Birthday "Get Together"

So, instead of having a huge birthday party for Savannah this year, we had a birthday "get together." I told Savannah that we would have a birthday party next year, but this year we were going to keep it small. My cousins were in town and we had her friend Abby and her family over. Shawn grilled burgers and dogs and we sang happy birthday to Savannah. Martina (Abby's mom) made Savannah's birthday cupcake cake in the shape of a princess crown and it was really cute. Can't believe she is 4 years old, but honestly it didn't hit me like it did when she turned 3. I think next year when she turns 5 I am going to freak! lol!

Here are some pics of the fun day!

Sweet birthday girl!

Sheila's Neurotic: Pt. 1

Here are some things that drive me absolutely insane or have to be done a certain way and if they are not I freak or have to re-do them:

- If I make chicken I absolutely have to rinse the chicken, trim it all up so I don't see any fat or gooey crap, and then pound it! I don't care what chicken dish I am making, I do this EVERY time.

- Grilled cheese sandwiches: Don't ask to help me, I have a sequence and method and don't like it messed up. The butter HAS to be all the way to the edges and even all over.

- Do not ask to help me cook, period. Nothing irritates me more than when my "flow" is interrupted when I am in the kitchen cooking. If I want help I will ask.

- Toilet paper should go OVER. Period.

- Saying "you are excused" after someone says "excuse me" I think is rude.

- I load my dishwasher a certain way and will reload it if it's done wrong.

- If you visit someone and don't know where something goes, ask. Don't just randomly put things away.

- I refuse to wash my hair towel after every use. I actually will use all of my towels a few times before I wash them, unless of course they get dirty. Washing them after every use is a waste.

- Laundry has to be folded a certain way or I will redo it.

- My bagel MUST be toasted until just shy of burnt (on both sides), otherwise I won't eat it.

- I will not drink tap water, for the most part. Something about it grosses me out.

- The key for my car has to be put in a certain way so that the keychains dangle down, I will turn the car off and put it in the right way if its not.

- I only eat with the small spoons and forks.

- My cooking pots and pans have to be stacked a certain way in the cabinet.

That's all I can think of for the moment. Pt. 2 coming soon....

Coming Soon....

So for a while now I have been wanting to do a past about how severely OCD I have become in my ripe old age of 27. Ok well it may not exactly be OCD but I do have things that have to be done a certain way or I have an anxiety attack. Oh yeah....stay tuned to see how truly crazy I am!

Heartbreaking.

***This has been copied and pasted from Mary's blog***

As a military wife (or husband for that matter), sometimes it's easy to deceive oneself into thinking that your life is just like a normal, civilian existence. Sure we move around a lot, our spouses wear uniforms to work, and go on long "business trips," but I think most of us feel pretty safe and normal.

A week or so ago, I watched Brothers. I cried my eyes out when Grace heard the news about her husband. Even though I empathized with her, I still felt safe with our lifestyle. After all, my husband was on a submarine under the ocean, and despite what some people believe, a nuclear submarine is a relatively safe place to be...and it's far away from the dangers of combat.

About a week ago, I got a call. One that made my heart stop. My husband was safe, but someone else's wasn't. My dear friend Kami's husband was hurt. Bad.

Her husband Durand, a Marine for 16 years, was deployed to Afghanistan. His vehicle was hit by an IED (improvised explosive device) and he was badly injured. At that time, we weren't sure how bad it was...just that it wasn't good. But he was alive.

After a few days, Kami was able to speak to him. She learned that he had bilateral fractures in both legs, devulsion of a finger, facial fractures, and some other things too. He had surgeries while abroad and then on Monday night he arrived at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland and on Sunday his wife and two daughters were flown up there to be with him. Since arriving at NNMC, he has had many more surgeries.

A few days ago, he found out he wouldn't lose his finger after all and that was a small victory in the huge battle he is facing. Today, however, they made a decision to amputate one of his legs.

Tuesday I was able to see Kami for a few moments. She shared pictures of Durand being presented with a well deserved Purple Heart by the Commandant of the US Marine Corps. He is truly a hero.

A Facebook page has been set up to support Captain Durand Tanner and his family during this trying time. I know the family is able to read the comments even if they cannot respond at this time. In addition, Durand has asked that in lieu of flowers, he would love to receive get well letters and mail (address is below). At this point, the military is willing to house Kami and the girls in Maryland for 21 days, but Durand may need to be there much longer than that. Monetary donations are also being accepted to help the family in their time of need. But what they need the most is prayers. Their whole lives have been turned upside down because of this incident.

Captain Durand Tanner
Marine Patient Affairs Team
8901 Wisconsin Ave.
Bldg 10, Room 1014
Bethesda, MD 20889

ABC's of Me!

Taken from My Chihuahua Bites.

A- My AIR CONDITIONER is set on: 72!! Love living in base housing and not having an electric bill!

B- My BEDROOM theme is: Nada! I have no theme to my bedroom. Maybe one day!

C- The CAR in the driveway is: Shawn's Pilot.

D- My DESK looks: like a craft store exploded all over it!!

E- The EXACT time I wake up daily is: 7:15 if Savannah has school, but if not anywhere from 8-10! =)

F- The FIRST thing I wash in the shower is: my hair

G- My GARAGE is filled with: bikes, lawnmower, garbage cans, holiday totes, golf clubs, my van, and a ton of leaves! Shawn really needs to shop vac the garage!

H- My HOUSE is: back in Georgia and I miss it!

I- If you peeked INSIDE my bedroom you'd see: a messy bed, 6 pairs of Shawn's shoes on the floor, my clothes from the previous day by my side of the bed on the floor, a corner of the room piled with random stuff!

J- My favorite JUICE is: Cran-Grape!

K- The best part of my KITCHEN is: where we live now there is nothing good other than it functions, sorta. My Georgia house, the best part is everything (except the fridge).

L- The LAST person who visited my home was: Bridget!!!!

M- The last piece of MAIL for me was: Alligator clips from Etsy!

N- My NEIGHBORS think I'm: the neighborhood babysitter.....

O- If you OPENED my fridge you'd see: a lot, we just went to the store last night.

P- My last house PARTY was: Probably back in Kingsland right before I left.

Q- A QUICK meal I like to fix is: Beef and Rice Casserole

R- My favorite ROOM of the house is: uh, my Craft Room DUH! =)

S- The SHAMPOO brand I use is: Pantene

T- My largest TELEVISION is: in the living room.

U- UNDER my bed you will find: um..not sure...storage tote with clothes maybe?

V- The last time I VACUUMED was: weeks ago! I don't vacuum, Shawn does.

W- Looking out my WINDOW I see: Shawn mowing the lawn.

X- I wish I had X-TRA: time. I never can get enough done in a day.

Y- My YARD is: small and has a pretty awesome swing set for Savannah.

Z- ZZZZZZZ My bedtime is: between 9-10. I am not a night owl or an early bird...I love my sleep!!

Dude..

I should probably blog again sometime soon, huh? lol