Officially Official

I'm stealing my husband's post title today because it's the best way to put it - HE IS FOR SURE COMING HOME EARLY NOW!!!! Jesse's unit got word yesterday that the Big Army Mans signed off on them leaving early and so my hubby will most likely be home by Thanksgiving! I am so happy that my husband's return is sooner than expected. Keep praying for their safe arrival and for them as they pack and wrap up all of their hard work there. No more rumors - it is officially official! :)

Perks of the Job

One of the many perks of my new job is that when artists come, I host! It's neat to get an opportunity to meet important people and talk to them on a more personal level. Recently, Alina Fernandez (Fidel Castro's only publicly known daughter) came to speak at Austin Peay State University as one of our Global Passport Series speakers. We had about 150 people show up and it was really interesting! She talked about how her mother and Castro met and how she came about. She also talked about her escape from Cuba to the U.S. and how it has impacted her life. She was a neat lady and I enjoyed getting to talk to her. She recently became a U.S. citizen so God Bless America, Alina!

Best News EVER

So, the rumors have been circulating for a while now that the brigade my husband is in is coming home early. Well, I recently received a letter from the unit's Colonel saying that they were planning on coming home mid to late November instead of January, but as for anything from the Army, it could all change at any moment. While I'm incredibly excited at the prospect of seeing my husband almost 2 months earlier than planned, I'm still waiting for the announcement of "Just Kidding!" Many of us Army wives have the attitude of when they call us and say they are on the flight home, then we'll believe it. BUT, I am fairly confident that the new time frame of redeployment is happening, due to events taking place that Jesse has told me about. I'm now at the point of this deployment where I am beyond ready to see Jesse in person again. Sometimes I feel guilty for saying that when I am surrounded by wives here on base that have gone 12-15 months with only seeing their husband's for 2 weeks. Regardless, I miss his companionship terribly and I can't wait to have him home to share our home again. Come home safe, LT!

Fall is my FAVORITE

I wanted to share with anyone that takes the time to read my blog that Fall is my favorite season by far. I love the changing of leaves (my tree in the front yard is starting to turn colors). I love the cool mornings and evenings. I love opening my windows and keeping the air conditioning off. I love the colors - red, yellow, orange, and brown. I love college football, even though my team is not doing as well as Jesse and I had hoped (but we did get a win today - progress my friends). I love not having to mow as often as before since the grass growth has finally slowed down. I love drinking a warm cup of coffee on my way to work. AND, I love working Family Weekend on a Saturday out in the beautiful weather instead of being home and sleeping in - oh wait, no I don't! Fall is not truly Fall without my husband here to share it with, but I appreciate God for creating such a great season in the year and I look forward to enjoying it each and every day. Happy Fall!

I have a door and a window!

This might sound silly to some, but I'm sure some will understand the excitement of these details - I have a door and a window in my office at work! In all of my jobs that I have had, I have always worked in a cubical. My last job, I had a 3 sided cubical in the corner and that was luxury. BUT NOW, I have my own window and a door to close when I want privacy! This job is going to be VERY busy and require lots of my time and energy. So far, it's a lot of detailed event planning so it's right up my alley. My challenge right now is figuring out exactly where to start on all that I am responsible for! Oh, and also getting used to waking up early again (hehe)!

Thoughtful Gestures

I wanted to brag on some people that did some thoughtful things this week. My in-laws sent me a really pretty plant for my office with a note that said "Knock 'em dead!" to my new office. Also, my HUBBY sent me 2 dozen red roses with a really sweet note to tell me how proud he was of me. They are beautiful and I am loving getting to brag on him to my new co-workers - what a way to get to start a new work week and a new job! Thank you all so much for your thoughtful gestures.

Job Search Mission: COMPLETE!

Well, after 9 months of being an unemployed Army wife (which is a job in itself), my 10 million interviews finally paid off - I got a JOB! I wanted to wait until it was official before I announced anything so as of today, contracts are signed and I start Monday at Austin Peay State University as the Coordinator of Programs and Special Events in the Student Life and Leadership Office (www.apsu.edu/sll)! I think it's going to be a great fit for me. There are some possible opportunities for advancement in the office in the near future so we'll see how it goes. I'm kind of nervous about going back to work - I've been on my own time for so long! I will definitely miss having so much time to do whatever I want, but I'm also excited about this new opportunity. I didn't know I was starting Monday until today, so I'm trying to enjoy my last weekend of freedom before work life begins. I'll keep you posted how it's going - Let's Go Peay! (yes, this is their cheer - I guess they just decided to embrace the name of their school)