Since March....

Wow, So we haven't written in quite a while! Sorry! Since March...I finished my semester with all A's in my major classes and a D in history (just don't understand that subject). I started an online medical terminology class that ended the last part of June, and I have to brag some more, I made an A in there too! Woo hoo! We celebrated our first anniversary early in April by going to Hilton Head for a weekend and hanging out at the beach, which was very nice! May we mostly hung out here, went up to Dalton for a weekend for one of Rachel's showers, and that's about it. Rachel got married on June 21, so we headed up to Dalton for the wedding, and it was so pretty! She looked gorgeous. We had a really great time up there with the family, although it was really busy, lots of work (poor Dusty), and very quick! We have met several new couples that we hang out with on the weekends and go to the Sand Gnats baseball game. They are lots of fun to hang out with. (All the husbands, or finace`s, work with Dusty ). Dusty got his platoon and is now in charge of about 20 guys. He is really enjoying being a platoon leader and is looking forward to the future with the platoon. July 4th, we celebrated in Memphis with Dusty's parents. Nicki was not there...she is in Nicaragua with Warren and Trish and their kids. We watched fireworks Friday, Saturday we went to this place called Puppy Corral and held and played with lots of puppies...they were so cute!!! Then that night we drove to Tunica, Mississippi and ate at Paula Deen's new restaurant in the Harrah's Casino and it was so good! Dusty's parents went to see Gladys Knight and Al Greene and Dusty and I played the slot machines for a little while. We even ran into one of Dusty's best girl friends while he was at West Point while in the casino. It was really good seeing her, considering it had been over a year. The last time we saw her was at our wedding! Sunday, we drove to Nashville to eat lunch and visit with the Holownia's, another family we hadn't seen since the wedding! We had seen Greg, because while the guys were training at Ft. Benning they lived together, and Greg also came down recently to visit us down in Savannah. Anyway, we had a really great visit. Please everyone, keep the Holownia's in your prayers. Greg is leaving Thursday for Afghanistan. It was a really sad and hard goodbye, but we are so glad we had the opportunity to go see him and his mom and dad. Now that we are back to our home, it's back to our day to day routine of Dusty going to work and me either working or having the day off and doing whatever. Sorry this post was so long...I need to be better about not waiting to write in so long. Just remember to keep the Holownia's in your prayers, and also Nicki, Trish, Warren, and their 4 kids in Nicaragua.

Congratulations to Dusty!

As you all know, Dusty just got back from completing sapper school. It was a 30 day course and he did extremely well, so well he graduated and got the tab! We are all so excited and very proud of him. He did different tasks, tests, patrols and missions such as ruck marches, repelling, water drills in zodiacs (inflatable boats), and much more! Just to brag about him a little more, there were 32 people that started the course, and only 14 graduated and got the tab, 3 of them being girls! Those are some tough girls...I know I couldn't do the first task! We got to see our friends in MO, Melissa and Andy, for a few minutes Friday night. Poor Dusty was about to fall asleep he was so tired, so we visited for a little while, then got him to bed!

I flew up to Memphis to his parents house, and then the three of us drove us up to Ft. Leonard Wood on Friday, had Dusty's graduation on Friday afternoon, got up on Saturday and we all drove back to Memphis. We went to Bass Pro and got a great Japanese dinner that night. Then Sunday morning, Dusty and I left and drove to Dalton and had lunch at Tijuana's with my parents, sister and her fiance, and my grandparents. It was really good to see them!

Dusty and I had a really good weekend, first time seeing each other in about a month and a half, so it was really good seeing him. Also, spending time with his parents and sister was good too! Now for us, its time to start a new routine for me going to school and work, and Dusty starting work at Ft. Stewart.

We are looking forward to family coming to visit for Easter in a couple weeks!

The first picture is of Colonel Iverson putting Dusty's sapper tab on his left shoulder.

There is an upclose shot of his red sapper tab.

The other two are of me and him, and then me and him with his parents.

Movie Gallery, here I come!

I started a new job! Woo hoo! While Dusty and I were living in Missouri, I didn't work the entire time. I was suppose to, I put in applications everywhere, but no luck! So, when I moved to Pooler I put in applications everywhere and when I went for an interview at Movie Gallery, they hired me! My first day was Tuesday. I got all decked out in my khaki pants, tennis shoes, and either a red or white polo shirt, and got to working. It wasn't bad at all. I organized the movies on shelves, checked movies in, yess I got to scan! haha, and I vacummed and didn't leave until 11:30 that night. On Thursday, I learned how to use the register, which I had never done in my life. I got the hang of it for the most part, except when people use their rewards card or want to get one. There is so much you have to type in, scan, swipe, sign, and print. But that was my first time and I think I did pretty well. I think I was a little slow, some of the customers picked up that I was new and I had to apologize a couple times, but all were understanding!
Dusty starts sapper school today and so pray for him and wish him luck. I don't think he and I will be able to talk hardly at all, but that's ok...he has a lot going on there that he needs to focus on. He and a friend have been living with Melissa and Andy for the past two weeks, and now are living in the sapper barracks with a lot more people. Thank you though to Melissa and Andy for helping us out with that!

Green, Green, Green

Dusty and I got to see each other this weekend before his sapper school starts in a couple weeks. We had a lot of fun just being with one another! Saturday, we painted the kitchen asparagus green! I love it! Our house is looking more like a home little by little and we are so blessed and excited to have it! Now all we need are visitors! Here are some pictures of us painting and then the finished product. We started on Saturday and finished on Sunday. You wouldn't think, but painting wears you out, or it did us. Or maybe it was because we were getting high from the fumes, haha jk! We did have a lot of fun doing the little project and are glad it is finished. Now time for the bedroom and living room :)! It was sad leaving him at the airport today, but I haven't bawled my eyes out like a few weeks ago in Atlanta and almost running over a girl that decided to walk when cars were going! It is sad to leave each other and to know that we won't see each other for a month and a couple weeks, but we can do it. I am busy with school and searching for a job, and Dusty will be busy getting ready for sapper school and then starting sapper school. All in all, we had a great weekend and thanks to his mom for helping us find a cheap flight. Actually, he had skymiles so we didn't pay anything...thank you Delta!

Getting back into the swing of things!

My first day of class was yesterday back at Georgia Southern University. I haven't been in school since Spring of 2007, so it was a little hard getting back into the swing of things! But, I have to say, the day went pretty well. I have 5 classes and 1 lab on Mondays, so I go from 9-5:40....long day, but I made it! I was glad to get home last night to see Layla, poor thing had been locked up in the house since 7:20 that morning! She was glad to see me, and to go to the bathroom! I have some tough classes this semester, but I know I can get through it, especially if I want to graduate! I am only taking classes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Mondays are the only really long days, so I am happy about that. I am also happy that I get to see Dusty on Friday!!! He is flying down here and staying until Monday...no school woo hoo! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Christmas and moving in!

I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
We left Missouri on the 21st in a huge Penske truck, with a trailor on the back for my car, and drove to Memphis, TN to see Dusty's parents, sister, and Grandmother for Christmas and had a really good time! Then on Christmas Eve, we drove from Memphis to Dalton, GA to see my family. We also had a really good time there too, seeing about 40 of our family members! Then on the 26th, we drove from Dalton to Pooler, GA, where our new townhouse is and moved in! We got there on the 26th around 5:30, immediately started unpacking, and didnt go to bed until 1ish, got up at 8 in the morning and were back at it! It is so good to be back in Georgia! I know that I am going to miss Missouri, especially the friends that Dusty and I made! In Missouri, we had been wearing sweaters and big jackets for a while now, and when we moved in on the 26th, it was 80 degrees down here....so hot and we so weren't ready for the chance in temp...too bad its not like that anymore, I think the cold followed us here! We are all moved in and are so excited! Dusty left today to go back to Missouri to finish his engineer school until the 14th. At the beginning of February, he will be starting sapper school! I am so proud of him for doing the training and now going on to the school! We will be away from each other for a couple months, but it is well worth it! Gooo Dusty! (haha) I love him and I know that he can do it!