Catching Up... [[pic heavy]]

It's been quite a while since I've posted, almost a month now I guess. Since right after I found out my friend died in Afghanistan. I went home that following Friday with a heavy heart. I missed his Celebration of Life and his memorial only by a day.

It was nice to see my parents and the handful of people that I did see. I spent most of my time with my bestest friend Lindsay. It was FANTASTIC to see her again. She really is my bestest friend.

Me and Lindsay at dinner with my family

We were wearing the same shirt unintentionally

Best friends since I was in 7th grade, she was in 8th. 

8 years. :)

Me and my family.

They unintentionally wore black shirts and blue jeans while Lindz and I wore the same shirt

The main reason I went home for these nine days, was for my uncles wedding and for my brother's high school Military Ball.

The wedding was a Steampunk Superhero wedding.

Steampunk Phoenix from X-Men

I rather loved this costume

My brother, my aunt, and myself.

my aunt and uncle

Posion Ivy and Wolverine

Pretty amazing steampunk Wolverine

Dressed up for my brothers MIlitary Ball

My brother and I

Trying to cover a good amount of my tattoos

since its a high school function and all.

Saw my favorite little italian girl Jessica

best friends for 9 years

Ashes and I

People thought her and I were sisters

St. Patricks Day at the Bay Area Renaissance Festivle

Relatievely uneventuful week otherwise, my parents worked all week and my brother had school. It was comical going to his military ball. I was surrounded by 13-17 year olds all night and some people wanted to talk about my time in both that particular high school unit as well as my time downrange.

I refuse to fly home anymore, everytime I come back to Bragg, they always loose my luggage. Without fail, they lose my luggage. This time though, it wasn't much of a surprise since I barely made the flight. The connecting flight in Atlanta started boarding 10 minutes before my one from Tampa landed. Haha. My boyfriend was kind enough to come pick me up from the airport, and then take me back to the airport once my luggage came in. He is a sweetheart. XD

Since then I've been back to work. I had a mountain of paperwork to catch up on, that no one really handled while I was gone. I had Drivers Training this past week, getting liscenced to legally drive both the HMMWV and LMTV for my unit. It was terribly boring, and most of the time we didn;t have any A/C. I'm just glad that its over. I have a new 1SG in charge of my company, who was incredibly surprised that I was as organized as I was. He had some stuff he wanted to impliment that I was already doing, it made me laugh. 

Sadly though, we found out my boyfriends Grandmother has stage 4 cancer. He drove to Ohio the weekend before this one to spend time with her and his family. She just started Chemo treatment, and I hope that it helps her. I feel bad for him. 

Other then that, life is boring and hopefully getting back on track. Been kind of in a funk since all of this started and I found out about Zack's passing.  Hopefully I will have more time to do more monster making here soon.

An American Soldier- Gone, but never forgotten

This is a hard post for me to type, but I feel that I must. This is a sad post.

You see, I met this kid when I was a freshman in high school, we were both in ROTC, and we became friends, we shared the same friends. He was always there when I needed someone to talk to and was just plain fun to be around. He dated a few of our friends, but he always made me smile.

He, like me, decided to join the United States Army before we even graduated from high school. We decided to be part of that 1% that said while I know the chances of what might happen, serving our country and our families was more important then the chances of what might happen. It was a risk that we were willing to take.

There was a group of us that enlisted together, Erica, James, Andrew, Aaron M., Mike, Kyle, Me, Jaime, and him. We had the same recruiter and we were several in a larger group of friends from my high school that enlisted.... Sam, Aaron B., Eugene, John, Liz, Josh C., Dane.... and the list goes on. While some went Marines and one or two went Navy, a large part of us went into the Army together.

He deployed not too long ago to Afghanistan. He was a blackhawk mechanic and he loved his job.

" i decided to join the army instead of go to college. but this makes me part of a proud few that stand alone. im not the best runner but i make up for that with my 40/40 expert marksmanship. im a blackhawk mechanic and love my job. i hate hippies and all that oppose the u.s and our troops. i cant wait to get home."

That was his about me on facebook. I read that and it makes me want to laugh and it makes me want to cry.

On Monday, 11 March 2013, the blackhawk that Zack was flying on when down not far from his base, and all five people on board died. One of my best friends from high school.... has died... serving his country and doing what he believed in. Its hard to process and it doesn't quite seem real. We knew the risks when we enlisted, but we never think that it will hit this close to home. Lots of people die in Afghanistan, this month has become a record for deaths over there.... just never thought it would be him. Never thought it would be Zack that would die. 

I miss him. I miss his goofiness and the jokes he would crack. I miss all the fun times we had in school and I'll never be able to look at a Rays jacket or jersey the same way again. That was his team.... He was always wearing something from them. 

Rest in peace brother, you're time here is through. You will never be forgotten. You're an American hero. When I go to our high school next week for their military ball, and I see that empty table for the Fallen Soldiers, known that it will be there for you. I hope they rest your picture on the table, for everyone to see and remember. Things won't be the same now that you're gone.

Its sad that something like this is what is bringing us all back together. Its a good reminder that we all need to keep in touch more, not just every once in a while. We all miss you. 

May you rest in peace. You're with the angels now. Watch over us and smile. 

Yeah, I'm dressed for success from my head down to my boots,

I don't do it for money, there's still bills that I can't pay,

I don't do it for the glory, 

I just do it anyway,

Providing for our future's my responsibility,

Yeah I'm real good under pressure, 

being all that I can be,

And I can't call in sick on Mondays when the weekends been to strong,

I just work straight through the holidays,

And sometimes all night long.

You can bet that I stand ready when the wolf growls at the door,

Hey, I'm solid, hey I'm steady, 

hey I'm true down to the core,

And I will always do my duty, 

no matter what the price,

I've counted up the cost, 

I know the sacrifice,

Oh, and I don't want to die for you,

But if dying's asked of me,

I'll bear that cross with an honor,

'Cause freedom don't come free.

I'm an American soldier, 

an American,

Beside my brothers and my sisters I will proudly take a stand,

When liberty's in jeopardy I will always do what's right,

I'm out here on the front lines, so sleep in peace tonight.

American soldier, 

I'm an American,

An American,

An American Soldier

R.I.P. Zackary Shannon

28 October 1991- 11 March 2013

"I Love" Sundays v.53

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend so far, and I hope tomorrow is the start of a wonderful week as well.

I won't lie, my week last week SUCKED something fierce. I was not in a good mood about it most of the time. Here is what I was loving last week::

* I found some of my old drawings in my assualt pack before I turned it in. It was awesome because I had been looking for these pictures and couldn't seem to find them. Good thing the people checked the whole bag before they accepted it. Haha.

my beloved Weeping Angel picture

* Speaking of Weeping Angels.... there is only 27 days until the next Doctor Who episode! Why must it still be so far away?!?!?!?!!? Haha

* I was having a bad day and since my boyfriend couldn't hang out with me that night, he still dropped by to drop off some flowers for me. :)

* Friday night we went out to this local country bar called Cadillac Ranch and him and I finally got a picture together. This is funny because we kept talking about it when we weren't together, but would forget when we were hanging out. My mom had to remind me Friday afternoon when I talked to her and then my friend Tasha had to take this for me. He's actually really tall, he's just sitting on a chair and I'm standing. Y'all know me... I'm short.

* I go home for 9 days in about two weeks or so (on the 15th). I can't wait to go home and see my family and some of my old friends. This does mean however, that I am in desperate need of finishing my costume for my uncles wedding. I don't know if I ever mentioned it... but my uncle and his fiance wanted a Superhero Steampunk wedding... and I am going as a Steampunk version of Phoenix from X-Men. It helps that my hair is BRIGHT red.

* I redyed my hair this week as well. Apparently its too bright, like fire engine red, but honestly I don't care. My chain of command hasn't told me to dye it, so its whatever. I like having red hair. :)

* I spent most of the last two weeks hanging out with my friend Sam from AIT. We have different jobs, but since they work together we went to the same school. We somehow managed to get stationed at the same duty station and after this last deployment we ended up living in the same barracks building. WE started going to dinner to just hang out and catch up. I did miss that girl. Haha.

* Saw another two friends yesterday that I haven't seen in quite a while. Sarah still lives a ways out and Ashley has a new boyfriend so I don't get to see her much even tho she lives like 5 minutes away. It was nice to see them again. Sarah and I were talking about doing a craft show here soon so she can sell her tutu's and hair bows and I can sell monsters and crocheted things. I think it would be nice.

So what are YOU loving this week?

"I Love" Sundays v.52

Happy Sunday everyone. I hope this finds you well. :D
This weekend seemed WAYYYYYYYYYY too short, but oh well. Not much you can do right? Haha.

* There is about 40 some off days left until the new Doctor Who episode comes out. I am BEYOND excited for this.

* Been spending a LOT of time hanging out with a friend of mine from AIT. We got stationed at Bragg together since we have similiar MOS' and we decided to get dinner pretty much every day this past week. Haha. Sam's pretty awesome, kind of crazy tho. Haha. I wouldn't love her otherwise.

* My friend from Basic is doing some training and I got to see her Friday night. She's supposed to help me dye my hair this upcoming week, depending on her schedule.

* Went to a NASCAR party with some of my friends and my boyfriend Zeke. The race wasn't all that exciting, but I love hanging out with these guys. We've made plans to go to the local country bar this coming Friday since its payday and one of the girls hasn't been. 

* Ordered a pair of cowboy boots. Woohoo! These ones actually shipped, unlike the last time I ordered a pair cuz they were back ordered, so they refunded my money. I can't wait until they get here!!!!!

* My trip home to FL is creeping closer and closer and I simply can't wait. I can't wait to go home and see my family and some close friends. There is a beach day with my girl Jess being planned... which is good because since its been so dreary here in NC.... I am WAYYYYYYYY too pale. Haha. I need some sun.

* My friends and I have talked about making a Disney trip sometime soon. Maybe an upcoming four day weekend!

* Got a couple monsters completed this week... well there were only three... but it was a start. Haha. I am finding my crafty motivation again and am planning on doing some new stuff to hopefully keep the motivation around for longer.

* I am almost halfway done with my World Religions and Sociology classes. Woohoo!!!!

What are YOU loving this week?

"I Love" Sundays v.51

Haha, wow... the 51st version of "I Love" Sundays. That's kinda awesome. I definitely love writing this series. Its fun looking back and seeing the cool things that've happened.

* Went to the PX yesterday and got to meet Cody from One Boy USO. Cody is a ten year old who raises money by selling paracord bracelets and t-shirts to send care packages to soldiers overseas. I got to sit and chat with his family for a little while as well, and they were awesome. His mom made me a block key chain for free. :) I told Cody how I was interested in creating a monster line specifically for him to help send care packages, and he was super interested in it. It was cute. So be on the look out for those monsters. :) He visit's bases all over the US and does stuff like this. You should follow his facebook page too!

* This four day weekend has turned out pretty well. Got to hang out with a couple of girl friends I haven't seen in a while. :) Ashley and Sarah are two of my favorite people here at Bragg, but our schedules usually don't coincide very well. Ashley is a mechanic and my work schedule is crazy and sadly Sarah lives a bit of a drive away. :( Yesterday was Sarah's son's 5th Birthday party, which is why we all got together. Ashley adn I made some Mushroom cupcakes. It was a Mario themed party.

And I got to make two new friends again, Nicole and Jessica. They are fantastic and Nicole has a lot of photography tips to share with me. I am excited!

* It snowed yesterday. No one thought it would, because the last time they claimed snow it just got icy... but as Ashley and I were driving out to Sarah's house.... it started to flurry. Twas awesome!

The cars were COVERED

Me and the bestie Ashley. 

She's beautiful

* Zeke asked me out earlier this week. I know its been a short amount of time since I told you guys that Eric and I were through... but honestly that relationship had been over since before Christmas. If my mother hadn't begged me to try to give 100% and try to make it work, then I would have kicked him to the curb not long after I got home. Sounds horrible, but it wasn't a good relationship.

Needless to say, Zeke is a great guy. He's an absolute sweetheart. He takes care of me. And my friends like him a lot. :) He makes me feel like a midget (he's 6'3" and i'm 5'4") Haha. :)

My Valentines day present, Probie the Penguin. :)

Perfect gift

* I bought a pair of cowboy boots yesterday. I haven't owned a decent pair of cowboy boots since I was a lot younger. I'm excited and can't wait until they get here!!!!! XD

Well, I am off to do my homework! Hope you all have a fantastic Sunday and a great President's day!

"I Love" Sundays v.50

Its the 50th editition of "I Love" Sundays. WOOHOO!!!!!!!! That's insane that I have been writing this series for that long.... almost a year I guess. That's fantastic. Haha.

* I went to a Mardi Gras party Saturday with an amazing guy I know named Zeke. I had to wear a dress and everything. Haha. I don't exactly know what we are or where we're going, but he's a sweetheart. We've been talkin and handing out for a while. You guys will probably be seeing more of him though.

* Got my leg tattoo finished today. Hurt like all get out. Haha. But I am uber excited about it and pleased with how it turned out. Also did the first part of my left half-sleeve. Started with a camera, since I love photography.

* Made a couple of cool new friends at the Mardi Gras party. :) Rather excited about they. Janine and Ashley are two super cool chicks, and I LOVE Ashley's accent. Talking with her for 5 minutes had me talkin with my accent.

* Found some crafty motivation. Started three new monsters. One is for a friend Amy (the wife of my tattoo artist), another for my friend Brandi's daughters birthday, and one for another friend of mine. I do miss making monsters, just sometimes its hard to find the motivation to make them. Especially when I am getting hammered at work.

*Next week is a four day work week with a four day weekend. I am beyond excited about this. Haha. Gotta love how the Army gives two extra days for the President's Day weekend.

* I completed the first week fo my new classes, Sociology and World Religions. They will be the death of me though, between getting hammered at work and then getting hammered with school, I'ma a go crazy. Seriously.

* Did a couple rows on a baby blanket that I started in Afghanistan. It was kinda awesome to just pick the blanket up and get to work like nothing had happened and no time had passed. This is a ripple patterned baby blanket, and I can't always remember how I am supposed to do it.

* Got some new plans for the business, outside of the monsters. Hopefully the new plans will be a hit. Haha.

* Got my dearest friend Sean helping me create my costume for my uncles' wedding next month. A Steampunk Dark Phoenix, its a Steampunk Superhero themed wedding. Should be interesting to say the least. And the weekend after the wedding is my brothers NJROTC Military Ball, and my prescene has been requested. After this year of seniors leave I won't know anyone in that unit anymore. I am just slightly curious to see how the whole "I've got 11 tattoos that are visible in a dress" is going to go since its a high school function. It will be a nice 9 day break though.

This is kind of what I am basing the Steampunk Dark Phoenix costume off of. Something similiar to this would be perfect!

What are you loving this weekend?

"I Love" Sunday's v.49

Happy Sunday everyone. :) I hope your week was better then mine was.... because mine was CRAZY.

We had a long couple of days, working until almost 8pm when I get to work at 630 for PT.... it was unpleasant at best. We had a weapons qualification and I no longer feel bad about only hitting 25 when my Command Sergeant Major only hit 19. It made me giggle. I might not be able to hit all the targets, but at least I can do my darn job good. :)

Anywho... on to the list.

Day at the range 

we had to stop shooting for a while.

* Spending time with my awesome friends. There are never dull moments with us. We went to Salsa's and Beer (mexican place) Friday and we couldn't stop laughing and goofing off. You guys know how I have my one bestie named Josh (commonly referred to as Shrek), well... we found ourselves a little brother. Haha. There is a new guy in our unit who is awesome, named Kolby, and he's our new little brother.

Kolby and Shrek

:)

* Going to Cadillac Ranch this Friday and hanging out with some other great friends. We shot a lot of games of pool and I only minimally embarrassed myself while doing the Cotton Eyed Joe and the Cupid Shuffle. Was comical. After not playing pool for quite some time, I actually held my own against my friend Jay. We played a couple of team games and won most of those too.

* Skittles Riddles and Mountain Dew (they're tasty)

* Making fun plans for this three day weekend. Gotta love when my division goes 82 days without an accident or a negative phone call and in turn they give us a day off. :D Also gotta love how it correlates with Super Bowl weekend. Haha. Perfect timing.

* Deciding that at least bi-weekly Shrek, Jay, Tasha, and I are going to cook a new recipie for us to try. :) Last night we decided to make some variation of Taco Salad. Haha.

Dinner last week.

Cheesy Broccoli Bacon Chicken and Rice

What are you loving this week??