Veteran's Day

I hate to admit it, but growing up (despite the fact that I had veterans in my family), I never truly paid much attention to Veteran's Day other than the fact that it was a day off from school. I can remember discussions of my grandfather attending Veteran's Day festivities in town and stories of reunions with his fellow comrades from WWII at various points in his life, but I honestly never understood the magnitude of it all and what a blessing veterans are to this nation until I started dating Sayre and got a tiny glimpse of what the military life is like.

I'll never know what it's truly like to go through the trials and tribulations of military training. I'll never understand the bond shared by the men and women who serve this country together. I'll never know what it's like to be deployed on land or at sea thousands and thousands of miles away from everything you've ever known all while trying to stay out of harm's way. I'll never experience the heartache of loosing a best friend fighting beside me on the front lines. All I do know is that I am forever and eternally grateful for not only my husband, but all the men and women who have answered that call to serve... who have left behind families that love them... who have selflessly given up many of the things we take for granted here... who have given it their all even when their tired and worn out boots don't want to carry them any further... who have given it all so that we can be free.

If you know a veteran or meet one on the street, just remember to say "thanks." They don't do it for the glory. They don't do it for the attention. They do it selflessly for the love of their country. A simple "thank you" and a smile will go a long way. So here's a humble "thank you" from me to all of my friends, family members, neighbors, and strangers who have served and are serving and to those that have gone before us. God bless you all.

What we've been up to lately:

1) Shared snowballs after a fun morning adventure.

2) That early morning adventure began with tubing down the Ichetucknee Springs.

3) Watched a little LSU football with some good friends - first time all 6 of us were together in one place this year.

4) Waited for the Brad Paisley concert to begin on base after battling our through the crowds to get a seat.

5) Brad Paisley put on an awesome concert at Mayport.

6) Made fondant covered, wedding cake flavored cupcakes for Katharine's birthday and realized although it's a lot of fun, fondant is also a lot of work :)

7) Painted pottery with some lovely ladies for Katharine's bday.

8) Went kayaking for a very windy, but fun date.

Back into the swing of things

Gosh, it's so hard to believe Sayre's only been back for only 3 weeks now! Never in my life did I think I'd say this, but it doesn't even feel like he ever left. Those 7 long months just seemed to vanish as soon as he set foot back on the pier. Don't get me wrong, that in NO WAY means I'm ready for him to leave again (please oh please go away hurricane, Irene!) but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm very happy to report that we just stepped right back into life together without even skipping a beat :)


Since his return, we've had a little bit of time to do some fun things around Jacksonville - the first of which was a very nice dinner date at The Chart House to begin to make up for 7 months of missed dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays followed by a lovely little Segway ride on Amelia Island, 4 movie dates, cooking meals together at home, and a little bit of beach time. We've managed to stay busy since his return, but we've also allotted for plenty of time for relaxing too - afterall, the poor guy did just spend a little over half the year chasing pirates and keeping the seas safe ;) he deserves a little rest and relaxation too!

We made it... 7 months of growth, wisdom, and connection

On January 2, 2011 I stood pier-side in Mayport, Florida as I watched my husband set sail for his very first deployment. I don't think words can really do justice to describe the wave of emotions I felt. When I returned home after watching his ship disappear into the horizon, I let myself completely fall apart - but only for that day. I made a promise to myself that the very next day I would get ready for work and step out into the world with a constant and deliberate forward motion. The idea of spending the next seven months in my own realm of self-pity was so completely unappealing to me and I knew it would serve no purpose. I needed to be strong not only for myself, but also for my husband who needed to focus upon his mission at hand and rest soundly in the knowledge that I was safe, happy, and supporting him with all my heart. Now, don't get me wrong... I am human afterall, and I did have days where I wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and feel sorry for myself, but I never let that be my focus. Instead, I set goals and activities for myself each month as distractions - for me, it was the only way to survive.

Reflecting back upon the first seven months of 2011, I cannot believe how quickly it all seemed to go by! I never ever imagined I'd feel that way, but I have so many things and people to thank for that... but most of all I know with all of my heart that God was behind it all. Because of Him I was able to not only make it through Sayre's deployment, but also use it as a time to grow in wisdom and in relationship with Him. When you strip away the rules, the religion, the human nature of things and just focus on our Creator and sit in awe of Him and the incredible life He has laid before us all, it's hard not to want to grow deeper in relationship with Him and I know that He used this time to draw me closer. It's no question that God is the reason why Sayre and I are even together in the first place and He is what has made our relationship so incredible. I just can't wait to see what He has in store for us next and to see how He used Sayre's deployment to help us grow individually so that we can be even stronger together.

Returning to that pier on August 3rd to anxiously await the return of the ship to its home port brought about another full range of emotions - pride, love, joy, a sense of accomplishment, and complete thankfulness. My friends and I joked about how we might just start attending random homecomings in the future, but honestly if you ever have an opportunity to experience one (even if you don't know any of the servicemembers returning home) I highly highly recommend it. I'll never ever forget my first homecoming experience watching their husbands come home last year either - I left that day with such a new-found respect, love, and admiration for our country and yesterday was certainly no different. I am SO proud to be Sayre's wife and so proud to be a part of this military community. A simple "thank you" to Katharine & Brittany and everyone else that supported us both near and far doesn't seem like enough, but I hope you all know how much all of your love and support has meant to us. We love you all so much and are happy to report that HE'S HOME!!!

It's the Final Countdown!!

Time-lapse video of the final 30 day countdown I made at work to mark Sayre's return! Just a few more hours left!! (And, in case you've been living under a rock for the past 20+ years, that cute little green guy eating all of those coins is Yoshi from the Super Mario Brothers series)

Happy Independence Day!

Totally Groovy

This is yet another reason why I love my job. Some of the girls and I made tie-dye tshirts during lunch time on Thursday and then wore them on Friday :) Yep... pretty much the best job ever!