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 

A little baby

No, I'm not pregnant. 

But I had the best time with this babes newborn session! 

Mr. Elias made his way into the world, you can read about their maternity and newborn session here and also keep in mind that I'm still offering four free sessions a month, February is almost full! 

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours we hope that you have a safe and beautiful holiday season.

We have a lot of spots missing around the friend table this year, we wish our loved ones were here, we wish we could spend this time with them but are extremely grateful that the majority are coming home soon. 

and obviously I couldn't leave you guys without this little treasure.. enjoy. 

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

where have I been?!

I've been nannying, then I got let go, so now I'm ninja-ing. But really, I start training for a new job next Tuesday -wish me luck- and have been topsy turvy with everything else. 

The summer came and went, rather quickly, and fall is now upon us all. No getting kids to school, just getting myself ready for work. I bought heels.. that's a little short of a miracle for myself, I'm pretty much against being tall, I have an aversion towards it. But they were cute. 

Bru is turning ONE next month, A gets home somewhere around the start of all our festivities aka thanksgiving and Christmas. 

I learned a lot about myself, I've been thinking of going back to ombre hair, I used to have it.. then I was like "BLONDE" and now I'm all "CANT AFFORD!" So back to being cheap. 

I joined the Y just down the road, I'll be getting my workout on, lucky for me my schedule for the next 9 weeks puts me at work around 3 and off around 11pm (swing shift!) so I'll be able to workout in the mornings and still basically have a normal life.. when A gets home it'll be interesting, opposite schedules and all. 

I hope that this new shift allows me time to be on here, blogging and re-building a follower base. I am so sorry to have been gone. Life just gets in the way, all the darn time. 

-Acacia 

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! 

missing you

Hasn't gotten any easier over the last three years.. in fact.. just when I thought it had, we hit the 50 day mark and I realize after a skype -the third one in 50 days- call that I'm not immune and my heart hurts badly. 

When this deployment started things seemed weird, I could go about my regular schedule and sort of continue on the same sleep pattern. I missed you, but the gut wrenching feeling was gone, I know this is our last "forced" deployment.. any others will be by volunteer.. granted only if you make this new job. I had Bru, my days are full and if anything I can't find the time to sit and actually write you a decent letter. Then tonight.. I'm sitting here talking on twitter to some awesome ladies, getting my hopes up to see your face and you say those dreaded words "comms blackout" on email and I just.. feel empty, my heart sinks and I'm sad. I truly thought I'd see your face! But thank whoever decided to hold off, because for 30 minutes I could stare at your blue eyes and only make jokes and talk about training options for Bru, it was like you were here... and then you had to go to work and we had to say bye. No matter how silly we were, how serious or anything, goodbyes suck. I find myself sitting at the computer being talked at by our puppy and just wishing that you were here.. that you weren't there and that we could actually live our lives without some interruption from the military. I wish you'd gotten out at times like this, I wish we'd moved to Oregon and just.. been normal. 

Everyday you're gone is one more day I add onto the list of things I want back.. things that I wont get back. Anniversaries, birthdays and kisses. The laughter that used to fill our home and chaos, this stuff is all gone, every time you leave.. and despite my sunny disposition, I can't help but be jealous of every person who doesn't deal with this and gets to lay next to their loved one every night... but jealousy is bad and I'm not about to be petty. 

I love you, A. 

-Acacia 

times I hate being involved with the military

When I was younger I never pictured my life semi revolving around a man and his job, or following someone to the ends of the Earth. I never thought one day I'd cry by the grave of a soldier who held me in their arms at one point.. I never thought this would happen. I was also a child, and war was a distant thing, something that happened to our parents. 

Obviously 9/11 changed that. 

I've been blessed in this world to know many fine soldiers and their families, airmen, sailors and marines. I've also had to say goodbye to a select few.. and this last Tuesday someone who I was so glad to get to know over the last year had to say goodbye to her loved one. 

SPC Trevor Pinnick died fighting the "good fight" in Afghanistan on June 12, 2012. 

He leaves behind a beautiful wife and daughter, who at two, is really lucky to not know what's happening.. but has to deal with not having her amazing father around. 

Pre-deployment portraits I took in 2011

I didn't know at the time taking the picture above, that would be the  one that stays with her forever.. I didn't know saying things like "Smile, Martha needs some thing to look at when you're away" would turn into the picture she will cling to for the rest of her life.
I wish more than anything that I could take this away, more than anything this hadn't happened and we could all just continue on with our lives.. that in two months he'd come home.. he'd embrace his family at a ceremony. Rather than be laid down with his fallen brothers.. rather than have a wife and daughter miss him forever.

can someone remind me what these sacrifices really mean, because right now I feel like something is shattered and not a damn person cares.. not a normal person. Not someone who sleeps next to their loved one every single night where is his parade for sacrificing watching his little girl grow up?

I love you guys, and I hope that someday you can know, Mel, that your father was so much more than a hero... he's the best man in the world for doing what he did and you should know he loves you more than anything. From heaven he's looking down at such a lovely little girl saying "that's my girl" know he's there with every milestone and setback.
Martha, I can only pray that the pain you're feeling will someday subside and you find as much joy in what you had with him as possible. I love you, you're one of the greatest women I've ever met.. you are stronger than anyone I know.
I hope God can wrap them in his arms and help them through all of this..
<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nhdNG_ebbTg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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