Spring Break

Good morning bloggy friends! I know it's been a while since I published a "real" post...but honestly there just hasn't been much going on. I've been staying busy with classes and am gearing up for some projects in both programs.

This past Thursday, my parents stopped by to drop off their collie dog, Pinner, before they left on their Spring Break College Shopping Trip with my little brother. After getting Pinner settled in (she's an older dog, so she was a little nervous at being in a new place), we went to bed, and Friday I had my last day of classes.

Luckily for me, Friday went quickly and I was home early afternoon. Pinner did great, and was snoozing away when I got home! Saturday I treated myself to a Pamper Me day for the first day of my Spring Break. I got my hair done, got my first post-bunionectomy pedicure (which went great....no pain and no problems!), and went to the tanning salon. After lunch at home, I went over to the garden store and bought some miniature gardenias to replace the azaleas I planted (and killed) last year. So far, they're doing great; here's hoping they like it in my back yard!!

On Sunday, I went to Easter Mass with a good friend, Ann Marie, and later enjoyed brunch with Nana at her independent living facility here in Norfolk. Then I came home and worked on cleaning out the garage!

Monday, I took three big boxes of random mismatched dishes and things to The Treasure Shop (the consignment store on base). Easier said than done, my friends, what with huge and heavy dishpacks and one foot still in a cast. Luckily, they had carts so I was able to transport the goodies from my car into the consignment area without too much effort. Then I went to the Naval Exchange (like Walmart on base) to pick up a Christmas gift for Patrick from his parents (since he's deployed, we're going to celebrate Christmas during Memorial Day, after Patrick's home and when his parents are able to come visit us!). After my shopping, I hit up the grocery store to pick up some healthy goodies to match this amazing weather! I am back to my old habits of shopping the edges of the store (all fresh, colorful things, rather than canned or boxed foods filled with preservatives!) and picked up some delicious jumbo shrimp for my dinner.

All that said, when dinner time came around, it was pretty lonely around here. I marinated my shrimp and grilled it up alongside some sauteed summer veggies and poured myself a glass of wine. But when it was time to sit down at the table, it hit me exactly how quiet this house is. This was the first meal I've eaten at home by myself without the TV on. And it hit me how quiet it is. And how much of a blessing it is that school takes up so much of my time so I don't think about Patrick being gone. And how grateful I am that I only have to deal with this for a few more weeks.

I am so excited about my husband returning home from deployment. For wives who have never been through a deployment, or even who have never experienced a 6-8 month deployment, it's indescribable. There are no words to describe how lonely it can be, or the cycles of ups and down, smiles and cry-fests. But it's also the best feeling to be able to brag that your husband is serving our wonderful country and protecting our freedom with such pride!