Jenna's Wedding!

We started the weekend off leaving San Antonio after work on Friday. I was unable to take off the day because it fell on a 3 day weekend and teachers aren't allowed to take the day before a holiday weekend or else we are docked $200...no thanks! So we made the journey to Brownsville with a loaded car. I wasn't sure how Jude would do. We had only made one other road trip with him to Houston and that last 30 minutes of the 3 hour trip were really pushing his comfort limit in a car seat. I realized what an ordeal it is to travel with a baby and I am sure kids in general. They require a lot of stuff. Jude did very well in the car because he slept almost the entire time. But just as we were moving into our hotel room at 11pm, he told us how he really felt. He cried, no screamed (I've never heard him scream) and was absolutely hating the fact that we were in a new place, and woke him up from sleep and I am sure was having stomach issues with being in the same position for hours. After some rocking, he finally fell back asleep for the rest of the night. Along for the journey was our very own "Granny Nanny" as my mom named herself for the trip. She came to watch Jude at the hotel so that we were able to have some adult time and truly enjoy the wedding. The next day we took our time and headed for the pool.After Jude met his Godfather and aunts he was soon off to nap. He was grumpy and sweaty in the hot Brownsville sun.
Everything about the wedding was fabulous...food, music, and a beautiful bride! It was great to slow down for a while and catch up with girlfriends. I realize how lucky I am to have such a great group of friends from college who all keep in touch and come together for fun events like this . We are all so very different...we live in different cities (and states), with different professions and lead different kinds of lives, but we all manage to stay close at heart and remember the "good old days" and make new memories as well. I've known this group of girls for over 8 years now...wow. So cheers to friends, sombreros and cowboy hats on the dance floor, my first alcoholic beverage in a year, purple shoes, Hadley's "husband competition"...how did Chris finally place?, Twizzlers...no red vines...no Twizzlers, wedding singers who text while singing, dancing queen, coma coma coma chameleon, and to Jenna and Niko...CONGRATULATIONS!

Back to Work

This past week was my first week back to work in 12 weeks! It was a bittersweet experience having to leave my first born child for a full day, but also very nice to get back to what I love to do...teach. It was nice to see my co-workers and my class as well. I was a little teary eyed leaving Jude, but knew he was in good hands...Chris' to be exact. It was an exhausting week having to get up early , having a full day with 20 five year olds and then coming home to be a an energetic mom and going to bed just to wake up a few times to feed Jude. Chris was indeed super dad...taking Jude on daily walks, cooking, cleaning, changing diapers and feeding...oh yeah and working during Jude's naps. It is nice to come home to a home cooked meal and a clean house....I could totally get use to this situation! It really worked out well that we were able to do this at least for a few more weeks until I am done with work. I am excited to be a stay at home mom this coming year. Its an opportunity that I know I won't regret. As a fellow co-worker told me... You are only in this moment now, it goes by so fast and you can never go back, so capture all those precious moments and memories. Its so worth it!

My First Mother's Day

Last Weekend was my first Mother's Day. It was a special weekend and it had more meaning than ever before. On Saturday my husband took Jude and ran errands, leaving me home by myself long enough to take a nap...an actual nap! It was heaven. I haven't been able to get sleep for more than a few hours at a time for 3 months and so I am always tired. A nap is a luxury these days. On Sunday I woke up and opened my very special gift...a Willow Tree figurine.."Mother and Son" to add to my collection. Then my brother, his wife and her three brothers came over to clean and cook a meal for our own mothers who came over later in the afternoon. We had BBQ/honey chicken, spinach/artichoke pasta salad, potato salad, jalapeno cheese corn bread, and some very yummy coconut cupcakes and lemon poppy seed cake...delicious! Thank you all for my very special day:)

Yellow Ribbon Conference

This weekend we participated in the Yellow Ribbon Conference which is put on by the Army Reserve Family Readiness Program and the Battalion that Chris belongs to. Chris is the commander for one of the four companies that make up the Battalion. The conference was held at the beautiful and historical Sheraton Gunter hotel across from The Majestic theater in downtown San Antonio. Over 400 participants from all across the country came including soldiers and their family members. It was a great program that included speakers and presentations on everything from emotional cycles of deployment to financial readiness. As the Family Readiness Leader for Chris' company I was able to facilitate these sessions, meet family members and recruit volunteers for our Family Readiness Group. I am also able to do it with the help and hard work of my best friends Rikki and Ana who also happen to be FRG leaders for other companies in the Battalion. With a lot of behind the scenes work, the program went off without a snag. As an army wife it's easy to be mad and angry at the Army for "taking" my husband away on these deployments, but if it's going to happen I am grateful to be going through such an experience with best friends along the way. I also have the support from other family members who are going through the same emotions and have the same questions and concerns as myself. As an FRG leader I feel empowered to be an independent women when my husband is gone and I hope that I am able to help others do the same. The Yellow Ribbon Conference was successful and although it makes this upcoming deployment very real and near, I feel its a necessary educational tool for anyone who is about to go through perhaps the hardest year of their life. There is a strong bond between Army family members in that they are the only ones who can possibly know what you are going through and we can support each other in that way. Its an experience that makes you appreciate life, your family, and the world in new ways and makes you ever so grateful for what you have. I know that I am not the same person I was before Chris was deployed...you mature, you are independent, you appreciate, you love more and are stronger than you ever think you can be.