for our things. Our first meal we cooked (or I cooked..lol) was speghetti. The Cox cable guy came over to hook up our cable and asked us what smelled so good and wanted to know how I made my speghetti. It was a compliment but then I remembered that it's basically the only thing that I cook really well..lol.

I will be adding pictures of the apartment and Shiloh soon!!!!

Friday Can't Come Any Sooner....

2008-07-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

So Friday is when we move into our first place. Even though it will be a small apartment..it will be our place. I am looking forward to having all our things in one location. I have stuff at my mom's, we have stuff here at his parent's house, and Jeramy even has things in a storage unit. Friday is almost here!!!! Yay! I will update more when we move in and getting settled!

Getting the ball rollin'....

2008-07-08T17:52:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since I have updated my blog. We have reserved an apartment!!! Yay! We will move-in on August 1st. It is two bedroom/two bathroom. It has a wood-burning fireplace, wall-to-wall carpeting, dishwasher, washer/dryer included, a nice patio...and some other features. Since we are military we get $100.00 off our rent and we don't have to pay a deposit or application fee. It's a pretty good neighborhood near my school. I am super excited!! I went to see the inside of a two bedroom/two bathroom today and it was smaller than I though but it will be cozy for Jeramy and I. I think it's also a good price for what we are getting. We don't have to purchase a washer/dryer...we get a nice fireplace. It's a nice complex with good parking, pool, tennis courts, and a playground. I can't wait to get in there and decorate.

Jeramy has been on the ship now for about a month. He has started his duty rotation which is every four days. He had duty on July 4th from 7:00am to 7:00am Saturday morning. Then tonight he has duty until 7:00am Wednesday morning and then he has to stay on the ship for his regular work day. Then he has to be on the ship by 11:00pm Thursday night to prepare for his deployment Friday monring. He will be gone until July 23rd. I will miss him a lot but it won't be too bad. I am going to visit my dad and stepmom from July 14 to July 22. It will keep me busy and keep my mind off of him being gone. We will be moving in a week after he gets back into our first place!!! I just can't describe my excitement!!!

I have my orientation for Christopher Newport University tomorrow. I have been online most of the evening trying to figure out what classes to take because I register for classes at the orientation. I have it planned out where I take classes only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8am 'til noon. It would be good if I get this schedule but God only knows what classes will be availble and I could get into. Wish me luck!

No patience...

2008-06-25T06:02:00.001-07:00

Jeramy and I are no longer house hunting. We thought we were approved for the loan but then the mean loan lady called and said that in fact we weren't approved and that we have to do a few more things and then apply again. Apparently I have a medical bill that went into collection for $88.00 so they couldn't give us the loan. I think that is sooo stupid....it's only $88.00 but what do I know about loans and banks..lol.

Another problem we had with house hunting was that we have not found a house that we love. We really liked this one house. It was perfect...garage..nice backyard...good neighborhood. The house looked in pretty good shape but then we took a tour of the inside and it was very disappointing. The kitchen was soooo small....you probably couldn't open the oven door without it hitting the other side of the counters...and I am being serious. The washer and dryer would be in the kitchen which I don't have a problem with but there was absolutely no room for even a two person table. The real estate lady told us that the previous owners had the dining room table in the living with the couch right beside it. I don't need a formal dining room but at least have some room in the kitchen for a little table. The upstairs needed a lot of work and the garage was full of "crap" that the buyer would inherit.

Because all of these road blocks..we have decided to go ahead and get an apartment. We are not sure where we want to live...either here in Hampton/Newport News or we may look in Norfolk/Suffolk/Portsmouth but we are leaning towards Hampton. Staying with Jeramy's parents is getting old so we desperately need our own place and we just can't wait to go through the pre-approval process again and looking for a house.

Still house hunting....

2008-06-17T12:18:00.000-07:00

Jeramy and I are still house hunting. We went and saw the inside of a house of Saturday. The house fit our needs but we weren't crazy about it. There is another house we have been trying to go take a look at but the realtor that is handling that house is giving us the runaround. She said that the contractors have all the keys and she needs to get in contact with them to get the keys. I mean..shouldn't she at least of a spare key in case the contractors lose it? It seems fishy to me....

At the moment we are staying at his parents house. I am in the process of getting CNU stuff taken care of and my orientation is July 9th. I am excited to register for classes and get stuff straightened out because I have been worried about what classes to take and getting to know the campus, etc.

As of right now there is nothing really to report...we are just enjoying the weather by going down to the beach and washing our cars in the front yard....and of course eating lots of slurpees!!!

About Us

2008-06-01T22:03:00.000-07:00

We met in middle school but started dating in high school (10th grade). We became engaged in October of 2006. We were together for 4 years and 3 months before saying "I do" on May 17, 2008. We were married in a religious ceremony in front of close family and friends. We went to Luray, VA for our honeymoon.

We are currently house hunting and we are finding that we have a lot of options and houses to choose from. It has become frustrating at times but we are just trying to enjoy the search. Jeramy is stationed in Norfolk and we hope to remain in Hampton Roads for the next few years.

This blog is a way to stay in touch with family and friends from all over. Please leave you comments and keep in touch also!