Catching up, and big changes.

Seems like it's getting longer and longer in between posts. A lot has happened around here, so I'll try to do a little catch up!

We have a new baby in the family. He was definitely a surprise! Brandon has been begging for a German Shepherd for years. This little guy fell right into our laps-- he's a Purebred, and was 5 months old when he came home to us. He had a medical condition that made him "special needs." This condition (which I would name if I could remember what it is) affected him so badly that when we got him he couldn't even walk. His first owner took him to a shelter. He was adopted there, but the second owner got spooked by a veterinarian who had a glass-half-empty attitude. So, the second owner decided he couldn't keep him. It took Brandon about 2 seconds to decide that we could handle it. He hadn't even met the dog yet. :)

The awesome thing is that two weeks later, the medical condition is pretty much non-existent. All it took was a couple weeks of meds, a nutritional change, and some patience as he learned to walk. He is now RUNNING and GALLOPING around our house. You would never know that anything had ever been wrong. I'll be honest. . . it's sometimes a headache to have a 50 pound puppy around here, but thankfully, GSDs are incredibly intelligent and easy to please. Right now, our biggest problem is that he likes to drag all of the dirty laundry from the hamper into the living room floor (I know the obvious solution is to keep the laundry room door closed, but I swear, he's figured out how to open it). Yes, it's embarrassing when somebody drops by the house and I have to explain why my bra and Brandon's boxer shorts are in the floor, but if that's the biggest problem we face, I'll take it!

Another big change is that I cut off my hair for Locks of Love. I haven't yet taken a good picture of the final product, but my hair is now pretty short (shorter than it is in the picture above), with heavy bangs and layering. It's the most edgy haircut I've ever had. When I'm in the mood to wear a pretty dress to church, I'm not a fan. . . but when I'm rocking my skinny jeans, boots, and a cute scarf, I LOVE it. It's so much fun. I kind of want a nose ring now too, but Brandon isn't convinced.

Brandon took me to a Renaissance Faire, and I got to fulfill a lifelong dream-- I met Captain Jack Sparrow! The RF was a benefit for St. Jude's, and I loved it so much that I want to volunteer next year.

We've also been doing quite a bit of fishing. Sadly, we haven't caught a thing. But when our friends catch fish, they sometimes give it to us, so we've enjoyed some really awesome fresh fish dinners! I've never been a big fan of the water, but Brandon's actually gotten me to go fishing in the ocean, in a canoe. Yes, it was kind of scary. . . but canoeing beside a school of dolphins is quite possibly one of the most amazing things I've ever experienced. I'm enjoying the water so much that I actually asked for a snorkel set for Christmas, and plan on doing some snorkeling next year.

Speaking of next year, it looks like we're going to be doing some major traveling. Possibly some together, definitely some separate.

Remember that vacation we were planning to take for our 5th anniversary? Our second honeymoon, first real vacation? The one that we had to cancel three days prior, because the Air Force disapproved the itinerary at the last minute? Well, even with travel insurance, we didn't get any of our money back. But, the company we booked through was nice enough to give us a credit toward a future trip, worth 75% of what we had spent. So, we used our credit to book a new trip for next year. We will NOT attempt to go to Mexico again, we have decided to go somewhere completely different. So far, Brandon's leave is approved and there are no problems with our chosen itinerary. But, we've learned that anything can happen. So while we are hoping to travel together next year, if Brandon's leave falls through at the last minute, I'll be going solo. On a trip out of the country. Yikes! Brandon is insistent on this. If we cancel, we'll lose the credits/our money. Brandon is definitely not cool with that. So, either way, I'm going on this vacation. We are just praying that Brandon gets to come along! I would be seriously bummed to travel and have all of these amazing experiences by myself. I want my best friend with me.

Brandon will definitely be doing some solo traveling. He's scheduled for a TDY early next year, and it's the kind I can't tag along on. . .  which is too bad, because he'll be going somewhere that I actually really want to go. It's a pre-deployment training TDY, where he will have weekends off, so I am keeping my eyes open for super cheap flights. If I could find one of those $99 round trip flights, I would totally fly up for a weekend to visit him.

Of course, pre-deployment training means that he might be doing some MAJOR traveling of his own next year. I try not to think about that though. When Brandon first went to training, they told him that he would probably have between 12 and 24 months before first deployment. That sounds like such a long time. . . until I remember that he has now been in for over six months. Time is flying so fast. Just another reason I am praying that his leave doesn't get messed up again-- I want that real vacation with him before he is up for deployment.