this is it, don't get scared now

Classic line from Home Alone, in case you were wondering.

Tomorrow's the big day. In 12 hours, Andrew will be walking to the Naval Yard. In 15 hours, he'll be in the middle of technical interviews. In 18 hours, he'll be meeting with the Admiral. In 20 hours, he'll know whether or not he's been accepted into the Navy. Yikes.

He's already at the hotel - I dropped him off about an hour ago and came back to his Great (emphasize great, as in AMAZING) Aunt's apartment where I'll be staying tonight. I couldn't stay with him at the hotel and we felt like it was too risky to have him stay here with us, across town when he needed to be ready for the interview so early. If he misses it, it won't be on my watch.

So I'm camped out in Aunt Anne's office, catching up on some work, listening to Christmas music and crying in little spurts for no particular reason other than the fact that I'm exhausted and anxious. And about a million other emotions that are pumping through my little heart and have no other escape route.

So, here's what I have to say to you, Andrew...

I couldn't be more proud of you. Regardless of the outcome tomorrow, I am immeasurably proud of you. You have worked SO hard for this - chasing your dream job and trying to find a way to provide for us. That's why I love you: you're passionate and hardworking and determined, and you love me in those same ways. I know after seeing this that you will absolutely take care of me. More so than I probably deserve. And no matter what you tell me at 4pm tomorrow, I will continue to follow you with my eyes shut if I have to, because I am 100% confident that you are doing what's right for us. So go and have fun and do your best and be you. I will love you for that no matter what.

phew

What a two weeks it has been. Forgive me for the over-due post, but wow WHAT A TWO WEEKS IT HAS BEEN. We packed, we moved, we unpacked, we settled and we did it all with a lot of stuff in between and a few hiccups that made the whole time seem to crawl by. But we're here and we love it! I don't think either of us realized how cooped up we've been until we got here and started breathing breaths that I didn't know I was even holding. Then all of the excitement caught up with me (+ the sleepless nights + the work stress) and I ended up with a nasty cold this weekend. Lucky for me, I have the sweetest husband who set me up on the couch with all the Christmas movies a girl could want. And of course, my precious puppy stayed by my side the whole time to keep me warm napping across my legs. Sometimes I think the Lord has to force me to relax and I totally appreciate it.

So here we are, anticipating how we'll decorate for Christmas and preparing for Thanksgiving and the big interview in the days to follow. I can't wait to get there and know, one way or the other, what our next step is (or isn't). Of course, we want this to work out, but part of me just wants to know something, regardless of what it is, so we can at least move forward. Keep us in your prayers and stay tuned!!

Tis the season for good things, I do believe. May your Thanksgiving be blessed...

three weeks!

Until...Andrew's interview! He found out today that there's a spot for him on December 1st. We are SO excited to know that this is finally moving forward. Keep him in your prayers over the next few weeks while he's prepping for that (in the midst of moving - whoa). According to the lady he talked to today, if he gets accepted on Dec 1, he'll probably go to OCS (officer bootcamp for three months) on January 3. That feels a little too close for me to dwell on, so I choose not to :) We'll make the most of the holidays and then he'll be out of here chasing his dream job. In the meantime, we have to pack and think about the right now.

We're almost there, folks!

reasons why we love Rudy

We've had him for just over a month now and we keep finding more reasons to completely adore this pup. Granted, he tested our patience for the first few weeks and there were several times where we contemplated ever having children, but we made it and now we're thankful for a great dog. So here's our ode (kind of ) to Rudy...

1. He's ridiculously cute. We can't take him anywhere without getting comments.
2. He's really smart. Even thought right now he's freaking out because he can't catch his tail, he's usually brilliant.
3. He gets the hiccups about 5 times a day. Usually when he's been startled. Adorable.
4. He's determined - this morning he dragged his blanket and 3 toys from the kitchen into the living room so he could lie comfortably in the sun.
5. He's curious. Hence the reason he has primer on the tips of his ears and whiskers for the time being.
6. He's a true hound dog. He roots stuff out of the woods that I'd rather not discuss.
7. When he sleeps, he cuddles this little blue elephant that my mom got him. Precious.
8. He's patient with the kids next door that ALWAYS want to pet him. Even the littlest one who always says, "His ears is fluuuffy."
9. His favorite snack? Ice. Talk about economical. A dog after Andrew's own heart.
10. He's SO sweet. He can absolutely tell when I'm feeling sad or disappointed and he immediately goes into cuddle mode.

That's it for now, I believe. We do love our Rudiger!

we're moving!

Don't get too excited - it's not anything fancy. In terms of a Navy update, there isn't one. We're still waiting to find out when his interview date will be, so we're still practicing patience :)

BUT...we're moving! The lease on our apartment ran out a few months ago and we're already paying more than when started because of the garage we're renting and the month to month fees. Yikes. So, we figured that if we're paying more and we know we'll be here for a while, we might as well live in something a little more comfortable. We found a rental house that's a bit closer to work AND it has a huge fenced in backyard for Rudy. It's adorable and I love it.

We move in two weeks and have about 1/25 of the house packed. We're hopefully going to do a little bit at a time over the next two weeks until the big moving day, when Andrew's parents come to help. But ya'll, I'm a teensy bit sad. Remember sentimental Page? She's raging right now. Last night, we started taking the pictures off the wall so we can prime over the paint and I realized that we're moving out of our first home. That's sad.

I had flashbacks to this:

We were setting up our first place - we'd been married less than a month, we both had jobs, we were COMPLETELY happy. It's not so much sad to think of leaving this place, but to think of moving on from a time that has been so simple. Things have been on the brink of crazy for a few months (while we get ready for the potential Navy move) and while it's an exciting opportunity, it's scary to think that this time is gone, you know?

But such is life and we love it anyway. Because it's crazy and unpredictable. Besides, moving means I get to make lists upon lists of things to do/pack. And clearly, that's worth it.