Fort Lost-in-the-Woods

Well I made it to Fort Leonard Wood! I left yesterday at 0630 and stopped twice - once to pee (lol) and once for gas. The next time I stopped was when I got to Fort Leonard Wood (to pee and for more gas lol). My car did very well on the way down here, considering it's like 600-some miles. The drive itself wasn't bad at all, just looooong and boring. St. Louis was probably the worst part because it was so busy. I thought about stopping by to see the arch but I didn't want to risk getting lost and St. Louis is also the worst city in the U.S. and I swear the part I drove through on the way looked kind of shady haha.

I did get lost right when I got here, though. I got off the highway, went down some winding roads surrounded by trees and questionable houses then came to a security gate (which was definitely NOT the main gate). Then my GPS took me off-roading (literally) and before I knew it I was on base. Totally bypassed the big main gate haha. I drove around and eventually made it past the main gate and then went off post...and found a gas station. I was stressing because I had to pee sooooo bad and I was just about on E at that point from aimlessly driving around! I made it though :) I met up with Eddie at some random building and he decided to pay (lol) for my stay here so that I can get my own room key - it would just make it a lot easier because I came during the week and Eddie has class.

I'm so happy to be here and so happy to see him and be with him. I missed him so much <3

Eddie got me a PoA so that I could enroll in DEERS and get my military ID card. I know everyone has told me something different, but this DEERS office wanted my birth certificate and SS card...so instead of mailing around important documents I figured it would be easier for me to just come here in person and do it (and of course spending time with Eddie is a plus!). So that got taken care of, I got my military ID card (and I *HATE* my picture lol) and now I can access the PX and Commissary. I decided to just go to the PX because they have a Starbucks there lol. Oh, and I have Tricare now, yay! But of course now I have to decide between Standard or Prime and I have no idea which one to get (I have Standard right now).

bridesmaid attire update

I went dress shopping with the other girls today! We decided on the strapless dress and as for shoes...I spoke to the other girls and they prefer comfort over really high heels lol which is fine...so we opted for these:

Which are the same exact shoes I'm wearing, but mine are the dyeable white color to match my dress. The girls will be wearing silver. There's a little bit of bling on the straps - I think it will look reeeeally nice the the lapis color! Everything will also look really nice with the calla lily bouquets I plan on getting for the girls :)

As for jewelry, so far everyone seems to be leaning towards pearls, which I also like, but it's trying to find something that everyone will like! And then of course there is purple jewelry...I don't know what to do! I guess I still have some time to think about that lol.

I'm getting really nervous about driving to Fort Leonard Wood by myself. I think I'm more so worried about my car, even though I had it inspected and everything is fine. It's still 11 years old. I also like to sleep in cars...so I might get sleepy...and 10-11 hours is a long time but the end result will be worth it :)

wedding update post

Click to enlarge pictures :)

I keep looking at wedding cakes and this is the one that I keep coming back to! It doesn't really go with the "calla lily" theme because those flowers obviously aren't calla lilies but there is something about this cake like I love...maybe I love it for its simplicity and elegance. I would need a 3 tier at most. I also really really really want to substitute fondant for marzipan, but I have yet to find a baker who can and is willing to do it. If not, I might opt for a smooth buttercream icing with an almond flavored cake with either strawberry or raspberry filling. Or I might opt for an Italian cassata cake instead!

I randomly came across this on Google. I LOVE it! I was originally just going to do some glass bowls with purple glass marbles at the bottom, fill with water and put some floating tea light candles in them, place the bowls on a piece of mirrored glass and decorate with purple flower petals or more tealights or both. But I also really like this centerpiece, too.

I decided I MUST have these flowers until I find something else that I like lol. I just loooove these calla lilies with the purple center! The left is the BM bouquet and the right is the bride's bouquet. The girl who is doing my flowers said she would substitute the purple hydrangeas for cheaper (and better looking) almosteria flowers. I'm doing real flowers for the bouquets.

Now, onto BM wear!
Shoe option #1..called Snappy. Obviously they would have to be dyed in the needed color. I love these shoes!

Shoe option #2....Maribelle. My roommate didn't get her shoes yet because she wanted to see what the other girls thoughts are. One of my other girls saw everything and said she loves the dresses (#2 better than #1) but then she told me "as for shoes...umm...idk." Now, I hate telling people "you have to wear this!" and I truly want everyone's input and everyone to be happy with everything, but I just thought that was kind of rude. It is *my* wedding, btw.

Dress #1. Looks great in person. Great for us girls who are lacking on top lol, because dress #2 would constantly be falling off. My roommate went with this one.

Dress #2. Doesn't look all that special in the picture but it looks reeeeally nice in person. Everything is pretty reasonably priced in my opinion.

I'm thinking about getting jewelry for my girls as gifts along with other things, but I honestly don't know what. I suck at accessorizing haha. I've been looking on Etsy and they have a lot of cute things but I just don't know! I also need a necklace for myself, but I just need to find something that doesn't hang too low (because my dress has a straight neckline) and also something that will look good with my dress. So far I'm liking:

This crystal flower & pearl necklace,

This pearl drop necklace

Another pearl drop necklace...I would either get purple or blue (and that could be my "something blue!")

This "simple delight" necklace...It's different. But I kind of like it.

This necklace/earring set...David's Bridal had something similar to this but this one is sooooo much prettier. The problem, tho? I don't have pierced ears anymore haha

And another pearl drop necklace.

Etsy has a huuuuge selection. I'm still looking, but this is what I've come up with so far.

For my girls, so far I've come up with:

These amethyst earrings.

These stardust/dark purple earrings.

These pearl/Swarovski crystal earrings. I would get purple.

This cascade crystal necklace, but I don't know. it almost looks kind of cheap.

I also love this bracelet!

And this isn't wedding related, but I came across this bird necklace and I thought it was so cute!

It's officially official! :D

I survived the grad application clearance process and got my diploma today:

Yay!

♫ all that I'm after is a life full of laughter ♫

Trying to get my bridesmaids together to all agree on both a day and a time is a daunting task. We were originally going to go BM dress shopping this Tuesday but one of the girls is having a bunch of car problems (totally not her fault)...the other one had the wrong date written in her planner this entire time, and we have talked about this/been planning this for awhile now! I'm kind of annoyed with that. I scheduled an appointment with David's Bridal for this upcoming Sunday (Jan 23rd) at 1:30pm. Hopefully that works, because I can't wait any longer to do this!

My brother's birthday is this upcoming Thursday and I have NO idea what to get him. Neither does my mom. Any ideas on what to get a growing 29 year-old? lol He always loves his Caribou coffee but I feel like a gift card wouldn't last him long if I got that for him. I don't know.

I also ordered an Army Wife keychain! I got it from Just Initials.

I was tossed between the camo and the large polka dots one, but I got opted for the latter. I basically got the last keychain in that picture with a 5.5-6" strap that will fit on the wrist. It was only $11 with shipping and I think it's really cute! Can't wait to get it! :D

The Making of a Military Wife

When the good Lord was creating Wives, he was into his sixth day of overtime.

An angel appeared and said, "You're having a lot of trouble with this one. What's wrong with the standard model?"

And the Lord replied, "Have you seen the specs on this order? She has to be completely independent, but must be sponsored to get on post; have the qualities of both father and mother during deployments; be a perfect hostess to 4 or 40; run on black coffee; handle emergencies without a manual; be able to handle flu, birthdays and moves around the world; have a kiss that can cure anything from a child's torn Valentine to a husband's weary day; have the patience of a saint when waiting for the Unit to return home; and have six pairs of hands."

The angel shook her hand slowly and said, "Six pairs of hands... no way!"

And the Lord answered, "Don't worry, we'll make other military wives to help. Besides it's not the hands that are causing the problem, it's the heart. It must swell with pride in her husband, sustain the ache of separations, beat on soundly when it's too tired to do so and be large enough to say, "I Understand" when she doesn't, and 'I love you' regardless."

"Lord," said the angel, touching his sleeve gently. "Come to bed... finish this tomorrow!"

"I can't," said the Lord. "I'm so close to creating something unique. Already I have one who heals herself when she's sick, can feed three unexpected guests who are stuck in the area due to bad weather, and can wave good-bye to her husband, from a pier, off a runway and understand that it is important to his country that he leaves."

The angel circled the model of the military wife very slowly. "It's too soft," she sighed.

"But tough," said the Lord excitedly. "You cannot imagine what this woman can do or endure."

"Can it think?"

"Can it think? It can convert 1400 to 2 p.m."

Finally, the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. "There's a leak," she pronounced. "I told you that you were trying to put too much into this model."

"It's not a leak," said the Lord. "It's a tear."

"What's it for?" asked the angel.

"It's for joy. Sadness. Disappointment. Pain, loneliness and pride!"

"You are a genius," sighed the angel.

The Lord looked somber and replied, "I didn't put it there."

~Anonymous

Well, that's it. He's gone. He's on his way back to MO (just talked to him and he's actually only about 100 miles away!)

We really didn't sleep at all last night. We woke up at 0700 and his mom made us some eggs over easy & sausage and biscuits and gravy. And a full pot of coffee. We relaxed for a bit, Eddie did some more last minute packing and by like 0815 he was out the door and on his way back.

The past 9 days went by too fast. Christmas was wonderful, and so was NYE, even though it was uneventful - we didn't go out to a party and get wasted off our asses. I just enjoyed spending time him.

There is a possibility that I will see him later this month, otherwise I probably won't see him again in person until late February/mid-March, which seems like foreverrrr from now. In the mean time, work, taking my review course and studying for my boards as well as additional wedding planning will keep me busy. Once my work lets me go though (which will probably be in March, when I get my RN) I have no idea what I will do between then and May.

And let me just say, I really hate it when people complain about not seeing their SO's for a few days or like a week. Like my roommate. Her fiance is on his way to Thailand for a missions trip for just a week and she is so upset. I'm not trying to sound whiny because Eddie left today too and I'm not sure exactly when I will see him again, but there are a lot of people who have it so much harder and have to wait WEEKS or MONTHS before they can see their SO's again. Some may never see them ever again. Overall I'm doing okay, probably because I know Eddie isn't on the front lines atm or anything. I'm sure I'll be a nervous wreck when he deploys but for now I'm just taking everything a day at a time. ♥