The Beginning...

At last I've jumped on the bandwagon of blogging. Why not earlier, you ask? Well it's quite simple: There can't possibly be enough people that interested in our family that it warrants creating our own website. Nevertheless one of my good friends showed me by example how blogging can be used for journaling purposes, in addition to serving as a place for friends and family to get a glimpse into our life together...apart. Josh and I are both lovers of the written word, and have utilized it quite frequently during our relationship! From random email communication to hand-written letters to Instant Messaging while apart, we've been all over the map! I am excited to be able to write more frequently, while at the same time keeping family and friends updated on our happenings here and abroad!
Josh and I have been married for 2 years, and we have a fiesty, high-maintenance, funny, beautiful, perfect daughter Annabelle. Josh was deployed to Afghanistan in Feb. 2008 and will be returning in Feb. 2009. I have always loved, loved, loved the US Military and I'm so proud of Josh's service to our country. It's not a walk in the park being a "single parent," but with every trial comes blessings, and I have been abundantly blessed during our time apart. I have my own army of helpers, ready and willing anytime they're needed :) And of course I have the blessing of being married to a man who is fighting for our country.
Since having Annabelle last September I have enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom. There hasn't been a day when I have missed "work," and I think I was probably meant to be in this role. At least that's how it feels. This past August I began teaching children's creative dance for a local performing arts studio. I get to teach ages 18 mos.-5 yrs. old and it's fun to see and experience so many different personalities! Josh says it's all training for when Annabelle reaches those ages :) I teach 4 hrs./wk and it makes for a nice hobby.
Josh was just home for 2 weeks in August and we had so much fun! We took off to Park City for 5 days with Annabelle, and we did some shopping, played at The UT Olympic Park, rode the gondola, watched an ariel ski show, and ordered in while watching the olympics on TV. We also went on a couple hikes to Timpanogos Cave and Lake Blanche. We love to hike! Josh and I also took the opportunity to spend a little bit of time alone, and we headed up to The Canyons Resort to celebrate my birthday--the big 3-0! I'll be honest though...I never imagined 30 feeling so great! Ha ha :)
Now we've returned to normalcy as we know it right now. Josh has arrived back in Afghanistan, and Annabelle and I are making the most of the beautiful Fall weather! We are looking forward to getting another baby in the family next month--Brittany and Brad will be having a baby girl! I can't wait to meet her :)