Welcome Home!

It's the moment we've all been waiting for... Nathan is home from Afghanistan! He and his comrades arrived safe and sound around 4:30 am Friday morning. Because the weather was cold and rainy, they had us wait in a building and bused the Airman over rather than watching their plane land and meeting them by the flight line. After nearly five months of waiting, I finally got to hug the love of my life!

Special thanks to Dao for braving the early hours and cold weather to photograph Nathan's homecoming! These photos belong to Dao Standridge Photography and The Carolina Wife. 

If you don't take a selfie, then did it really even happen?

An hour of waiting for his bags later, we were on our way home to see our sweet furbaby! If you know Kuzco, then you know he's very talkative and energetic. To our surprise, poor Kuzce was in shock! He would give Nathan a few kisses and then come running to me to see if everything was okay. After he got used to his daddy being home, he couldn't get enough of him! He's been climbing in his lap and playing ever since.

Of course Nathan requested that his first real meal in Arkansas be Whole Hog! Believe me when I say that he cleaned his plate. Earlier that morning we had a light breakfast of waffles and bacon, and you would've sworn that I'd cooked a gourmet meal haha!

My good friend and college roommate was in town to see her husband arrive from deployment with Nathan. Chris and Jess have been some of Nathan's best friends for years. We celebrated the men's homecoming by meeting up with another couple at the Flying Saucer in downtown Little Rock.

Rose, Clay, Chris, Jessica, Nathan, and I at the Flying Saucer. At this point I had been awake for about 37 hours lol.

After a night out, Nathan and I had to take a moment to stop and enjoy the view and appreciate the life we have built together. I couldn't have asked for a better person to spend the rest of my days with. Our time apart truly put how wonderful we have it into perspective. As always, thank you all for your love and support these past few months. We couldn't have done it without our family and friends!

And God bless America!

Hello, November

Does anyone know where October went? I could have sworn I was purchasing Halloween decorations yesterday, not taking them down! I'm thankful the time is passing quickly though, because this means Nathan has been gone another month. We're now 59 days into this deployment!

October was an exciting month. For me, it meant pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin patches. 

Emma, Amaiya, and I at Scott Pumpkin Patch!

Over on the other side of the world, Nathan flew out to another base and back. I'd prefer for his feet to stay nice and somewhat safe on the ground, but at least we get to see a few pictures!

Nathan isn't one to brag about himself, but that's why he has me to do it for him. This past week he received the wing's Warrior of the Month award. If you're unfamiliar with the Air Force's structure, winning a wing level award is a pretty sweet accomplishment! He also racked up his second Command Chief coin- again, something else that's hard to come by. So proud of my hardworking husband!

One small plus to Nathan being gone for the holidays is that I get to have fun decorating themed care packages. Halloween was our first "holiday" apart. While everyone else was out taking their kids trick-or-treating and dressing up, I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer and stuffed my face with mini candy bars. I made sure Nathan didn't miss out on the festivities, though! His package included lots of snacks and candy, as well as cake-in-a-jar! (You bake cake in mason jars and then can them so they stay fresh!) 

The Halloween confetti cakes before they went in the oven!

No package would be complete without a handmade card!

Last but not least, Kuzco is a silly as ever. Please enjoy this video of him picking a fight with a piece of Halloween candy. And as always, thank you all for your continued love and support! 

A Pretty Awesome Monday

We are now over two weeks in to Nathan's deployment. Time is flying! January will be here before we know it.

Not only did his care package make it to Afghanistan in only a week, but I received a sweet surprise today as well! I nearly cried when I opened the door this afternoon to find chocolate covered strawberries delivered by Edible Arrangements. I'm so lucky to have a husband who spoils me and lets me know he's thinking of me!

Nathan's first care package!

My delicious strawberries. They are heavenly!

Yesterday Nathan gave me a little "tour" around the base. I thought our friends and family might enjoy seeing his temporary home too! 

The bazaar where you can buy local goods.

Anybody need any "Chanel?" ;)

A pretty flower garden that seems a little out of place next to all the dirt and rocks!

I hope you guys have enjoyed the pictures! Thank you again for all the love and support we have received.

17 days completed!

One Week Down

Just in case you haven't heard the news on social media, Nathan left for his first deployment last week. Kuzco and I have survived our first week without him! We've lived off a diet of Cheetos and Pepsi (kidding, mom) and kept busy with lots of walks to the dog park.

A few photos from our last minutes together.

We are extremely grateful for technology! So far we've been able to FaceTime every night.

Before he left, a friend of ours documented our time together and slapped us in the newspaper! I can't wait to see all of the pictures, but until then I hope you enjoy a few snapshots of the article. For those of you interested in reading the full story, the link will be posted on my Facebook :)

I also had the pleasure of assembling my first care package this weekend! I stuffed a large flat rate box full of snacks and other supplies that he requested. It should take about two weeks for it to arrive. I plan on trying to send a little something as frequently as possible- whether it be a box of goodies or just a card to remind him that I love him.

So far, so good! I have school, work, and friends to keep me occupied for the next few months, and I am planning on taking a few trips home for the holidays. Thank you all for your love and support. I'll try to keep everyone updated during this new journey.

Rock Town Distillery

The things we find to do in Little Rock are never-ending. Today's adventure consisted of a tour of Rock Town Distillery. It was founded in 2010 and is located in downtown Little Rock. The grains used are grown locally, and they even bottle right there in the distillery! 

The tour is short and afterwards you get to taste their delicious spirits. I'm not much of a drinker, but their flavored Arkansas Lightning is incredible! We couldn't resist bringing home a pack of our favorites. Apple pie moonshine is now my beverage of choice! 

Exploring Arkansas

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Welcoming June

The first week of June has been rain, crazy wind, and more rain. Kuzco didn't seem to mind, though! He passed the time by playing in my flower pots. 

"Dirt is for digging; even if it's in flower pots!" -Kuzco

I took full advantage of the one or two days of sunshine and spent it at the pool with some of my favorite ladies.

We haven't let the rain stop us from enjoying our weekend! Friday we went to a barbecue, and Saturday we went to little Liam's first birthday party. Look at how much this lil' chunk has grown!

Liam and I after he was born, and this weekend at his first birthday party!

His party narrowly escaped more rain! 

Sunday brought even more rain and thunderstorms. To pass the time, my sweet husband let me drag him all over Lowe's and Walmart in search of materials for a terrarium. It wasn't as cheap as I thought it would be, but it was extremely easy and looks super cute! I made a tutorial about it for those of you who are interested :) You can check it out here!

I hope everyone's summer is off to a great start!

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a pretty uneventful four day weekend in comparison to everyone else's beach trips and pool days. The closest beach is hundreds of miles away and the pools on base were closed! 

Instead we used to time to relax and work on small projects. I hung up gorgeous new lights on our patio, and Nathan fixed up an old, broken gate! Before the gate, we'd been stacking random objects (tire, cooler, etc) to prevent Kuzco from escaping the backyard. It may not look like much, but we're SO excited about this ugly gate haha! 

We did manage to do a little grilling, though! Kuzco felt that he deserved a burger too. 

"I see that you're having burgers. I also enjoy burgers."

We also took Kuzco to the base lake. He loves swimming! I wish we could take his least off of him so he could truly enjoy it, but then we'd probably spend the entire day chasing him down. 

I hope everyone was able to enjoy their long weekend with their friends and families!