---

No post today. Sorry.

Well, other than this post to notify you of the absence of a post. You know.

There is really nothing to say. For once.

bloggers.

So I am like too exhausted to actually blog today. Sorry about that.

But I did want to show you one picture. One picture is all I can manage right now. More to come tomorrow!

Oh, and that's Brittney, me, Paigey, and Christine!

Toodles.

you saw it here first

Just call me Semi-Homemade with Shannon Cox. Go ahead. Do it.

Martha Stewart would not approve, but Sandra Lee would! She is one of my least-favorite Food Network Stars, but I still watch her occasionally and take her tips on using store-bought products to make life easier! Yesterday I made sugar cookies from "scratch" but used Betty Crocker icing on top. Shame on me. I know.

Normally I like to save things as a surprise. Okay. I lie. I don't. I hate surprises, and I can't keep secrets. So you're seeing it all here first. All 3 of you who read this blog and will be attending our party. I live on the wild side. I know!

Although did get creative with my big, bad self and mess with food coloring to create different colors of icing. Then I made my own piping bag. I ended up with a little bit of cookie dough batter left, so I made some stars. Which are kind of patriotic. The emblem is edible, so don't worry! The stars on the side are edible as well.

Oh, and in case you've been hiding under a rock, the cake is a 3-layered red velvet cake. So our cake is red, white, and blue.

I'm just bleeding patriotism, aren't I?

Can't wait for tomorrow. I am so excited!



Note: Mark is an electrician. So those are light bulb cookies. No one gets it. Not even my own dad. Please get it and humor me. Thanks.

play date REVEALED!

When you're the best of friends



Having so much fun together



You're not even aware, you're such a funny pair



You're the best of friends



Life's a happy game. You could clown around forever.



Neither one of you sees your natural boundaries



Life's one happy game!



If only the world wouldn't get in the way



If only people would just let you play



When this moment has past, will this friendship last?



Who can say? There's a way!
Oh.. I hope ... I hope it never ends!




Cause we're the best of friends :)

---------------------------------------------------------



and a random picture that I'm not telling you about...

a play date preview!

+



=

...Play date pictures coming soon!


(What the fudge have Mark and I been doing!? Just a little of this. And a little of that. And very little time to dilly dad online. Sorry, but I'm afraid my blogging is only going to decrease throughout the rest of the week. Just wanted to warn you!)

home from the air forrest.

After running past the Do Not Enter sign and making the security guard holler at me, I was finally with my Airman!

Crying :)

Meeting Piper for the first time!
Like her dress!?

Piper loves her daddy immediately!

Super poopie kisses.

Meeting Huds for the first time.
He wasn't so sure at first!

He thinks my Airman is cute too.

Our family. Finally together!
This photo was SO hard to get due to Piper wiggling with excitement.

Hudsie :)

Total lovefest.

Pulling Uncle Mark around the house.

We surprise Clayton by picking him up at school.
He was SO SHOCKED to see Mark!!!
He thought for SURE his surprise was me buying him a REAL gun.
As if.

Isn't that just SO cute?!

When he gets nervous, he flicks his ears.
Yep.

Totally admiring Uncle M.
and still flicking his ear.

Looking darling in our backseat wearing Mark's hat!

And the day wouldn't be complete without some BBQ.
and a giant chicken leg.

What's in store for tomorrow? Just hanging out. Playing with Piper. Visiting with Chris and Brittney. Going to see the recruiter. Enjoying one another. That's all!

Edit: Mark wasn't meeting Hudson for the first time. I don't know why I wrote that. I am losing my mind!

guess who's home?

Our Airman is home!

More to come. Obviously :]

random information.

A grocery list for myself and Mark to remember:


-red velvet cake supplies
-blue icing
-black icing
-icing supplies for cookies
-baked beans
-chips
-potato salad
-pasta salad
-fruit
-hashbrown casserole
-hot dogs
-hamburgers
-chicken nuggets
-buns
-drinks

oh, and if you're coming to the party, that's what we'll be eating ;)

Just.. not pure icing.. that goes ON the cookies and cake. Ahem.

-----------------------

I made it. I really made it. He comes home tomorrow. You know, during parts of the day, I get busy and almost forget that he's really coming home. Then I remember, and my stomach gets filled with butterflies. And I get a little lump in my throat!

Aren't you curious as to what we'll be doing first?! Well, it isn't sex. If that's what you were thinking. We're going to Samurai! Mark hasn't had Japanese food in 7 months, and it's one of the very few restaurants that can actually fill him up! I am very, very excited about it!

Guess what? Did you see how I won a Welcome sign thing from Brittney? I've ordered an avocado-colored tile to hang on our wall. It just happens to be the first decoration in our new home! Well, we have decorations. But, you know, not like that. Hopefully there will be a perfect spot on the wall in our new beachy home. I'm pretty doggone excited about it.

We move in 15 days. Sheesh.

Mark graduated this morning, and it went quickly and it was great. He's out-processing as I type this.

He flies out of Wichita Falls at 6:30 tomorrow morning - on a plane with a propeller. You recall my bad experiences on that plane? Where my Dr. Pepper flew across the entire plane when our pilot turned the plane on its side? Yeah. That awful plane! Hopefully it won't make him sick, because that plane makes me nauseous every time!

He should arrive in Nashville at 11:10am. I'll be the squealing curly-haired crazy woman running toward a really hot Airman at the airport! There will be pictures, of course. Don't worry!


-----------------------------

Do any of you party-goers have a box with a hole in it to put envelopes? I need a box for our memory cards. I could use a fish bowl, but that's my only idea. I just need some kind of thing to put little cards in. Any ideas?

Teeny.

Christine.

The first time I saw her, we were in the first grade. She was in the room next door. Our classes joined for Count Dracula. A math fun time.

We were never in the same class in elementary school. I'm not sure if we had any classes together in middle school - except band.

But I played clarinet. and she played trumpet - then tuba (right? trumpet, right?). So we were always across the room from each other. Always.

But band was a common bond between us, and it still is. Pretty much. So we did know each other. And when I saw her in the mall, we would take a picture.




And then in February, Christine began to read my blog. And I convinced her to start a blog of her own. Actually, I named her blog Brewin Mischief as a play on her last name (Brewer). And then we fell in love. Well, pretty much, anyway.

Christine is just great. She is probably the kindest person on the planet. Well, I don't know everyone on the planet. But I'm certain that she ranks right up there with Mother Theresa, Princess Diana, and MckMama. I just know it.

Her kindness is really unstoppable. It just kind of bleeds into everything and everyone and she kind of leaves a mark, or stain, if you will. Like blood. Oh wait. This is a bad metaphor. Uh, anyway.

But really - she rocks. First of all, she and Paigey sent me this huge comfort bag when Mark was away. It was the sweetest thing ever. I truly loved it, and Mark loved you two for doing it for me. Then I "won" a picnic basket from her, which was the most amazing thing in the universe. Then she decided to volunteer to babysit my nephews. Then she made a freakin poster for me for our party. Then she is going to blow up balloons for our party and help set up before it starts! She is just great, really.

I hope you get the chance to meet her or read her blog. I know that if you meet her, she will change your life forever. In my family, we love Teeny. Teeny is a name that our entire family now knows. She is a very special person and I love her dearly.

Christine, you're amazing.




Love,