A whirlwind of emotions.

This blog post is dedicated to my Grandma B.

 My Grandma's house was the home where cousins came as family, & left as best friends. Growing up we had many traditions that kept our families close: leaf parties, birthday parties, Easter & Fourth of July BBQs, she had the best snack closet, she always made sloppy joes for Halloween, our huge Christmas party, and a wall where our height was marked throughout the years.

 Because of my Grandparents, all of us cousins grew up together. We would all go "search for the bears" as my dad would hide and scare us in her backyard, always sat together during the Fourth of July  parades, played with the Lincoln logs, enjoyed her amazing garden and flowers, always getting a new hoodie for Christmas, and teaching me how to crochet.    

My Grandma loved my Grandpa so much, and when he passed away four years ago this month, she would never let his memory die. She always told us stories of when they were younger and him as a greaser, or throughout their marriage.

One of my favorite memories is when she sat down with me before my wedding and showed me her collection of antique silverware. I wanted to use them for my wedding and she took the time to find the exact ones that I wanted. They turned out perfect! My Grandma & Scott could talk for hours and he always joked that she loved him more than me! ha So I am so thankful that we had a piece of her and my Grandpa at our wedding, pieces that we will cherish for forever.

We love you, Grandma!

   

Bestie is MARRIED! 

Allyson, who I went to Australia with, is finally part of the best club, EVER. The forever love club. 

Her wedding & reception were beautiful, they are incredibly happy, and I can't wait to see the professional pictures because I wasn't able to take any! 

So to Mr. & Mrs. Sanders--- 

CONGRATULATIONS on making the best decision of your life. 

Cherish and protect each other.

Be each others' best friend & cheerleader.

Always make lasting memories.

Build forts in your living room.

Dance in the kitchen.

Travel to see Scott & I! ;)

Go on couples trips, hint hint.

Tell her she's beautiful, tell him he's handsome.

Tell secrets and laugh until you cry.

Endure the hard times, it will only make you stronger.

Look back at this day and smile because you know that you'll have a marriage more beautiful than your wedding.

Always say "I love you" more times than you can count.

Look for a solution, not ways to "be right".

Always be on the same team.

I love you, Allyson! 

And welcome to the family of best friends, Richard! 

Bridesmaids in pink. With Maddi & Hannah.

Allyson & my roommate in Sydney, Australia. She came to America for BOTH of our weddings!!!!!!!!!! She's amazing!:)

Scott sent this email when I told him that the wedding was about to start & I couldn't talk with him. *Tear... but He is still amazingly thoughtful!

Bryce, my handsome date for the wedding!

Sister stayed at the reception with me!

My "bridesmaid in crime" Maddi! Had a BLAST with this lady and her sister.

These guys. My Grandma actually passed away right after the wedding and these guys let me be sad, but helped me still laugh. Couldn't have asked for a better support group that night. Thank you again guys! Meant the world to me. And Scott thanks you for being there for me when he couldn't be.

Making lasting memories.

 

My adorable Grandparents taught me how to make my Great Grandmother's caramel popcorn! 

  Then Grandma had to hide the bowls because we kept sneaking bites...

 

 Hahah too.much.fun!

HALF WAY POINT!

Scott's deployment is half way done. Which means what?!

 We are on the down hill side!!!!!!! 

No more saying, "He's been gone for 1,2,3,4 months." Now I can just say, "We only have 4,3,2,1 months to go!" 

EXCITING.

As exciting as this weekend was, it was also such a hard weekend. I am so fragile and I really never know what can be a 'trigger'. The wedding was a trigger because it made me miss Scott more. During the wedding my Grandma passed away & I couldn't run into my Husband's loving arms. Couldn't even call him and tell him the news. He finally was able to call me yesterday and just let me cry on the phone. He was what I needed. Scott knew exactly what I needed to hear, how I needed to hear it, and just knew what his wife needed. He is such a great Husband and I am so blessed to have found a man who knows my heart so well. 

Although he can't be here for the funeral and to physically hold me, God helped his words wash over my hurting heart and of my family's. I know that he will be praying for us all throughout the week and giving us strength. In our first year of marriage we have had to go through the death of his Grandfather and now my Grandmother. Which honestly has made our love for each other grow that much stronger because we learned very early on to run to each other.  

But another exciting point, HE IS AMAZING! His ship, the USS Bataan, helped with a rescue of almost 300 people out in the ocean. They aided them with food, water, medical attention, and temporary shelter.

Here is a picture of my amazingly wonderful Husband working! 

I love & miss you, Mr. Cummings!

My amazing Hero.

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What NOT to say to a Military Wife while her Husband is deployed.

In honor of the HALF WAY MARK {Eeeeek! seriously jumping up and down} I wanted to write a post of what not to's.

My friend Kayla & I decided that I should write this 1)For the memories, 2) Possibly for laughs...later, and 3)So you may read this and be more prepared when you come across a military wife. 

Caution, there might be some sarcasm in my answers... I just couldn't help it.

So, here is a list of some of the things that you should NOT say to a military wife while her husband is deployed:

- "I could never do it"
Well, if you could never stand along side of your Husband while he is forced to leave for a long time period, you shouldn't be married. You just do it, it's either that or get divorced. Which is NOT an option.

- "Eight months? Oh that's not too long!" 
Only if you, yourself, have been through a longer deployment should you ever say this. But even then, as a military wife, you still know eight months is a long time apart from your Husband.

- "Doesn't it just kill you to be apart?"
Nope, I definitely married Scott so that we would have long periods of time apart. Sheeeeesh.

- "Oh, I totally understand what you are going through, only my boyfriend/fiance'/ or husband is only gone for a couple of weeks and I get to see him on weekends/talk to him daily.
NOT.THE.SAME.  
But thank you for trying to relate.


- "Can't you go see & stay with him?"
 Oh, why didn't I think of that? I'll just catch a flight and be to his ship by dinnertime.

- "He won't ever have to go without you again, right?"
This is for the ones who might not understand the military lifestyle. They are always training and always deploying, so yes, unfortunately he will have to do it again. But this is why we are FREE! (:

- "Are you going to get pregnant any time soon?"
Uh... I kinda need my Husband here for that to happen...

- "Will you get pregnant right when he gets back?"
Uh...by the time he gets home we will have been married 16 months. Eight together, eight apart. I'm pretty sure the only thing that will be on our minds is each other, not babies. Plus, we have miss Mallow moo.
  
- "Are you (or small town gossip "are they") having marriage problems?
Oh boy. No, we are not having marriage problems and I did not leave my Husband and run to my parents. He is deployed & I am at home surrounded by amazing family and friends that are supporting us. 

- "Oh, you must be so lonely."
Why thank you Captain Obvious.

- (From someone unrelated to the military life)"Well, you know what you were getting into when you married Scott with him being in the military."
Correct, I knew that he would have to go fight for our country to defend our freedom, but that doesn't mean I knew what to expect while he was gone or how to deal with all of the emotions.

So, I am not trying to point out one person (there have been many on each point) or to make anyone feel bad. I am just venting so that maybe someone will understand a little bit more about the fragile military wife's heart.