Let's hope this sticks...

As of right now, Jimmie and I are getting married on May 28th! I just got his battalion training schedule this week and they won't be gone on May 28th so I went ahead and booked Sidewheeler for the reception site. It was the only date not booked and we were able to get it. It has to be fate! Now all we have to do is get his company training schedule and hope they won't be gone on May 28th, either. I figured I would rather lose the $150 deposit if we have to change the date than lose the building if we get the go-ahead only to find out it had already been booked by someone else. If that makes any sense at all.

That's all that's been going on as far as wedding planning goes.  Other than that, I've just been trying to survive October and get all my school work done. I don't even have any pictures to post. Maybe I will after this weekend with Trunk or Treat and Jimmie and I celebrating our four year anniversary. =)

Finally! It's happened to me!

...I like that song.  Anyway, I'M ENGAGED!!! I'm sure everyone saw it on facebook, but I don't really care. I don't get sick of telling people. I have waited wayyy too long for this moment to be quiet about it.

Jimmie proposed to me on September 3rd (Labor Day weekend) and I wasn't expecting it at all. In fact, I told Katie I was pretty sure it wasn't going to happen that weekend. Well, surprise! It did. We were just hanging out and he pulls out the ring and asks me. =) And I got to wear it all of two hours until he took it back because he "didn't ask for my dad's permission yet." So I had to go home that night and act like nothing happened because Jimmie was a chicken. Actually, that's kind of appropriate for us. We never have anything together.

So Saturday I was finally able to tell everyone the good news and show them my ring. And let me just say, it is gorgeous! I love it, love it, love it. I make sure to tell him what a good job he did all the time. He rolls his eyes at me for looking at it in the sunlight, but really, he should be flattered. Here are a few pictures. =)

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  As far as wedding planning goes, it's kind of difficult. I would like to get married before his next deployment but we don't have his training schedule yet. He apparently got a rough estimate of the dates he'll be gone, so I guess I'll see how rough it is when he calls tonight. I have made some choices, though. I want my cake to look like this:

Minus the bow and the pearls. I like the pearls at the bottom of the tiers but I don't know about the rest. I'll probably decide to add some flowers in the corners just so it doesn't look so plain. I have learned that I am a boring, plain, square person. I can't help it, I like simplicity.

And as far as the location, I'm thinking the River Walk in Conway. It is beautifullll. That's all for now!

HE'S HOME!!!!!

I don't think I have ever been as excited as I was last Thursday. My alarm went off at 3 in the morning and I bounded out of bed. Shannon and I were so giddy we couldn't stop bouncing up and down the whole ride up to Jacksonville. We made it to Jacksonville with plenty of time to spare so we hung our signs and hung out at the exchange for a little while. I heard that you are supposed to put slits in the homecoming signs so the wind doesn't rip them apart. Well, I think we put a little too many slits in ours. But whatever, they still worked just fine.

 

I was too short to reach the top, so I basically watched Shannon do everything

The finished product

 We also decorated the car (don't my shoes look fabulous?)

 Once we got changed into our nice, pretty dresses we waited and waited. I expected to be sweating from head to toe (and I was a little worried the white part of my dress would become see-through) but it wasn't bad at all! Jimmie kept texting me so I knew when he was close so we could move to where the buses would be. Until that point, we all just sat under a huge oak tree and enjoyed the nice breeze.

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Once I got the text that he was on base, I couldn't stop bouncing up and down. Jimmie told us he was on bus 4, so when that bus pulled up, we were all up front waiting for the door to open. Once he FINALLY stepped off the bus I pretty much tackled him. I was so spastic I missed his kiss and he ended up kissing my chin. =) Oh, well. Shannon did a lovely job getting pictures of us.

I think he looks really good in this picture =)

Really sweaty and tired of attempting to look pretty

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Shannon and I spent the night in Jacksonville because Sean was coming home the next day. I was very excited to take my Jimmiekins home after seven long months. =)

Now I need to change my layout since homecoming has happened!

In one hour it will be August!!!!

Not like I'm counting or anything. I mean, I've only been waiting for SEVEN MONTHS. Finally! August is here and I will be seeing Jimmie this month. I can't wait! I've had my outfit planned since April and my homecoming sign was finished at the first of July. I am an eager beaver, for sure. See?

Before I get too far ahead of myself, let me update on what I've been doing. I've pretty much been sitting, waiting, and working, but I guess I can squeeze in a bit more details than that.
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We went to Charleston on the17th to celebrate mine and Dianne's birthdays. It was fun and really nice to see everyone. We ate at Golden Corral and then pigged out on cake, cup cakes, and ice cream. It was yummy. I took a picture of my cup cakes.

Cute, huh?

Jack enjoying one of my birthday cup cakes

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My birthday was on the 21st and I had a really wonderful day even though Jimmie wasn't here. Obviously him being here could have made it better, but it was still really fun. He woke me up at 4:30 in the morning just to wish me a happy birthday. =)

I went into work and the time clock told me happy birthday. Ha. Then I got serenaded by Ms. Lucy in English and in Spanish. Allison showed up with a balloon and an adorable little towel since I forgot mine the first day we laid out on the beach. After work, Shannon and Jimmie's mom spoiled me rotten. Not only did they get me two of the best movies ever, Legally Blonde and A Walk to Remember, but they also got me a tote, shorts that say OOH RAH, and they made me a deliciousssss brownie sundae thingy. I don't really want to describe it because it will just make me hungry, but heavenly is a good word for it. Now that I think of it, I should have taken a picture. Shucks. 

When I got home, I had the most beautiful flowers waiting for me. Jimmie sent them and I definitely enjoyed them. One rose is still hanging in there and it looks just like it did the day I got it!

The pictures don't do them justice. They were spectacular! The best I have received thus far.

My parents also helped make my birthday by getting me what I wanted. An Ipod Touch! I love it, and Allison got me addicted to Words with Friends. It's like a virtual scrabble and it's awesome. If you have a Touch or the phone, download it!

I got another surprise when Jimmie called me again. We got to talk for 45 minutes! The longest phone call of the deployment. It was the highlight of the day, which should speak volumes because I had a really good day. I love him. <3

Around 11, Katie came and delivered my cake! She is great. I'm sure she was exhausted from work, but she still came by to celebrate with me. The cake was amazing, also! It was an almond cake and it had sliced almonds in the middle and on top. I should have also taken a picture of that, too. Well, if you live in Myrtle Beach, stop by Serafino's and order a piece of the almond cake. It is only $2 and it's to die for! So yes, that was my wonderful, fabulous birthday.

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Fast forward to now. Besides being able to count down the days on my FINGERS, we have been laying out to look tan for homecoming. I've never been this tan and I never will be again. I'm definitely going to enjoy it while it lasts.

I've been having a blast at work. We never had another group of kids like those, and I am so thankful. Our group size has been smaller within the last few weeks, but that's okay. We find ways to entertain ourselves. Like making the crafts for ourselves!

This is the first picture frame I made. It was for Jimmie, but it turned out kinda ugly. I think I might make another. 

I like this one!

 

I kinda taught myself how to french braid! I'll have to keep working on it. Shannon wants to wear her hair in french braided pig tails for her date with Sean. I'm running out of time! Yay!

And I just want to add this in because it's pretty...

 

 

Did I mention tomorrow is August? : )

I can't watch the news

It's not like I really ever paid attention to the news that much before, but now I really can't! This whole oil leak is soooo sad. Every time I see it, I get so depressed over the fact that I can't do anything to help. It makes me really glad we buy Dawn.

I hate when people call it an economic disaster. I get that a lot of people are going to be affected by it too, but still, I doubt our economy will suffer more than the poor, defenseless animals already are. How typical of humans to ruin the beauty of nature. Anyway, that is my rant and it's really all that I have to say. Oh yeah, SCREW YOU BP!

Found this and liked it

Retail is the best form of therapy

And probably cheaper than a shrink, too.

Let me just say, I never want to have kids, and my number one reason for not wanting them is because there is a good chance I will have a boy. My mom once told me she read that having a boy will take five years off your life and I fully believe it. With that said, we had mostly boys this week and they were awful! Of course I expected them to be boisterous and annoying, but I didn't expect for them to be downright rude and deliberately do something we told them not to. To their parents, yes, to us, no. I was definitely wrong.

It all started Tuesday with Parent's Night Out. There was just one group of boys who ruined it for everyone. They wouldn't sit still (and they were old enough to know better...or so I thought), talked so loud no one could hear the movie, and finally bounced their stupid rubber balls off the wall and made all the kids want to join in. It was chaos. And we didn't get a single tip!

The next days I thought would be better, but nope. Those same boys kept coming back and making everything a complete disaster. This is off topic, but whenever I used to go into a classroom, I always wondered why teachers just seem to dislike particular students and jump down their throats for the smallest thing. Now I understand! Sometimes it doesn't matter what attitude you have, those kids will always ruin your best of intentions and make life miserable. It's hard to start over and not dread seeing them after they've put you through so much. Anyway, I digress...

Besides running around like complete idiots, one boy spanked Shannon and then took our bag of candy that was for everyone. The whole time we were yelling at them to sit down, but once we would get one kid under control, another would sneak in and grab the candy. One little boy just ripped the bag open and started throwing it at random kids. Out of all the times to share!

Here are some pictures during the rare calm moments.

A few of the kids enjoying the Wii

This kid had a TON of Silly Bandz
 

Some of the boys wanted funny mustaches. It was as much fun for the girls doing the face painting

And my favorite picture! : Shannon hula hooping =)  

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I was definitely looking forward to my shopping excursion with Katie by the time Saturday rolled around. Not only were we shopping, but we were finally getting Jimmyz Hibachi! We hadn't had it in forever since the owner of the store by me didn't pay his taxes and then took a hike. For those who don't know where it is, here is the link.

Shopping was definitely a success since I bought everything I needed and didn't spend all my money. =) Everything I bought was on sale, and I even turned down a Jessica Simpson purse that was on sale for $60. Seriously, I still can't believe I had that much will power. Look how cute it is!

But I did hit up the Victoria Secret and Express sale. I will spare you the pictures of my VS underwear, but this is the shirt I got from Express!

I think I'm ready to go back to work tomorrow now. And if that doesn't go over well, there is a VS on the way home from work. =)

I love my job!

Really, I do. I'm not being sarcastic or anything! I wish I could make a living doing this for the rest of my life because it is so much fun. I'm starting to get used to waking up early (which is huge for me) and I look forward to going to work each morning.

I would call my first week a success. We had anywhere from 6-17 kids, which is good considering that most of the schools haven't let out for summer yet. I found my first shark's tooth (which is pathetic since I've lived here for 17 years now) and then I found five more throughout the week. Usually we end up giving them to the kids but I did manage to keep one. I'm a dork, I know. But here it is...

In addition to getting paid for walking on the beach, I also got paid to paint the back of my shirt and take an hour lunch break. There was also one day where we only had a group of five girls so we sat around the table and gossiped. They were making some kind of craft, though, so we were being productive! I'm really bummed that their week at the hotel is up because they were really cool. They gave Shannon and me silly bands so now we can be cool like them. I have a blue dog and a yellow owl so far. I'll have to see how many I can collect when the summer is over. But yes, besides spilling green paint on my new gym shoes, I would say this week has been pretty awesome. Here is one of the shirts I painted. It smeared a little. =(

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We had a torrential downpour this week that left our road flooded. If it kept raining for another hour the rain would have made it into our house. The good news is that we needed it and it was sopped up in a matter of hours. The last time it flooded like this Mark got out his skim board.

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Mark graduated from high school on Thursday and the grandparents came up for the night. The principal gave almost the exact same speech as she did at mine. Mark didn't look amused at all during the ceremony but I know he is really happy to be done with the place.