Dusty said we are able to mail him liquids and toiletries! When/if you are mailing him any of this stuff, make sure with the post office it's ok we mail him this stuff. He said they would know!

Liquids:
- Please NO alcohol!!!
- Gatorade
- Health shakes (Big Dan...Dusty says he likes the kind you drink)
- Java Monsters
- Starbucks drinks (I think those are the little glass bottles of coffee)

Toiletries:
- Body wash
- Shampoo
- Razors
- Q-tips
- Deodorant
- Toothbrush
- Toothpaste

I can't say thank you enough to each and every one of you! Dusty and I appreciate it tremendously!!!

A Few Of His Favorite Things...

Some of you have asked me what to put in a package for Dusty and so here are a few things. Please do not feel like you have to do any of it or all of it at once. Thank you for even caring enough to send him something! I know he will appreciate it! I told him he was about to be bombarded with packages and will probably get the same thing in most (that's ok, he can always share!), but these are the things that he likes. I don't know about sending liquids, like Gatorade, so I'll check and see if that would be ok...or if you are reading this and know the answer, please share. Toiletries, again, I'll have to check on and get back with you. Thanks again to each and every one of you!!! We really appreciate it!!!

- Chocolate Chips Ahoy (blue package)
- Trail Mix with M&M's and nuts
- Minty, watermelon, or strawberry flavored gum
- Peanut M&M's
- Peanut Butter M&M's
- Plain M&M's
- Pretty much any kind of M&M's
- Sudoku Puzzles
- International phone cards
- Magazines (Men's Health, workout magazines, etc.)
- Surprises!!!

I have Dusty's address!!! I sent it in an email to most of you...if I forgot you (so sorry) and you would like his mailing address, let me know and I can email it to you! Thanks so much!

Dusty has arrived in Iraq as of early this morning. I still have not received a mailing address, but as soon as I get one, I will pass it on. Please continue with the prayers! Thanks to all!

One M&M At A Time...

You all must be wondering what the update with Dusty is. We said goodbye Thursday morning at 6:15, his plane was supposed to take off at 1:50, needless to say, many plane malfunctions, he is still on the ground at Hunter in Savannah. I just got off the phone with him and he will be taking off in about an hour. He will go to Newfoundland, then to Germany, then onto Kuwait, where he will be for about 3 weeks. Thank you all for the support and prayers. I want to give a huge thank you to my family and Dusty's family. We (I) could not have done it without you as you all know. The reason this blog is titled "One M&M At A Time" is because my mom, along with Kim and Dad, made Liz and I jars filled with 365 M&M's, tied with a yellow ribbon. We are to eat one, only 1 Liz, everyday as a way to countdown the days til he will be returning home. Now, we don't know exactly how many days he will be gone; could be less or more than 365, but it's a good guesstimate. Thank you all again to everyone reading this. Please keep Dusty and the rest of his battalion in your prayers. They are trained and ready for the tasks ahead!

Dusty's Party

Thank you to everyone who came out for Dusty's party! We had a really great time seeing everyone and are thankful for each and every one of you! Here are a few pictures from the night. Remember, I will keep everyone updated about the deployment as I know the information. Please keep Dusty and I in your prayers!

Back in Ringgold...

At the beginning of October, Dusty left for Ft. Irwin, California for training, and I went to stay with my parents in Ringgold. It was nice seeing all my family and hanging out with them. I got to see friends of the family I hadn't seen lately, meet new friends and people, and hang out with family! Layla and Paisley enjoyed themselves out on "the farm". Paisley couldn't run just in the yard; she always wanted to go in the pasture and then would never come back when you would call her, so she was stuck on the leash every time we went out. They did enjoy playing with Bertha and Ellie. It was mostly Bertha and Paisley playing. Paisley has gotten so big...she is now 7 lbs!!!! I can't believe it, but she is still so cute!
More of the things I did: My cousin Adam got married on October 2. It was a beautiful wedding out at Walnut Hill Farms ( I think I got the name right). Mom and I had a girls day and had lunch in Collegedale at End of the Garden Gate, a little tea room. Then we went shopping, which is always fun! I babysat a lot for Elli Grace, Anna, Jackson, and Jase...what fun kids! Many funny moments with them all!
One Sunday, me, mom, dad, and Kim all drove to Elijay after church to go to the Apple Festival. It was fun, cold, but fun. I had a funnel cake and we took a bag of apples home (they were soo yummy!).
Rachel, my older sister, is in a praise band at her church with her mother in law and another lady. Well they sang at the fair the last weekend I was home, so Dad and I went to hear her sing (Mom was out of town on a choir retreat). It was freezing that night!!! But they did an excellent job. After we left there, Dad and I went to a Halloween Party (bonfire thing) at some friends house that we go to church with. It was fun!
I learned how to pick turnip greens and cook them. A lady from her church took me to pick them and then the next day I went over to her house and she showed my how to cook them. Wash them 5 times, boil with salt, add oil and sugar and bouillion cubes, etc. They were pretty tasty!!!
Mom and I and Grandpa would go to breakfast/lunch once a week. It was good seeing my Grandpa and hanging out with him. I cooked supper a lot while I was home, and he would come over and eat most of the time.
I also made new friends. I hung out with my cousins and their friends, all of which have children and a little older than me, but thats ok. We had a lot of fun!
I also got to see my old roommate from Georgia Southern, Melissa. We first met at Dalton State in 2004 maybe, and have been friends ever since. She too is married to a man in the Army so we now have that in common. They are expecting their first baby, a baby boy, in February. Like Dusty, her husband is also deploying, so this next year, we will be seeing a lot of each other. She came up this past week and we had lunch and spent the day with each other. It was so nice to see her and visit with her. She is adorable pregnant!
Sorry this post is so long and I'm sure I left out many things I did, but that was most of it. Some days I did nothing and didn't get out of sweat pants until 4...nothing to do!
It's nice being back down in Savannah with Dusty. We are planning on taking a vacation soon. He has time off for 2 weeks, so that will be nice spending time with him.