Friday, July 24, 2009

Anniversary...

The girls and I have been really busy the month of July.  Julia had a "kiddie college" that my mother in law enrolled her in all this week and she's also watching Eva for me.  As much as the break is nice, I really miss those little turkeys!  They keep my mind busy and fill my heart with joy.  Next week I leave for Dallas for a Mary Kay seminar.  I'm really looking forward to this for a couple of reasons.  It is an amazing thing to be a part of and I know it will really help me with my new adventures in Mary Kay.  But, I'm also extremely grateful to be going, especially next week, and to be surrounded by extremely upbeat, positive women.  Next Wednesday, July 29th, would have been Rob's and my 9th anniversary.  It's so hard to believe we would have been married that long.  Next year for our 10th anniversary, he was going to upgrade my wedding ring.  The things he did to get out of buying me diamonds!  :)  Seriously, though, when I think about my first anniversary without Rob, so many emotions go through me.  On that day, I can't even look up to heaven and say "Happy Anniversary" to him.  It's not happy.  So, I'm trying to figure out what exactly I can say.  I do know this though:  if I knew 9 years ago that this is how it would turn out, I, without a doubt, would still have married him.  Of course, I would have done things differently.  I would have cherished our time together more, laughed more, loved more, fought less, and hugged tighter.  But I will forever cherish the times we did spend together and the 2 beautiful girls we have.  So, thank you Rob for giving me a wonderful life with you.  Although it was cut extremely short, I am grateful for the time I had with you.  You made me a better person.  You loved life and your enthusiasm rubbed off on me.  I love you so much.

Sunday, July 5, 2009

Happy 4th of July!

Wow. It's been a busy weekend! I hope you all had a wonderful and safe 4th of July. My mother in law took the girls for the weekend and I spent it with friends. We had a blast and, once again, feel so blessed to have such amazing people in my life. It's hard to believe that on July 3, Rob deployed for Afghanistan. If I'd only knew it would have been the last time he hugged and kissed us, I would have held on longer. Through this whole experience, I've learned to cherish the times with the ones that are important to you. You never know when your time with them can be cut short. Although Rob is gone, I still continue to feel his presence among us. Although, it was a tragedy to lose him, I'm recognizing God's blessings surrounding me. I've "slowed down to smell the roses". Even though my days are hectic, I cherish the time with my girls and know that all too quickly they will grow up. I cherish my family and friends and how much they love and support us. And I also reflect more on the meaning behind holidays such as Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the 4th of July. Our military men and women fought for our freedom, some making the ultimate sacrifice. It's easy to take that for granted until it smacks you right in the face. I'm proud to be an American and I'm so grateful that I live in the land of the free. I will never take that for granted because as I now know without a doubt: freedom isn't free.