Some Good News

First off, Steven got to Iraq safely and is back in "the village" as we like to call it. He kept me very informed on his trip back overseas. I was kept in almost constant contact or as much contact as I could have! He went from SA to Dallas to Atlanta to Ireland to Kuwait to Baghdad. As much as I dislike taking off and landing I am glad that I didn't have to do that. BUT the next trip he will be taking is HOME!! As of now, on February 28th he will be leaving Iraq to go to New Jersey for ourprocessing and he says he will be home on March 8th! How wonderful!! Only a week before Spring Break and 2 weeks before his birthday. That is so cool for us. We are so happy to have him finally coming home soon. Think...less than 2 months from today he will be on his way back to the states. Super cool. We can't wait to be together again and spend time as a family. So I'm sure there will be some kind of "welcome home" ceremony by the National Guard so I will keep my ears open!

Our Christmas

This was for sure the best Christmas so far!!! It was wonderful. We spent time with everyone in our families and had great food! We spent Christmas eve morning with Steven's grandparents (nonny and poppy) and all the girls and his parents then Christmas Eve we went to my mom's house and spent the night with my grandmother, brothers, sisters, and Blaine of course. Christmas morning we went out to Frank and Kristy's house for breakfast (new tradition) and family gifts. Then we went to my grandma's for lunch and Steven's Aunt Mary's house for the rest of the evening. We finished off our super super busy Christmas by renting movies and watching them in our pjs. It was absolutley wonderful and I can't wait for Christmas next year. I am hoping to have a new niece or nephew but I don't think that will happen BUT who knows!!

Steven is gone again

Steven had to return to Iraq yesterday. We got to the airport at 6:15 am and said our goodbyes. It keeps getting harder and harder. Both of us hate when he leaves. He will be gone for approximently 2 1/2 months or sooner but still it is really hard to say goodbye to someone you love so so much! We were both really upset all day and tried to talk as much as possible in Dallas and Atlanta before he went on to Ireland (the on to Kuwait). There are no words that can describe the feeling of him leaving. When I left him and went back to the car I saw that he had forgotten the cookies I had made him for his trip so I went back to give them to him. He looked so so sad waiting in line at security. I have never seen him look like that and it broke my heart even more. But we have to be positive and he will be home before we know it so we can start our life together instead of apart.

STEVEN IS HOME!!!!

Steven came home!!! He came in on December 11th at 2:30pm!!! It is too exciting and as you can imagine we have been pretty busy with BBQs and get togethers and Christmas shopping!! There will be more to write once I have time once he leaves on the 27th. But for now we are enjoying every minute of our time together and can't wait for him to return for good in March. Hopefully before Spring Break/his birthday. Anyway, we are so glad he is home and I hope and pray that the next 2 1/2 months will go by fast so he will be home for good, safe, and we can continue our life together. I can't find the pictures from the airport but I will post them once I get them from my mother in law. Have a merry Christmas and I will post more later!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Just wanted to say HAPPY THANKSGIVING to everyone. This year is a tough one since Steven isn't home to share in the family and turkey but I know he is thinking about us as much as we think about him. We love him and miss him and can't get him home fast enough. I will be with family for Thanksgiving and I couldn't ask for better company. I even have a date!!! I have dubbed my little guy, Blaine, as my official date since mine is 8000 miles away! If I can't have Steven then I have the next best thing. Next year we will all be together as a family and it will be wonderful. A cold front is blowing in and it sounds like the house might fall over. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you are, and whomever you spend it with. I love you Steven and I will eat some turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes for YOU!!!

No Leave

No leave for Steven. End of story. Other stuff has happened and I will update later.

Things are looking up

Although school is rough and things are still going full steam it is okay because I can see the end of the semester. Only like 5 1/2 more weeks of school and then another semester will be behind my belt and I can say "In one year I GRADUATE". SO excited. My entire family was in town this weekend for a funeral so it was really nice to catch up with everyone. The house is a mess but we haven't seen our family in about a year so it was wonderful to see where everyone is. We talk on the phone sometimes but nothing beats the real person. Things are also looking up when it comes to Steven. We have been talking a lot and making big decisions but we have done it together and made the decisions that we think are the best. So all is well. Also, Steven said that we will be coming home as of now in March, early March, so that means only 4 more months!! Too excited. I know things can change BUT I will be excited anyway! Things are going great and God has been good to us and my family. We are super excited about everything that will be happening in the next year or two and can't WAIT! Hope everyone else is doing well too. Oh and the weather changed so even better! I LOVE FALL!!!

Fall Festival 2007

Okay, it has been awhile. Man, it is midterms here and things have been HORRIBLE. I have never done so much work in my entire life. This weekend was one long day of homework. I has a poetry conference at UTSA and went to lunch with Frank and the fall festival was this past weekend. So busy. Sunday, all day long I did homework. I got so much done but it was just a dent I have so much more to do. Things will start to calm down around November 16th or so. So long!!! One more month of super hard work I can do it!!! I feel like the worst wife in the world. I went from writing Steven everyday to not writing him at all other than emails cause i have NO time!! I need to go shopping this week for another box, when, i don't know but it will get done. So Steven, I know I suck right now but I promise things will get better in November. :) I have never read this much in my life. No kidding, I have read over 50 books for my classes so far. And sadly, I'm not joking. Only 7 more weeks!!! Love ya. I will add pictures later.

Some Sad News

Although I wasn't best friends with Richard, a coworker I regret to say that he committed suicide last night or early this morning. He had a big blow up at work and stormed out. His family called work may times looking for him and they found him today, by his mother's grave, dead. From what I know he shot himself in the head. I know that I wasn't his best friend but I did work with him, we talked whenever we worked, and he was a nice guy. I just don't know how things can get so bad in someone's life that they would do that. Personally I think it is a very selfish thing to do. Imagine his family? Us, all of his friends at work? I just saw him Wednesday and he was fine! This came as a major shock to all of us at Bills. If only we would have known maybe we could have done something to help him. Well atleast I know that I was always kind to him, talked to him about whatever was going on, and was a generally nice person to him. Maybe next time I can be more of a friend to someone who needs help.

Yesterday was Rough

Yesterday was one of those "I hate the world" days. We all have those days so I'm not horrible. It was all just getting to me. The lack of sleep, school work, work work, steven being so far away. It was just blah. But then after I got off work I went over to my sister's house and how is it that kids just make you feel better? I spent time with my favorite little man and we went to go get his HALLOWEEN costume. He is going to be the CUTIEST skunk I have ever seen!! Really now, a blue eyed skunk! I couldn't get a great picture of him but I will on halloween. He makes me so happy even when he isn't being a good boy and throwing a fit I still love him. Also this morning I got a super sweet email from Steven and he just brightens my day.

Things around here

Things have been going well lately. They have been super busy but what's new. Steven is currently on Daylight Savings Time like all the normal people in the world so until Nov. 4th I have to wait until 10:45 every night to talk to him. It is so worth it at night but I am SOOO tired in the morning. I got to school at 7:30 this morning but my class doesn't start until 11 so I took myself an hour and a half nap! I am much more rested now. I am currently applying for a substituting job at ECISD and possibly LaVernia if I could get out there during school hours which is a HARD task. I sent in my application on Sunday so we will see what results in that. I really hope I get the job so I can GET OUT of Bill Miller. Only approx. 8 more weeks of school! YES!! I really don't like this semester very much. I think it is because Steven usually cheers me on. Have a good week!

Josh's Birthday Party

Tonight I went to Josh's 3rd birthday party. It was Shrek themed and really cute. He got lots and LOTS of presents and toys. Steven and I got him some educational DVDs and some bilingual flash cards and a search and find book. (always the teacher here) It was fun but I didn't ever get a picture of Josh he was running around too much!!! Here are some pictures here and no kidding, Rayn is THE most beautiful child I have ever seen. If I have a child that is half as beautiful I will be so blessed! She is such a cutie. Oh and here was my new man, Donkey we make a lovely couple.

My Suggestion

Hello all,

I just got home from going to my first movie since like June. I went to go see "The Game Plan" with my friend from school, Kelly. This movie was SOOOO cute. It made me cry and laugh (out loud). Anyway, if anyone is going to a movie soon, go see this! It is good wholesome fun. There are no sex scenes and I think the worst cuss word was "stupid". So good! Have a great weekend.

I know this is Silly

I know that like no one reads this but Steven and I but I thought anyone that stumbles across this could pray for Steven and I. It's nothing big, not like things are falling apart but we are both having a way harder time with this deployment then we planned. We both feel so incomplete right now. We just miss each other so much. I'm not really into telling everyone about my life and my problems but I am really upset about this. We just want to be together. We have never been able to just be together without the fear of deployment hanging over our heads. So please just pray that Steven will come home ASAP, safely, and this will be our last deployment forever! We just want to be together!

I should be doing Homework! Oh well!

I know I should be doing homework. I have lots to do this week and am still kinda under the weather. I just wanted to say "GO LONGHORNS" and "GO COWBOYS". I know this is a shock to everyone who knows me but I have been watching a little football this season so far. You know school is bad when I want to watch football over doing homework. This weeked Dallas won (yay) and UT also won. Since I go to UTSA I guess I should root for our "mother school". And I should get interested in the teams my husband loves so much. Steven told me yesterday he does get to watch a little football. One of his buddies in Iraq has a TV with about 5 channels so they can watch some sports (yay!). Back to the drawing board!!

Oh Has it Been a Weekend?!

Okay so this week overall was great. I got a lot accomplished and I found out I am on the right track to GRADUATE in one year (Dec. 2008) Yay! I thought I was going to have a restful weekend of cleaning and scrapbooking but HA! everything was piled on me on Thursday. I had SOO much homework: essays, projects, book reports. Then I thought "okay, i can do it all." Saturday I woke up with a sore throat, ear ache, runny nose, and I think my head weighted about 100 lbs. Needless to say I wasn't in the best mood for homework or anything at all! I have gotten most things done but I am so tired and I need a weekend! I think it was just allergies but I feel like CRAP! Sorry for my language but I do. I talked to Steven on the internet yesterday and I was a MESS! I ran out of tissues, was sneezing, and started crying because I didn't have him here to help me. One big pathetic mess. I am feeling a little better now but I really need to go to Hawaii or something. I need a break!!!

Today has Been a GOOD Day

Today has been a good day. First I got to sleep in 10 mintues!! I had orientation at my host school where I will be observing and teaching this semester and it is super close to the house (not 30min away like UTSA) soooo I got to sleep in. I met my cooperating teacher who seems really cool and has a great relationship with his kids. He is a "think outside the box" kinda of person so this will probably be a really great learning experience. THEN I went to school and found a parking spot! I had to walk 2 miles but I found one! After school I went shopping with a friend at Hobby Lobby (favorite store) and I got to see Blaine today. I love him. He is getting sooo smart. Now I am organizing and scrapbooking which I haven't done in like 2 years! But I am not going to worry about the past I will just do what I can and try to keep up with it. So all in all today has been great and time is going by really fast. Steven will be home in a blink of the eye. Oh and I have a date tonight at 10pm with my husband. :)

Party Time!!

On Saturday Rayn had a birthday party. It was so cute and she looked beautiful. She is 3 years old now!!! She had the cutiest cake ever! I can't believe how these kids get so old and age so fast and I look and stay the same age (hehe). It was lots of fun to get together with everyone and we should do it more often. It was stinky that Steven couldn't have been there to enjoy all this but he will be there next year. (and possibly for Christmas but I am not getting my hopes up). Have a wonderful week everyone!!

Things Have been CRAZY

Well, school started and we all know what that means!! NO time for anything else in my life except school homework and reading and field placements!!! AHHHHH only 12 more weeks. Isn't it sad when you start counting down only 2 weeks in??? hmmm...Well my Steven got to Iraq safely woohoo!!! He is seeming to adjust well but he still wants to be home. Who wouldn't? We miss each other like crazy but we will be stronger because of this. We know it!! He calls about once a day (sometimes suprises me with twice) and it is wonderful everytime. I love him so much and miss him more than words can describe BUT everyday is one day closer to him being home!!! Love ya!

Chris and Amy are married

I guess everyone has the marriage bug around here. Chris and Amy got married on August 25, 2007 in LaVernia. It was a beautiful ceremony and a fun reception. The only thing that could have made it better would be if Steven could have been there so the entire family was together. But that's how things go and he wishes he could have been there too. I am putting up a few pictures so Steven can see them when he gets to Iraq. The best of luck to Chris and Amy as they start their new life together.

Mrs. Steven Rodriguez

Well, it finally happened. Steven and I got married on August 19, 2007 in LaVernia. It was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for anything better. Only our close family was there and we had BBQ chicken and beans and cake. It was wonderful. After the ceremony Steven and I went downtown to the Fairmont Hotel. It is a historic hotel in San Antonio and absolutely beautiful. We had a lot of fun while Steven was in town but as usual, it was too short. Only 48 hours later Steven had to leave me to go back to NJ and on to Iraq. It was very sad but I find it somehow comforting that I know I am his wife. I can't wait for him to come home again so we can start our life TOGETHER instead of apart. (And also plan our big wedding in 2009).

Steven Comes in Today!!!

Well it is finally here!!! Steven comes in today at 10:55 pm. I am so excited. I can't believe how long I have been waiting and it is finally here. I get to pick him up from the airport tonight and spend all weekend together before he leaves on Tuesday. It will be sad when he leaves but I have got to remember to enjoy the time we DO have together. I hope everyone else has as much of a great weekend as I will be having!!!

Only 3 more Days!!!

Well today is Tuesday, August 14th. I am so excited because there are only 3 more days until Steven comes home on the 17th. It will be here soon as I know it. I can't believe I have waited so long for this to happen (him be home) and it is already here!! I am going to jump out of my skin when I see him. The only bad thing is that he comes in at 10:55pm so I have all day to stay busy and not go crazy! I am getting my hair dyed and taking care of some other stuff so hopefully my day will go by fast. I am getting so excited!!! CAN'T WAIT!

ONE WEEK AND HE IS HERE!!

Well tomorrow, the 10th will be one week from when Steven will be coming home. It is getting closer and closer everyday! Yes, he will only be home for 3.5 days but still, he will be coming home. I can't wait to see him and I know everyone here in SA town can't wait either! Today I went downtown and got our marriage license since we will be getting married on August 19th. It was so easy but I hope we never have to do it again! The first time is the charm. Here is a picture of the "big document". Have a good one! I'm so excited!!!

Three More Weeks!!

Hey all! Just letting everyone know...only 3 more weeks until Steven is home!!! He will be coming in Friday, August 17th at 10:55pm. So late but it's okay I will just take a nap. I am so excited I want to jump out of my skin. I can't imagin how excited I will be when he comes home for good!!!! He will be here from Friday, the 17th until Tuesday, the 21st. It is not very long but in the Army we take what we can get:). We will hopefully be having a BBQ for everyone the next day so that everyone can see him. I don't think everyone wants to be up until midnight picking him up. I will post more as I know it!!

Mom is another year OLDER!

Mom had yet another birthday on July 10th. She turned 52!!! Wow 8 years and she will be 60. That next weekend we had a little birthday celebration for her. Everyone but Steven and James were there. We went to Hong Fong and then back to the house for some weird kind of cake that Grandma made Mom. I didn't eat any but I heard it was good. Here is a picture of the fun!

Blaine's First MOVIE!!

Today Gretchen and I took Blaine to go see a movie. It was a children's movie Ratatouille about a rat that can cook awesomely!! Well since this was Blaine's first movie we did not know what to expect but he was GREAT!! He did not cry, talk to much, whine, it was good and he was so entertained. He sat with me for most of the movie eating Cheetos (his favorite snack) and drinking juice. He is such a wonderful little boy and I love him so much. My sister also changed his room into a "big boy" room. His theme is "transportation". He is growing up so fast and can do so much already. It's like he is learning something new everyday. Steven, you will be so shocked by how big and smart he is! In this picture he is doing his new "cheesy smile" I can't stand it but it is so cute too. He is such a crazy man!

It's been awhile!

Hey all! It's been awhile. Things have been so busy lately with school and work and life! I go to school everyday from 7:30-10:45 and then I work on Mon, Wed, Fri, and Sat. I am so tired and can't wait for school to be over. Only 3 more weeks. I can do anything for 3 weeks right? Well, Steven is coming in (tent) from August 17th to the 22nd. That will be so nice to see him again. I miss him a lot and I know he is homesick. We will have a good, restful time together. It has been raining A LOT this summer. When it rains it pours! Hope everyone is having a good summer.

Tuesdays with Blaine

Hey there all! Well this next five weeks will be crazy, long, busy weeks! I am taking two classes this semester on multiracial children and they will be packed. But before I started school I spent my Tuesday with Blaine. Although these pictures aren't the best they still make me smile! I love this little boy and he keeps me going when I feel lonely. Steven will have some competition when he comes home because this little guy is getting very attached to me!

My rainy weekend at the Lake

Well to get away for awhile from the normal I was invited to go to the lake with my future in-laws. As you know it has been raining in San Antonio for a month or more. So on Friday night I left the house at about 5:30 after work and it was raining all the way to Mathis, TX. Once I got there it finally stopped. I got there late and so we didn't get in the water or anything. All day on Saturday it rained!! I got in the water once and had a fun time on the jet ski and a water thingy I rode with Frank. It was a good time and I can't wait to go again next year with Steven and make it a real family vacation.

Rain Rain GO AWAY!!

It is June (almost July) in San Antonio. Wouldn't you think it would be like in the 100s by now? Well NO!!! It has been raining for the past week atleast once a day AND today it rained all day. I seriously thought I was going to get in an accident today. My car isn't the best and the tires are old and there was a lot of water EVERYWHERE!! Well, by the grace of God I got to school and to my sister's house. Rain Rain GO AWAY! Come later. I don't want another flood this summer. On a brighter note...only 6 more days of class then one day off and I start again. AND only 57 more days till Steven comes home. Yay! Time does move, slowly though, when Steven is gone! :)

Gretchen and Johnny are married!

Today Gretchen and Johnny got married. Here are a few pictures from the ceremony. I wish you could have been there but you know how things go. I can't wait for our wedding. It will be a lot of fun. I just can't even wait start planning. Anyway, the ceremony was nice and the guy said some nice words about your partner being your best friend and they should be everything to you and do a lot together. I hope I am your best friend. Okay well have a good day everyone!!

It's A Danger Zone here!!

I was cleaning out Steven's closet today and going through some crazy things!! I lot of stuff in there is military stuff and Steven just threw it all in there so while he is gone I thought I would take the liberty of organizing things. Here is some stuff I found and was playing around with this morning!!! Have a good day!

Kiddie Park

After visiting Johnny Mom, Gretchen, and I took Blaine to a place called Kiddie Park. It is soooo old and almost falling apart but it is for little kids Blaine's age so it was perfect. I took a lot of great pictures and they made me ride with Blaine on all the rides because he wouldn't go on them without me. I was a little too heavy for most of them but it was a great time and he had the biggest smile on his face the whole time!! Here are a few good shots and I will be sending steven more on his e-mail. Hope everything is going well.

Back Hoe Blaine!

Hey it's been awhile since i did a blog but nothing good has happened until today. We miss you and wish you could be here Steven but if it makes you feel any better Johnny is not going with us to any of these events either. We did take lunch to Johnny and Anthony offered to let Blaine sit in the BACK HOE! He was very excited about the horn! He kept honking it a lot!!! Then yours truely got a good idea to put him IN the digger thing. It was so cute. I hope you like the pictures!!

Fiesta Texas Day/GO SPURS GO!

Hey Steven!! Yesterday we went to Fiesta Texas after school and it was a lot of fun. I put sunscreen on 3 times and I still got fried! We rode every ride and there were like NO LINES!! We have got to go one day when you come home next year during the week so we can ride everything lots of times. We also spent much of the day in the water park. Your dad has broken down and gotten a pair of "crocs" and I knew that was unacceptable by your standards! You told me I could NEVER wear those but they look so comfy. After that I came home and took a shower and went out to your parents house to watch the Spurs game and spend the night! THEY WON!! WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS AGAIN!!! I love you! Talk to you later!

Chuck E Cheese

Today Gretchen, Mom, and I took Blaine to Chuck E Cheese. It was a lot of fun but Blaine hadn't had a nap and so he was in a bad mood. BUT we had a good time and eventually he got over his mood and had some fun too. I forgot how good the pizza was! We wish Steven could be there for all these fun things we are doing with him. He is growing up so fast and learning new things everyday! After chuck e cheese Blaine was dead tired but Gretchen and I went to Target to start her registry. It is so much fun to do one of those. It can get a little carried away! I can't wait for Steven to come home so we can start doing all the fun wedding and shopping stuff!!!! Only 386 more days till he is home!

Pool Party at Bill and Lisa's

Hey there! Yesterday I was invited out to LaVernia to go to a "spurs" party at Bill and Lisa's. It was a lot of fun. We went swimming, ate, and watched the game. Man I haven't been in a pool in forever but it was a lot of fun. I wish Steven could have been there to play with everyone and have a good time too. But Steven called in the middle of everything to say "hi" to everyone so that was really kind. Here are a few pictures of us swimming and "donkey"!! I miss you Steven! Can't wait till you are home again next summer and we can ALL go swimming!!! Be good and only 387 more days! It gets closer everyday!

I WASHED YOUR CAR!!!

Hey Steven, I got a lot done today. I cleaned the upstairs, hung up some pictures, did my homework, and WASHED YOUR CAR!!! (finally) I am going out to LaVernia tonight to watch the spurs game so feel free to call and I will talk you through it! I just wanted to post that I had washed your car inside and out and it looks BEAUTIFUL!!! Although I am not wearing a bathing suit there is still the rest of the summer to do it. Just kidding. When you come home it will be like coming home to a brand new car (oh wait it is!) Love you!

Terrible Twos here We come!!!

Well so far all the things I have said about Blaine have been good ones. BUT he is not always a little angel. He is 19 months old and starting to work into the terrible twos! Boy, will it be a long ride. If he doesn't get his way (and he does most the time) he throws the biggest fit! Gretchen makes him sit on the stairs until he feels that he is done crying and wants to join the normal world again. Sometimes this process will take 2 minutes but I have seen it last as long as 10! He will learn that he can't always get his way and he needs to deal with it, not throw a fit about things. Here is a picture of fit throwing, so I can show that it is not all roses! But overall he is a wonderful child and a joy to be around!!! Love you!

Another Long Day

Hey babe, today I worked from 6-2 and boy, was it a long day! I missed talking to you this morning (since you didn't call). Anyway, I finally went on break at 1:00 how stupid is that!!!?? Anyway, your dad came up to eat at the time I was going on break so we had lunch together. It was very nice. I miss you a lot and can't wait to see you again. It surely is lonely here. But I know you are just as or more lonely. I love you so much. be good! Talk to you later. Here are some random pictures. I LOVED SEEING YOU ON THE WEBCAM!!!! I wish I could hug and kiss you.