Tempus fugit, Time flys.

I know it has been months since I posted anything. The past few months have included some great times, some heart ache, some visitors, and some really boring times. We really got settled in right about Halloween, all of our stuff was in and unpacked and that was a great relief since we were sleeping on the floor for two weeks! We absolutely love being out on our own and being together. In early November Justin's mom came to visit, which was a much needed at the time. It was so great to have a piece of "back home" (as Justin says) here with us. Our first Thanksgiving was a success! I didn't burn the turkey... in fact it was actually pretty good. In December I turned 20, very thankful to be out of my teens. Right before Christmas Justin finished his training and after a little bit of time off starting doing his actual job working on the U2 and he loves it! My sister and her boyfriend were out here for Christmas (not just to see us, his family lives close), and they left engaged. It was nice that we got to be a part of that even though we are normally so far away. It was a great year full of many first for Justin and I. After celebrating New Years, came Justin's 21st birthday, which he was really excited about. But now he is back to studying working on CDCs booklets, a continuation of training. He is working very hard to be the best Airman he can, volunteering, and planning to do college as soon as he finishes the CDCs. We've lost two loved ones since being here, one being very recent, Justin's best childhood friend. It is very hard to lose someone close to you but we can get though anything together. It has been very hard for me to find a job since being here. At first I limited my search quite a bit because I didn't want to do a job I didn't love, now I am at the point I'll take anything that I won't hate but even that limits me because the base is quite secluded so I'd prefer to work on base rather than drive an hour or more to a dead end job. (I wouldn't mind driving if it wasn't a retail, fast food, $8 an hour job). None the less we are doing great and loving our lives here. We are excited that our anniversary is coming up quickly and can't wait to celebrate that milestone in our lives. The past few months have flown by, it feels like it was just weeks ago we were moving in.

Since last time...

It has been a while but it has been a crazy couple of weeks. We are in California and have been for a little over a week. Thursday the 15th Justin told me he got his orders and Friday afternoon we started the drive. It went so fast we didn't even get to set up TMO (moving our furniture) before we left. When we got here we had to check into a hotel since the base temorary lodging was full. We are supposed to be rembursed for the hotel and travel but that is taking a lot longer than expected so we moved from our very expensive suite into another hotel the next weekend. It has been me, Kayci, 4 walls and insanity for the last couple of days. I spend my day making phone calls to housing, the base hotel, trying to make appointments and everything. We were told we couldn't get into temporary housing until at least October 15 and that housing would take 45 days to two months to get into. Two months in a hotel! Yikes, I had to do that once but at least I got to leave for school, i'm in this room constantly. Thankfully we had some help and today we got our address! The funny thing was I called the housing office and asked where we were on the list and we were 14, and then Justin called me and told me he was going to pick me up so we could go look at the neighborhood (since we never got out of the car to look at them). When we got there he said we were stopped in front of OUR house :-) It isn't finished yet, there were putting in blinds when we went to look and the dishwasher was still in the garage. Yes we even have a garage. It is so cute. We are so excited. We can't move in for a little over 2 weeks but that is still amazing compared to 2 months. It is probably a good thing it isn't sooner because Justin has his TMO appointment tomorrow so we still won't have any of our things for a couple of weeks. We also have to get the car registered soon, and I need to get my CA drivers license and do a hundred other things. It has been a crazy month and I think next month will be just as insane, but in a good way.

The Waiting Game

Well I have been in Texas for over two weeks now. My first week after unpacking the uhaul at my parents I went to visit Justin up in Wichita Falls. It was so great to see him, and it was a fun couple of days (besides the fact that we didn't get approved for the truck Justin wanted). I have been back at my parents slowly losing my mind for the last week. Kay-ci has been an awful clingy dog. She is so cute but it is a pain. She has always been my dog but she has never freaked out so badly when I leave the room. She has been getting slightly better, maybe because she is adjusting or maybe because I had to put her on antianxiety medicine just to leave the house. She still whimpers a little but not near as bad. She also hasn't gotten any more friendly with Harley, my sisters dog, but we've worked out a decent routine. Last week Justin finished the first part of tech school and now we are just waiting, and waiting, and waiting on his orders. One of the four of them going for the same plane has already left with his orders and the other three (including Justin) and stuck on details, which is like cleaning duty, until their orders finally come in. I looked out housing at Beale and I am getting excited. Not all of them are great, typical base housing, old and plain but there is one housing development that is only 10 years old, a townhouse style and it is so cute! Lucky for us they are 2 bedroom junior enlisted too so there is actually a chance we could get into it! I would be so excited, but at least even if we do get put into other housing they have been doing updates and renovations since 07 (which is when the pictures i saw were taken). I just want to be there, and be with Justin. I hate being apart and I hate the waiting game. Fingers are crossed for orders coming in today, or atleast this week.

Cali here we come...

Well Justin got his official assignment, it is Beale. Glad to know and even better news (that is not official yet) is that I should be moving to California with Justin as soon as he finishes with tech school. He should get his official orders which will say where, when and who, on Friday or Monday. I can not wait to know. I just got to Texas yesterday and I am already going crazy again. My dog is a 2 year old beagle and she is the biggest hunk of love ever. She is so sweet and gentle...with people. She has always had aggression issues with dogs, and sometimes cats. She is simply terrified of them and becomes a crazed dog even if the other animal is being nice as could be. We have gone through two trainers that have no idea what to do with her. My dad thought (until today) that she couldn't be aggressive, even after she took a hunk out of my sister's dog. He is finally catching on to the fact that she just doesn't want to be bothered by the other dog. If her dog Harley would calm down and leave Kay-ci alone it wouldn't be a problem but she is a bundle of energy and doesn't realize when Kay-ci is growling at her she should back off. We have had a hard time trying to keep them apart, especially because I can't go anywhere without my puppy being attached to my ankle. Yesterday she went after the cat when he did nothing to her so I put her in her crate (that I just got!) and left her in my room and not even 10 minutes later I heard her at the door...she had BUSTED out of it! I even just went down the road to the neighbors house and left her out with my dad and he said she didn't stop whining or howling until I got back. I know this is new for her but she needs to calm down soon because I can't handle this much longer. Hopefully I won't have to though. I am hoping very much that the rumors we are hearing are right and that I will be heading to Beale by the end of the month! I am leaving on Friday to go visit Justin and Kay-ci is coming too so hopefully she will behave there at least. I will be gone until Tuesday so that will hopefully be a little vacation. Is it Friday yet?

Lauren Platt RT(R)

Yesterday was my last day of school at Virginia Western! I became an official graduate of the radiography program after two long years. Today I passed the national registry and became a registered technologist in radiography. This program prepared me well because last week I decided I wasn't going to stress and that I was going to "wing it" and not study and I still managed to get a 90! After I finished and I looked at my score I was so disappointed because I was thinking how in the world did I only get 90/200 questions right?! Haha. No it was 90%! That is just the preliminary score but it can only go up from there. Days like today I can not believe how far I've made it. I looked down at my rings and I just thought, I can not believe I am married, let alone to such an amazing guy, I can not believe I graduated college, I can not believe I am a RT(R), I can not believe I am married to an Airman, I can't believe I'm moving across the country! To think mearly two years ago I was 17 and graduating high school! If so much has happened in such a short time I can not imagine where I will be in another 2 years. I am so thankful for everything I have, I know I am very blessed. We still don't know what Justin's assignment is 100% but I've been informed it is going to be Beale (98% sure). I won't believe it until the official assignment is posted though just because things are changing so often. Justin's instructor told him that he knows everyone who is going overseas and he isn't on his list, that's how they deduced it will be Beale AFB, in California. I would love to know for sure, and when! When is the next thing I am getting extremely anxious about. Justin finishes on the 15th but that doesn't mean that is the day he will be leaving Sheppard AFB that day. They could keep him around until they are ready for him at Beale (and who knows when that will be). We also aren't sure if they are going to wait to move me until his month of training is done, or if they will be nice enough to move me right away :-) I am hoping for the latter. Fingers crossed we'll find out soon!

Amendment-

Justin's hot training will not be a month at Beale, more like 10 weeks, he isn't even sure why he said it was a month before, it just sounded good I guess. So now I am really hopeing they will just go ahead and move me because 3+ months at my parents while he is out in Cali is going to drive me crazy!!!

I don't have to be me till Monday

Well the weekend is ending, and at least it is on a high note. Some good news is that Justin and I ordered our living room furniture. Still no news on Justin's assignment, (which would be the best news) so I am taking joy in the small things. I can not wait to start decorating a place of our own, we are so lucky to be starting out with so much! Yesterday I also went out shopping with my mother-in-law and we got our toes done, sad that it was probably our last pedicure together. The guys who were doing our pedicures were so amazed that we went together. One guy was like "Out with your mother-in-law? I'm surprised she is not dead!", haha. Today was a great relief because I have been so stressed about the final exam in my registry review class. I came to the realization that I can not fail this class! (If I calculated my grade right). No more stressing, at least until it comes time for the registry, which is only 4 days away. I am hoping these last two years have prepared me enough that I don't need to freak out about it. It is hard not to worry but I am trying. I am trying to think of the good things instead of the things that I can not change. Like how in two weeks I will hopefully be visiting my husband up in Wichita Falls. That is my motivation for getting everything packed!

Our Couch and Loveseat! (and my mom)

We always wanted a chaise lounge :-)

We are also going to get the tables

Philippians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Another day another box

I have another room already full....

I don't plan on writing everyday but so much is going on I have a lot to say so for now I might. Also I had gotten use to writing Justin at least a two page letter everyday while he was at basic training, so at the end of the day I feel like I still need to let it out. I am so ready to be done with school. I love the field I am going into but I am so done with this program. This last semester has been really rough on me, I am burnt out. Only 3 more days of class! I have my final exam on Monday, which is actually what I am most worried about. (I am more worried for that than to take my national registry). I still haven't studied, last night I didn't get much accomplished. After class today I should be worried too, the entire class failed our last quiz (which is weighted as much as our tests some how), so I need to get my butt in gear. Like I said though I am burnt out and can't find the motivation to get moving. I was very glad to get to spend the morning with a couple of class mates. After two years it really feels like they are family. It is amazing how close this programs makes you. We have cried, laughed, and wanted to pull our hair out together and I will honestly miss them all so much. I did get more packed today though. My room finally looks like I am moving. I took all my pictures off my walls and it finally set in that I am not going to be here anymore. I've been talking about it a lot but it hadn't sunk in until today. Now I am going to become nostalgic whenever I leave my room and see all the boxes. After spending most of the day packing I am going to take the weekend to relax (and study). Tomorrow I am shopping for clothes for Justin since he is down to skin and bone and won't fit into any of his civilian clothes and spending one of my last weekends here with my mother-in-law. Most people complain about their in-laws but I have become so close to mine over the last two years I am going to miss them so much. They have done so much for them there is no way I can thank them enough. I am sure they will enjoy their empty nest though. I am ready for us to have a place of our own but today I also came to the realization that bills and responsibility are right around the corner. It will be so worth it to be with my husband. Last night he told me that there was a chance his assignment could be an unaccompanied tour to Korea which absolutely broke my heart. That is no more likely than Beale or an accompanied tour to Korea but I didn't know that option was in the mix as well. Again I am just anxious to know. Just for planning purposes. I am an absolute control freak so not knowing is killing me. I can not wait to see what my future holds.