Life after Training

Ok, so I haven't updated in a while and I think I should probably update this. Plus some people have told me I'm totally failing at this blog thing, so here we go.

So, after AIT, Brandon received his first PCS assignment to Fort Lewis, WA. He came straight here and put our names on a housing waitlist.  Soon after, my mom and I drove up with Kale and supplies for a couple months while we waited for housing. The wait was only suppose to be a couple months, so we figured we could wait it out in an extended stay hotel. But, of course, we ended up with a room on the fourth floor, and with a dog needing to go outside all the time, the arrangement was not ideal, to say the least. So, after getting a call from housing saying the wait would be a lot longer, we decided to find an apartment. We only had a few days because our things were being shipped here, and we didn't want them going into storage, so the hunt was on, yet again, for some housing.

We ended up finding a place, that isnt ideal, but with kale it's hard to find a good apartment that will take him. But, we got a ground floor apartment, so we no longer have to bribe each other to take him outside hahaha. We got into the apartment a couple days before our stuff got here. Now, we have most of everything put in its place, and are trying to figure out how we have a bigger apartment but cant seem to find room for everything. Honestly, I dont know how or why we have so much stuff. But I think a lot of the boxes are full of books that we dont have a bookcase for, so i tell myself we dont have enough room for all of our intellect. Which I know is totally untrue, but it helps me sleep better at night. ;)

Washington is nice so far, but food-wise it is seeming to be a poor man's phoenix. The red robin has been disappointing, and their version of paradise Bakery is definitely not as delicious, but it definitely is beautiful. Kale is enthralled with all the vegetation and wildlife. He chased a squirrel up a tree the other day, and is always sniffing grass or leaves. It's like he is discovering the world for the first time. It's pretty funny. We cant wait till it finally warms up and we can take him camping. speaking of the weather, it's so darn cold! We have spent a lot of money gathering gloves, scarves, beanies and coats in order to survive the outside world hahaha and yeah the rain is not too fun either, but luckily it is usually not very hard. But you know what, overall I'm glad we are here. Our ward is really nice and welcoming, and even though the closest Chipotle is 15 miles away, I think we can survive ;) and hopefully we will get housing on base soon.

2.5 weeks from AIT graduation!

Ok, man I'm failing at this whole keeping up on my blog thing. So since I last wrote I actually went to visit Brandon on the 12th of August and stayed for the weekend. We had such a good time just walking around San Antonio, especially the river walk which is really neat. Unfortunately we didn't take any pictures all weekend, which kind of makes me sad now that i think about it. But hey we will always have the memories...that is until i forget them hahaha  But seriously, it was such a good trip, and so nice to see my Brandon again.

In other news, Brandon has volunteered to go to Airborne training. He did get my permission first like a good husband, and as much as I don't like the idea of him jumping from planes, I know its what he really wants to do, so I'm going to be the supportive wife from my position on the ground as I will constantly be on my knees praying for his safety. To be in an Airborne unit Brandon will have to go back to Fort Benning for a 3 week training course. What does this mean for his plans to take his leave after graduation and help get us ready to move to el paso? It means for right now we are no longer going to El Paso, and we are now back in limbo not knowing if he will get to come home, or if he will have to stay in san antonio for a little while, or if he will go straight back to Benning for airborne training. Another wonderful piece to this puzzle that is our life, Brandon is currently at Camp Bullis until the 23rd, so he has no access to his phone or computer. This means that if he gets his orders soon, he probably wont get them till he gets back to Fort Sam, so that gives us a week to figure out what our plan will be. The whole situation is kind of ridiculous, but I suppose it is just giving me a small taste of what our life in the army will be like.

Let's see what else - Kale decided to eat one of his toys a couple weeks ago, and had to go in for surgery the have it removed from his stomach. Pretty much the most expensive and horrible weekends I have had in a very long time. But it is sooooo nice to see him more like himself now. We are back in his training classes, and I have decided to teach him to shake hands on my own. No major progress yet, he did lift his paw once without me doing it for him, but it didn't happen again, so it may have been a fluke. Oh well, he will get it eventually, for a dumb dog he is pretty smart - or is it the other way around? hahaha

Halfway done with AIT!

so yeah i still need to post pictures from graduation, and keri's baby shower - man im so far behind! But, I did just want to write to give an update on Brandon :) He is doing soooooo well! This past week he had some major tests to take, and he passed them all with flying colors! He is now a certified EMT-B (which stands for Basic I am told). Plus, he had another PT test on thursday and did his personal best in sit-ups, which have so far been his toughest challenge. So, all his hard work in the gym paid off :) I'm so proud of him. Plus, he thinks he may not have to take another PT test before he graduates from there, but I'm not going to bet on it, it seems they always say things like that, then make them test again regardless, so he may still have to do it again, but I'm sure he will keep working out and it will be no problem. So, this means everything is set and he will be able to hang out off-base with me when I go visit in two weeks from today! I'm so excited! Oh, and on Wednesday of this week Brandon surprised me at work by having some chocolate covered strawberries, a teddy bear and a ballon sent to me from edible arrangements! He is so sweet :)

So, now Brandon is entering Whiskey phase which is probably not going to be as fun as the name would imply ;)  but it is where they get to act out senarios on the 'battlefield' and learn how to apply their skills to a more military setting. Brandon said it is going to be tough because they will be running around with all of their gear on the whole time - bullet proof vests included - craziness! but yeah he is officially a little more than halfway done, so this has been a really great week :) Thanks to everyone for your continued love, support, and prayers

oh - and we may be finding out where we will be stationed any day now! Brandon said a lot of people in his company are starting to find out their 1st duty station, so keep your fingers crossed for someplace cool to visit so everyone will want to come out and stay with us ;)

12-ish Weeks Left!

Ok so I have had several requests to update my blog because I have been totally remiss and haven't updated in a long time. I'm a horrible person! So, I am going to do my best to catchup on the latest happenings here, and then when i can find my camera cord I'll post pictures from Brandon's graduation! Just to warn you they aren't as cool as I'd like them to be, but at least they are something.

Graduation - ok so the trip to Georgia was the best worst trip ever! Seeing Brandon was soooo great I can't even describe it! I didn't think it was possible for them to shave off more of his hair, but the army found a way. So, this was the first time I have had to travel and rent a car and hotel by myself, and it was quite the experience. The hotel was great, but gave crappy directions when I had to find a walgreens to get some items I forgot to pack. So, as I was driving around aimlessly looking for something I decided to get some dinner, and while waiting in the longest drive-thru I have ever been in, my tire pressure light came on. So, while sitting in a parking spot waiting for KFC to make more mash potatoes - yes you read that right, the KFC ran out of mash potatoes so after wasting half my young life in the line i had to relocate to a parking spot to wait some more - anyway, I decided to check on my tires, well what did I find? Yes, you are right one of my tires was completely flate, in the middle of a KFC parking lot at 10:30 at night in Columbus Georgia!

so I had to sit in my car, eat my dinner and wait for someone to come change my tire - yay for USAA roadside assistance. then I had to spend precious time with brandon the next day getting the flat repaired, then had to pay the car rental place for a new tire anyway - so dumb!

The next day, after getting a little lost on the base, after 10 weeks i finally got to put my arms around my husband! He thinks I'm silly, but I think he looks awesome in his uniform. What I wasn't expecting were all the rules that go along with wearing his uniform in public. He can't show any kind of PDA, so no hand-holding, hugging, andything like that. He also couldn't drive, or walk while talking or texting on his phone. I understand the reasoning for it, no distractions while in your uniform or what not, but not being able to hold his hand while walking around was hard for me to do.

I think I gained 4 lbs that trip going to the restaurants brandon hasn't been able to go to, and hanging out eating pizza while watching a movie in the hotel. But, I think it was worth it :) It was nice just spending time together, even if we were doing nothing. The graduation ceremony the next day was pretty cool. they had some awards to give out, and we got to see them march around and stand at attention, they even incorporated smoke and gun fire in part of it.

The next day we both had to be at the airport (me going home, him heading to San Antonio for his AIT training where he will learn to be a medic) so we got to have lunch together at the airport.

Since then we have gotten to talk a lot more, which makes the seperation a lot easier. Plus, we are broke from my trip out to Georgia, so we dont really have a choice but to deal with it and wait till we can save up for me to go out there for his graduation from AIT. We are looking into me driving there, then driving him back with me, and maybe hitting up six flags or soemthing since he has two weeks in between his AIT and we would have to report at whatever base we are assigned to for the next 3 years. So, we will see how that pans out. For now, he is doing relaly well. They spend most of their time in classrooms and doing hw - its weird hearing him talk about spending free time studying, sometimes I wonder what alien abducted my husband's body hahaha - he is still having trouble doing situps on the concrete, he tore up his tailbone when he first got there, so he can only do about 10-15 before he is in a lot of pain. I blame the Judd genes for his lack of butt hahaha Other than that things are looking really good for now.

His new mailing address is:

Judd, Brandon
232nd Med BN
E. Com #12-11, 1 Cav
Ste 1350
3250 Koehler Rd
FT Sam Houston, TX 78234

he can get packages and things now, aside from the obvious things that are still considered contriban (weapons, etc.) but if you send food, try to send a lot cuz apparently they are suppose to share or something.

In the area of little bundles of joy - and I put emphasis on LITTLE - Brynlee Abel was born the day after Fathers day June 20, 2011! She looks just like her dad, and is soo tiny and precious as only new borns can be! Both mom and baby are doing so well. What a blessing! Congrats Michelle and Ben :)
Ok well that is it for now, hopefully I will post pictures soon.

Disneyland vacation in T-2 days! yay

Week 10 - One week till Graduation!!

Well I am beside myself with excitement! This time next week I will be with Brandon! I can't wait! which probably means this week is going to go by horribly slow, but i can't help it! hahaha and if you dont believe me,  i think the amount of exclaimation points i have used so far is a small indication of my feelings! hahaha  anywho - I got a letter yesterday, after a week without anything because of his 5 day camping trip the letter was a very welcome sight :) It turns out he passed his last physical test, and should have gotten a phone call, but was sent on some sort of cleaning assignment and everyone got to make their calls while he was gone! That was so upsetting to hear. With his luck, im not sure how he has survived basic at all hahaha
other than that things went well during the trip, no ticks :) but he does still keep rolling his ankle. It seems to happen almost everyday, or multiple times during certain activities. I'm trying not to worry too much but I cant really help it. I want to get him some kind of graduation present, of course he says my attendence will be enough, but i dont want to show up empty handed. hmmmm.... ill have to think about it.

Week 9 - 16 days till Graduation!

Well, Brandons last couple of letters have been wonderful to read! It seems nothing has changed much on the 'getting in trouble for stupid things and people' front, but everything is going well and Brandon is staying out of trouble :) They went on another overnight camping trip thing the other night, and apparently there were ticks and bugs everywhere. Brandon was happy to report he only found one tick the next day while showering - so gross!!

In other news, it was my little sister jessica's highschool graduation on thursday. It was so weird to see her enter adulthood! It makes me feel old! I dont know what I'm going to do when my youngest sibling graduates! That's so crazy to think about, and its only a few years away! I never really think about our family all grown up with families of our own, for some reason my younger siblings are always still much younger in my visions of the future. hahaha I hope I dont turn into one of those moms that cries and can't bare the thought of her babies being all grown up. Things aren't looking good if I can't even handle my little sister graduating hahaha

Week 8 :)

Soooooo - lots and lots of good things to report!  Brandon is doing sooo much better. His spirits are much better than the last time I updated. So thank you for the thoughts, prayers and letters. Apparently he got 4 of my letters at once, so im thinking they hold mail and what not so that is probably why he didn't get any that one mail call.  Anyway, his PT test was last monday, and he did so awesome! He did 43 situps and only needed 36! He said he didn't know why he was so worried hahaha So, unless he hurts himself (knock on wood) there is no reason why he should not graduate on time. I think they may have to do the test one more time, but I think now that he has done so well he will have no problem cuz he knows he can do it :)

He is giving a talk in the branch over there on the 29th about obedience. I know he is going to do really well, he is such a good speaker, and of course he has been talking about obedience a lot in his letters to me so there really isn't a better topic they could have chosen - funny how inspiration works out that way hahaha

On another note Michelle's baby shower was on saturday. She got such cute things, and had so many people there supporting her! i thought it went really well. Allison throws a great party, and I'm totally trying out those tissue paper pom poms the next chance I get ;)  Anyway, I want to wish Michelle the best - can't wait to meet Brynlee! and of course thank her and Allison for letting me help out :)

Week 7

So..... I have been horrible and haven't updated this in a while. Brandon's letters come pretty regularly now, and i am trying to keep up. He mentioned one time they had a mail call - or whatever you want to call it - and he didn't get anything. I felt horribly guilty and have tried to send something everyday since then. I know he looks forward to letters more than we know. So, if you have been thinking about it please, please try and find the time to write him. He is struggling right now trying to keep 'sane'. There are just a lot of screw-ups in his platoon, and it makes it really hard for them to progress and get the privileges they should be getting - like phone calls! But, they were finally allowed to make a 10 minute call this past sunday, so that was absolutely amazing! Hearing his voice was awesome! Sundays are the thing he looks forward to most, his 'escape' if you will. When he first got there, there were 4 of them that went to the LDS services. Now, his name is usually the only one on the list to go, and since they cant go anywhere alone, one other guy in his platoon ends up saving him at the last minute and going with him, but he is not sure how much longer that will last. He is suppose to give a talk in two weeks, so it would be really awful if he couldn't go.

This past monday 5/9 was suppose to be their physical test where he has to do as many push-ups as he can in 2 minutes, as many sit-ups as he can in 2 minutes, and run 2 miles in under 15 minutes. He has been fine with the running and the push-ups, but has been struggling with his sit-ups. I am really anxious to hear how it went. I'm not sure what happens if he didn't pass, I think he may have to stay in basic longer, and that would not be good at all! We are both so looking forward to his graduation in June. It's really hard to not think about it all the time, even though i'm sure that is going to make these next few weeks go by super slowly - but I can't help it!

So, that is pretty much what is going on - he sounds like he is doing well, but I think he is just barely hanging on in some respects. So, please pray for him, and write him if you have the time :)

The Next 25 Weeks: Week 5

Well, things are looking up! I got another letter from Brandon on Saturday, and he got the letters and cards everyone sent for his birthday on the 18th! So, thank you so much it really lifted his spirits. He informed us (well his mom really) that his graduation will be on the 8th and 9th of June, and anyone who wants to come is welcome! The 8th is a family day, then the graduation is the evening of the 9th. He is thinking he will get to spend time with me/whomever else comes, during the day on the 8th, and the night of the 9th after the ceremony.

I booked my plane ticket, hotel, and rental car today for the trip. I'm so excited!! The only unexciting thing is you have to be over 25 to rent a car without an additional fee - so lame! One more year and then maybe, just maybe the world will finally accept that I'm an adult.

Brandon's letter said his ankle is feeling better, and he is doing really well. He looks forward to sundays more now than I think he ever did while he was home. He requested pictures and hopes everyone is doing well.

I started typing up his letters, maybe someday I'll make them into some kind of book, but for now it is just a fail safe in case anything happens to the originals. So, if you didn't get to read them, and would like to - let me know and I can email them to you :)

Week 4 - put in my place

ok so last night and today were the worst days so far since brandon has been gone, except for the first few days of course. I have just been wanting to hear from him so badly to hear he is doing alright. So, of course after writing my discouraging post, my sister sent me a text saying I had not one but 2 letters from my wonderful husband. I feel like every time i hit a major low heavenly father (usually through brandon ;)) sends me a pick-me-up.

ok so his letters were really one LONG LONG letter that he had to send in two envelopes. It was 22 pages long - granted the pages were probably 1/4 - 1/2 the size of a normal sheet, so id say it was more like 10-11 pages.

Anyway, they didnt really get any personal time so he had to write after lights out, times where he was technically doing some kind of guard duty, and even in the bathroom. hahaha  but I cant even tell you how much it meant to me today.

I hope everyone is writing him, cuz he said it was sad when the first batch of mail came and he didn't get anything, of course its probably because i hadn't received his address yet, and hopefully by now he has gotten all the letters I've sent.The last part of the letter was written on the 15th, so i'm hoping he got a bunch of stuff from everyone right after sending it. he told me about pretty much everything they have been up to so far. Most of it has been stuff he has found very exciting. they did some repelling, had their adventure in the gas chamber, and on monday were suppose to shoot live rounds out of their rifles. So, hopefully that went well.

Overall it seems like most of the time they get in trouble its not because of Brandon, which is awesome. Let's see what else, the food is good, he was kind of excited to get birthday cards, so hopefully everyone sent him some! i actually sent him a couple cuz i couldn't decide between funny or meaningful.

ok, well ill probably bring his letter to easter chicken and if anyone else got one I hope they will bring them as well so we can compare - of course i dont think everyone needs to share personal parts - obviously - but yeah no offense but im hoping my letter was the longest and there are more details in it I can share with everyone else than the other way around. call me selfish, but im his wife, so i get to do that hehehe!

well i think thats it for now, im distracted for some reason and cant think of what else from his letters are really important to write in here. he did say he wants pictures, and says hi to everyone, and wants to know how we are all doing.

just leave a comment if you have a question, or call me, i dunno, i'm sorry i'll get better about this reporting thing I promise!

The Next 25 weeks: Week 4

Sorry for not writing lately, and sadly this is only a post to say I still have nothing to report :( I'm trying not to get discouraged about it, but frankly, I'm having a hard time. I was just thinking I would at least get to hear from him weekly while he was in training, but I have heard nothing for 2 weeks (well except for that form letter with his address but that doesn't really count as hearing from him directly) and checking the mail is getting really depressing. But, I'll try to stay positive and let you know if I hear anything.

The Next 25 weeks-ish: Week 3 - Brandon's address

well Brandon didn't get to call yesterday :( I had such high hopes, but a call never came. So, now all I can hope for is that he was able to write and I will get something in the mail this week. Sitting around waiting for his call was awful, so I decided to hang up all our picture frames from the wedding I filled a few weeks ago, and the engagement pictures Allie framed for us at my bridal shower. well i shouldn't say all, because there is a whole aparments worth of pictures, and hanging them all up in my little room at my parents would be quite ridiculous. but I am really pleased with how the wall above the bed looks now. Its like a headboard of pictures. Then after dinner I made devils food cupcakes with white frosting - I added a package of cheesecake pudding to the batter, and they turned out super fluffy, moist, and delicious! granted compared to cupcakes other people make I'm sure they are just average, but they are probably the best I, personally have ever made. Anyway, hopefully I will have a brandon update soon - cross your fingers!

Ok - well after checking the mail I thought I should update this. I got a letter from Brandon! Well its more of a form letter with his address and a list of things we can't send him, with a small note on the back for me saying things are going well so far, and asking me to pray for him because this is going to be rough. :(

but here is his address so you can write him. I know any encouragement would be greatly appreciated:

Judd, Brandon R.
B CO 2-46 INF (Bldg 3520)
2 Platoon, RN# 244
9697 2nd Armored Div. RD
FT Benning, GA 31905-4769

then on the back in the middle bottom (under the point of the flap) write:

ROSTER # 244

if you have questions I can send you a picture of what he sent me.

oh and this is the list of things we cannot send him:

any type of food
civilian reading material (except for religious text)
firearms of any kind, knives, swords
civilian clothing
medication of any kind prescription or non prescription
cameras
tabacco, caffeine products
and of course any type of pornographic materials
audio or visual tapes
stuffed animals and/or dolls
plants (alive or fake)
liquid of any sort

so basically you may want to just not send anything cuz if they decide it is on this list they destroy it before he even gets it.

Week 2

So, I should have updated this a while ago. Brandon called me this past Thursday for about 3 and half minutes. He is doing fine, but apparently everyone is getting sick over there, so he is fearful his sinus infection will come back. I still have no address for where he is right now, but I did get a letter he sent before they left. It was wonderful to hear about everything he is doing-he even told me what he had had for breakfast that day. The only downside is the ever-present uncertainty of not knowing when he will get to call again. We originally thought sundays would be his time to call, and since we will only have about 5 minutes I have been taking my phone everywhere with me and making sure the ringer is on full volume so I wont miss a single ring. Of course, inevitably, if he calls today it will be while i'm in the bathroom or something hehehe Well, Brandon said i should be getting some things in the mail so hopefully I will have an address to give everyone to write him soon. I know he will greatly appreciate hearing from all of you.
Well that's it for now i guess - hopefully i'll hear from him today and have more to report tomorrow.
 Please keep him in your prayers, he is doing fine, and his spirits are high. Thanks for all the love and support!

The Next 25 weeks-ish: Week 2

Well it feels like Brandon has been gone for an eternity, but it has only been a week! Today he left reception and is now officially in Basic Training. He is no longer sick, and is optomistic that everything will go well. We were talking last night about the amazing power of prayer, because we can't think of any other reason why things just seem to work out when everything seems so bleak and miserable. So thank you (again!) for all the love, support and prayers you have sent his way - and please keep them coming. I think these next couple of weeks will be the hardest both physically as well as mentally so far for Brandon, and I know he will be that much stronger when he is done, but I still worry about him a great deal, especially now that we can't talk everyday like we have this past week.

Anyway, overall we are both still doing well, and Brandon is still in very good spirits going in to this adventure. I'll keep everyone updated as much as I can :)

Week 1 - 1st Picture in Uniform!

This is the first picture I have gotten since Brandon got to Basic. Doesn't he look so awesome in his uniform?!?!

Week 1 - Cont.

i had a really good conversation with Brandon tonight. he sounds soooo much better, although I think his cough is still making it hard to sleep. But, he seems to be in high spirits. He had no doubts about his decision, and knows everything is going to work out! It was so good to hear him say the very things I've been trying to tell him from the beginning! ;)  better late than never i suppose. haha but seriously i am so glad he is doing better, and i am so grateful for all the prayers and support He and i have received - Thank you so much!

The Next 25 Weeks-ish: Week 1

So yesterday was my least favorite day in a very, very , very long time. My Brandon took off to basic training yesterday, and after completing that will head to Texas for job training for another 16 weeks. It already really sucks not being able to talk to him or text him as often as I want, and its only day 2! He has managed to text a bit here and there, but nothing sounds too promising. He hasn't been allowed to sleep or shower since he got there, so his sinus congestion is only getting worse. But on a good note he says he is in pretty good spirits. I think he may be able to call in a little bit so hopefully i will have better news tomorrow.

kale

so we realized we haven't taken many pictures of kale lately, so here are a couple i took today

The Wonderful World of Disney!

This past weekend Brandon and I got to accompany his beautiful sister and her husband to Disneyland for the weekend. I am sooooo glad we went! It was really nice to get to know Allie and Josh better - they kept us laughing the whole weekend - and of course Disneyland is always fantastic. We got reserved seating for the new World of Color show at California Adventure. Holy cow it was amazing! Seriously, it was probably one of the coolest shows I have seen in a LONG time. I took some pictures - of course they wont do it justice at all, but I'll post them anyway ;)  We must have gone on Tower of Terror 6 times, but I could have still gone on it more - I need to figure out how to loosen the seat belt so I can float off the seat more.

Having Brandon around was great, he was our own personal Disney Garmin. He could tell us where the closest bathroom was (a very important skill) and where to get the best, or most unique Disney foods such as jalapeno cheese-filled pretzels (absolutely delicious)! Josh was hilarious! He would purposely scream on rides in a ridicuolous way and time them perfectly. At one point I was laughing so hard on Space Mountain I couldn't even focus on the drops and turns. Poor Allie wasn't feeling well most of trip, but she was such a trooper and didn't complain at all (if it had been brandon not feeling well it would have been an entirely different story, bahahha jk ;). Honestly, without her help, planning and thoughtfulness we wouldn't have been able to go. Plus, she had the best paniced face in a lot of the pictures they took on the rides - it was pretty funny.

Overall, dispite the ticket-takers best efforts (another story for another day) it was an awesome trip, and we are so glad we got to go. Allie and Josh - you are super awesome, and hopefully we get to go on another adventure in the future!

Wall-E

Under the Sea

random picture of the pier at newport beach i thought was cool

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

So, like most things in my life I start something, then drop the ball a bit - but luckily it hasn't been a ridiculously long time since I posted, so I'm going to pretend that I wasn't negligent to my blog at all, so as to not completely ruin my track record.

Plus, we have been busy moving and getting things ready for when Brandon takes off for Basic training. Yup - that's right, if you haven't already heard, my dear sweet husband is leaving me for 25 weeks to join the National Guard and go through his training. Then he will come get me (and of course Kale - if they take kids they have to take dogs right? hehehe), and we will live on a base somewhere for three years while he is on active duty. It would be simply marvelous if we could stay in Arizona somewhere, but I'm not even going to try and guess where we will be or try and get my hopes up. I think having no expectations is the best way to go.

So, for right now we are living with my parents until Brandon leaves on the 28th of this month, then I will remain there till late September/ early October when he finishes training. Overall I think this is a path that will bring Brandon so much happiness. I'm so proud of him for deciding to serve his country and join the military. Yes, its scary as all-get-out for me, and I'm terrified of his probable deployment, but I know this is the right thing for us right now.

Well I think that is pretty much it for now. we are suppose to go to Disneyland with Brandon's sister and her husband, so we are looking forward to having a little fun before Brandon leaves. Yay for Mickey!

so few things look good with dog pee on them

so last night our dog was hanging out by the door like he needed to go out, well we didn't really believe him, plus we were busy with dinner - whatever - so anyway, i went to the bathroom, then went into our bedroom to find that Kale had peed on our bed, i would say as punishment for us not letting him out, but that would be giving him too much credit. so, then i had a dilemma, i needed to wash the comforter, but it is too big for our washer, i thought about cleaning out the bathtub, then washing it in there, but ended up putting the detergent in, and running the washer, and hand washing it in there. I ended up being able to fit it in the washer after hand washing it and working it in there a bit. After it was all washed I went to put it in the dryer. of course it wouldn't fit very well in there either, and i knew i would have to take it out occasionally and rearrange it so it could evenly dry. well we dried it a few times, and tried to remember to stop it and rearrange it, but we didnt really do that. however, when i went and checked on it it was dry enough, so i took it out, and as i was laying it on the bed i noticed it had weird brown marks all over it - i was baffled till i realized we had burned our comforter!! i didnt know that was even possible! anyone want to buy us a new comforter??

Yay we have a blog!!!!

Soooo.... yes! as Brandon so lovingly pointed out to me, I am succumbing to married life at a frightening speed. I cut my hair, I like babies, and now I'm starting a blog.  I don't think anyone will really read it, or anything, but I think it will give me an outlet to be creative, and ramble of things that are probably only important to me, but that will hopefully be presented in a comical way so i can look back and think my life is more witty and interesting than it actually is! woohoo! Ok, so a brief background - Brandon and I started dating in January of 2009, and were recently married on December 18th, 2010. We now reside in a tiny one bedroom apartment with the most ridiculous - yet horribly adorable - 6 month old Weimaraner puppy named Kale. Since he came into our home I have turned into the good cop and Brandon the bad cop, so he loves on me but won't listen to a word I say :( Its quite frustrating, but then he gives me a kiss on the cheek and cuddles with me on the lovesac and I remember why I like being the good cop :)  Let's see what else - I graduated from ASU in May 2010 with a degree in Conservation Biology, and Brandon is currently working on his Criminal Justice degree through the University of Phoenix to hopefully get a job in law enforcement - yay to no tickets for me ever again! bwahahaaha just kidding - ...and, that is pretty much it!