It's All Going To Be Okay...Phew!

UPDATE:

I called the Naval Command center this morning to see what their policy was on letters sent to the wrong division number. Their policy is to look up the last name in the roster and reroute the letter. If not found, they return the letters to the sender!

SO!! Hopefully all of the letters will come to him at once and he'll feel much better!

I over-nighted my letter today so he'll have something to read before he writes his third letter on Sunday night. Dang, I must love him a lot to pay $15 to mail a letter!!! hehe

Letter #2 - I'M SO MAD...I'M SICK!

I got my second letter today from Josh. The first thing I read is...."I've been here over 15 days and haven't got a letter from you....every night the letters are passed out...Josh never gets one."

I'M SO MAD I COULD THROW UP!!!!!!!! I immediately called his mother to tell her the address was wrong. Come to find out, they received an official letter from the Navy with the correct address, didn't think much about it (HOW DO YOU NOT THINK ABOUT IT?!?!), and never informed me about it either. They too have been sending their letters to the wrong address. So, my dear love hasn't received a letter from anyone the whole time he's been there. That just breaks my heart!

I started calling the recruiting offices in Springfield, as well as the actually Training Command Center that he's located at. I left messages and will hopefully hear back first thing in the morning....ya riiiight....but you know I'll be calling again in the morning!! Surely those letters, probably 15 total from his parent and I (not including aunts and cousins that I know have sent some too), are somewhere! I just hope their policy isn't to throw them away if sent to the wrong place. That would just make me sad all over again if they have been thrown away. I hope they are stored somewhere or being sent back to the senders.

AH, I'M JUST SO MAD!

Anyway, the update from his letter sounded much better! He's doing better, he misses me a lot, he hates the glasses he has to wear, and got some really cool boots. (He's pretty random in his writing...all over the place.) One thing I was SOOOO happy to hear was that every night before bed, a group of 25 of the guys (about 1/3 of them) gather together and pray as a group. HOW COOL!!!!!! How blessed is he to have a group like that there! I couldn't believe what I was reading. It just lit up my face!

I will say, for a moment, I forgot the first line of the letter when reading about the prayer group!

But then, of course, I remembered about the first line of the letter and once again, got frustrated and very upset.

So I end my day with writing a 3 page, small writing, large pages, letter to my sweet dear with the correct address on the envelope! And you KNOW I'll be overnighting this one so he gets it before the weekend! haha

It's now 1:15 AM and I go to work tomorrow from 9:15 AM-8:3o PM. Thursday's are my long long day, so pray going to bed this late and being stupidly stressed over this dump situation doesn't make for an even longer day tomorrow.

MY FIRST LETTER FROM SWEET JOSHUA!

So at the beginning of this week I began to get very anxious to receive an address of Josh's location. His mom, Dana, had tried to get it several times from his recruiter, but he wasn't helpful at all. On my drive home from work Wednesday I got frustrated about it all! It's not like his recruiter didn't know what it was, he just wouldn't return Dana's calls and avoided her...ugggg. I get home, look in my mailbox...nothing. :-( But wait, I walk in the door to see my roommate sitting there. She usually works nights, but called in sick that day. Thus, she had already picked up the mail. THERE IT WAS!!!!!! The most beautiful thing I've ever received in the mail. My very first letter from Joshua! And yes, I say that name with so much sweetness in my voice. I just miss him so much.

I've had my good days and I've had my bad days. Mostly I just get emotional laying in bed at night talking to God about it all. Although, when I catch myself just having a pity party because I'm lonely and want to talk to him, I snap out of it asap. I think about Josh being the one in the new place with so many new changes. All I changed was not getting to talk to him on the phone. A big change for us since it's our main connection, but still...he's the one going through so much. I'm just so thankful I'm able to have great support from family and friends. I tell ya, Lauren Frazier has been the best friend a girl can have. She checks in often, prays for Josh and I over the phone, and is such an encouragement! God has blessed me for sure!

So, you're probably wanting to know if the letter was sweet and mushy....NOPE! haha First off, he's just not like that normally. Secondly, they read everything going out and coming in. And if they find something good to read in front of everyone to embarrass someone, they don't hesitate. So here it is...I'll share it all:

Dear Lane,
Wow, I can not tell you how different this is than I expected. I was way wrong. It's hard, very hard! I love you very much. I am trying very hard to stay focused. I have been told by the Petty Officers they read letters in and out. So there is a lot I want to say that I just can't...please understand. I have to keep things to a minimum. When you write back remember they read. So just tell me how everything is going, not how you feel to me....I know and you know how we feel. I wake up around 5:00 and sleep at 9:00 for now. I'm in around 10 days of processing, so it's not as bad as it will get. I don't have much time and can only write on Sunday's. I think about my family and you very much. Very excited to get out of here. I hate it. I'm yelled at and made fun of everyday...they find a way for everything. Tell my family I'm not sick...I called my dad the first night and told him I was throwing up and sick. By day two I was fine. I have a lot of things to tell you, so in one week I will try to. PS: NO gifts or pics!! :-(
Love Love, Josh Whitlock

So as you can tell...he needs LOTS of prayers. What he means by 10 days of processing is that he was in the first group of people to arrive at boot camp and would have to wait 10 days before everyone else got there. Therefore, yesterday (Friday) or today (Saturday) will be his official first day of boot camp. I believe he's doing a lot of cleaning, some physical stuff, but mainly dirty jobs. So really, our 8 weeks starts now.

In my letter back I reminded him of everything we've heard about boot camp from those who have been there. The first couple of weeks are really hard, but if you can make it through week 3, the rest isn't so bad. I'm so proud of him and I know he can do it, but I recognize it's going to be a big struggle for him...and I hate that. Only good can come out of this though! It'll make him stronger in a lot of areas. Before he left he told me that he's been holding a lot of his love back that he has for me because he knows it'll be so much harder while he's away. He said that he just can't wait to get out so he can show me more of the love he has for me...and of course I can't wait for that either! Hopefully he'll get more romantic...haha! DOUBT IT! Anyway, please please please continue to pray for him through this time. I talked to his dad, David, after getting my letter and we read ours to each other. There was only two things David was told of that I wasn't. He's in a "performance group"...which he's been told is much harder than normal boot camp. I'm not sure what the details are of that and how he got put in it, but we do know it's an honor to be part of a performance group. Also, he said the first day he was there (when he was pretty sick) he passed out in line and threw up when he came to. He said he was pretty embarrassed, but mainly just glad he's not sick anymore. His dad has also so nicely reminded me of the awesome bed making skill Josh will acquire and maybe he'll take up that chore in our home! I'll just hope for that!

That's all for now....more updates to come later. I love you all and thank you for your prayers!

Recipe Wednesday - Corn Salsa

IT'S RECIPE WEDNESDAY! YAHOO!

Corn Salsa

One can of the following:
Black beans (drained and rinsed)
Black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
Mexicorn
White corn
Chopped black olives
Chopped green chilies

Add in:
Large tomato chopped
Red/yellow bell pepper (or both) finely sliced
Green onions finely sliced (4-5)
Handful of minced cilantro (fresh is best, but still good dried)

Top with Fat-free Italian dressing and put in refrigerator to chill for several hours before serving with corn chips!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!!

I LOVE 4 YEAR OLDS!

Noah: "After we play a lot here a long time, mommy and daddy and me and Jonah get to go see Jesus right Miss Lane??"
Me: "If we accept him in our hearts, then YES!"
Jack (Noah's 4 year old neighbor): "I've already been to Chuck E. Cheese's!"

Haha...LOVE IT!

Recipe Wednesday - Chicken Soup

Today I decided to do a favorite recipe of mine each Wednesday.

I found myself driving home and the only thing that I could think about [correction: the only I could think about in order to not think about Josh starting boot camp today] was making my Grandma Marie's Famous Homemade Chicken Soup. Then, I got a craving for corn salsa and chips [recipe to come in a later edition]. It hit me pretty hard...it's easy....and it's cheap! THEN...after the thought of soup and salty chips and corn salsa, naturally I would need sometime sweet. Thus, the magnificent thought about fudge [again, in a later edition].

So. I made all three.

Ya, that's right....all three of those things in a matter of 3 hours.

My apartment smells....A-MAZING!

I have very fond memories of going to my Grandma Marie's house and smelling the aroma of her chicken soup throughout the whole house. The signature piece of grandma's soup wasn't the homemade broth or the perfectly tender chicken, but the alphabet noodles!!! For some reason, it has never tasted the same with different noodles. It wasn't too long ago that I made this for my college friends and searched high and low for alphabet noodles. After a hour of searching, I finally found it at the local grocery store and of course stalked up on them. It's just a must!

So today, I share a recipe with you that hasn't been given out to many people.
But in honor of my Grandma Marie, ENJOY!

Marie's Alphabet Chicken Soup
serves: 8-10
prep time: 30 minutes
cook time: 2-2.5 hours

6 celery sticks
6 carrot sticks
1/2 onion
handful of celery leaves
1 T poultry seasoning
Water (after chicken is in pot, add water to where you can see 1 inch of pan)
Alphabet noodles
Small, young chicken

Bring chicken and water to a boil for 5 min. Skim fat off the top after boiling. Add chopped onion, chopped celery and leaves, chopped carrots, and poultry seasoning. Boil for another 5-10 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cock lid for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Cook noodles, serve, and enjoy!!

It's A Long One...Are You Up For It?

There are too many things to write about since the last time and just not enough space in my brain to sort it all out and blog it....so, bare with me.

First off, my love surprised me just a few days before my swinging through Springfield (on my way home from a wedding over Labor day weekend in OK) to tell me that he's jumping in the car and coming back to Louisville with me! FOR A WHOLE 10 DAYS!!

**Backing up for a moment to the road trip to my friend's wedding...I found out my best friend Katherine Powell and her husband are PREGGERS!!!!!!! WAHOO! They are due April 7, 2009!!**

My boss was so sweet to let him come with me to work and play with the kids. Let me tell you what, that boy shocked me all to pieces! He was so great with Noah and Jonah. Since I've gotten back from MO, the four year old, Noah, has asked everyday where Mr. Josh is. Pretty sure he loves him more than he loves me. hehe But that's okay. They listened so well to him and really respected him. To say the least, Josh is going to be a GREAT father. At one point, we were both sitting on the couch waiting for parent's to get home and had both boys crawling all over us. We were all just laughing so hard! Once it started to settle down, Josh looked at me and said, "Foreshadowing? I just can't wait. This is going to be so much fun!"

Then, we both drove back to MO for 4 days where we:

1. Spent some time with my parents who just moved into their new home in Fordland, MO!


2. Had the official "Future In-Law Dinner". Which I must say went amazingly well...the dads seemed to hit it off! Dad has said a few times since then he can't wait to go motorcycle riding with David! haha

3. Celebrated Josh's 21st birthday and "Anchors Aweigh-Bon Voyage" in OK at the Grand Lakes with most of his extended family. It was so great to meet everyone I had been told about and for them to finally believe Josh that he wasn't making me up! hah

4. And of course, dreadfully said goodbye to Joshua for the last time before he leaves for the Navy. Which is September 23...this Tuesday...ya, that's right....today is Sunday evening...so I have one more full day to speak with him. I'm pretty much banking on not hearing much from him since he has to earn his phone calls (that even if he earns them, they can take it away just to tick him off) and he's not much of a writer. I will definitely be sending him letters, but I know he'll be so busy it'll be hard for him to find time to write anyway.

I come home to:

1. ALL OF LOUISVILLE OUT OF POWER FROM A WIND STORM.

2. No place for food, gas, or any sort of light in the darkness.

3. A very hot apartment and extremely hot place of work.

4. PRAISE GOD! Our power came back on Tuesday! However, the people I nanny for didn't get theirs back until Friday.

5. Some of Louisville is STILL without power and it's officially been 7 days. UG. I took these pictures on my way home from church today just right down the road from me. :-(

This week includes:

1. Nannying

2. Mary Kay parties...WAHOO!

3. Talking to Josh early early Tuesday morning for the last time before boot camp. The 9 week countdown will then begin. Booo....

4. Working at the salon.

5. Getting as much sleep as possible....I've been lacking lately. ;-)

So there you have it....the last three weeks of my life in blog form....and an extremely long one at that. If you read the whole thing, YOU'RE AWESOME! ;-)

Guilty Pleasure...

Most people might say their guilty pleasure is something like chocolate (which IS on the top of my list), a new pair of shoes, or possibly a day at the spa. Sounding good yet?? Ya I'm tempted to indulge in all three of those!

But I must say, lately, my guilty pleasure is MUCH MUCH different. As you all know, I'm a nanny for two sweet boys, Noah and Jonah. Everyday I look forward to 2:00.

Why 2:00 you ask...

NAP TIME WITH JONAH!! I get to rock this sweet boy to sleep while he downs a bottle of milk. In the past when rocking a little one to sleep, I would lay them down as soon as they fell asleep.

Not with this one. He's just too adorable and cuddly that I just CAN'T put him down right away!

So my official guilty pleasure....Rocking Jonah to sleep, then once asleep laying his head on my shoulder and taking a cat nap with him! I just love it!


It makes me look forward to having children of my own one day and cuddling up with them too!

Formal Induction Into Nannyhood

First off, it's been WAY too long since I last posted. My deepest apologies. I know you have all been checking everyday to see what's new and what a let down I am. TOTALLY KIDDING!

So this week was my first full week with the boys; Noah (4) and Jonah (1). It has been so much fun taking Noah to swim lessons and hearing how he was at the beginning and getting to see how much of an improvement he's made over the summer. He's such a little fish with no fear! And yes, I'm a VERY proud nanny of one week!

Jonah is one and doesn't try to say any words most of the time, so I hear a lot of "ooooo's" and "mmmmmmm's" in order to let me know something is up. We're working on that of course. He's starting to catch on to the fact I don't answer to that. He finally said "more" the other day after 3 full days of asking him, "Oh, you want MORE?" every time, I mean EVERY TIME, he moaned to get more food or drink. He looked closely at my lips, smiled, and quietly said, "more"....which of course I praised so much he has chosen to make that the only time.

So enough about that....you probably want to know what I mean by "induction into nannyhood" right?!?!?

Well before I go into that (Haha...gotcha! You won't be disappointed. PROMISE!).

Yesterday morning I was shaving my legs in the shower with my foot propped up on the side of the tub. As I leaned forward towards my foot to start another stroke, my foot slipped and I rammed my forehead into the tile shower wall. Which of course I hit hard enough to throw me backwards and I had to catch myself from falling all the way down by grabbing the shower curtain. No really, it's okay, go ahead and laugh! I did. I was sure that my head would be bruised with a huge bump on it, but luckily I walked away with one very sore forehead (still does a lot today too) and that's it!

Phew! That was a close one.

Oh yes, induction...that's right.

Only about 2 hours after the tragic shower incident, Jonah and I joined Noah in his parent's room where he was watching his morning cartoons to see how he was doing. I was leaning towards him chatting it up when the induction happened. That's right, this was no rose ceremony where everyone sings songs and brings dates for a formal dinner....it was a "happening" that will forever remain with me. Jonah and I love to play this game each morning where he does this plop down thing on the bed and throws his head back fast for me to tickle him. This time, he turned around and as he flung his body backwards, my eye got in the way. Yup. Jonah's hard head + Lane's eye = HUGE GOOSE EGG ON MY BROW BONE AND A BLUE...THEN PURPLE...NOW RED AND BLACK EYE!!!

As rubbed my eye I looked a Jonah and see him looking at me rubbing the back of his head with this look of "Oh man, I know that had to hurt her! She looks in pain." Although it hurt so bad I could have cried, I sucked it back and made sure Jonah was okay (which he didn't cry at all thankfully). I didn't think much about taking a look at it in the mirror or anything, until the four year old said about 10 minutes later, "Um, Miss Wayne. Your ieh wooks big and it's bwack. You swould pwrobawy wook in da miwo!" [Translation, like you really need it: Um, Miss Lane. Your eye looks big and it's black. You should probably look in the mirror!"] Sure enough, after wooking in da miwo, my eye was definitely big and bwack!'

To be honest, I think I might have slight concussion from the two big blows to the head. Yesterday evening I had a pretty bad dizzy spell, as well as three today while at the salon working for 10 hours. I don't think it's serious, but enough to make me dizzy and have a constant headache.

I'm now officially a "nanny" with a battle wound to prove it. This lovely picture was taking an hour after blow number 2. Today, the goose egg is gone, but still swollen a tad and definitely red and black. I must say though, it's in the perfect place that you can't see it much unless I close my eye...and it kind of looks like dark eyeshadow after doing some patchwork with some makeup! haha

All is well and life goes on! You know what would make me feel better?!?! TO HEAR YOUR INDUCTION STORIES!!! They could be funny, painful, or memorable...take your pick!

**UPDATE ON 8-8-08...a very large bruise has now appeared on my forehead...Oh joy!**

9 on the 9th

I guess I'll keep this going...thanks Alana!

Life has been happening quite quickly for me over the past few weeks and I've LOVED every minute of it! Here are 9 happenings!

1. I got a job for the month of July!! WAHOO! I don't start my nanny job until August 1, so I found a job to hold me over until then at an upscale salon, Jerry Heston's Hairstyling, as a receptionist.

2. Picked my boy up at the airport and spent an entire week with him! He spoiled me so much!



3. My old roomie came in town and I cooked an amazing enchilada supper for her and some other friends (a great recipe by this wonderful person!!!), baked a delicious chocolate meringue pie, and we had a fun game night playing Apples to Apples!!



4. Heard the words "I love you" by the most wonderful person ever, Joshua Christian Whitlock....and I love it more and more everytime I hear it!

5. Here's a crazy one....WENT RING BROWSING! AH! Josh and I were at the mall and he pulled me into a ring store so he could know what I like...the rest is up to him.

6. Went to a concert and firework show the night before the 4th of July with some friends!



7. Spent the 4th of July on a Firework Cruise on the Ohio River and saw a great firework show!



8. Had another friend, Tom, come in town over the holiday and we all went to Six Flags!



9. Started the receptionist job and have been doctoring my feet since....I'm on them all day long...no sitting allowed...no time to sit really....a very busy and demanding job. But I love it!