Saturday, November 30, 2013
It's Been a While
I just realized that I haven't updated my blog since Eric has been back from Afghanistan. I wanted to take some time out to update everyone on how things are going. We have been back in Lubbock for a little over a year. Eric is finishing his undergrad right now and will attend law school in 2015 or 2016. He is a full time student at Texas Tech and has converted me to root for red and black lol. I am loving being so close to our families again and I have met and made so many wonderful friends. I currently teach Pre-K and I am a nanny for 2 amazing kids. I have become fast friends with everyone I work with and I am truly blessed to have each of them in my life. If you all remember, I have a slight obsession with me niece and nephew :) Rylan and Reese are getting so big and I can't get enough of their love. It is really helping me out with my baby fever being close to them again (I'm sure Eric loves it lol). We are hoping to make it through law school before we start our family (I hope I can hold off that long) :) Dottie and Kaydence have adjusted well. Dottie is definitely our country girl and Kaydence is still a little priss lol. I am still that person that obsesses over her dogs and I think that is just fine lol. All in all we are doing better than ever. We just past our 4th Anniversay <3 and I am 5 days away from my 25th (man I feel old). We will be going to Vegas with Kayla, Tyson, and some friends within 2 weeks to celebrate their DIRTY THIRTIES and my big 25!!! I'm sure I will have lots of pictures and hopefully some great stories to share when we get back.
See y'all after VEGAS baby!!!
-The Washington's
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Reesey's Photo Session
This post will be pretty short, but I wanted to blog about a special gift that Reesey got from her Uncle Eric :) Before he left, we were out shopping and wanted to get his niece and nephew a little gift to remember him by. He ended up finding a cute little t-shirt for Rylan that said USMC, but Reesey was a bit more challenging. He has gotten Rylan a few USMC gifts over the past 2 years, and thought it would be just as easy to find cute stuff for Reese. Sadly, the only things he could find for baby girls all said stuff like "Daddy's USMC princess", "My daddy is my hero", etc. he was not able to find anything for her all day, so I came home empty handed for her :( A few days after I had returned to Muleshoe, Reese got a package in the mail from her Uncle Eric. Even though she hadn't arrived yet, he felt the need to get her a gift. Kayla and I both cried when we opened it and realized it was a special gift with a sweet card he had ordered just for his future niece. It finally fits her now (it is a size 3-6 month and our little Chunky Monkey finally fits into it). Kayla brought her to see me at work today and she had it on, so I felt the need to do a photo-op for her Uncle Eric to see how adorable she looks in it :)
It was incredibly hard to narrow down which ones we liked because she look so precious in it.
First, here is a picture of Rylan in an outfit Eric got him when he was 1 :)
Look how tiny he was :( The hiney on it said "Duty Calls" lol
Speaking of hiney's, here is Reesey's hiney in the onsie Eric got her…You'll see what I mean by "Chunky Monkey" haha
Look at those THUNDER THIGHS lol… The ruffles are digital camo just like Eric's uniform ;)
Here is the whole outfit he had made special just for his favorite niece ;)
Here is a better picture of the bow that came with it, notice the digital camo center ;)
Rylan wanted to join in lol
Here is the card he had sent with it. Pretty sweet Uncle if you ask me ;)
Now do you see why it made us cry. I had no idea he had gotten her a gift, let alone a hand made one. I can't wait for her to meet her Uncle Eric. I know we are all ready for him to come home. only 1 MORE MONTH BABY!!! :) :) :)
It was incredibly hard to narrow down which ones we liked because she look so precious in it.
First, here is a picture of Rylan in an outfit Eric got him when he was 1 :)
Look how tiny he was :( The hiney on it said "Duty Calls" lol
Speaking of hiney's, here is Reesey's hiney in the onsie Eric got her…You'll see what I mean by "Chunky Monkey" haha
Look at those THUNDER THIGHS lol… The ruffles are digital camo just like Eric's uniform ;)
Here is the whole outfit he had made special just for his favorite niece ;)
Here is a better picture of the bow that came with it, notice the digital camo center ;)
Rylan wanted to join in lol
Here is the card he had sent with it. Pretty sweet Uncle if you ask me ;)
Now do you see why it made us cry. I had no idea he had gotten her a gift, let alone a hand made one. I can't wait for her to meet her Uncle Eric. I know we are all ready for him to come home. only 1 MORE MONTH BABY!!! :) :) :)
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Five Fabulous Females
So, I realized that it has been a pretty long time since I last blogged, and I feel the need to fix that. I would like to tell y'all about 5 pretty incredible girls in my life that have really been helping me out with this journey I am going through. These girls have really helped ease this deployment along for me, and I don't know how I could possibly get through this without them here to comfort and distract me lol.
First, I would like to talk about the woman that was with me on day 1, my Momma. She flew to California a few days before Eric had to leave because I did't want to drive home by myself after Eric left, and she wasn't really too keen on me driving all that way either. She helped us get all of our stuff into storage (which took days), she stayed in a hotel all by herself so that we could have one last special night together before he had to go, she went along with us FOR HOURS as we sat around base waiting for the guys to head out, she took pictures of our "see you later's" for me, and she helped me drive all through the night to get back to Muleshoe (we left around 7 pm and arrived at the Purdy's around noon the next day. Needless to say, she is a ROCK STAR. I know it had to be hard for her to see her baby as upset as I was, but she took over the wheel, changed the song on the radio, and steered our conversation in another direction every time she saw me start to tear up. I have only gotten to spend time with her a few times because we live so far apart, but she always finds something for just us girls to go do (which is usually shopping) :) and she has learned how to comfort me when I start to think about this deployment. As many of you probably know, we don't always get along (everyone says it is because we are so much alike lol) and I probably don't show it like I should, but I love my momma very much. I tend to push people away when I'm going through a rough time and she totally gets that. She knows that I love her, but also that I need time to figure things out for myself. She always tells me "I'm your momma, I had you and I know you better than anyone else" and I think it has taken me 23 years to learn that she is in fact right, lol. Thank you for all that you do for me momma, I love you so much and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you in my life. I can't wait for our Children to meet you someday and for my daughter to learn all of the things only her Granny can teach her. You have done so well with Kayla and I and I only hope that someday my daughter will appreciate and love me as much as we do you.
My lovely Momma :)
Ok, the 2nd wonderful women I would like to mention is my dear friend Madison. Many of you may not know her, but you have definitely heard me talk about her. Madison and I were friends in high school, but nothing like we are now. When I got back to town, she was the 1st person to reach out to me. She has definitely been my rock these past 5 months. Sometimes I get mad at her because she has to hang out with her stinking husband so often lol, but when he's gone, she always invites me to take his place. Brett has been a pretty understanding man, he is always so sweet to me and my family and he doesn't mind that another woman is taking up so much of his wife's time haha. My first week here, we hung out almost everyday because Brett was away on business. We often have lunch dates, take trips to Lubbock, go to Shogun's just so we can have sushi, have movie dates, go to sonic just to get a coke, and get mani-pedi's on a regular basis. Every single time I see her the 1st thing she asks me is if I've talked to Eric lately and she gets super excited for me when I have. She lets me vent to her about everything (which probably gets pretty annoying lol), she gossips with me and always agrees with me like a good friend should haha. I recently started watching 2 pretty adorable kids for a family here in town and she has randomly called me at least 5 times to see if I want a cherry vanilla coke-zero from sonic, and it always makes my day :) She goes out of her way to make sure I'm doing alright. Anyone that has been in the car with me for more than 20 minutes knows that I always get down in the front seat with my kick ass dance moves ;) and she doesn't mind joining me. We don't mind looking like complete idiots together and sometimes thats all I need lately. She has welcomed me into her family, and her brothers treat me like a sister. They joke with me, make fun of me, and even let me ride in a limo with them and 10 other 15 year olds haha. Her parents are incredible, they have included me in family events, family dinners, and their couples' bible study (even though I'm the only one that comes without my spouse lol). She is always there to comfort me or give me a good laugh when I have had a bad day, doesn't matter if we just drive around Muleshoe dancing in the car and singing at the top of our lungs (which is pretty awesome considering we both have man voices lol), or renting a chick flick to watch to help get my mind off of whatever is bothering me. She is the true definition of a best friend and I know it is something that will continue for years and years to come.
See what I mean by being idiot's together lol. Love you Madison
3rd I'll tell y'all about the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. My little Reesey Cup. This little girl doesn't allow me to be sad. I have never seen a happier baby in my life. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She is a little chunky butt, and has the most adorable dimples ever (all over her little body haha). I got to Muleshoe about a month before her arrival and I knew that when she got here, she would be a good distraction for me. She is 4 months old today and still as gorgeous as the day she was born. Kayla and Tyson chose not to tell us what her middle name would be until after she was born. On November 11th, 2011 around 3:30 pm, I found out that I was a namesake. As most of you know, they named their 1st born daughter Reese Lynn Purdy. I don't think I have ever felt so honored in my life, all I could do at that moment was cry. This precious baby girl always brightens my day, whether she is smiling (Which is most of the day), tooting and laughing about it, spitting up on me lol, or "squeaking", she always takes my mind of off everything negative going on. My absolute favorite time with her is bath time. Kayla thinks its funny that every time she is done taking a bath, I take over. I dry her off, lotion her up, brush her hair, and put on her PJ's. I like to think of it as "our time". It is our little ritual that I am going to miss when I have to leave. It will be a sad day when I have to leave my chunky monkey. I am going to miss getting to watch her grow, reach new milestones in her life, and most of all, her beautiful smile. I can't wait to see how she matures as a young lady, how she learns from her big brother Rylan, and how she annoys the crud out of her momma someday lol.
My BEAUTIFUL Reesey Lynn
4th Is my wonderful mother-in-law Lynda. I got incredibly lucky when I married into this family. I know many people think that in-laws are just people you have to put up with for your spouse, but mine I truly consider MY family. Lynda is a very down to earth person and will always tell you what she really thinks. I don't know if this is good or bad, but she has chosen me as her new shopping buddy (good for me, bad for Eric haha). She grew up in a house with 3 boys, and now that I am a part of their family, she lets me know that she enjoys having a daughter. I know she is going through just as much of a hard time as I am, and she seems so strong to me. I have only seen this woman cry one time, and it was when she hugged Eric good bye. She is silly, caring, and well rounded. She calls me on my crap while at the same time comforting me about it. She and Mark have been taking care of our 2 dogs this whole time, and have built multiple fences for them, a heated 2 bedroom doghouse, and even left work to look for one of them when she got out. I don't know too many people that are willing to do all of that for somebody, but they did it with no questions asked and a smile on their faces. They recently went on a business trip to San Diego, one that required Lynda to go shopping. One day while at their house, Mark told me that he offered to take her and she replied with "I think I would rather take Kyra." She may not know this, but that made me feel so incredibly special and welcomed. We have gotten along since day 1, Since Eric told her, I'm going to marry a woman that you've met maybe twice in your life 3 years ago, lol, and she didn't ask a single question. She simply congratulated us and helped out in every way possible. I just want to thank you for always including me, Lynda, and for always making me feel welcomed. You are a wonderful woman and I can't wait for our children to love you and learn from you someday.
My wonderful Mother-in-law, Lynda
Now this last one might make me tear up, so get ready. 5th is all about my saving grace, my wonderful sister, Kayla. Kayla and I are 5 years apart, and we didn't really become close until about 3 years ago when she became pregnant with my 1st nephew, Rylan. I was that annoying little sister that never wanted to leave her side, and she was that hell bent senior that couldn't wait to get out of the house. Like most people, after we had matured, we realized what was really important in life. When I was 19 years old, I learned that I was going to be having a nephew, and this changed mine and Kayla's relationship for the better. When I was 20, we welcomed the first baby since I was born into our family. It was in May of 2009, and that was the day I realized that I had found a best friend in my sister. This little boy has had my heart since day 1, and I truly believe he is the reason Kayla and I have such a close relationship. I was engaged to a man that she had never even met before, and she was nothing but supportive. I know she thought I was insane, but she also knew that I was happy and for that reason alone, she supported our relationship 100%. Let's jump to 2011. When we learned that Eric was going to be deploying, Kayla told me that I was welcome to stay with her and her family until her returned. Now when most people hear about this situation, they make a weird face and ask "So how is that working out?" "You live with your sister, her husband, and their 2 kids?" "Is that not weird?" NO, It's actually pretty incredible. Kayla is my best friend, Tyson is my brother, and Rylan and Reese are fighting Eric for 1st place in my heart, so it's not weird at all. We all get along and have a family closeness that most people could only dream of understanding. I don't think you could find a luckier person than me in this entire world. Sure we have our arguments, but we wouldn't be normal if we didn't. Kayla and I have dance wars in the kitchen, we pants each other on a daily basis, we play the "score" game every time we get in the car, we have burping contests, we bake treats with Rylan, and we have t-shirt time with the family every Thursday night. It may seem a little weird from the outside looking in, and yeah, you're probably right, we're a little odd, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I love the fact that we are crazy and random, I wouldn't want to be anywhere but right here during this time. Kayla and her family have included me in their family morning Christmas tradition, she made sure that they were here to celebrate Valentine's with me instead of having a romantic night with her husband, she makes sure that her children always make me a heart felt gift for every occasion, and she has learned how to comfort me when I am having a bad day. She supports my husband while he is over seas by writing him letters, sending him holiday cards, and most of all, making sure her children know who their Uncle Eric is. She and her family are my support system, and I can't imagine going through this without her by my side. You truly are my saving grace Kayla, and I could go on and on about how special you are to me, but this blog is getting ridiculously long lol. Just know that I love you, you are my best friend, and I can't wait for my children to learn from their amazingly wonderful Aunt Kayla.
My best friend in the world, my sister, Kayla
First, I would like to talk about the woman that was with me on day 1, my Momma. She flew to California a few days before Eric had to leave because I did't want to drive home by myself after Eric left, and she wasn't really too keen on me driving all that way either. She helped us get all of our stuff into storage (which took days), she stayed in a hotel all by herself so that we could have one last special night together before he had to go, she went along with us FOR HOURS as we sat around base waiting for the guys to head out, she took pictures of our "see you later's" for me, and she helped me drive all through the night to get back to Muleshoe (we left around 7 pm and arrived at the Purdy's around noon the next day. Needless to say, she is a ROCK STAR. I know it had to be hard for her to see her baby as upset as I was, but she took over the wheel, changed the song on the radio, and steered our conversation in another direction every time she saw me start to tear up. I have only gotten to spend time with her a few times because we live so far apart, but she always finds something for just us girls to go do (which is usually shopping) :) and she has learned how to comfort me when I start to think about this deployment. As many of you probably know, we don't always get along (everyone says it is because we are so much alike lol) and I probably don't show it like I should, but I love my momma very much. I tend to push people away when I'm going through a rough time and she totally gets that. She knows that I love her, but also that I need time to figure things out for myself. She always tells me "I'm your momma, I had you and I know you better than anyone else" and I think it has taken me 23 years to learn that she is in fact right, lol. Thank you for all that you do for me momma, I love you so much and I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you in my life. I can't wait for our Children to meet you someday and for my daughter to learn all of the things only her Granny can teach her. You have done so well with Kayla and I and I only hope that someday my daughter will appreciate and love me as much as we do you.
My lovely Momma :)
Ok, the 2nd wonderful women I would like to mention is my dear friend Madison. Many of you may not know her, but you have definitely heard me talk about her. Madison and I were friends in high school, but nothing like we are now. When I got back to town, she was the 1st person to reach out to me. She has definitely been my rock these past 5 months. Sometimes I get mad at her because she has to hang out with her stinking husband so often lol, but when he's gone, she always invites me to take his place. Brett has been a pretty understanding man, he is always so sweet to me and my family and he doesn't mind that another woman is taking up so much of his wife's time haha. My first week here, we hung out almost everyday because Brett was away on business. We often have lunch dates, take trips to Lubbock, go to Shogun's just so we can have sushi, have movie dates, go to sonic just to get a coke, and get mani-pedi's on a regular basis. Every single time I see her the 1st thing she asks me is if I've talked to Eric lately and she gets super excited for me when I have. She lets me vent to her about everything (which probably gets pretty annoying lol), she gossips with me and always agrees with me like a good friend should haha. I recently started watching 2 pretty adorable kids for a family here in town and she has randomly called me at least 5 times to see if I want a cherry vanilla coke-zero from sonic, and it always makes my day :) She goes out of her way to make sure I'm doing alright. Anyone that has been in the car with me for more than 20 minutes knows that I always get down in the front seat with my kick ass dance moves ;) and she doesn't mind joining me. We don't mind looking like complete idiots together and sometimes thats all I need lately. She has welcomed me into her family, and her brothers treat me like a sister. They joke with me, make fun of me, and even let me ride in a limo with them and 10 other 15 year olds haha. Her parents are incredible, they have included me in family events, family dinners, and their couples' bible study (even though I'm the only one that comes without my spouse lol). She is always there to comfort me or give me a good laugh when I have had a bad day, doesn't matter if we just drive around Muleshoe dancing in the car and singing at the top of our lungs (which is pretty awesome considering we both have man voices lol), or renting a chick flick to watch to help get my mind off of whatever is bothering me. She is the true definition of a best friend and I know it is something that will continue for years and years to come.
See what I mean by being idiot's together lol. Love you Madison
3rd I'll tell y'all about the most beautiful baby girl I have ever seen. My little Reesey Cup. This little girl doesn't allow me to be sad. I have never seen a happier baby in my life. She ALWAYS has a smile on her face. She is a little chunky butt, and has the most adorable dimples ever (all over her little body haha). I got to Muleshoe about a month before her arrival and I knew that when she got here, she would be a good distraction for me. She is 4 months old today and still as gorgeous as the day she was born. Kayla and Tyson chose not to tell us what her middle name would be until after she was born. On November 11th, 2011 around 3:30 pm, I found out that I was a namesake. As most of you know, they named their 1st born daughter Reese Lynn Purdy. I don't think I have ever felt so honored in my life, all I could do at that moment was cry. This precious baby girl always brightens my day, whether she is smiling (Which is most of the day), tooting and laughing about it, spitting up on me lol, or "squeaking", she always takes my mind of off everything negative going on. My absolute favorite time with her is bath time. Kayla thinks its funny that every time she is done taking a bath, I take over. I dry her off, lotion her up, brush her hair, and put on her PJ's. I like to think of it as "our time". It is our little ritual that I am going to miss when I have to leave. It will be a sad day when I have to leave my chunky monkey. I am going to miss getting to watch her grow, reach new milestones in her life, and most of all, her beautiful smile. I can't wait to see how she matures as a young lady, how she learns from her big brother Rylan, and how she annoys the crud out of her momma someday lol.
My BEAUTIFUL Reesey Lynn
4th Is my wonderful mother-in-law Lynda. I got incredibly lucky when I married into this family. I know many people think that in-laws are just people you have to put up with for your spouse, but mine I truly consider MY family. Lynda is a very down to earth person and will always tell you what she really thinks. I don't know if this is good or bad, but she has chosen me as her new shopping buddy (good for me, bad for Eric haha). She grew up in a house with 3 boys, and now that I am a part of their family, she lets me know that she enjoys having a daughter. I know she is going through just as much of a hard time as I am, and she seems so strong to me. I have only seen this woman cry one time, and it was when she hugged Eric good bye. She is silly, caring, and well rounded. She calls me on my crap while at the same time comforting me about it. She and Mark have been taking care of our 2 dogs this whole time, and have built multiple fences for them, a heated 2 bedroom doghouse, and even left work to look for one of them when she got out. I don't know too many people that are willing to do all of that for somebody, but they did it with no questions asked and a smile on their faces. They recently went on a business trip to San Diego, one that required Lynda to go shopping. One day while at their house, Mark told me that he offered to take her and she replied with "I think I would rather take Kyra." She may not know this, but that made me feel so incredibly special and welcomed. We have gotten along since day 1, Since Eric told her, I'm going to marry a woman that you've met maybe twice in your life 3 years ago, lol, and she didn't ask a single question. She simply congratulated us and helped out in every way possible. I just want to thank you for always including me, Lynda, and for always making me feel welcomed. You are a wonderful woman and I can't wait for our children to love you and learn from you someday.
My wonderful Mother-in-law, Lynda
Now this last one might make me tear up, so get ready. 5th is all about my saving grace, my wonderful sister, Kayla. Kayla and I are 5 years apart, and we didn't really become close until about 3 years ago when she became pregnant with my 1st nephew, Rylan. I was that annoying little sister that never wanted to leave her side, and she was that hell bent senior that couldn't wait to get out of the house. Like most people, after we had matured, we realized what was really important in life. When I was 19 years old, I learned that I was going to be having a nephew, and this changed mine and Kayla's relationship for the better. When I was 20, we welcomed the first baby since I was born into our family. It was in May of 2009, and that was the day I realized that I had found a best friend in my sister. This little boy has had my heart since day 1, and I truly believe he is the reason Kayla and I have such a close relationship. I was engaged to a man that she had never even met before, and she was nothing but supportive. I know she thought I was insane, but she also knew that I was happy and for that reason alone, she supported our relationship 100%. Let's jump to 2011. When we learned that Eric was going to be deploying, Kayla told me that I was welcome to stay with her and her family until her returned. Now when most people hear about this situation, they make a weird face and ask "So how is that working out?" "You live with your sister, her husband, and their 2 kids?" "Is that not weird?" NO, It's actually pretty incredible. Kayla is my best friend, Tyson is my brother, and Rylan and Reese are fighting Eric for 1st place in my heart, so it's not weird at all. We all get along and have a family closeness that most people could only dream of understanding. I don't think you could find a luckier person than me in this entire world. Sure we have our arguments, but we wouldn't be normal if we didn't. Kayla and I have dance wars in the kitchen, we pants each other on a daily basis, we play the "score" game every time we get in the car, we have burping contests, we bake treats with Rylan, and we have t-shirt time with the family every Thursday night. It may seem a little weird from the outside looking in, and yeah, you're probably right, we're a little odd, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I love the fact that we are crazy and random, I wouldn't want to be anywhere but right here during this time. Kayla and her family have included me in their family morning Christmas tradition, she made sure that they were here to celebrate Valentine's with me instead of having a romantic night with her husband, she makes sure that her children always make me a heart felt gift for every occasion, and she has learned how to comfort me when I am having a bad day. She supports my husband while he is over seas by writing him letters, sending him holiday cards, and most of all, making sure her children know who their Uncle Eric is. She and her family are my support system, and I can't imagine going through this without her by my side. You truly are my saving grace Kayla, and I could go on and on about how special you are to me, but this blog is getting ridiculously long lol. Just know that I love you, you are my best friend, and I can't wait for my children to learn from their amazingly wonderful Aunt Kayla.
My best friend in the world, my sister, Kayla
Sunday, February 5, 2012
A Video from Home!!!
I know it's been a while since I last updated my blog, but my life hasn't really been too interesting lately lol. Anyway, for Christmas I decided to make Eric a video with his camera that I sent him (Thats all he wanted), but I didn't just want to send a meaningless piece of equipment lol, so I decided to get creative. I thought to myself, "Hmmmm, it's Christmas time and I am going to get to spend time with both of our wonderful families, and I bet he is sad that he is missing out on the holidays. I know what I'll do, I'll put everyone on the spot and make them do a video for him, that way he can see how much we all miss him." At first I thought this would be a piece of cake, then I realized it's kind of difficult to get babies to smile on camera, edit everyones videos the way I wanted them to work, find the time to meet with people, and I realized I would have to be on the video too (I feel super awkward with a camera in my face). After about a week of visiting with family, opening gifts, and eating way, way too much food, I finally finished everyones individual videos. After I had met and videoed everyone, I had to put the entire thing together. I had a vision in my mind of what I wanted it to be like, and I feel that I did a pretty good job, considering the fact that I had absolutely no idea how to edit lol. Luckily my computer has a nice little app called iMovie, and helped me out a great deal.
I uploaded the video to youtube so Eric can watch it whenever he wants (because he will probably lose the disc lol) so, if any of you would like to see how it turned out, here is the link…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQivETi9i3A
Like I said, I'm pretty awkward on camera, SO NO MAKING FUN OF ME!!! lol I hope no one minds me uploading this, I would like to thank everyone that helped me make it. I know he absolutely loved it, and it truly meant a lot to him. Each of you are special to us, and without y'all I don't know if I could get through this rough journey. We both love all of you dearly, and we are very blessed to have you in our lives.
Thanks again,
Kyra
P.s. It's about 7 1/2 minutes long, lol, I felt the need to put that in there for some reason <3
I uploaded the video to youtube so Eric can watch it whenever he wants (because he will probably lose the disc lol) so, if any of you would like to see how it turned out, here is the link…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQivETi9i3A
Like I said, I'm pretty awkward on camera, SO NO MAKING FUN OF ME!!! lol I hope no one minds me uploading this, I would like to thank everyone that helped me make it. I know he absolutely loved it, and it truly meant a lot to him. Each of you are special to us, and without y'all I don't know if I could get through this rough journey. We both love all of you dearly, and we are very blessed to have you in our lives.
Thanks again,
Kyra
P.s. It's about 7 1/2 minutes long, lol, I felt the need to put that in there for some reason <3
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Sweet Sweet Aunt Judy!!!
Hello everyone, I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I had a fantastic holiday, I got way too much and I got to skype with my sweet husband for 2 hours and 38 sec. (Yes I counted every second lol and it was by far the best gift I got). I got to have 5 different Christmases this year and each one of them was truly something special, but this post is not about those Christmases. This post is about one special lady who gave me a truly incredible gift tonight.
I know the majority of you don't know who Aunt Judy is, but I would like to tell you about her anyway. Aunt Judy is Tyson's (my brother-in-law) aunt and one of the most creative and remarkable women I have had the pleasure of knowing. I have seen all of the incredible things she has made for my beautiful nephew and niece, little did I know that I would be as lucky as them and receive a special hand made gift from her. Not only can she make pretty much anything with her hands, she can also cook like nobody's business and travels all over the world and tells the most amazing stories from her journeys. If you are ever traveling to a new place, this is the lady to talk to. She can tell you all of the best restaurants, hotels, and shows to visit while there :)
Ok, I got off track a little bit lol. I got a gift tonight from Aunt Judy and it is a hand made quilt she wanted me to have to keep me warm while Eric is away <----- insert tears here (Yes I bawled when I got it). She has been working on it for an entire year and finished it last night. She said, "You can pretend these are Eric's arms holding you and keeping you warm until he returns home". It is truly the most incredible, heart felt, and beautiful gift I have ever received. To think, a women like this cares so much about me and what I am going through. I have never been so touched in my life. The only negative thing about it is, Eric's gonna be mad when I continue to sleep with it every night and there is no room on the bed for him HAHA ;) I just wanted to thank you again Aunt Judy, it means the world to me and I can't even begin to express how breathtaking it is that you did something like this for me. You really tugged at my heart strings tonight and it is something I will NEVER forget. I swear, I could just go on and on about how special Aunt Judy is to me and my family, but now I'll let her work do the explaining ;) Here are a few pictures I took, but no picture in the world could ever do it justice, it is just too divine...
Isn't it one of the most Gorgeous things you have ever seen??? :)
She said the snowman can be Eric and to pretend its his arms keeping me warm :')
Remember, this was entirely hand made and took her a year to make!!!
Like I said, no picture can do it justice, but you can still see how truly beautiful it is :)
Click on the pictures to view them better, the detail is just amazing!
Thank you so so Much Aunt Judy, I can't wait to use it tonight and I can't wait for Eric to see it, I know he will appreciate it as much as I do. You are so incredibly talented and wonderful, and I know I will never be able to find another woman like you. Love you!
Love,
Kyra
I know the majority of you don't know who Aunt Judy is, but I would like to tell you about her anyway. Aunt Judy is Tyson's (my brother-in-law) aunt and one of the most creative and remarkable women I have had the pleasure of knowing. I have seen all of the incredible things she has made for my beautiful nephew and niece, little did I know that I would be as lucky as them and receive a special hand made gift from her. Not only can she make pretty much anything with her hands, she can also cook like nobody's business and travels all over the world and tells the most amazing stories from her journeys. If you are ever traveling to a new place, this is the lady to talk to. She can tell you all of the best restaurants, hotels, and shows to visit while there :)
Ok, I got off track a little bit lol. I got a gift tonight from Aunt Judy and it is a hand made quilt she wanted me to have to keep me warm while Eric is away <----- insert tears here (Yes I bawled when I got it). She has been working on it for an entire year and finished it last night. She said, "You can pretend these are Eric's arms holding you and keeping you warm until he returns home". It is truly the most incredible, heart felt, and beautiful gift I have ever received. To think, a women like this cares so much about me and what I am going through. I have never been so touched in my life. The only negative thing about it is, Eric's gonna be mad when I continue to sleep with it every night and there is no room on the bed for him HAHA ;) I just wanted to thank you again Aunt Judy, it means the world to me and I can't even begin to express how breathtaking it is that you did something like this for me. You really tugged at my heart strings tonight and it is something I will NEVER forget. I swear, I could just go on and on about how special Aunt Judy is to me and my family, but now I'll let her work do the explaining ;) Here are a few pictures I took, but no picture in the world could ever do it justice, it is just too divine...
Isn't it one of the most Gorgeous things you have ever seen??? :)
She said the snowman can be Eric and to pretend its his arms keeping me warm :')
Remember, this was entirely hand made and took her a year to make!!!
Like I said, no picture can do it justice, but you can still see how truly beautiful it is :)
Click on the pictures to view them better, the detail is just amazing!
Thank you so so Much Aunt Judy, I can't wait to use it tonight and I can't wait for Eric to see it, I know he will appreciate it as much as I do. You are so incredibly talented and wonderful, and I know I will never be able to find another woman like you. Love you!
Love,
Kyra
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
COOKIE MANIA!!!!
Alright, so I had this idea for a care package to send Eric for Christmas. He doesn't want anything for Christmas because he doesn't "need" anything taking up more space in his tiny room, plus he doesn't want to have to pack up more stuff for when he comes home. What is a wife to do? I can't just not send him anything for Christmas, right? So I came up with a pretty unique idea, and it was a total surprise to him. Instead of writing down all the details, I thought I would just copy the email I sent to Eric explaining his Christmas gift. I told him to be expecting some care packages for Christmas (I didn't tell him how many), but he was not allowed to open them until he had talked to me. I told him that I would send him a message explaining everything, and after he read it, he was allowed to open them.
Here is the message I sent :)
Okay. So you might think I am a little crazy and you are probably right. I had no idea what to do for you for Christmas this year, so I asked for a little help. I thought that cookies are probably one of the best things about the holidays and I figured you would like a few. I decided it would be a fun idea to do a "Cookie Mania" care package for you so everyone that helps and supports us can show their appreciation and love. This is how it went down lol.
I sent out an email to all of the lovely ladies in our families to ask them if they would like to bake some cookies to send to you and your friends. Then I thought, why stop there? So, I asked your mom to send my email to all of the women that work in the schools to see if they would like to chip in as well. But then I went even more crazy, I thought why not get as many women in this town as possible to pitch in too. As you know, we come from a small town and everyone always asks me how you're doing and if I ever need anything to just ask, so I did. I simply told them that if they would like to make some cookies to send to you and your friends for Christmas that I would make sure that they all got packed up right and ship them on Dec. 5th. I even asked Stacy Conner to make an announcement at church, and you have no idea how many people loved the idea, it was so sweet to see how many people support you and all that you are doing over there for us.
Anyway, I told them to have the cookies at your parents' house by Dec. 4th and we would ship them out the next day so they would get there in time for Christmas. Little did I know how successful this idea would be.
Your mom and I spent all day Sunday and most of Monday putting together these care packages. Let me tell you, it is so much harder than we thought it would be lol. As you know, it takes a few weeks for packages to get there, so it was tricky to pack up baked goods. First we had to individually wrap the cookies, then we had to vacuum seal them into little bags, then we had to put them into plastic or tin boxes with bread in them (The bread sucks up all of the air in the box so none of it can get to the cookies and ruin them..DO NOT EAT THE BREAD!!!! lol it will probably be very stale or moldy haha) just know that it is there for a reason, after all of that we finally got to put them into the shipping boxes : )
It truly amazed your parents and me to see how many people in this town support and care for you honey (your dad volunteered to be the taste tester haha). We got over 2,000 cookies. YES 2,000 COOKIES!!!!!! <--- not a typo lol It took us hours and hours to pack them all up. I'm sure you don't know most of the people, but we put names on all of the bags so you would know who they were from. I asked everyone to leave a note with a name tag, but many people didn't. Just know that the ones without names, are all from the church : ) We are truly blessed to have so many people that care about us baby, I was seriously in shock. I had no idea that my idea would be so successful. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope they get there as good as when they left lol. Tell all of your friends to help you out and enjoy them, lol, and that our tiny little town is supporting them as well, and we love them and can't wait for y'all to come back. I'm trying to spread a little home cooked Christmas love <3 Make sure you open the boxes before handing them out so you know who they are from, and because we put all of your family's (Washington's, Purdy's, Bell's) cookies in certain boxes for you. Your dad even pitched in a little something of his own haha. I think thats about it. I love you so much, honey, and I hope you're not overwhelmed with all the boxes lol. Please stay safe for all of us back home. You have so many people that love and care for you. I'm always missing you and I can't wait to see you again. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!! MORE! HA
This was his response…
Wow Baby, would you please thank them for all of it? It was a great idea. I opened them and already handed some out. I think next time I'm in a village, we are going to give some out to the kids, they always like getting food from us and i know they'll love cookies (they don't eat much out here, and if they do, it doesn't taste very good lol) so you can let them know most of their cookies are going to go to kids out here. I hope they like that idea. Lol it wasn't easy carrying all those boxes the mile back to my room lol but it was worth it. Thank you baby, I know that must have been a lot of work for you guys and it really means a lot to us. Thanks again baby, that was so great of you to do, I love you so much baby.
We talked a little while longer and he just went on and on about how much it meant to everyone over there and how all of his friends are very thankful. It is so amazing to see so many people come together for the man I love and his friends while they are serving our country. Thank you everyone that helped and may God bless each and every one of you :)
Here are a few pictures of our little adventure :)
Here are some of the cookies after they had been put in to the vacuum sealable bags. There are about 1-2 dozen in each bag.
Here is Lynda helping me pack the thousands of cookies lol
Here are some of the boxes we had already packed :)
And here we are at the post office filling out all of the paper work (There was a TON!!!)
Thanks again everybody, We are so blessed and we love y'all.
Kyra
Here is the message I sent :)
Okay. So you might think I am a little crazy and you are probably right. I had no idea what to do for you for Christmas this year, so I asked for a little help. I thought that cookies are probably one of the best things about the holidays and I figured you would like a few. I decided it would be a fun idea to do a "Cookie Mania" care package for you so everyone that helps and supports us can show their appreciation and love. This is how it went down lol.
I sent out an email to all of the lovely ladies in our families to ask them if they would like to bake some cookies to send to you and your friends. Then I thought, why stop there? So, I asked your mom to send my email to all of the women that work in the schools to see if they would like to chip in as well. But then I went even more crazy, I thought why not get as many women in this town as possible to pitch in too. As you know, we come from a small town and everyone always asks me how you're doing and if I ever need anything to just ask, so I did. I simply told them that if they would like to make some cookies to send to you and your friends for Christmas that I would make sure that they all got packed up right and ship them on Dec. 5th. I even asked Stacy Conner to make an announcement at church, and you have no idea how many people loved the idea, it was so sweet to see how many people support you and all that you are doing over there for us.
Anyway, I told them to have the cookies at your parents' house by Dec. 4th and we would ship them out the next day so they would get there in time for Christmas. Little did I know how successful this idea would be.
Your mom and I spent all day Sunday and most of Monday putting together these care packages. Let me tell you, it is so much harder than we thought it would be lol. As you know, it takes a few weeks for packages to get there, so it was tricky to pack up baked goods. First we had to individually wrap the cookies, then we had to vacuum seal them into little bags, then we had to put them into plastic or tin boxes with bread in them (The bread sucks up all of the air in the box so none of it can get to the cookies and ruin them..DO NOT EAT THE BREAD!!!! lol it will probably be very stale or moldy haha) just know that it is there for a reason, after all of that we finally got to put them into the shipping boxes : )
It truly amazed your parents and me to see how many people in this town support and care for you honey (your dad volunteered to be the taste tester haha). We got over 2,000 cookies. YES 2,000 COOKIES!!!!!! <--- not a typo lol It took us hours and hours to pack them all up. I'm sure you don't know most of the people, but we put names on all of the bags so you would know who they were from. I asked everyone to leave a note with a name tag, but many people didn't. Just know that the ones without names, are all from the church : ) We are truly blessed to have so many people that care about us baby, I was seriously in shock. I had no idea that my idea would be so successful. I hope you enjoy them, and I hope they get there as good as when they left lol. Tell all of your friends to help you out and enjoy them, lol, and that our tiny little town is supporting them as well, and we love them and can't wait for y'all to come back. I'm trying to spread a little home cooked Christmas love <3 Make sure you open the boxes before handing them out so you know who they are from, and because we put all of your family's (Washington's, Purdy's, Bell's) cookies in certain boxes for you. Your dad even pitched in a little something of his own haha. I think thats about it. I love you so much, honey, and I hope you're not overwhelmed with all the boxes lol. Please stay safe for all of us back home. You have so many people that love and care for you. I'm always missing you and I can't wait to see you again. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU!!!! MORE! HA
This was his response…
Wow Baby, would you please thank them for all of it? It was a great idea. I opened them and already handed some out. I think next time I'm in a village, we are going to give some out to the kids, they always like getting food from us and i know they'll love cookies (they don't eat much out here, and if they do, it doesn't taste very good lol) so you can let them know most of their cookies are going to go to kids out here. I hope they like that idea. Lol it wasn't easy carrying all those boxes the mile back to my room lol but it was worth it. Thank you baby, I know that must have been a lot of work for you guys and it really means a lot to us. Thanks again baby, that was so great of you to do, I love you so much baby.
We talked a little while longer and he just went on and on about how much it meant to everyone over there and how all of his friends are very thankful. It is so amazing to see so many people come together for the man I love and his friends while they are serving our country. Thank you everyone that helped and may God bless each and every one of you :)
Here are a few pictures of our little adventure :)
Here are some of the cookies after they had been put in to the vacuum sealable bags. There are about 1-2 dozen in each bag.
Here is Lynda helping me pack the thousands of cookies lol
Here are some of the boxes we had already packed :)
And here we are at the post office filling out all of the paper work (There was a TON!!!)
Thanks again everybody, We are so blessed and we love y'all.
Kyra
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Reesey Lynn
I know its been a while since my last post, but it has been pretty busy around here. We welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the family on November 11th. She is stunning, oh so sweet, and definitely my favorite new obsession. I had 2 fabulous Thanksgivings at the Washington's and at the Purdy's. I ate way too much and had a blast getting to be around so much family. It was a bit of an emotional holiday for me since the man I am most thankful for could not join us, but all in all it was pretty perfect. Now Christmas is just around the corner, and I have already started my Christmas shopping and have tons more to do.
I started subbing at the schools here in town around the 15th and have only had 2 days off so far. I am really enjoying it and it keeps me pretty busy. The kids crack me up, I guess I had forgotten what is was like to be that age. So far I have only done from 2nd to 8th grade and man is it weird. All of the kids think I'm in high school (one mom even thought I was a student at the Jr. High…Gee Thanks) lol, but I am loving it. So far PE is my favorite, but I have really enjoying each day.
I know I will regret telling y'all this, but it is pretty dang funny. I was subbing for PE and I decided it would be a good idea to help out one of the 5th grade teams during a kick ball game. I couldn't have been more wrong!!! When I got up to the plate, I kicked the ball with all of my might (I got a home run BTW) and I felt extreme pain in my leg. Turns out I pulled my hamstring and I couldn't walk without a limp for a few days. This happened almost 2 weeks ago and it still hurts to put pressure on lol. YES, I pulled my hamstring playing kickball with a bunch of 5th graders HA!!! Can you tell I haven't worked out in a while?
Here are a few pictures of the real reason I wanted to blog. This is our beautiful niece, Reese Lynn Purdy (she is named after me)… can you tell how honored I am? I tell everyone that is willing to listen :)
This was the first time I got to hold our little angel <3
Rylan's first time to hold his baby sister
Our gorgeous girl :)
Don't you just love all of her bows? ;)
Before I go, here is some info on Eric. Mark, Lynda, and I got to Skype with him 4 days ago and he filled us in as much as he could. This was the first time he and his parents had actually gotten to talk. He told us that he did get some turkey on Thanksgiving and it wasn't very good lol, but he got some ham too (it was even worse than the turkey), poor Eric. They have been keeping him pretty busy, so he doesn't have much time to talk lately. All he wants for Christmas is a camera, so his mom and I are on top of that. Hopefully we will get some cool pictures that I can post when he gets back. He guarantees me that he is safe and hasn't seen any action yet, so keep your fingers crossed and hope that doesn't change :) I wish I had a better update, but he doesn't send me many details :(
Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We are so blessed and Thankful to have all of you loving and supporting us.
Love,
Kyra
I started subbing at the schools here in town around the 15th and have only had 2 days off so far. I am really enjoying it and it keeps me pretty busy. The kids crack me up, I guess I had forgotten what is was like to be that age. So far I have only done from 2nd to 8th grade and man is it weird. All of the kids think I'm in high school (one mom even thought I was a student at the Jr. High…Gee Thanks) lol, but I am loving it. So far PE is my favorite, but I have really enjoying each day.
I know I will regret telling y'all this, but it is pretty dang funny. I was subbing for PE and I decided it would be a good idea to help out one of the 5th grade teams during a kick ball game. I couldn't have been more wrong!!! When I got up to the plate, I kicked the ball with all of my might (I got a home run BTW) and I felt extreme pain in my leg. Turns out I pulled my hamstring and I couldn't walk without a limp for a few days. This happened almost 2 weeks ago and it still hurts to put pressure on lol. YES, I pulled my hamstring playing kickball with a bunch of 5th graders HA!!! Can you tell I haven't worked out in a while?
Here are a few pictures of the real reason I wanted to blog. This is our beautiful niece, Reese Lynn Purdy (she is named after me)… can you tell how honored I am? I tell everyone that is willing to listen :)
This was the first time I got to hold our little angel <3
Rylan's first time to hold his baby sister
Our gorgeous girl :)
Don't you just love all of her bows? ;)
Before I go, here is some info on Eric. Mark, Lynda, and I got to Skype with him 4 days ago and he filled us in as much as he could. This was the first time he and his parents had actually gotten to talk. He told us that he did get some turkey on Thanksgiving and it wasn't very good lol, but he got some ham too (it was even worse than the turkey), poor Eric. They have been keeping him pretty busy, so he doesn't have much time to talk lately. All he wants for Christmas is a camera, so his mom and I are on top of that. Hopefully we will get some cool pictures that I can post when he gets back. He guarantees me that he is safe and hasn't seen any action yet, so keep your fingers crossed and hope that doesn't change :) I wish I had a better update, but he doesn't send me many details :(
Hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving. We are so blessed and Thankful to have all of you loving and supporting us.
Love,
Kyra
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