House Update

We got the official word yesterday that our buyers are not approved to buy our house. I was so bummed - we have wasted 2 months on this, completed repairs they requested at our expense, and have honestly been strung along by them and their realtor this whole time. They did have a pre-approval when we accepted their offer but things went downhill early on apparently. To say that this has tested me would be a vast understatement. We can no longer get a house on base because of this - we changed our lease dates twice and are now inside the 6 month window before we leave so they won't accept us now.

Terry says you can only change what you can control, and to just chill out about the rest. I wish I could! I have been praying and praying though, and trying very hard not to let my mood be affected by stress, especially with Madeline. The good news is our realtor has been awesome, and we are already scheduling showings again so I am hoping we will get a new buyer soon! We really can't do much about getting or building a house in Florida until this is done. So that's where we are, praying that it sells and closes quickly, and that the Lord will provide the perfect place for us to stay until we leave San Angelo.

In the meantime, I went in today to work! I mean just to fill out paperwork, but it feels so good to have a job! haha Work will be a good distraction for me. I also am getting ready to take the NCLEX  (the BIG test to get my license) later in June so I should have plenty to keep me occupied until this house stuff settles. I know God has everything worked out, but if we call you some time over the next month, it may be because we need a place to stay! :)

And because Thursdays should always end on a high note, here's a picture of my summertime sweetie!

I mean, what is cuter than a flamingo bathing suit?!

Zoo Day

Last week we went to the zoo with our friends and had so much fun! We love the zoo!!! :) Madeline and her buddy Lexi had a good time together...well, until Madeline thought it would be funny to run away from me. It was a little less fun for her then! On the bright side, I got what may be one of my all time favorite pictures of her! Bad mom award for me...

Thankful for sweet friends!

When It Rains....

We had a pretty good weekend! Terry got a four day weekend because of the holiday, and we really enjoyed it despite the weather. Thank the Lord for the rain!!! Things still aren't looking good for the buyers of our house but we're in contract until Friday so legally we have to wait until then to put it back on the market officially. We did start showing it again and so Friday afternoon and Saturday morning we busted our butts to get it ready again. It was such a pain because it was raining and we were getting a few things out of storage and the dogs were tracking mud in and out, but we got it ready. We just chilled Friday night! Madeline played her first "bideo game" with Terry! It was so cute!! 

 We went to a baby shower Saturday morning, and Madeline was so well behaved. She kept looking for the baby though, and was so confused as to why we would buy a present for a baby no one could see! She also managed to get a string tangled in her hair bow which I thought was funny enough to photograph before I helped her get it out. Mainly because she came in the living room dragging the whole quilt behind her by just her head!

 Saturday night we anticipated a big storm but it ended up not being that bad. It did cause flooding in a lot of places. We had fun watching the "grumpy" sky!

 The news said to expect 80mph winds, baseball sized hail, and possible tornadoes so I prepared for the worst. I felt a little dumb because the storm really wasn't bad at all. The one last night made up for it though- thank goodness we have a garage or else our cars would probably both be completely dinged up from all the hail! Of course, Terry had to watch with the door open - he would run back and forth from the back yard to the front yard to see how big the hail was.

Sunday we packed up and headed (in the rain) to the lake for the night. We rented a cabin and so did a few of our friends, and we had so much fun. We ate so much good food, celebrated a birthday, and just enjoyed being together. I was completely humbled Sunday night when it dawned on me that each person we were with has deployed for our country. I love our military friends, and am so thankful for the sacrifices they make. 

It turned out to be pretty nice Sunday afternoon, although there was standing water everywhere. Madeline had the time of her life jumping in puddles and was soaking wet pretty much all day. She had SO much fun, and was really upset about leaving yesterday morning. I, however, was ready for a shower! I know staying in a cabin isn't really camping, but Madeline and I think it's close enough. I mean we did have to walk to the bathroom! :)

We had a great weekend, and are so thankful for our military, especially Terry, my very own hero! :) 

Mom's Birthday

 While my parents were here, we got to celebrate my Mom's birthday. I don't think I've been with her on her birthday since we surprised her on her 50th a few years ago. I was so thankful to spend her special day with her. My mom's favorite color is yellow so I tried to theme the party around that. I knew that it wouldn't be what I would normally do since most of our house was in boxes, but I tried to make it special. I really wanted her to have Halfmann's cake, and of course it was amazing! The decorations ended up being half yellow, half princess...wonder how that happened?! :)Madeline took all of her toys out of her closet and into the living room, and "gave" them to Nana for her birthday. Madeline said, "You can have my toys, but not my shoes, ok?" haha

Mom, 

I know you'll read this so I have to put it on here. I am so glad I was able to spend your birthday with you. I look back on my birthdays as a kid, and you and Dad always made them special. It was always a big deal. You did so much more than that though. You cooked the BEST Sunday lunches every week without fail. You made beenie-weenies for us and I seriously doubt you even liked them! You kept kids so you could stay home with us and still help earn income. You read to us every single night and said prayers with us. After my first miscarriage, you were on the first plane to Maryland, cleaned my house, and cooked every meal for us. You sat on our deck and just watched fireflies with me. You didn't have to say a word, you were just there. I'll never forget that night. You sacrificed a lot for our family - I see that now. I know now how hard it is to be a mom, work, and go back to school. Thank you for all that you did for us. Thank  you for still being a mom when I need you to be, and my friend when I need one. Thank you for loving Terry like he's your own son.  I want you to know that I am so proud of you. I am proud to be your daughter, proud of the work you do at church and the pregnancy center, and proud of just you. It's no wonder Madeline dressed like you all week, and wanted to be just like you. I love you, and thank God for your influence in my life. I hope you had a great birthday!

Losing It...

Soooo we're supposed to close on our house next week, and the bank told our realtor that they're "not sure" if our buyers are going to get approved! WHAT?!?! So my house is packed up including my kitchen, we have a u-haul scheduled for 10am tomorrow, and a 9am appointment to sign our lease. They're supposed to let us know something by 3pm today. This is now the 2nd time we have not signed our lease because of these buyers and the third time we've pushed back closing so needless to say, our house may be going back on the market. Do you hear the gray hairs forming as I type?!

Terry is handling it all pretty great. I am not. haha But in my defense, I am the one packing everything and dealing with the drama while he's at work. So anyway, yesterday I was kind of freaking out and he just stopped me and prayed over me, our house, and what God wants for our family. I felt so convicted that I don't trust God to handle this. So we are in limbo for about the next several hours until we know more from their bank.

We are praying that this will just go through. We can't really move forward with our stuff in Florida until this goes through, we're on thin ice with the people on base for changing our lease dates, and we are packed up and ready to go. If this doesn't close, then I have a LOT of work to undo and then redo when we find a new buyer. On top of that we'll go to the bottom of the list for base housing, and may really have nowhere to go. Ahhhhh!!! 

I like to think I am in control, but I mean who am I kidding?! This is the story  of my life, and I should be totally used to it. Exhibit A and B...

He doesn't usually just chill on the coffee table...but I think he's thinking, I am old and I can guard these Doritos if I want to...or maybe he wasn't thinking at all which is probably more likely. He's really not that bright! Good thing he's handsome! :)

And this is classic Madeline....ALWAYS making a crazy face, getting into something she's not supposed to, making me laugh and take a picture instead of getting on to her! Well, not always, sometimes I have to get on to her...and then laugh in the other room just like every parent of a toddler.

Pinning

The nice thing about being a nursing major is at the end you get a pinning ceremony just for nurses! Since ASU no longer has an Associates program, it was a really small ceremony with just 24 undergrad and I think 4-5 graduate students. Since I was an officer for the Student Nurses Association, I helped plan the ceremony and had to make a speech. I was our Mentor Coordinator so I had to say a little something about each mentor from my class and give them a certificate. Here's the highlights: 

*The pinning ceremony was the day before graduation. I started feeling a little emotional that afternoon, although I am not sure why. I think I was just happy my parents could be there, relieved and sad that it was about to all be over, and nervous about giving a speech in front of so many people. I had to be there a few hours early to decorate, and right as I was walking out the door, our doorbell rang and these were delivered. 

My sweet friends from church sent me flowers. I may have shed a tear then! I say it all the time, but I just love our church. The weekend I graduated was also a big weekend for church stuff, it made me feel so loved that they thought of me. The flowers were SO pretty!!

*It was the end of an era for my friendship with Rachelle. I think we'll always be friends, but I am still a little sad our nursing school bond is over. We studied together and laughed together all the time! I just love her! 

*The light on the stage was SO bright, I couldn't see my speech so I felt blinded and terrified I was going to mess it up. 

*I didn't mess it up and our faculty said it was the best speech they've heard. haha I should be in politics! :)

*I wore wedges and didn't fall or trip! <=== a true miracle!

*I didn't cry during the ceremony although I almost did during a moment of silence we had for everyone who has passed away while we've been on this journey. I couldn't help but think of Terry's mom and how much she encouraged me. She was so proud of me, and was so excited for me. She was definitely one of my biggest cheerleaders that first year of nursing school. 

I think that's it! We went to 3 Parrots after because every place in town was crazy, Madeline was melting down, and I just wanted to go somewhere quick. My mom got much better pictures on her camera but I got a couple of good iphone ones! haha It was a good day! 

 

Mother's Day Weekend...a super long post!

We planned months ago to take a trip after I graduated, and decided to visit Las Vegas but then Terry got denied leave for it so we had to improvise. We settled on San Antonio because we really love it, but we didn't exactly have the best time there this trip. My dad booked our rooms at the Sheraton Gunter. I have to say it is a really beautiful hotel - it's old but renovated and reminded me so much of New York for some reason. 

Anyway, Terry wasn't feeling great when we got there so he stayed back while we went to the Riverwalk for dinner Saturday night. I don't know if its because it was Mother's Day weekend and prom but it was crazy. Like could barely move crazy. On top of that Madeline was so hyper, it was hot, and we were trying to find this restaurant and didn't know where we were going. Anyway, we finally found it and the wait was over an hour so we left and went to a pizza place instead. Randomly, there was a carriage parked outside so my dad decided to treat us to a carriage ride around town for Mother's Day. It was SO pretty and it was just getting dark so the city was lit up. Madeline truly thought she was in Cinderella's carriage, and it was the cutest thing ever. My sweet baby! 

The hotel

On "Cinderella's" carriage

So our night ended up being good after all! 

 

We got up Sunday (Mother's Day) morning ready to just relax around the hotel and pool after such a crazy couple of days. I got ready and went to Mom and Dad's room with Madeline so Terry could get a bath to try to open up his sinuses. Well, he got his water the temp he wanted it, and slid back and cut his back. The soap dish was broken in half and it took the first layer of his skin off when he slid back. It was gross and it bled off and on all day. The hotel wanted him to go to the ER but the way it cut him, there was nothing they could've done for him. The supervisor was not very helpful (to put it nicely), and we were SO frustrated. So because of the way she acted, we checked out early. *Graphic picture*

Pretty gross, huh?

Anyway, I wanted to salvage the rest of our weekend so I called a hotel in Fredericksburg and booked a room there. We LOVED it! I thought it was such a cute town, and I am a little sad that we've lived here for over 3 years and never been there. But anyway, the hotel had an awesome pool and it was much more relaxing than San Antonio. We ate a delicious lunch at Mamacita's, and just relaxed. Madeline loved the pool, and wasn't the least bit scared which wasn't necessarily a good thing! haha 

                    

I was pretty impressed that she went down the slide by herself...it was pretty tall but she wasn't scared. Well, until she went down it anyway. Her face looks a little worried! She did it several times though so she must have liked it! haha

She had SO much fun with my dad...it looks like he's checking out his guns in this picture! haha

 

 So Mother's Day ended up being a little stressful but it all worked out okay. We got a full refund from the hotel in San Antonio *after I called their corporate office*, and enjoyed Fredericksburg. We loved this candy store - I got my mom some stuff from here for Mother's Day, and I got my Dad some chocolate covered bacon. He wasn't a fan! haha They had chocolate covered everything there so I had to get him at least one gross thing!

Distracted by a giant lizard -she's for sure my kid!!

I decided we have to go back to Fredericksburg at least once more before we move! :)

Going to the Airport...

I am headed to San Antonio this morning to go get my parents from the airport! I am so excited to see them! 

I got up extra early today to finish my speech for our pinning ceremony. I think I am in shock that this is really happening. Tomorrow. I am so grateful that God gave me this opportunity. I remember driving by ASU when we first got here thinking I would probably never go back to school after I had Madeline. Somehow God laid it all out and made it work. I could never have done it without Terry. At a certain point, you really do just become one. We're a team and everything we've achieved in life has been made better by doing it together. I am so grateful for him, and the sacrifices he made so I could achieve my dream. Sometimes it got ugly, I have a few gray hairs now, but it's done. And we did it together! 

On another note, our poor fence got taken out by the bad storm last night. I was a little shocked at how fast the wind was blowing. So we have a little work to do unfortunately. Two more weeks and we should be out of this house - I'll be glad to be a renter again! haha 

We get to have one big backyard with our neighbor until we get it fixed!

Weekend Success

We took Madeline's sippy cups away - all of them. She has used them as her security thing pretty much since she gave up the bottle. I know I should have done it a long time ago but it really was the last of anything "baby" about her. She had a hard time Friday, but we went to the  lake and tried to stay busy. Saturday we went to Abilene to the zoo, bowling, and a little shopping and she did great. I was prepared for much worse but she surprised me. My sweet girl is really growing up! 

Her choice of cup in the morning...it says, "Good Morning Gorgeous" in case you can't tell! hah

 My  loves...

 An action shot of Twayne bowling...bowling with a 3 year old is a little exhausting. She may have rolled her ball down the lane next to us. Thankfully they had little kids too and were really sweet about it!

 In her happy place at the zoo!

Today....

I took my last final this morning which means I AM DONE!!!!!!!!!!! Friday night is my pinning ceremony and Saturday I will walk. I thought about not walking but decided I may regret it so I am going to go. Plus, I have worked hard so I guess I deserve that half a second on stage getting my diploma! :) And not to brag but I made all A's this semester...I have no idea how but I did! Yea!

More importantly or maybe just equally important, I GOT A JOB! I will be working at Community on 2E and I am so excited! I am going to be working nights which I'm a little nervous about but I am sure it will be fine once I get used to it. I figured on the days I have to work, I'll actually see more of Madeline than if I worked days. I am just not sure how I will fix my sleep when I am off work. I start June 9th!

And we FINALLY had our appraisal this morning - hoping it comes in right where we need it to so we can close. I think worse than actually moving is being in limbo about moving. I have been doing a lot of cleaning out and packing...I am trying to be a prudent packer because I know it will be worth it when we get settled for good but it is SO time consuming and boring. Madeline's room, the attic, and all the closets are done. Now that the appraisal is over, we'll start moving some bigger stuff.

It's not all work around here though...my sweet girl took some time out of her busy day to look through the new Nordstrom catalog! Happy Monday!