Oh, to be Young!

wow..time to update this thing!!

2009-06-05T04:09:00.005-05:00

Okay....so lots have happend the past 2 months since I last posted. Here are some pictures so I don't have to write too much about my wild ride. These are in no particular order:

Saydie got to play catcher in her last game of the season. She LOVED it even though she barely 'caught' any of the pitches. But hey, she did stop the ball!!! She has the bruises to prove it! She is so proud of herself for not crying when she would get hit with a ball. All the other boys who played that position would leave the field bawling their heads off if they got hit!

I took all three of the girls to the Great Wolf Lodge and Six Flags one weekend in April. We had SO much fun!!!

Brittany and I on the Swings at Six Flags.

I got to go back to Harding for Spring Sing 2009....this is my old balcony off of my doorm's hallway.

The greatest friend in the WORLD took me flying over downtown Detroit on Memorial Day.

I got to go to my first Tiger's game with my sister and nephew. We had a GREAT time!!!!

My sister and I went shopping for bride maid's dresses and this is the one that won. Don't you just love it?!

I got to spend time with my nephew, Jack over the Memorial Day weekend. I miss him SO much!!

Another school year came and went.....where is the time going?!?!!?!

Saydie's baseball: Rays 2009

Saying Goodbye....Again

2009-03-17T23:49:00.002-05:00

These are some of the last pictures we were able to take together before he had to go back to Iraq...and, before my battery died. :(

George infront of the plane.

He really does love me....

See??

Everyone needs a little goofy-ness in their life!

Our last picture together before he left me again.

Time with my Husband

2009-03-17T23:35:00.004-05:00

As all of you know by now, George and I got to spend some quality time together recently. I thought I would share some pictures of us together at last!

George and me in front of the Joe's Crab Shack sign inside the playground.

Us in the water tunnel at the Dallas Aquarium.

Us in front of Six Flags. This was the best time I've ever had at that place!

We're about to get on the Batman ride.

I'm finally getting to wear my ring!! George had it sized to fit me again. Size 10 to a size 7 1/2 baby!!! Yeah!!!

He's Home!!

2009-03-05T22:54:00.005-06:00

After 3 cancelled flights and 4 long days waiting in Kuwait, George arrived at DFW airport on February 19th at 1:05pm!!!

I'm all about this divorce!

2009-02-26T13:11:00.002-06:00

I read the following in an email sent to me. Since I do not forward emails or 'pass' along emails to '10 or more' people...I thought I would put it on my blog. It was too good to not 'pass' on.
~Cherrie

Excellent!!!

Best solution I've seen in a long time!! DIVORCE AGREEMENT THIS IS SO INCREDIBLY WELL PUT AND I CAN HARDLY BELIEVE IT'S BY A YOUNG PERSON, A STUDENT!!! WHATEVER HE RUNS FOR, I'LL VOTE FOR HIM.

OUTSTANDING.

Dear American liberals, leftists, social progressives, socialists, Marxists and Obama supporters, et al:

We have stuck together since the late 1950's, but the whole of this latest election process has made me realize that I want a divorce. I know we tolerated each other for many years for the sake of future generations, but sadly, this relationship has run its course. Our two ideological sides of America cannot and will not ever agree on what is right so let's just end it on friendly terms. We can smile and chalk it up to irreconcilable differences and go our own way.

Here is a model separation agreement:

Our two groups can equitably divide up the country by landmass each taking a portion. That will be the difficult part, but I am sure our two sides can come to a friendly agreement. After that, it should be relatively easy! Our respective representatives can effortlessly divide other assets since both sides have such distinct and disparate tastes.

We don't like redistributive taxes so you can keep them. You are welcome to the liberal judges and the ACLU. Since you hate guns and war, we'll take our firearms, the cops, the NRA and the military. You can keep Oprah, Michael Moore and Rosie O'Donnell (You are, however, responsible for finding a bio-diesel vehicle big enough to move all three of them).

We'll keep the capitalism, greedy corporations, pharmaceutical companies, Wal-Mart and Wall Street. You can have your beloved homeless, homeboys, hippies and illegal aliens. We'll keep the hot Alaskan hockey moms, greedy CEO's and rednecks. We'll keep the Bibles and give you NBC and Hollywood.

You can make nice with Iran and Palestine and we'll retain the right to invade and hammer places that threaten us. You can have the peaceniks and war protesters. When our allies or our way of life are under assault, we'll help provide them security.

We'll keep our Judeo-Christian values.. You are welcome to Islam, Scientology, Humanism and Shirley McClain. You can also have the U.N.. but we will no longer be paying the bill.

We'll keep the SUVs, pickup trucks and oversized luxury cars. You can take every Subaru station wagon you can find.

You can give everyone healthcare if you can find any practicing doctors. We'll continue to believe healthcare is a luxury and not a right. We'll keep The Battle Hymn of the Republic and the National Anthem. I'm sure you'll be happy to substitute Imagine, I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing, Kum Ba Ya or We Are the World.

We'll practice trickle down economics and you can give trickle up poverty your best shot. Since it often so offends you, we'll keep our history, our name and our flag.

Would you agree to this? If so, please pass it along to other like minded liberal and conservative patriots and if you do not agree, just hit delete. In the spirit of friendly parting, I'll bet you ANWAR which one of us will need whose help in 15 years.

Sincerely, John J. Wall Law Student and an American

P.S. Also, please take Barbara Streisand & Jane Fonda with you!!!!

4th Anniversary

2009-02-16T21:37:00.002-06:00

I just have to say that I have some of the greatest friends I could ever ask for. I have the privilege of being involved in a care group from church that is just absolutely amazing. The people who make up the care group are among some of the top people in this world!! I say all of this because well....first it's true, and second because I got to "share" my anniversary with all of them last night.

Since George and I have been married, we have not gotten the opportunity to spend a single anniversary together. So, last year I came up with an idea to celebrate my anniversary with all my friends. I thought, instead of being bummed, I'm going to make the best of it. I did the same thing again this year. I went to Wal-Mart, bought a cake, had them decorate it and took it to our small group to share with everyone! All the girls were nice enough to let me borrow their husbands so that I could take a picture with them. All of them are wonderful examples of what a husband should be....and not too bad to look at either! HAHA!!

Thank you all for making my anniversary something special to me!!!

Dr. Phil

2009-02-04T10:22:00.002-06:00

After my niece's softball game one night last year, we all went out to eat at Cracker Barrell. Hardly anyone was there because it was so late at night. The whole family was sitting at the table when these guys all walk in. One of them looked really familiar, but I couldn't place the name. It wasn't until he opened his mouth to talk that we all knew instantly that it was Dr. Phil! We all started looking at each other and whispering under our breath..."oh wow! Look! It's Dr. Phil!!" All of us who had a phone immediately took it out and started texting everyone in our phone books saying that we were at Cracker Barrell and Dr. Phil was there too!!

By this time is was 10pm and no one else was eating except our table and of course his table. Mom thought it would be a hoot if she was to pay for his meal....so she did! She asked the waitress to give her his check, and only his check, and she bought his supper!!

Mason, my nephew, wanted to get his autograph so his dad encouraged him to go ask the 'bald' guy if he could have his autograph. Well, there were two bald guys at the table and wouldn't you know he went to the wrong guy! HAHA!! But, Dr. Phil was very gracious and said to Mason, "I think you want mine instead of his, son". So Dr. Phil signed the paper Mason handed him and then stood up and shook everyone's hands, made a little small talk, and then was nice enough to take a picture with us. Luckily, Morgan had her camera there.... she had to go buy batteries in the store for it, but we had a camera!! Mom wanted his signature too, so I took the receipt of his meal to him and asked him to sign the back of it. He did!!

Let me tell ya....he looks WAY better in person than he does on TV! He was TALL, very tall and lean. He looked really good! I was really impressed at the way he was with the kiddos and even us adults.

I guess it was just a great night to go out to eat with the family!

A new way of living....

2009-02-01T13:55:00.000-06:00

Wow, this past week has been one to turn the life that I knew to have upside down.

I got a call from George's ex-wife on Tuesday. I guess the first thing that I need to make clear is that it is very hard for me to believe anything she says. I don't know why, but it's hard for her to be truthful. I mean, she even told her youngest daughter to lie to her dad and me. When she started talking, I could tell something was wrong and that she wanted something out of me. She started telling me that things were really hard on her at this point in her life. She was telling me how difficult it was for her to find a job and how she's been struggling every month to get by.

Then, she starts saying how she's not being the mother that she needs to be for her children and how they deserve better. She said that she couldn't give them what they need and asked me if I would be able to take them back. She said that she would sign back over primary custodianship if I could keep the children. I was sitting there listening to everything she had to say, wanting to believe her, but I just wasn't sure she was telling me the whole story. Turns out that there were things that she needed to tell me, but didn't for one reason or another. I don't understand people who feel like they need, want, or have to lie. Seriously, why?! anyways...I digress....

Needless to say, her telling me all of this took me by surprise. I never would have thought in a million years that she would voluntarily hand back over her kids to me. I made it clear, though, that if I was to take Josh and Shelby, that they would have to be enrolled at school in my town. She agreed and said that she would take care of it. So, I told her that I would have to take a couple of days to get things in order and make some arrangements, then I would call her back later on in the week. The prospect of me taking care of the two kids threw me for a loop and really stressed me out. I knew instantly that this was going to be extremely tough and hard on everyone.

Since I live with my parents, the first thing I did was go talk to them. I was thinking that I would have to find a place of my own, but when I talked to them, they said to bring them here and they would do whatever it took to help me out. At this point, I just wanted to sit down and cry...my parents are truly amazing! Both of them told me that the kids will be better taken care of here and that everything is going to be okay. I think my dad told me that 5 or 6 times that night because of the look on my face.

Well, I called her back on Thursday and we made arrangements for her to enroll them in school Friday. She enrolled them in the Jr. High here and I went and picked them up Friday afternoon.

I was prepared for the worst, but really...everything is turning out to be okay. It is a huge adjustment for everyone involved. I'm learning all over again how to manage 3 kids. Josh and Shelby have to adjust to having rules, bedtimes, manners, and boundaries as well as being in a new place without their mom. Saydie's having to adjust to having her big brother and sister back in the house. Mom is re-learning how to cook for 6. And dad is reminding me daily that everything is going to be okay.

I don't know what Josh and Shelby were told by their mom about this, but I do know that it is very hard on them right now. They have been through so much already, more that I ever went through as a child. These next couple of weeks are going to be rough ones. We are all getting used to being around each other again. It is stressful to say the least.

I do need to say that I have two of the most amazing parents on earth and some of the greatest friends I could have ever asked for! I have had people praying for me and this situation and I know that God has heard the prayers. My friends have said that if I need anything just to ask. And it's because of these special people in my life right now that I know that everything is going to be okay.

I don't know how to label this one...

2009-01-17T18:36:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I've been going through something confusing lately. I've been super emotional, easily angered and extremely tired. And just to clear things up right now, NO, I'm not pregnant!

I guess I'm just sad. Sad about what you ask?? -I cannot pin point that one for you. I guess the biggest part of it is that it's been since April since I last saw my husband and it's been since November 2005 since we lived with each other. That's right....2005!!! It's really gotten to me here lately because our 4 year anniversary is coming up next month. We haven't had the opportunity to spend one anniversary together, -ever! I just feel alone. I know sadness comes and goes, but it seems to be staying longer than usual right now.

Also, I'm getting real sick and tired of people who insist on pushing their views on me. I get it that people have the right to their own opinions and they have the right to voice them, but I have a right not to listen or to not agree with what's said. Just because I don't agree with you, doesn't mean that you have to get upset and start taking hurtful jabs at me. The worst place this happens is in political conversations. I'm not going to force my opinion on you so don't even think about pushing yours down my throat! If you don't like the way things have been handled the last 8 years, tough! The next 4, maybe 8 years isn't going to be any better! We all have to deal with it and do the best we can with what we have.

I've made the choice not to text message anyone anymore....as long as I can avoid it. I would rather have a conversation with someone than try and type something out on my phone that takes way too much time and cost too much. I pay to talk on a phone, not to text. Besides, most conversations are taken care of in 1 or 2 minutes, sometimes less, so just call! It's ridiculous, to me, to have a conversation through texting. Just hit the dial button and get the conversation over with in less time! Maybe one day I'll feel different about texting, but probably not.

My daughter made me earrings today. She got one of those 1,000 bead jewelry maker sets for christmas and has been making things all day. She brought me the earrings and I wanted to laugh because they are really long....like 4 inches long. They touch my shoulders when I wear them. She asked me to wear them to church tomorrow, and as any good mother would, I said okay. I'll cherish them forever, of course...but wow! She's the best daughter I could have ever asked for!!! She's the one who has kept me going all these years. When I felt like giving up or when I felt like I couldn't do anything else, she's always there. She's my saving grace and I love her so much. I can't imagine what life would be like without her in it!

I know it's been random, but this is my blog...I can be random if I want to be! :D

Doctor's Visit....again.

2009-01-14T22:53:00.001-06:00

Today I took Saydie back to the doctor. She hasn't gotten any better from her last visit a week ago so I called this morning to get her in at the base, but they didn't have any openings. I asked if she could been seen off base and they referred me to her first Primary Care Physician, Dr. Humphrey...YAY!!!

Dr. Humphrey has seen and taken care of Saydie since she was born in the hospital and I just absolutely LOVE her!! I had to quit taking Saydie to her because I married into military and we have to be seen on military posts. BUT, I was thrilled to be taking her to Dr. Humphrey because I knew that she would take care of Saydie!

Dr. Humphrey did her normal assessment of Saydie and asked me for her history of this sickness. While she was checking Saydie out, she looked in her left ear and let me know that Saydie has an ear infection. I had no clue about this seeing as Saydie hasn't complained of any pain in her ear. Her right ear was fine as well as her nose and throat. Thank goodness for small favors!!

However, Saydie is still wheezing and coughing like crazy! Dr. Humphrey said that she probably started out with an upper respiratory infection that has now moved into a lower respiratory infection.

So.....Here we go again with another week of medications! She not only has to take her breathing treatments three times a day, she has to take ear drops every 4 hours, antibiotic everyday and a pill every night before she goes to sleep! Sheesh!!!

I just hope and pray that this will all be over soon! This weather is not helping out one bit either!!! The cold is what triggers her reactive airway disorder!

Please keep Saydie in your prayers. Thanks so much!

You're never too old....

2009-01-11T23:14:00.000-06:00

Tonight after small group, we all took one of our good friends for a suprise birthday party to Chuck E Cheese. It just goes to show that you're never too old to have some fun!

A doctor visit for Saydie.

2009-01-07T22:16:00.001-06:00

So, today I took Saydie back to the doctor for a check up from her Christmas Eve visit for pink eye. The doctor did his usual check of ears, nose, throat, and of course her eyes. Everything was clear, which is wonderful news seeing as she's started coughing again. He then moved on to checking her heart and lungs. I guess I counted my chickens before they hatched. Turns out she was weezing and I couldn't hear it. He asked me if she has a history of asthma. Like every other doctor I take her to, no one wants to label her an asthmatic so I said no, even though she has a nebulizer and albuterol treatments to take at home. We just kind of looked at each other and knew what the other was thinking. I don't know why exactly, but it's better for something like that to stay off the medical records if at all possible. He finally said that her problem is is that she has Reactive Airway Disorder...a.k.a. Asthma...although he won't put asthma in her records. Now she has to take breathing treatments 3 times a day and take oral steroids for the next 5 days. ARG!! I don't mind giving her the breathing treatments, but I absolutely hate giving anyone, especially my daughter, steroids! I refuse when I'm told to take them, but the doctor insisted that the steroids would help her to not get pneumonia. Seeing as she's had pneumonia almost every year of her life, I thought it might be a good idea to follow doctors orders on this one.

Please keep Saydie in your prayers. She's taking the two medications and they are making her shake as if she were cold. They were making her shake so much today that they wore her out. She slept from 4 to 7 and then went to bed at 9! That's totally not like her!! She's also not allowed to play outside if it's too cold. And, if she has an "attack" at school, I have to rush up there to give her a treatment because I don't have permission to keep the meds up there.

Thanks in advance for your prayers! I assure you that they are well received!

Lazy Weekend

2009-01-04T22:37:00.000-06:00

I think this weekend has been one of my laziest weekends in a very long time. Yesterday I had plans on going out shopping for who knows what and ended up staying at the house all day. I guess the only thing I did yesterday was play the Wii with my daughter for hours on end. We played so long that I actually got a little motion sickness from it all. After she got tired of playing, my friend, Aaron, and I started to play guitar hero online together through the Wii. Talk about motion sickness...that game makes you think that things are still moving after you have already quit! We played for about an hour or so and I actually was able to beat him several times! I really stink at playing that game and the only reason I won was because I was playing on 'easy' mode while he was playing on 'hard' mode. We had fun no matter the outcome though!

Today was another lazy day too. As usual, I woke up to get ready to go to church this morning. As I was in the shower, my phone rings. Saydie came running in the bathroom yelling my phone was going off and so I yelled back for her to answer it. It was George!!! She got to talk to her daddy while I quickly finished my shower....in record time too! I got on the phone and he and I talked for over an hour. I was watching the clock the whole time thinking that I might not make it to church and as it turns out I didn't. I really didn't care, though. I hardly ever get to have a conversation with my husband so when I get to talk to him, everything else takes a backseat.

-For those of you married couples who have never had the curse of being separated from your spouse, you have no idea what I'm talking about. Especially when that separation comes because of a military deployment to a war zone. You live for every phone call. You carry the phone around everywhere you go not knowing whether or not the next phone call is going to be his. Your constantly anticipating the next correspondence. You make hard decisions for the family by yourself. You try to be the mommy and the daddy for your children. You spend many, many months/years apart. You go to bed every night alone and wake up every morning just the same. You try not to, but worry everyday about the safety and security of your spouse. You always have the fear in the back of your mind that this might be the day a military chaplain knocks on your door to tell you that your spouse was killed in action. I go through all of this, everyday. And that is why my husbands phone calls take top priority when he calls...no matter where I'm supposed to be or what I'm supposed to be doing. I hope and pray that no one has to go through what I've had to go through the last 3 years.

So, after we said our goodbyes, it was way too late to make it to church. I waited for my daughter to get home with my mom. As usual, she argued the fact that she didn't need to take a nap so I didn't make her take one. We ended up watching movies, playing Wii again, and doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day.

I'm looking forward to getting back in the normal routine with school starting back up tomorrow. Saydie is so excited to be able to go back to school to hang out with her friends. And I'll actually get to start going back to the gym at my normal time now. Yay!

2009-01-02T20:19:00.000-06:00

As most of you know by now, I have been working really hard at losing weight as you can tell by these pictures. The one on top was taken in June of last year and the one on bottom was taken a few days ago. I finally made up my mind that living the way I was living was not worth it anymore. June of 2008 was my turning point in my life. I realized that I did not want to live in my 30's like I have lived my 20's. I knew if I wanted to be successfull with my weightloss I would have to quit drinking Dr Pepper. That was the very first thing I did. I never realized that I was addicted to caffine, but I quickly realized it when I stopped having it. After going through "withdraws", I chose to start working out. I went to my local military base and met with a trainer at one of the gyms. I was prepared to spend some money for using the gym and all of their equipment, but it is all free! The first week was really hard for me, but I tried not to be discouraged by my ability, or lack of, of working out. The more I worked out, the longer I was able to walk, jog, bike, even run! I work out 6 days a week now. I do cardio every day, abs everyday, and free weights every other day. I am down 82 pounds since July!! I can certainly tell a difference in my energy level. I've noticed major changes with doing everyday normal activities. I feel so much better overall!!! I'll keep the updates coming!

Oh....I can't even stand the taste of Dr Peppers anymore! How weird is that?!?!

Brand New Blogger

2009-01-02T19:47:00.000-06:00

Hello to you and yours,

Most everyone knows by now that George is in Baghdad, Iraq at the present time serving in the US Army. He has been there since April of '08 and is not expected to leave until sometime in the summer of '09. I, along with my daughter, have remained in Texas while he is deployed. The current plan is for me and my daughter along with his two children to join up with him in Germany after his deployment is done. We are scheduled to be in Germany until 2011. We have no idea where we will be headed after our time in Germany is over.

I, along with my husband, created this blog with hopes of it keeping all of our family and friends updated on happenings with the Young family. We will try to stay on top of things so that you will know what is going on with us.

God Bless!