Blessings

There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of my Mamaw. I have been missing her a lot lately and been a bit down that her Michigan house was sold last week. Aj and I were enjoying our last bottle of wine from our Michigan trip the other night. We told some Mamaw stories and joked that we should keep the bottle because it will be awhile before we get to head up and get more. Well, the other day I was grocery shopping by myself (pure joy) and discovered our local Kroger had our favorite Michigan wine. I know this is something new! I walked around the store with a little grin like it was Mamaw giving me a little gift. ( I honestly believe it was). I immediately texted photos to AJ, my Mom, and my sisters;) If you like a semi sweet wine, look for it! I hear our local Friar Tuck has the white as well.

Saying Good Bye *Updated*

We have been having fun packing up our Michigan house and enjoying the beauty of the area. I am getting sad that this is our last trip to this house. So many memories. It has been nice to share the place one last time with AJ.

Adjusting After Deployment

We have really been enjoying our time together. Adjusting after a deployment is always hard. The kids are taking it in stride. Aj and I are enjoying getting to know each other again. With that comes with having to learn how to deal with those little things that get under our skin, my carefree attitude versus my husband's analness, and learning to be a good stay at home wife. When Aj left I was balancing my real estate career and the family. It still got me out several days a week. When he got activated we made the decision to lessen my load, and I would stay home. (Then I needed to be challenged and added grad school to my plate.) It is much different being a housewife when AJ is home versus gone. I feel like I need to show him accomplished something. I have to shower and keep the house picked up. I feel like I should have a dinner plan in mind other then deployment hot dogs. Sometimes I want to stand at the door and scream " take me with you !" Today I am stuck home while my car gets worked on and AJ has a night out planned with his police friends. It is going to be a long day for me. Then there are most days that I love teaching our little monkey and being here when the boys walk in the door.
We are taking one last trip to our Michigan house this weekend. It has sold so it will be bittersweet. I am sure we will all shed some tears as we pull away. Aj and I have so many memories there. It was our first vacation as kids together. I used to sneak down to his room ( don't tell my mom). I brought Keegan there to meet his great-grandparents when he was a few months old. We spent many summers there with my Mamaw passing time while Aj was deployed or training. We celebrated homecomings there, conceived Brayden there, watched Mamaw fight her cancer there, told the boys we would be a family of 5 there, and told the boys AJ was deploying last year there. We learned about wine and that the lake can cure anything. It is my favorite place in the whole world and I am sad that the last piece of my Mamaw will be gone. I know she is with me, but I still feel her in the house. Say a prayer the weekend is peaceful and recharging for us all.

Here are a few pics from our week.