Disney World!

On Sunday March 18th we left Virginia to begin our trek back down to sunny Florida.

But we weren't going home.

We were going to Disney World to spend a week celebrating our wedding anniversary (early because I had the time off work) and Chris coming home safely to me.

If you know me, you know that when I go on vacations, I plan out every SINGLE minute.

Especially in Disney World, there's so much to do, you can't go without a plan.

I had been planning this vacation since December.

We drove most of the day Sunday and then stopped about an hour outside of Disney Sunday night to get some rest.

Monday morning we woke up bright and early and drove to Disney.

We checked into our hotel and then Chris and I spent the day in Magic Kingdom.

We did a whole bunch of rides and pretty much just enjoyed our first full day alone together since he had been back.

And he slowly put on his "picture face" to get ready for a weeks worth of picture snapping.

Tuesday morning we woke up bright and early to pick up my brother and Sam from the airport as they would be joining us for the rest of the week.

Let me just say how excited I was to be able to spend four whole days with them on vacation! 

We spent the day in Universal Studios since Chris loves that theme park and it's one of my favorites.

It was an absolutely gorgeous day and we had such a great time together!

Wednesday we spent the day in Animal Kingdom, one of my favorite parks since I'm in love with animals. 

I love them all and I never get sick of seeing them.

I could go to the zoo every weekend and thoroughly enjoy myself.

We also got Joey to go on a roller coaster and he LOVED it.

We couldn't get him off them the rest of the time!

Mission accomplished.

We finished out the day with dinner in the Magic Kingdom followed by their amazing firework show.

Thursday we spent all day in Hollywood Studios.

 We had another great day, it was beautiful and we rode on all the rides. 

I also met up with one of my high school friends, Lauren who also happened to be in Disney World for the week.

It was nice to see her since her hubby is getting stationed in Japan in a couple months and I won't be able to see her for a couple years. 

Friday morning we met up with my mom and Fred (they came down for the day) early to go to Animal Kingdom to do the Safari ride once with them.

Afterwards, we headed over to Epcot and spent the day there.

While We Were Home

After Chris got home we were lucky enough to be able to spend 5 days in Northern Virginia with our family.

It was so nice for the both of us, seeing as that is one of the bad things about living in Florida.

It's not like we can take a weekend trip up to VA to visit friends and family, so when we have the opportunity we relish it.

The day after Chris came home was my brother 21st birthday.

Let me just say, it was an odd feeling seeing my little brother be able to legally order a drink. 

It made me feel old, I always think of him as the little boy tinkering around which tools and taking things apart.

Although, he's far from a little boy, he's grown into quite the handsome man and he makes me so proud to call him my little brother.

For any of you who know my brother and Chris, you know that when they are together they are in their own world.

They have a ball together.

So it was great to see them back together again.

I organized a birthday/coming home surprise dinner for Chris and Joey.

My mom and Fred flew in from Florida.

My aunt and uncle drove up from North Carolina.

My dad and Cindy also joined us.

The only sad part of the evening was that my sister and her boyfriend couldn't be there.

But the look on Chris' face when we walked into the restaurant and he saw everyone there was priceless.

I also threw a little welcome home party for Chris.

It was small and lovely.

I can't thank my dad and Cindy enough for letting us have it at their house and all they did to prepare for the party.

My stepsister and her husband came up from New Jersey to celebrate with us, so that was so much fun.

Also, my sister and her boyfriend flew in from New York to surprise Chris. 

It was so great to see them both.

Words can't explain how much I miss my siblings so any amount of time we get to spend together, I cherish.

The following day was a beautiful spring day in Virginia so we all went to my brothers and his girlfriends house for brunch and just to hang out.

It was a gorgeous day and they live on 100 acres of land so we had some fun hanging out soaking up the sunshine.

They brought out their four wheelers and guns.

I took a ride on the four wheeler with Sammie and shot a gun for the first time.

The boys shot skeet, drank some beers and raced around like madmen on the four wheelers.

I'm Backkkk

I'm back. 

Chris came home on March 13, 2012 around 1030 that evening.

Life has been crazy since then.

But it was one of the best days.

I can't even begin to describe the feeling of seeing your loved one walking off the bus.

The feeling of hugging your new husband who has been fighting for our country for the past 7 months.

The sparks that fly during that first kiss.

How you don't want to leave his side for awhile after he gets home.

I literally slept glued next to him. 

I can't possibly describe the feeling of seeing my husband walk off that bus and running into his arms.

But i will say this,

All those lonely nights and the pain of missing him;

it disappeared and was forgotten the second I saw him.

It made everything worthwhile.

Just to be back in his arms again. 

Pictures on the Wall

Saturday, my step dad came over and helped me hang my wedding pictures.

Correction: he hung the pictures while I watched and ate some skittles and pretended to look while in reality I just sat there and just looked pretty. 

 Here they are :

Anxious

Anxious.

That doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling right now.

Excited.

That's a little more like it.

Jumping off the walls with excitement.

Can't stop myself from smiling when I think that in just DAYS my husband will be home with me.

I feel like the days are moving so slow that they are going backwards. 

Trying to keep busy just doesn't work. 

I can't keep my mind from constantly thinking about finally being back together.

Finally being able be a newlywed couple. 

Eeeek I'm just so excited.

I can't stop smiling.

I can't stop myself from being in a wonderful mood. 

And I deserve to be. 

I just can't wait to see him step off that bus so I can wrap my arms around him.

I'm just so excited.

And anxious for it to get here already.

I wish time would just speed up just a little bit.

I just want to see my husband. 

I hate this part of the deployments.

When the end is so close you can almost reach out and touch it, but yet it seems so far away.

So Father Time,  please do me a favor and speed up this week a little bit so it doesn't feel like it's moving backwards.

A Few Updates from Florida :)

I haven't been very good about blogging lately.  I've had so much going on and I've honestly though about blogging a million times but just get caught up doing other things and lose track of time.  So I'll catch you up real quick. 


1.) I finally order some wedding pictures to be hung on our walls.  And then I finally got some frames for the wedding pictures.  Now I just need my step dad to come help me hang them.  I got 6 big pictures for around the house.  I think I'm going to do two sets of three collages.  

I can't wait to get these up on the walls :) I'm so glad to finally have some bigger wedding pictures in the house! And I hope to have the hung as a little surprise to Chris once he gets home!


2.) On Friday night,  I went and got a new tattoo.  My fifth and final one.  Well I say final now but will it really be my final? Time can only tell I suppose.   When we got married, one of the gifts I gave to Chris, was engraving his wedding band with the phrase " Love is Eternal."  Which was a surprise to him, he didn't know until the wedding day.  So, I got that exact phrase tattooed on my ribs.  It starts on my back and wraps around my ribs.  I absolutely love it.  I sent chris and email with a picture of it, and he loves it as well.  The tattoo artist was easily the best one I've ever been too and it is probably my favorite tattoo.  The picture makes it looks a little bigger than it actually is.  

3.) Finally, the most important and most exciting news...CHRIS IS COMING HOME!!!! While I can't share an exact date, to say that I am thrilled would be an understatement.  I literally can not wait until the moment he walks off the bus and I can jump into his arms.  We had a little fiasco and he didn't come home on time.  In fact he is coming home about two weeks later than expected.  And he left two weeks early. ugh.  And that news of him coming home later than expected was very last minute, so I had to scramble to change my flight home, our Disney reservations, his welcome home party...pretty much everything.  But it all worked out; with a couple little surprises thrown in there for Chris.  That I can NOT wait for.  I can only hope that this week flies by quicker than the speed of light and I'm on that place back to Virginia before I know it.  I can not believe that the end of this deployment is finally coming to a close.  He made it through his fourth deployment safely.  I am incredibly grateful that my husband will be back in my arms in a matter of days. 


That is pretty much all that I have to catch you up on :)

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies

Ingredients:
*6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces
*4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
*2/3 cup granulated sugar
*2 large eggs, room temperature
*1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
*1 tablespoon unsweetened natural cocoa powder
*1/8 teaspoon salt
*1 tablespoon LorAnn Red Velvet Emulsion

*8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
*1 large egg yolk
*1/3 cup granulated sugar
*1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Using foil, line an 8 inch square pan, make sure liner overhangs all four sides.  Spray liner with cooking spray.
3. Place butter and chocolate chips in a small microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until chocolate is completely melted and smooth (do not overheat).
4. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl.  Using an electric mixer beat in 2/3 cup granulated sugar, then the eggs.
5. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt just until combined.  Mix in the Red Velvet Emulsion. Spread evenly into prepared pan. 
6. In a sperate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, egg yolk, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla until smooth.
7. Place dollops of the cream cheese mixture on top of the brownie batter, than use a butter knife or spatula to swirl the mixture together. 

8. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the batter in the center of the pan is just set.  Allow to cool.  Lift out the foil from the pan and peel the liner from the brownies.