Four Years

Four years ago I met that man up there over kings cup and tequila.. we still have the bottle of tequila -its empty- and since that fateful night in your Tacoma apartment we've gone through a lot of ups and downs. Deployments, homecomings, TDYs and life. 

To say that the last four years have been easy would be a lie, but they have certainly been some of the best. I look forward to being with you for however long we are together and I am extremely excited about this new house and spending a very cold winter together. So heres to four years of love and having my best friend by my side. I love you, and always will. 

-Acacia 

and our new base is.....

Grand Forks AFB in North Dakota! 

Was this our first choice? No, was it even on the list? NOPE! But it is where we are being placed and it is where we will call home for three years come August.  

What do I know about this place? 

It floods and its cold.

2/3 of the time its snowing in the winter.

It gets in the negatives. 

Its close to Canada. 

I know this isn't a place that we were hoping for, I know that we are moving to a place close to Minneapolis and that we're putting in to possibly swap to a different base. 

I wont lie when I say I'm nervous, scared and possibly going to freeze my butt off. I'm excited too.. we're going to be away from family, and we'll be going on many adventures. I'll be possibly starting school there, maybe buying a house? I don't know! But whatever it is, we will figure it out. 

But until we know for sure (orders are printed) we will assume this is our new home. 

-Acacia 

Time moves swiftly

Seriously. 

I picked A up from his squadron... about two months ago and he leaves again for his new job (YAY!) training in March. Its a little bittersweet for me, I'm not going to speak for him. We were sitting there thinking about how we can spend more time together -hi there full time job, photography AND gym - and we came to the conclusion that we really should look at me moving with him. I've been pretty steadfast in saying no, but then we calculated out the actual time we've spent together in three years.. subtract 3 deployments (1.5 year(s) then about 3-4 TDYs during that six month "down time" and also in some other schools that he's done, vacations to his parents, which unfortunately I don't always get to go on.. we've been together for about six months. Yeah. So to all those pushing us to get married or for him to "man up" maybe take a look at it from our side? 

So this is my semi-kinda informal way of saying that A & I will be moving to his next duty station together! 

Any ways, some awesome big things happened for myself, well and A.. I bought a new car -can't remember if I told you guys.. - its a red 2005 corolla named Lola -thank you Vicky!- and I just shot the most adorable maternity session, but am waiting for baby E to make his arrival to write about it -any day now baby!!- I've made it to being the #2 spot on my team at work, the person in front of me only has about 200 calls on me.. so I'll get there. 

Oh I've found She Reads Truth which is an AMAZING community of women in Christ! Seriously, this last devotional we did was AH-MAY-ZING called Fresh Start... I was able to lay it all out there, not be judged and just revel in the fact that God chose to save me, of all people, and that I need to scream this from the roof tops!! But for realsies, check them out, even if you just want to know more about God, about the Bible.. check them out :) but be prepared to have all of yourself changed by His awesome word. 

Well, I suppose I should run off to work now, its insane how time flies in the morning hour. I will be blogging on a more regular basis now that I have my schedule back on track.

-Acacia 

Military | A's Bronze Star

This last Friday I was able to watch A be awarded his bronze star. Its been almost a year and a half since the Major he worked with in his last deployment awarded it to him, the reason it took so long is because this award came from the Army and had to go through the Air Force. I was a little teary eyed when he was being promoted, especially when they listed out why he was awarded this medal, and that he was awarded by someone who was with him on that deployment was just amazing to me. 

In 2011 A was deployed with the 3rd Batalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team for his support and performance in Panjwai, AFG. 

A says its a team effort, he's right, it comes from the guys on the ground to the guys in the air.. its all of the branches and gratitude is given to any and all who were with A on that deployment.. I know how hard it was for him, I know that watching your friends pass or be injured isn't easy and I think the thing that stuck out most was when the Col said 

"in his job *insert A's rank/name here* saved 200 lives, 200 people are celebrating holidays today with their families."

Two-hundred ... and you know what A said when a reporter asked him how he felt? 

Humbled, he was just doing what every other JTAC has done for years, he was just recognized for it. 

A has never been one to be proud of himself and he is far to humble about the situation.. and I think its funny when people say "you should be proud of him" oh man, you all have no idea how proud I am. 

In the last three years I have watched this man walk away to war every year and for the last three years I have waited for him to come home, and I have been very lucky to welcome him home every time I've sent him off... I have heard the difficulties, seen him age 10 years because of the stress and listened to the stories when they get together.. you never really know until they speak about it.. things are different from when we first met.. we are his family and that is an amazing feeling. Everyday I am proud of him, every minute he's here with me I am proud and every time I watch him walk away to get on a plane to Afghanistan I am proud. But to hear the way his superiors and the men he supported while on his last deployment speak about him makes me swell with pride.

A after he was awarded, I may post more pictures when I get them from the professional photographer who was there. 

A, you have amazed me for three years and I know you will continue to do so for hopefully the rest of our lives. I love you. 

-Acacia

almost over

I can't help but get a little nervous/giddy when I think of A coming home.. of what I'm going to do and how it'll be.. I mean, its like starting your relationship over -really- and being all ninja about it. 

Homecoming #1 Aloha Skies Photography 

This year is a little different seeing as I probably wont be able t pick him up because of my own work schedule (lets keep our fingers crossed they come in on a Monday!!!) but then I remind myself that its not a big deal and we'll be able to be together that night -or maybe my lunch break! 

Homecoming #2 Aloha Skies Photography

No welcome home pictures.. no big hug or sitting around at the international gate for hours (literally) waiting for A to make an appearance. Though I am really sad that our reality is us getting together that night, or maybe on a 30 minute lunch break, I am happy that I get to welcome him home. Now to just figure out what to do with the house as far as decorations! Any and all ideas are welcome, especially if you have pictures or something.. man.. so soon. so tired of waiting! 

-Acacia

Lifestyle

My lifestyle is sorta weird, I'm not a spouse to an airman, I am just the girlfriend... I don't want my blog to be all military since it is my blog... but then I run across the fact that I am pretty freaking boring. I work, take care of Bru and the house and wait for my man to come home. I daydream at work about how it'll be to hold him in my arms again, and at the same time I kick butt and realize that my parents raised me right i.e. not lazy. 

After so long with someone whose job is so "high speed" you start to get tired of it, I'm tired of missing my best friend and of the SAT phone cutting off. I am tired of this lifestyle. I want a home, kids, decent sized yard and a detached barn style garage for portraits.. I want the mundaneness of A coming home day after day, tired and only wanting to hang out with the dog. I want to actually have time to plan out my life more than a month or week in advance..

I am proud of A, don't get me wrong, but A isn't everything.. do you know how hard it I just want to tell people he works in an office doing adjustments or something equally boring?? Everyday. I stopped even bringing up the fact that he's in the military, when people ask I always get the same question "so has he killed anyone?" Uh.. none of your business? The second someone finds out he's military its like my accomplishments don't matter, just that I've stood by his side.. well guess what, it isn't that hard to be there for someone, it probably harder on him to be there for me, than the other way around. In the last few years I've discovered the importance of being proud, but in a quiet manner. I no longer flaunt his job, his successes or the things that truly don't matter to him, instead I talk about him as a person. He's more than a uniform and this lifestyle is just a temporary speed bump in what we really want. 

Like I said, I am proud, A is my best friend and he does so much for this country by just being overseas.. without him someone else would have to be there.. and while it sucks, I would rather it be him than the guy with kids. But this "lifestyle" isn't ours, and the military can keep it...along with the rest of the crap we don't care about. 

-Acacia 

Exciting

My big sister is moving to Washington!!!!!! I'm so excited, I finally get to have my best friend (girl) in my life again, full time, and my very own fashion expert. Seriously, you have no idea. 

K & I are four years apart, and it took us living apart for the last 5 years to really value our friendship as sisters.. so to say having her be here is amazing is probably an understatement. 

I can't wait. 

These next 1.5 month(s) will hopefully go by quickly, since I get two great presents before Christmas it truly makes life better... now if only A could come home early.. hmmm. 

two months

It has been exactly two months since I dropped A off at his squadron.. I can remember that when I came home that morning the bed was still warm from where we were sleeping.

A laughs, cause I can sleep anywhere, but when he leaves my sleep is kinda messed up. 

Sometimes I wonder what life will be like without the military. Where will we live (Oregon) what will we do (be awesome) and how will it be waking up everyday knowing you wont go to war again.. (amazing) 

We've had our fair share of bad news this deployment, after Trevor passing.. and then your grams and my great uncle. But the upside is my dad is meeting your parents in a couple weeks.. how bass akwards is that?! Yeah my dad hasn't met A, but that's cause I haven't seen my dad in three years and every time he wanted to try and visit, A was gone! 

We only have a few more months to go... then the real fun starts, more separation! But this time its better, its for our future.. for us as a family, its always amazing how much I can miss you being annoying and getting on my nerves.. or walking in the house to see you sleeping on the couch. Its all I can do not to poke you in the nose and wake you up. 

You're my best friend, and I hate these deployments, but I'd go through twenty thousand more if it meant I could spend my life with you.. now just hurry up and get home! 

hello, hello, hello!

I guess starting a new blog twice in one year is kinda crazy, but finding my "blog home" is pretty important in order for me to even continue blogging. You may remember me from "The NOT TACP wife" which later changed to "the best of me" then was promptly deleted. HA! 

This blog is non-centered.. meaning? Well, its about everything and anything.. like it says "Love, life and some hello's" since a lot of being in the current career field of A, we say "see ya" a lot and so we get a lot more hello's than most. 

Obviously he's a TACP, but not for long. :) 

After this week, I decided to go full force into blogging again.. it was one of those weeks that just knocks you on your bum time and time again. So I found some comfort in (terribly) designing my blog.. any help is welcome *hint* so here I am, the twenty something living in the Northwest with a giant malamute, who at seven months is almost 90 lbs, and sans boyfriend of three years because he's off galavanting in God knows where. 

And here I am, blogging before I have to run off to church! I bet you're just itching to know more, but I suppose saving more for another date is wise.. especially since I really need to get going. Enjoy this place, I hope I will.. and keep A and all his guys in your prayers if ya don't mind. 

-Acacia