Our New Pets

Ollie & Daddy

Ollie and Mommy

Moki in her cage with a pic of us... lol

So its been a while since I last updated my blog.. Shame on me huh... Anywho we first got our first pet named Moki in which she is a sugar glider than we got Ollie who is a border-collie blue Merel. We feel so blessed to have our little so called babies for the time being... lol.. Here are a few pics of them... Ollie is 3 months old now and Moki I have no clue... But Ollie just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

"Famous Beal Street in Memphis"

This is the famous Beal street in Memphis... They have all kinds of places to eat delicious BBQ food. It's located down town and its full of bands playing and people selling things.
Right here Garett is standing in front of the pavilion where people our in there stands selling things.. Also there was a guy spray painting master pieces of art... We had a blast walking down the street and enjoying the great grub...
They close off the street and people walk down and up street. They also close the street off for people to do their tricks in the middle of the road... Like this one guy did back flips almost down the whole street.. It was neat to see..

"Memphis, the city with lots of History"

Do you know why this Hotel brings us some history?

Well, this was the hotel that Martin Luther King Jr. was shot. while our stay in Memphis we were able to go to the civil rights Museum in which we were able to learn so much about the history of what happened here. I don't want to get the history wrong so I got some of the information from this site http://www.africawithin.com/mlking/assassination.htm

Brief History take from the site above:

The Assassination

On March 28, 1968, Dr. King led a march through Memphis, Tennessee in support of a garbage workers' strike. Which was intended to have been peaceful and non-violent. But the march disintegrated into rioting and looting. In order to recover the damage done by the out-break, a date for a new march was set for April 4, 1968.

On April 3, 1968, Dr. King arrived in Memphis and checked into room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. That night Dr. King gave a sermon at the Masonic Temple. On April 4, at approximately 5:45 p.m., Billy Knolls arrived to accompany Dr. King to dinner. As Dr. King, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, James Orange and the driver engaged in a conversation about dinner a shot rang out. Dr. King was thrown backwards to the floor with a single gunshot to the neck.

As the police ran towards the motel asking where the shot had come from several of the men assisting Dr. King pointed to the direction of the rooming house across the parking lot.

At approximately 6:05 p.m., the police found a .30-06 hunting rifle wrapped in a bundle near the front door of the Canipe Amusement Company, a shop next to the rooming house. Along with the rifle was found a pair of binoculars, two unopened beer cans, a tack hammer and pliers, a shaving kit, a hair brush, a pair of men's shorts and undershirt, the April 4th issue of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and a radio with the number 00416 (Ray's inmate number at the Missouri State Penitentiary) etched on it. Two weeks later the finger prints on the riffle was identified as belonging to James Earl Ray. The largest FBI man hunt began and on June 8, 1968, James Earl Ray was apprehended at the Heathrow Airport , London as he prepared to go to Brussels.

Since they don't let us take pictures inside the Museum we took them outside of the hotel... The reef of flowers is where his room was located... If you ever get the chance to go to the museum its so neat to see the films and actual places that this event took place...

In the picture below is where the suspect was when he shot Martin Luther King Jr. He shot him from the upstairs bathroom which would be the 3rd window near the trees... In the Museum you can actually see where the bathroom is located and the evidence of things that point to the suspect who killed him... Its really neat... If you are ever in the area be sure to stop by this museum, it was really cool...

The Confession (is from the same site from above)

Arthur Haynes Sr. was hired as attorney for James Earl Ray. He and his son prepared the case to go to trial with what they thought enough evidence to prove James Earl Ray was incapable of committing the crime he was arrested for. But just hours before the trial, Mr. Haynes services were discontinued and Texas Lawyer, Percy Foreman took over as attorney for Ray. Because Mr. Foreman felt the evidence was so overwhelming in support of James Earl Ray being guilty, he urged his client to plead guilty to avoid the possibility of going to the electric chair.

I hope you enjoy the brief history along with our pictures of our visit... This was a great outing for my husband and I . I really enjoyed it... Its amazing how much history is all around us and we're sometimes to busy to notice it or even take the time to learn it... Thanks to my husband the history buff I was able to learn more about this place... I love you Garett!!!

"Walking along the Mississippi River"

While we were in Memphis, we decided to walk along the great Mississippi River. We saw how big the river really was... It's amazing, they call this big body of water a river. lol... Although it was really hot and humid it still was romantic just to walk along the side of it. We saw that there are boats that take you across the river and also to the little island in the middle of it.. The next time we come here we're thinking of taking one of these boats with some friends.

This is the little piece of land in the middle of the river that I was talking about... We were also thinking of crossing that bridge and taking the tour they offer, the next time we're here... I had a wonderful time with my husband despite the hot weather...

"Visiting the King of Rock and Roll"

So I just love the fact that we spontaneously decide to travel to Memphis to go and visit friends along with visiting the King of Rock and Roll... Yes, Elvis... Garett and I love to travel and see new things and this was a great trip. Garett doesn't really like to take pictures but these are great memories I wanted to keep... Thanks baby for letting me take pictures...

Garett and I near by Elvis' Jet

One of Elvis's cool rides.....

Graceland sign welcoming us

billboard near the museum

Us in front of the Gate of Elvis's House

I know I don't tell too much of the history or of the neat things I saw but you just have to go and visit for yourself... The area around is pretty run down but at one time this was a pretty popp'n place.. Hope you all enjoyed the pics

"Military Ball April 2011"

So this was my first military ball and I was excited about it. At first I thought we weren't gonna go but it turns out that 2 days before the ball My husband says I got us tickets to go so I was like oh cool. Now to look for a dress and get my hair and nails done... Here are just some pics that we took right before we left.His Uniform and all of his pins some of which you can't see cause the pic looks dark... I'm so proud of all his hard work in getting those awards...
Me in the Bathroom... I was happy my hair turned out great. Not to mention I felt like a beautiful Queen. When I was done getting ready my husband just kept staring at me. At first I was like... is there something wrong, but then he said I looked beautiful. That made me feel very special then he kissed me and told me he loved me... In the pic you can actually see the back of my hairstyle through the mirror ... I Love my dress that we got on sale... It was orginally $130 but we paid $71 since JcPennys was having a sale... I love sales ;-)

US

Us again... I had a blast even though we got there late.... hehehee ... I was so thrilled that no one had my dress there...

'Summary of things"

Sometimes life throws you all sorts of things from heartaches to illnesses to unexpected tragedies. Some days are good and some days are bad or just different. This post is just a little summary of what's been going on so far.

First, Life in Tennessee hasn't been all that terrible but has been a new experience. Most people have been nice which is good but yet they're reserved... Living here has been a growing experience in which i've had to get out of my comfort zone. I guess a lot of it has been my attitude. I'm not gonna lie, I miss Colorado and Utah. This place just seem so dirty with strip joints down the main streets and Bars at every corner... The thing I do like about it here is the beautiful greenery and hills. I'm sure there are beautiful trails to hike in which I would love to hike them. The job hunt here hasn't been too great... Because of my poor credit its been hard getting one. Why do they have to check your credit to see if you can be hired? You can't pay your bills without any income coming in...

Second, The unexpected came... News from my sister told me that my uncle died a few days ago.

I will always remember my uncle and I am grateful to know that My father in heaven has a plan for us and wants us to return back to him. I'm grateful to know that he won't be suffering anymore...

Third, difficult time forgetting a wrong that was done to me. Its a wrong that broke my heart and I never expected it but now I'm having to let go and work on things. Trust is hard to regain once its been lost.

Fourth, getting back into shape! oh yes the smaller eating portions and the exercise... I must say I was very proud when I made my first pull up. I've been trying for a few days to do one and I just wasn't strong enough or light enough to pull myself up... But I did it, yeah!!! Also I've started up my work out dvd along with running or jump roping.. I wish I could rollerblade but the streets here are dangerous and don't have shoulders to run or skate on.

Fifth, learning to make myself happy. Somedays can get pretty lonely and these are times I need to keep myself busy and also try to make myself happy. Being happy is a state of being and I have the power to decide if i feel this way or not, but sometime out side things can affect the way you feel. But yeah this is one of the things I'll be working on along with the other things I mentioned. One thing for certain I need to be positive and have a better attitude about things even when they go wrong. Easy to say but hard to do...I think I wrote a whole book and this was just suppose to be a summary...lol forgive me...

"Welcome Home My Dear Husband"

It was February 15, 2011 and I was way excited to finally see my husband . After waiting a whole year of deployment I was totally ready to have him home. I made these Boston cream mini's and I made this sign to welcome him home. Our townhouse was ready and all set for him.

So here I am holding up the sign

Garett and I

Watching the Soldiers come out of the plane when they landed.... I was screaming Garett's name and yet he didn't even hear me or noticed me...

Sgt. Buck and My husband

And All the soldiers in formation before they are released to the families....

"The Process"

So I'm moving to Tennessee and I've been trying to prepare for this whole process for months. But I can't say I've moved across the country before. Lucky for me I have my in laws who have been so generous to help me. Although i've gotten everything packed and I can't help not to stress over the paper work for the army to pay us back. Its also very frustrating when everyone tells you different things. But I'm staying calm and looking forward to getting things ready for my husband to come home. I wish I can skip the whole moving and go straight to the homecoming of my husband. I miss him so much and I can't wait to finally feel his touch and hear his voice without static.

Well I can't sit here to write more since time is ticking and I gotta use all the sun light I can get... I'll write more later when I get the chance...

"My New Chacos"

So it was a week ago that my husband sent me an email telling me about a place called Sierra trading post. He told me to go online and to pick out the Chacos I wanted. I was surprised that he told me that since we've been trying to save up money.. But I couldn't say no to that.. I love shoes.. And these Chacos are so cool and I could use them for hiking, rafting, and lot of other things too. I'm so excited for my husband to come home to actually go do these fun things with him. Now we can both sport our Chacos together :-) I love him so much!!!

"Old Chicago"

So I met a cool gal name Jenny at the post office and we became friends. She's from Germany and so is her friend Sandy. We decided to meet up again and go out to eat at Old Chicago... The food was yummy and we had a great time talking about all sorts of things.. Its been a while since I've been out with friends since most of my time here in Colorado I've been working...

Jenny and I

Sandy and I

The three new amigos!!!

After meeting up with the girls, we've also hung out a few times and I'm gonna miss these sweet girls.. Hopefully I'll get the chance to meet up with them again but this time in Germany...

1-5-11

Today was just another ordinary day with exception that my husband called me. Which made me really happy to hear his voice. Usually after 10am I look at my phone and think, he'll call me tomorrow, at least hoping inside. And to my surprise he called me today... I was reading my goals list from my previous post and todays has been one of those days that I just need to let go.

After talking to my husband on the phone I just wanted to cry because I miss him so much but I kept telling myself be strong don't cry let it go. I know last year was rough for me and this year I really wanna be and feel happy, not to say I wasn't happy but completely happy. Now I say this because my husband is deployed. No matter what I do my joy wasn't complete because my other half wasn't here to enjoy these happy moments with me.
I know some of you don't quite understand what its like having your husband deployed but embrace every moment you get with your spouse. Challenges arises in everyone's relationships but don't let the problem be more important than the person you love. Just a few days ago I remembered something an old co-worker told me and that was put the needs of your spouse first and then they will want to take care of your needs. Along with that I've been thinking a lot about the words of Elder Holland and that was "Think the best of those you say You Love"... Those words have been helping me with some of my issues. Your mind can be a wonderful thing but it can also be your worst enemy if you let it. Another thing that I've been trying to do is pray to have bad thoughts removed from my mind. I'm not gonna lie there have been nights that I wake up crying due to bad dreams that felt so real. As a military wife you try to keep yourself always busy but you can't help not to worry about your husband at war. I carry my husband in my mind and in my heart everywhere I go.

My husband will come home in February. I can't wait for him to be in my arms again. I can't wait to wake up to him in the morning and cook him breakfast and finally share our own home together. I love my husband so much I wish he really knew how much. Distance and being in war has made it tough to communicate and I can't wait to actually have conversations with my husband without the phone static or the calls being dropped. A friend of my husband's who is also at war with him told me"if you feel like that, imagine how us soldiers feel without our wives and on top of that having to go to war." I can't imagine what my husband and other soldiers are going through all I can do is pray for them. That really hit me deep. And got me to think from a different perspective. I've been so involved in what I'm going thorough that I've neglected to see what my husband have had to endure and for that I feel so horrible. I've been so selfish and for that I am so sorry. This has been our very first deployment so this has been a learning process for the both of us.

"New Year Resolutions"

Every New year we seem to make a list of our Resolutions but do we follow up with the ones we made last year? I've been thinking about this a lot. I had posted up on my wall some goals I had set last year and I must say I did achieve some of them. It made me happy to see that my list wasn't all in vain but this year I'm gonna try to make little goals to help me reach my bigger goals that take time to reach. Sometimes when we look at all the goals as a whole we can get overwhelmed and discourage that's why I decided to make little ones to help me reach the bigger goals.

See my ultimate goal this year is to embrace the happy moments and don't let the hard or sad moments drag me down. I know this is a big goal that is determined by my everyday mood and attitude. Sometimes in life you can't help but go through rough experiences and those experience helps us grow and learn. But we also have to take the time to feel it and then let it go and move on. One of my little goals that will help me with my ultimate goal is reading my scriptures or reading uplifting things that will help motivate me to have faith and trust in Our Savior. So that's was just a brief example of using the little goals to help reach your bigger goals.

Here comes the List... Oh how overwhelming.... lol

(* = Ultimate Goal)

* Embrace happy moments and don't let rough or sad moments get me down

1. Study the scriptures and internalize them

2. Serve others

3. learn to communicate better with my husband

4. get rid of debt

5. get physically fit and stay healthy

6. laugh more often

7. Don't over analyze things before getting the facts

8. get organized in home, school, work, etc

9. find joy in all the little things we take for granted

10. start a gratitude journal

11. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ, (reach spiritual goals)

12. get a job that I enjoy

13. work towards finishing my Bachelor's degree

14. work toward pursing my career in the dental field

15. take time to do things I enjoy

16. don't beat myself up for things I fall short of, but get up and give it another shot!

I know this list can go on if I don't stop myself.. lol. Any who I'm gonna break these goals into smaller ones that I can work on daily so that at the end of the year I can look back and feel accomplished.

Let this year begin!!! Bring it!!! :-)