Welcome home...

So after 8 days, my dad was finally released to come home. We had many mixed feelings because we of course, wanted nothing more than for him to be home again, but at the same time, we wanted to make sure he was ok to be home. He seems ok, so let's just see how these next few days/weeks play out. I must say, I think I'm more stressed now that he's home than I was when he was staying at the hospital. I had been staying with my mom the past few days because I didn't want her to be alone. He came home today and I felt bad leaving but I had so much to do at home that I just needed to come home. I am hoping he will be ok...I have faith that he will be ok. He's keeping all his options open which is great. I know being in the hospital he was in a controlled environment...now he's out back in his old environment with all the same stressors that existed before. How does one cope? I hope he was ready to come home and didn't just leave because they said he could and because he wanted to be home...lots of prayers and support have been flowing our way and it has been nothing but wonderful knowing all these people are here for us. Someone even came over and took our trash out to the curb last night!!! So thank you to that mystery person :) I guess there are perks to living in a small community...everyone looks after everyone. Fingers crossed, prayers, wishes, and lots of positive thoughts please for my dad to recover and be back to his happy, healthy self. I NEED him! We had alternative plans for NYE but this year, we will stay in and celebrate with my parents. There's always time for friends (Kayla pushed her annual party back to Jan 7th anyway) so this year we will spend it with my parents...we plan to head out for a drink or two but mainly low key! I wouldn't have it any other way this year...so grateful and BLESSED. We have angels watching over us, that is a fact!

Wedding updates...

I haven't been doing much stuff wedding related lately...we've made minor decisions, I've made a couple of my bridesmaid things, and well, that's about it! haha I think we've come to a color decision....THINK...oh and we're considering many options for a DJ...we have missy's boyfriend who is an awesome DJ for a living, and we have Josh who is also an awesome DJ...ooooor we will book one? I'd like to save the money and go with the other two but who knows what will happen. Booked the photographer and bought my dress too! Decided on who was going to marry us, and well, haha I think that's it? I've also been finding lots of things at my moms that I can use at the Lodge for decor. More money saving! We've received an evite for a vendor fair/dinner event in January as well as the annual Forest House Lodge Valentine's day cocktail dinner in February. I must say, I had no idea we were going to be this involved with multiple events before our wedding...at least we're getting our money's worth? lol. We still have to set up our food tasting and cake tasting which they said they would be doing for us and letting us know when it is...all these events are beginning to make stuff real...and time is flying which means I need to get going on stuff...Like I said, I've pretty much chosen the colors and I took them from a blog called "the perfect palette" the girl actually posted these colors on my birthday...hmmm I think that's a sign! :) I'm of course, sticking to my rustic/vintage elegance look...and hey what do you know, the name of our palette is rustic elegance ;) I want to incorporate lace, pearls, distressed wood items, candles, flowers, and a few other unique ideas I've found that can easily be DIY or purchased cheap. Once 2012 arrives....it's TIME!!!

Color scheme...fits the lodge perfectly...I can't wait! Oh and instead of white, it will be ivory :)

Wrapping up the year...

2011...

Well, there's only a few days left of this year and my oh my has this year been filled with tons of love, fun, excitement, joy, tears (both happy and sad), and so much more! The good and bad, this year has had it all! We took an awesome trip on the Napa Valley wine train, we took our annual trip to Monterey, many trips to LA, ventured off on a random trip to Vegas, we got engaged, I was by my best friend's side all through her pregnancy and delivery, got to meet the newest addition to the Simons' family little Jake Robert, my grandpa got remarried, we moved from Elk Grove to Vacaville, I unfortunately had to leave two amazing jobs in Elk Grove, I got a shitty nanny job that thank god was short lived, I got a new job at a Preschool just as I had been trying to do which I completely love, we lost an amazing woman to a short painful battle with cancer, we celebrated our first Thanksgiving with both families together, we participated in our first turkey trot (5 miles!), Matt got called up to the big leagues, Danny's brother Jason and his gf Alexis got engaged, we got the news of our wonderful friend being transferred to San Francisco from Texas so we will have both of them and their little munchkin back in Cali next summer, booked our wedding venue, bought my wedding dress, booked our photographer, looked at houses, talked babies, planned for our future, and celebrated life and our good health. Unfortunately we almost lost my dad, but fortunately we are surrounded by angels and thank God he was saved. This year has brought so much good, and so little bad...the bad was BAD but the good was wonderful. We've fallen deeper in love, became closer friends, and have learned more life lessons.

2012....

2012 has so much in store for us. Not only will we be having our wedding and I can finally introduce Danny as my husband, we have my dad's health and life to celebrate and work on helping him become strong again. I am so grateful for everything that has happened this year because it has taught me so many lessons. It has reminded me to be grateful for what I have and not take for granted the things or people in my life. We have been blessed with so much this past year but most importantly, we have been blessed with family being so close. I am ready for all that 2012 has in store, good and bad. Hopefully more good than bad! :) I am so lucky to have my health, family, love, good health amongst my friends and loved ones, and great friendships in my life. That is all I need. So bring on the New Year!

I really need to get in gear for this wedding...I have lots of ideas and plans and need to start bringing them to life. I need to talk to the florist, book our DJ (IF we decide not to use my sister's bf who is a professional DJ), get our engagement photos taken, purchase save the dates and invites, and get the ball rolling! My dress will be here early summer which I am really excited about. We have an event at the Forest House Lodge to go to at the end of January and our food and cake tasting to go to sometime in the spring. We have a fun filled year all leading up to our wedding in November. In May we are hoping to take a mini trip...just something small...probably to Monterey or maybe even Disneyland. Both are easy and convenient. July we have Danny's brother's wedding to look forward to, August will be my shower and then my bachelorette party, then November will be here before we know it! I know the time is going to fly, so now would be the time for me to stop being a procrastinator...HA! yea right...good thing I have a non-procrastinator to assist me through all this (Danny) and a Matron of honor to kick my butt in gear.

(Almost) Time to say farewell to 2011 and hello to 2012!

Happy New Year to all! Let's make this one as amazing as possible!

X-Mas 2011

This year Christmas was not celebrated as planned. Our initial plan was to spend Christmas eve and day with my family and then leave for LA on the 26th to spend the week with Danny's. We had a slight change of plans due to some unforseen family emergencies but all was wonderful. Christmas Eve was just Danny and I during the day and in the evening we went to visit my dad in the hospital. X-mas eve morning we did our gifts and stockings for each other and then proceeded to finish Christmas shopping (YES, we are very last minute...I had a legit excuse...some people are very lucky I even bothered finishing at this point) and then headed off to visit with my dad for the rest of the evening. X-mas day we were supposed to get up early and head to my parents where he and I were in charge of breakfast and then we would have dinner and do gifts there. I lacked all the motivation in the world to even celebrate this year and refused to sit down at the dining room table as a "family" without my dad. We had a very casual breakfast that we still cooked as promised, then my mom cooked dinner and we did not sit around the table as a family, rather we all ate quickly and brought my dad Christmas dinner and spent the evening with him. We did open our gifts that my parents bought us in between all of this which was something else I did not want to do without my dad but he insisted over the phone that we not let him spoil our day although the goal of my day was to get dinner and go see him. As much as I feel guilty saying this, we were spoiled again this year by my parents and grandpa (and of course I was by Danny) but I would return every gift if it meant reversing what has happened. Christmas was not the same this year...I am blessed and grateful for all they did for us but like I said, it wasn't NEEDED. I was very relieved when we got to see him and then when we got home because that meant we made it through a very rough Christmas...I am looking forward to the new year and all the amazing things it has in store. A lot will be changing for the better and I am hoping it will bring much happiness.

Facebook...

I deactivated my facebook last Monday. I am not sure why, or what drove me to do it...I just did, and to be honest, I haven't missed it. I logged back in today to see if I cared enough to stay on and well, I didn't. I ended up deleting about 100 people and have about 100 more I probably could delete and just not care. I have even considered creating a new account to add just the few I actually care about being friends with on there but I changed my mind! I have plenty of other ways to follow my friends...such as PHONE CALLS or TEXTS. I fee like facebook makes people more distant friends because you are following their lives online and you know what they are up to so you don't call them as much as maybe you should. I will say, it has been funny some of the texts and reactions I've gotten for deactivating it...I didn't exactly tell anyone so I've had people texting to ask if I'm mad at them, or if I deleted them lol...the smart ones know I just deactivated it...unless they've done something that would make me mad at them and they're guilty ;) anyway, we'll see how long this lasts...maybe forever! I must say, it has been nice not dealing with it and reading about stupid shit that most people post (and those are the people I deleted today before I deactivated it again). There are of course, perks to facebook if you have family and friends that are far away...which I have both...but, they can call. :)

Do you believe in angels?

Because we do. Ever since my grandma passed away we have been saying she hasn't exactly left. Both my mom and I have experienced things that we SWEAR are her...call us crazy, I don't care, I believe. My dad's sister also passed away, as well as Misty's mom. These three people are all very close to us and I believe they are watching us every day protecting us or giving us signs that they are here. I used to be scared, but I realized, WHY? They are good angels just looking out for us. WELL we didn't think about this until these past few days but about a week and a half ago this "Family" frame I made for my parents for xmas 2 years ago came flying down off our wall. There was honestly NO reason it should have fallen...it's been on the wall for almost 2 years and no doors slam or rattle that wall enough to make it loose and fall. But, this frame fell and my mom kept saying "My mom was here, she is trying to get our attention". But for what?! No one knew at the time what exactly our attention was needed for. But, now it is very apparent. What are the odds? Not only could it have been my grandma, but in this case it could have been my Dad's sister trying to get our attention. I know others believe in this stuff, and others don't, but we firmly believe and I have other stories that confirm in my mind this is possible. Some may call it coincidence I like to say it's our angels watching over us. <3

My rock...

These past few days have been exhausting, emotional, and to be honest, a big blur...I have slept very little and cried a whole lot. I will say though that Danny has been nothing shy of amazing during this time. If I didn't have him, I am not sure how I would be coping during this time...I have been feeling so many different emotions. I feel selfish, sad, hopeless, exhausted, crushed, scared...and so many more things. I will say, I am so grateful for having someone like Danny through this whole thing. I am my dad's rock right now and Danny is mine. He is my best friend, my partner, my love. He has been so supportive and understanding...he's been positive and loving. I never thought it was possible to fall deeper in love with him than I already was but this has made me. I have been so blessed to have found him and to be able to have him by my side for the rest of my life. I know any other obstacles we encounter in the future will be manageable because I have him to hold my hand through it. He knows how awesome he is, and he knows I would do the exact same for him. He is truly my rock and because of him, I am able to be strong for my dad. He is dealing with a lot right now, and I know he will get it sorted out and be the happy man we all know him to be...

Life unexpected...

Well, I'd rather not write about this because to be honest it's not a memory I'd prefer to read back on and remember but it is something that is a part of us and regardless if I write it, I will never forget it. I think we all are guilty of taking things for granted. Family included. We take for granted that they are always there for us no matter what...but what happens when for a split second...you are faced with the reality, that they may not be there anymore? This past week has opened my eyes to a lot of things...it has made me realize that people are fighting battles inside much greater than they ever show on the outside, it made me realize that in a matter of minutes, the ones you love can be gone, it has taught me that the absolute most important gift in life is the gift of the lives of others important to you. I am so grateful that God had an alternative plan for my dad, and his angels were watching over him...I couldn't imagine my life without him and I hope I never have to feel those feelings of hopelessness, devastation, being scared out of my mind. I have never experienced these feelings this strong in my life and I hope I never have to experience them again.  My entire life came to a crashing hault when I received the phone call at work. I have spent the past 3 days exhausted and just crying. Christmas is not the same without him, I have no desire to celebrate it. I have spent the past 3 days sitting by his side and I would never change that, I will spend every single day by his side.  I am my father's daughter. Through all of this, it has prevailed more than it ever has. He and I have always been very close, but through this, we have become closer than ever. I will not write details, for the details are forever a memory in my mind...but I will say, the most important gift I received this year, was my dad. So to all, please never take for granted what you have...especially your loved ones. Call them daily, ask about their day, keep an interest in their lives. I thought I was on top of this, my mom and I call each other every single day, and my dad and I have always been very close.  But sometimes life takes unexpected turns...those turns, can be fatal. Thanking God everyday for the life he saved. XOXOXO

DIY...X-MAS!

This past month we've been SHOWERED with tons of xmas cards in the mail! I hated them sitting on our mantle because it looked messy and you couldn't really see them...soooo I came up with this idea! It's perfect! As long as I don't receive anymore cards because it's full...but I guess if I do, I will just move it. I have wooden clothes pins to replace the paper clips hanging them.

New new new stuff!

Today I'm working on LOTS of new stuff...

I received my new bridal planning packet for our wedding! It's 65 pages long!!! Talk about DETAIL! It is exactly what I want/need! Since day one the Forest House Lodge has been nothing short of AMAZING and they keep on getting better. When we booked our wedding we received a 30 page bridal planning packet...but they recently updated it with more menu options (pages and pages and pages of food!!!), cake flavors, floor plans, diagrams, room arrangements, schedule of events, and a detailed worksheet to fill out for the day of. I have absolutely no doubts in my mind that our day will go smoothly! I have also been thinking a lot lately about colors...I have an idea of the look I'm going for but I keep tossing colors back and forth...I went to home depot and raided their paint swatch shelves and found lots of color combinations I enjoy...So I'm working on my wedding binder as well adding the color swatches, new bridal planning packet, and working on the rest of my bridesmaid pre-wedding gifts. My New Year resolution is to begin this planning business! haha I'm SLACKING!

Non-wedding related...
I got approved for and received my Child Development Master Teacher permit! So I am able to print that and take it to work :)

Mom's not so "surprise" party

This year my dad decided that he wanted to throw a party for my mom (WHOA!)...and try to keep it a surprise (YEA RIGHT...a surprise? For my mom? good luck!)...WELL, haha, I think we were unsuccesful...He had a great idea, and planned it very well, but my mom is just too much! haha. She decided that on the same day as her surprise birthday party she wanted to throw a Christmas get together!!!! LOL so she started inviting pretty much all the same exact people that we had already invited over for her party. Ay yi yi! She is such a pain in the butt. I swear she knew about the party and did this on purpose. Either way, it turned out lovely! Everyone came and  brought a dish, my dad did all the meat, and we all had a wonderful time with good food, good drinks, and great friends! Next year is the  big one...the big 6-0! So we have a year to plan a surprise...we can do it!

I really can't believe a week from today is Christmas...I have done absolutely ZERO Christmas shopping...ok well, maybe I've gotten ONE thing haha...ONE item for Danny's stocking...but that's it...YIKES!!!! I work all week so I'm hoping to find the motivation to go after work one day...and to top it off, I don't even know what I'm getting people! That could potentially make it easier because then I won't be going on wild hunts for particular items! ahhhhh! Nothing like last minute! Next year, I swear I'm going to start early...uh huh...just like I said I would this year...

Mmmm!

So anyone that knows me, knows I'm a freak about finding ways to make everything from scratch...call me a control freak but I've read way too much to know about all the garbage that goes into our food. WELL, I have been dying to make tortillas but for some reason I always put it off, or just forget about it...I also am well aware that many tortilla recipes include lard or some kind of shortening. I have had homemade tortillas before made by Jess's grandma and they were delicious...but completely bad for you. Of course. So ever since then, I've been thinking of how I could make tortilla's without lard or shortening...so the other night, I was home alone and thought, "Why not?" I busted out the flour and went to town! and boy oh boy! they were EASY and delicious! I might add that they were not perfectly round, nor were they as thin as they probably should have been...but they were good! I served them with homemade "refried" beans and homemade mexican style rice, both of which I learned from Jess. Danny came home the next day and found it all in the fridge and agreed that we were never buying tortillas again! These were so easy, and so yummy, and they stay fresh in the fridge for a week. They were so easy too! They aren't perfectly round...Jess's grandma would kill me if she saw these but it's a start! Plus, they're still fully functional for a little beans and cheese! I'll get good at them eventually!

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons canola oil
1- 1 1/4 cups warm water

Whisk the two flours, salt and baking powder together in a large shallow bowl. Add canola oil and 1 cup of the water and mix to form a dough. Add enough additional water until the dough comes together. Knead 10-15 times then let the dough rest, covered with a towel for five minutes.

Divide the dough into 18 equal pieces. Run your hand under a running faucet and shake off the excess water. Wetting your hand will keep the dough moist as you roll. Roll each piece into a ball and place on cookie sheet, not touching each other, and cover with a towel. Allow dough to rest five minutes.

Line a cookie sheet with foil.

Keep the dough balls covered with the towel as you work. Sprinkle counter with flour and keep rolling pin floured as well. Remove one dough ball from under the towel and place on the floured counter. Press gently with your hand then use floured rolling pin to roll into a circle.

Roll dough, flip it, roll it, flip it, and roll again until circle is about 7-8″ in diameter. Tortilla will be very thin. Place tortilla on foil lined cookie sheet

Repeat this process until cookie sheet has a single layer of tortillas (about three), then place another layer of foil on top and continue the process until all 18 tortillas are rolled out

Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place tortilla in preheated pan and cook, one at a time, for about 30 seconds per side.

After the first 15 seconds you will see bubbles begin to form.

 

Place cooked tortillas on a foiled lined baking sheet in the same fashion as when you rolled them out.

Use tortillas immediately or allow them to cool completely, then store in a plastic zipper storage bag in the refrigerator for up to one week. To reheat, remove from zipper bag and place in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Heat one side, then flip and heat the other, just enough to heat through

'Tis the season...

FOR GIVING!

This year our school has adopted a family. They actually do every year, but this is my first year here so it's my first year being a part of this. My mom has adopted families in the past and boy is it an eye opener! Kids don't ask for ipods, laptops, and cell phones.  They are asking for shoes, coats, food, baby dolls, or toy cars. Parents are asking for food, jackets, carseats, shoes, and clothes. Reading their "wish lists" and thinking about the things I *want* makes me feel selfish. Growing up we got everything we wanted and then some...and we are blessed to be able to still have this with my parents. I can't lie, growing up, I never thought about other families who maybe weren't as lucky as us...until my mom began adopting families with her coworkers...then reality struck.  When I first read one of their wish lists, my heart sunk...a pair of shoes, sure, I've asked for shoes...$200 dollars shoes...a coat...sure, I've asked for a coat as well...$150 dollar coat...clothes...yea I've asked for those too...designer clothes...but they don't care if their shoes are $20 dollars or $200 dollars...they just want shoes...no, they NEED shoes. Same goes for all the other stuff. They NEED it. I WANT it. There is a difference. People often think "I can't adopt a family, I can barely afford to buy for my own during this time of year". This may be true, but if groups of people come together to adopt one family and they all contribute, it can be done. If we all give one less gift to ourselves, or our children and put that gift towards a family in need, it can be done. Also, donating just $5 to charities goes a long way. Danny's favorite is St. Jude's, I loved this when I met him because I too, have donated to St. Judes. Think of it as "I can donate $20 dollars to this charity and I just won't eat out or go to the movies this month". It all evens out in the end for you, but for that charity, it is a HUGE donation to help them. I also feel that families with children are the best candidates for being a part of stuff like this. It teaches your children that the holidays aren't only about receiving but also about giving.

Blog blog blog...I need to blog...

So keeping up with this blogging thing has been harder than I imagined...I can't say there's too much exciting stuff going on in our lives right now. I am still loving my job, and Danny is still so so about his. It's not so much that he hates being in the Coast Guard, he just doesn't enjoy working a desk job. He enjoys being out on the water. On the bright side for him though, Josh is getting stationed in SF in July so Danny will have someone to hang out with on a regular basis. I am so happy and so is he. This is going to make his job much more enjoyable. Josh is stationed on a 378 but the boat is only out for a week or so at a time, at max a month, so he will be docked more often than not. This also means that Jess and Alyssa will be returning to Cali as well. I have a few parents at my school that are Lawyers and one in particular works in immigration services which is exactly what Jess wants to do. She is currently working at a law office, so I talked to the parent of one of my kids and she gave me a list of law offices in the Sacramento and Bay areas for Jess to contact to look for a possible position! She said she would have offered a job at her place but they are non-profit and many of the people working there are on grants. But that is ok! Fingers crossed she finds something and can move back soon.

We have also been slacking on the Christmas shopping! Christmas has come upon us much faster than we anticipated. We still have time, but we better get on it! This year we will be spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my family and heading down to LA on Dec 26th through New Years to spend the rest of the holiday break with Danny's family. We will be missing the annual Christmas bash with Danny's moms side but I guess that's what happens when there's two families involved now! :) Looks like someone is going to have to fill in as Santa this year too since Danny won't make it down.

I also decided to redesign my wedding page which I am much happier with now! I have always had something against my other page and couldn't figure out just what it was. Oh well! Now I am fine with it and Danny has finally decided to do his part and enter his stories on his best men :) FINALLY! I think once he realized I made it public and that everyone could see he hadn't done his part he decided to get on it! I finally have all my maids in line too. Last weekend I asked Becca to be my bridesmaid and I still have to make Missy, Jess, and Meg's gifts and give them to them...I also made one for Kayla even though I send her cookies and a card back in May. Becca was so surprised, and so happy...and I am so happy that she is excited about it! I feel like this wedding is going to be upon us before we know it! Kayla has already pretty much figured out my Bach party and discussed it with the girls as well as shower details...it's getting REAL! I know once January 1st comes it will definitely be more realistic because it will be 2012! http://www.dominguez.projectwedding.com/ is the page if you are interested.

This week has been a very long week. It was my first week with 3 kids in my group again at work and I have loved how busy it has kept me.  This week the flu also struck our school. Kids and teachers were dropping left and right. I received texts all week at 6am asking me to come in early because someone else has the flu. I have worked 10 hour shifts almost everyday! 10 hours with a room of 18 kids...you'd think I'd be ready to scream, but surprisingly, the days flew by and I didn't even realize how long I had really been there. 9 years at Misty's really helped my patience and tolerance for chaos :) I guess I don't really mind being there all day. Plus, the overtime pay is quite nice :] I am enjoying my new little guys, and of course, my Gillian still as well! We are also doing a secret santa gift exchange at work which I am excited about as well! I LOVE secrets and these are so much fun! We've been working on Winter art projects as well with the kids and they are just having so much fun with the paint and crayons and all the fun stuff. Last night was our Winter Festival where all the kids came and decorated cookies, made ornaments, there was a musician there, played games, and much more! They enjoyed it a lot! I absolutely positively could not be happier with the job I ended up with right now. I really got lucky.

Amazing news!

So for the past month or two I have known that Josh submitted his dream sheet and 10 of his picks were California and that included Rio Vista and San Francisco. I kept texting him and asking him if he had gotten his orders yet and he said he hadn't but when he did, I would know. I have been dying to hear because I have been dying to have Jess, Josh, and Alyssa back in California for a long time.  As much as I wanted them here, I wasn't letting myself get my hopes up because I know how the military works. This morning while I was at work, I got a call from Josh and text from Jess. Josh got stationed in SAN FRANCISCO!!!! Can you say excited?!?! I was heading out for my break when I saw the missed call, voicemail, and text and literally jumped up and down for joy and started crying. I am so excited to finally have my Alyssa bear close enough to see all the time and to have Jess and Josh back in Cali. This is also great news for Danny as Josh is his really good friend and he will love having the company! I just need Jess to find a job in Cali and she will be here asap! This makes me so happy because I don't have to worry about her booking flights, and spending more money than she needs to in order to make it to my shower, my bachelorette party, and my wedding. She and Kayla had been talking because Kayla has planned all of this already and we were planning the dates to be convenient for her to book one flight out for 2 weekends of stuff. I know she will be at everything regardless, but this just makes it that much easier!!!! Ahhhh I am still so excited! I can't wait for them to be here this summer!!! I even offered to fly out and road trip it back with her! WHY NOT!!!? Life is so good.

Christmas time...

Christmas is approaching rapidly and I hate that the magical feeling of this holiday is just not there for me anymore...I always thought that things would get better as time passed but it doesn't. It seems to be getting worse with each year. I love Christmas, and I love decorating, and being with family and celebrating, but this year has been especially hard. My mom brought me 36 of my grandmas gold ornaments to hang on our tree and a lot of her decorations. I am so honored and blessed to have these to decorate our home with, but it's so hard to look at them and know why I have them. She was truly the Christmas spirit for us. It's really not the same without her. I find myself thinking "I just want to get through Christmas already" and I never ever ever thought that way before about the Holidays. I miss the see's candy galore, the baked yummies, the lavish family dinners, the Christmas board tradition, her crying every single year when she opened a new piece of jewelry from my grandpa, and so much more. It's still really hard to believe she is not here...but, I do have her in spirit, hanging on our tree...decorating our home...and I am grateful for all of this...but, she is truly missed...and Christmas will never be the same without her. <3

***However, I must add...I am SO amazingly grateful for everything I have in my life. During this time of year I am especially grateful. I have two amazing families that we get to spend the Holidays with and I honestly couldn't imagine things any differently. We are very fortunate to have been stationed so close to home...as much as Danny hates his job, it's times like this that we forget about how much we don't like certain things and appreciate the fact that everything happens for a reason...We are both very much family people...being close allows us to spend a lot of time with them. I will always miss my grandma, but I will always feel blessed and so lucky to have the rest of both of our families to be with.**