As the Seasons change... so do we....

Fall are you here yet?!?!? While summer has been great ( minus the 107 degree OK weather), we are so ready for the change of the season. I can't wait to see the leaves change into those beautiful autumn colors and feel the crisp breeze across my cheek!! I have not seen a true Fall since I left South Carolina.. two years ago!!

As Summer is coming to a close, the everyday "normalcy" of our lives is coming to a close as well. In a few weeks, Rory will be leaving for Washington State to train a unit that will be shipping out overseas. While he is gone for almost a month and a half, I have decided to make a huge change in my life. After leaving South Carolina with high hopes and dreams for my future as a teacher, I have faced nothing but hardship and disappointment through the many moves we have had to make for the Army. I feel like I have been on an emotional roller coaster... never knowing where it is taking me or if I will ever have a chance to get off. At many times, I have been lost. confused. angry. bitter. I couldn't understand why God was putting us through such a difficult beginning to our life together. I have held on so tight to my dream that I refused to cling on to another. All I knew.. all I could see.. was that life was being unfair. Why must I sacrifice so much just to be with the man I love??

After many months of soul searching, I am finally coming to the realization that I need to simply accept the road that life has brought me down and move on. So, I have decided to create my own tutoring business. If I can't teach n the classroom.. then I will bring the students to me! :) The idea is very new and I have just started the brainstorming of this project. I just hope that my hard work, passion and dedication to this will bring me the happiness and success that I have missed out on for the past two years!!

Our Lil' Place in the World

As most of you know, leaving El Paso meant leaving our big and comfortable house behind. Unless your taste is shag carpet, flower power wallpaper and green tiling, Lawton does not have much to desire when it comes to housing. So, instead of living in the 70s- we opted for a smaller townhouse, which is more our style ( meaning its in the 21st Century!) Its small, especially with our three crazy animals (who really don't get along) and very different from what we are used to. But for now... its our home. Check it out:

Our Home Office

Our Master Bathroom... laundry room is in here too on the right.

This is our front door, stairs leading up to the first floor. Gate is there for our little escape artist, Anakin, who has decided he does not love us anymore and tries to get out at any good opportunity.

Our living room... yes, our TINY living room with Jade and Anakin hanging out.




Our Dining Room.. right off of our even smaller kitchen. Its so small I didnt even bother taking a picture of it! :) Oh, and Lyra saying "Hi" under our new table.

A view of our Guest Room

Other View... so if you come and visit us this is where you will be staying!! :)

Guest Bathroom

Stairway up to the second floor

Our Bedroom... with a new comforter set my Mom and Dad got us for my Bday!

Yes, Im Going (Back) to Carolina.. in my mind!

(My 25th Bday Dinner)

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June has come and almost gone.... like the quickness of a summer day. Why is it that summer days seem to go so fast? I spent 8 days in wonderful South Carolina and it flew right on by! Although my trip was over even before it began, it really made me think about life and how fast it passes you by. In just two years, my life has drastically changed. It seems like yesterday I was running across campus, trying to make it to my next class on time. And now I am celebrating my One Year Wedding Anniversary with my wonderful husband. Driving down those Carolina roads, I started to remember how much I wanted to leave... how I was dying to get out of college and start my life. I wish I could talk to that girl and tell her to slow down... stop and look around... take in everything you are experiencing because one day you will really miss your life in this moment. As much as my trip made me realize how much I miss my Carolina, I know there is a reason life has led me down a different path... I am meant for something more. My trip down memory lane reminded me of this quote:

"All changes, even the most longed for, have a certain melancholy;for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves" -Anatole France

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We're Doin Fine, Oklahoma!

Greetings from Lawton, OK! Well, we made it here- somewhat- in one piece. Let's just say, our 10 hour drive from El Paso was quite the adventure. It started out with our crazy cat Anakin. Not even 10 minutes into the drive, he somehow thought that Vanessa's leg was the litter box. First Detour. The drive continued without a hitch. That was until Vanessa's tire blew out. This seems to be a moving ritual for us-- since this has happened everytime we have traveled to our new home! Second Detour. After a very frustrating two hours and $100 dollars later, we were back on the road. We decided to end our first day of travel hell in Wichita Falls, TX, which is about 45 minutes from Ft. Sill/Lawton, OK. After some KFC, American Idol and PJ time, we were feeling much better!
We arrived in Lawton at 8:30 am the next morning, with the moving company waiting right outside our new home!! YAY! No more sleeping on an air mattress (It usually takes them over a week to make it to our new place). Our awesome friend Kerry came over and helped us with moving in, after we went to Starbucks of course. We couldn't believe how NICE the OK Starbucks workers were. Its like a whole new world coming from a place like El Paso, where people ram your grocery cart as they are cursing you in Spanish and calling you "Vanilla." Yah, crazy I know.
So, the moving in went well, except for the part where they broke our desk!!! Luckily, it is covered and we eventually got a new one.
So here we are about a month later and finally settled in. We have ventured out a bit.. exploring our new surroundings. We even managed to squeeze in a trip to Six Flags during all the moving craziness (We had a blast)!! Rory is back to work after a long hiatus and Vanessa is STILL waiting on her teaching liscense. In the meantime, we have a lot coming up this summer. Vanessa will be leaving for SC on June 6 to attend her friend Krystal's wedding as one of her Bridesmaids. While there, she will be celebrating the big 2-5 on the 13th.... a night out with her best girls at Bonefish Grill (yummy!) Vanessa's mom will be visiting us for about a week-- so we will be gaining about 10 lbs while she is here :) Our First Wedding Anniversary is on the 27th and we are still deciding on how we want to celebrate. Rory's Bday... Tim McGraw concert... and a possible road trip are whats in store for July. But for now, we are just enjoying the quiet until June hits. Oh wait... thats tomorrow!!!!!