Man's Best Friend?!

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Brandon sent some pictures to me from his time in Kuwait. I thought he was working hard?! :)

These are a little out of order, I think. You are basically looking at Brandon and a few of his Joe's mingling with the natives and their Camels.


I wonder who smelled worse, the guys in camo or the camels...

The View from Here

I joined Kim and Andrew for a relaxing day on the water at a family friend's house.
I haven't relaxed like that in over a month! It was FABULOUS!!!


Can you believe this sunset view??!!! One is truley reminded of the presence of God when he witnesses a view like this one!




I have not heard anything new from Brandon. Me and baby are doing well.

Love you all!!

Sorry it has been so long since I last added to this blog. (I was waiting to get pictures back from Mom and Kim - now just waiting on Kim) I am doing good; just hit the 5 month mark (the picture was taken at 18.5 weeks)...YIPPEEE!!! Brandon is doing well; still hot and still in Kuwait. They have to do a lot of training, before they move to their FOB, since the last time they trained was months ago. Morale is up and everyone is healthy so far.



The dogs and I are keeping eachother good company. I finally caved and decided that they were allowed to come inside to hang out with me in the evenings. They still sleep in the garage, but they have been granted access to the family room and kitchen. LUCKY DOGS! They have utterly destroyed our backyard (well them and the excessive amount of fertilizer that we used to try and keep it green - oops!!). Aren't they cute though?!

I just started my own business as an independant consultant for Arbonne International (www.arbonne.com). I am having a launch party at my house on Thursday, and I can't wait!!! The company manufactures botanically based, hypoallergenic skin care and cosmetics. Ask Kim and Mom what they think!

Hey all of you eastcoasters...I will be visiting MD Aug. 11-14, and I hope I will be able to see you!!! Colin Spitz - I'm talking to YOU too!!!

Brandon is doing well!

I just received a call from Brandon and he is doing well. It is VERY hot, but so far everyone in his company is acclimating as best they can. He said that the food is better there than it is at home (of course he meant the DFAC on post, not my cooking...I made sure to clarify!!!), and the gym and the DFAC are the best places to hang out because they have air-conditioning. Aside from that they are just getting into the groove of things. I should be able to hear from him every couple of days, which makes me VERY HAPPY!!!

A Co Has Arrived

The picture is of Brandon's Battalion.

I just got word that A Co has arrived. No word from Brandon as of yet, but I am sure that he is busy getting his men and himself settled and ready for upcoming tasks. It is a balmy 122 degrees there...sounds pleasant! :) Their base is full of all of the amenities that they need to get them through the day (including a Taco Bell...it's gotta feel like home!). I am hoping to speak to Brandon sometime today or tomorrow (I think the time difference is 11 hours), so I am keeping my cell phone by my side! They are still unsure as to where their final destination will be, so I do not have an address to give to you yet; be patient, nothing in the Army is fast and efficient. Unless, of course, you are speaking of the soldiers!!! Love you all!!!

Family Outings

I have put together a bunch of photos from the past few months that I had on my camera and forgot about.



These are pictures from this past weekend. We rented an RV and loaded up the dogs for a trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
The dogs were totally bored out of their minds (as you can tell) :) Emma had her first real experience with swimming, and although she has a pretty good doggy paddle, she didn't much care for being tossed in the icy water by her master! Ike on the other hand was in seventh heaven!!!



While Lydia was in town we drove down to Kim and Andrew's house in Portland, OR. It rained (what's new!) and we had trouble finding furniture stores, but we ate very well and enjoyed eachother's company!!!

Brandon and I took Carl and Ellen to Pike's Fish Market during their visit to Seattle. (This is a must see if and when you come here!)

Sorry that these pictures are so random. I need to remember to download my pictures after taking them!!! I am so bad at it! Anyway, Brandon is taking our digital camera with him, and I have a new one on order, but it may take a couple of weeks before I can download any pics to the sight! I will let you know anything interesting as it comes about though! Hope you all are well!!!

June 17,2006

Well, it looks like it's a BOY!!!
Brandon and I just got back from having a 4D ultrasound, where it was determined (with 99% confidence) that we will be welcoming a boy into our family in December!

I am only 15 weeks along, so it is still early to be able to determine the sex with total confidence.
That being said, from the pictures that I saw I would be surprised if we found out later that it isn't a boy!!!

Brandon and I are ecstatic!!! As you can see from the Ultrasound pics, this little one is growing feircly! It still seems so sureal that this baby is growing inside of me; I still can't feel any movement and I am not really showing at all! Anyway, we will be adding to this blog so that you can keep up-to-date with pictures of the baby, me and Brandon (while he is in Iraq). I hope you all enjoy it!!!

(Thank you to Janet for sharing her blog of Tommy and giving us the idea to start one of our own!!!)

Until next time...