Flyin' Solo

Nick left on his "business trip" the beginning of the week, and, despite the fact that I miss him like crazy, I would classify this as a good week! A few hours before Nick left, we had a doctor's appointment to check on Miss Emmy. Being that it was my 28 week appointment, we were due up for my Glucose Tolerance Test. This test determines whether or not a woman is a gestational diabetic. Basically, I needed to fast for a number of hours and then chug a bottle of this nasty non-carbonated orange soda-type drink. An hour later, I had a bunch of blood drawn to test my blood sugar and other labs. Judging by the lack of phone call from my doctor, it appears that I an not a gestational diabetic :-D. We also now know that Emmy likes sugary beverages...Nick and I were giggling watching our Emmy go bananas after the test (she was giving real "belly-shaker" kicks :-P) as we waited for Dr. Anderson. We found it to be rather entertaining (might not be as funny once she's bigger and is capable of abusing my internal organs when she gets excited :-P).

On Thursday, our friends, Lindsay and Mike, welcomed a baby boy! They have two older daughters already and are so excited to even out the numbers a bit in their family :-). That afternoon, I joined my girlfriends, Amber and Becky, to go visit Lindsay and Baby Dane at Gateway. Dane is one of Emmy's approved future suiters--we (by that I mean I) am scoping out boys who come from good stock ;-)...You've got to start early, the good ones go fast! ;-)

Friday was moving day for the Slattery family...(A different) Lindsey and Josh had recruited our group of friends to help them out and because they take pity me and my condition, they were nice enough to include me in the "Thank You" pizza dinner afterward :-). As usual, our low-key gathering (that entails a ridiculous amount of laughing and interrupted stories :-P) lasted late into the night...So fun!!

Saturday was Operation Serve!! Our church organizes a community service blitz once a year. Upwards of 1,300 church members volunteer to complete 30 different community service projects...They range from sewing teddy bears for under-privileged children to renovating homes at risk for being condemned in poor neighborhoods. Our church group worked to set-up "New Spring" thrift store in Hopkinsville where the proceeds will go to benefit an organization called "Africa for Jesus". This organization works to help missionaries spread The Word in Africa. We had been collecting donations from our church members for about a month. Saturday was spent cleaning and painting the space, building shelves and clothing racks and sorting through the donations that will become the inventory of the store. I walked into a big empty room that morning and left a store that afternoon. It was amazing to see the difference a group of people can make in one day.

I finished the day off with Lindsey and Josh's last dinner party in Clarksville (until they finish up the Captain's Career Course six months from now). Having your friends moving away is definitely a down-side of Army life :-(. We can't wait until they return!!

I have spoken with Nick the last four nights and he assures me that he is doing well and keeping really busy, which is helping the time to go by quickly...That's pretty much all he can tell me about the work that he is doing, but just hearing his voice puts my mind at ease allowing me to rest peacefully at night (at least until nature calls a few hours later)...


Handsome Baby Dane just four hours old. :-)


Our Operation Serve project location!


We sorted through hundreds and hundreds of articles of donated clothing.


Hanging up the clothes and filling up the racks!


Chelsea hard at work!


Our big tough men building an awesome shelving display. :-)

A tribute to night shifters everywhere

It's been a little over a month since I clocked out from my last night shift...and I have never felt better! Nick and I have always agreed that my staying at home with our babies would be the right choice for our family, and have been planning accordingly since we decided to unite forces. I feel so incredibly thankful that God blessed me with my Nick. He works so hard to enable me to focus my energy and time on our family and our home...exactly what I believe God has called me to do. I feel that these past five years spent working as a nurse were to prepare me to care for our family.

This past summer, Nick and I had been functioning like passing ships in the night between him coming home from work late in the evening, work trips, deployments and flying until the wee hours of the morning and my night shifts and night-time call shifts...This left us with little interaction more than a high five many nights. He came home from work one night in mid-July and declared that he thought it would be best for me to resign sooner than later so that we might enjoy eachother's company before little miss arrives. He didn't have to tell me twice. I had my resignation letter drafted before he woke up the next morning, and after asking him to proofread it (and make sure he hadn't changed his mind in his sleep) I dropped it off before the ink was even dry. I gave my supervisors 7 weeks notice, because I decided I didn't want to tick anyone off seeing as how Emmy and I would soon be in their care :-P...

After putting in 16 months on night shift, I have such a huge appreciation for those who do it both full time and long term. The night goes by so quickly when we are tucked into bed sawing logs, but when you're awake--it feels like the sun will never rise. I truly believe that the human body is not meant to be functioning at that time of the day (or night, rather). A bunch of researchers agree with me because they've determined that there is a whole slew of health risks associated with long term night shift work to include diabetes, heart disease and even cancer... Pretty scary stuff!

Not to mention, adopting a schedule that is opposite from that of your friends and family can be miserable for your social life. Let's also not forget just how difficult it is to sleep during the day when the rest of the world is up and running (and mowing their lawns!!!) Unless you are good with only a few hours of sleep a night, it leaves you feeling like a grouch all the time (I have no doubt that Nick will concur with this point). You also have very little energy to put into your personal appearance, so, even though you know better, you're not afraid to go to the store wearing your pajamas with tousled hair and a naked face without having brushed your teeth...It's just not okay...In conclusion, I tip my hat to those people whose work day starts after we go to sleep, because without them, the world could not go 'round.

P.S. Might I also suggest that if you are ever using the services of night time nurses, keep them on your team (which is always a good idea) by offering them some chocolaty treats? Sweets always help to ease the discomfort of staying awake all night :-P.


I won't see the inside of this place after dark again until Emmy arrives!!

Third Trimester!

My Nick came home from work yesterday and told me that we were going on a date!! I love dates! ;-) We got dressed up and went out to a delicious dinner at Morton's Steakhouse in Nashville (the fanciest restaurant in Clarksville, according to Nick's I-phone, is Outback Steakhouse :-P). Even though we told our waitress that we were out on a "just for fun" date, we actually did have reason to celebrate...We have made it to our third and final trimester (that is assuming that I don't have the gestational period of an elephant) and it's our last weekend together before Nick deploys for a month...I'll raise a glass of water to that ;-).


28 weeks down, 12 to go 'til we meet our Emmy :)

Celebrating Togetherness

We had reason to celebrate this past weekend with Matt home from Afghanistan for good and Luke and Mike home on two weeks of R & R...What better way to celebrate togetherness than with a big dinner party! I do love a good dinner party! There is something so special about sharing a dinner table with a group of people that mean so much to you :-). At Matt's request, I broke out my grandma's Chicken Parmesan recipe (well, one of them, Grandma never measured anything nor did she write any of her recipes down, so this was my best attempt at recreating her masterpiece :-P). Who knew that we could fit 13 people into our little house--but where there is a will there is a way! It worked out just as we'd hoped! We finished up the beautiful fall evening by firing up the firepit in the backyard...we laughed the night away and roasted marshmallows for s'mores. It's so wonderful to have our boys home, we can't wait to have them all home for good!

We continued the party on Saturday by joining the masses of Clarksville's finest for Riverfest down by the Cumberland. There must be something about a free concert that makes certain types of people come out of the wordworks...There were some fantastic people-watching opportunities. Enough said. We got to listen to a few bands to include Jack Ingram (I just found out who he way last night :-p) at the two stages they had set up, and enjoyed the (albeit short) illuminated boat parade...I would definitely say that the company was my favorite part of the excursion, by far :-).


Lovin' Kris' maternity clothes :-D


Pre-guests


Wishing I had commercial appliances...someday ;-P


Nick, Mike, Kinsey, Cameron, C.C. Matt, Sarah, Marin, Molly, Lindsey, Josh & Luke


The boys doing the dishes...They rock! ;-)




Roasting marshmallows with shish-kabob skewers--it's all we had :-P

Our laborious Labor Day Weekend!

I can't begin to describe how wonderful it was to spend three whole days with my hubby this weekend!! That never happens! We kicked things off with Mr. Charlie Bosler's 1st birthday party!! We showed up entirely too late (we definitely weren't thinking that little kiddos don't have the same kind of party stamina that big kids have!) Oh the things we still have to learn! We did get to give the birthday boy some love...Charlie holds a very special place in my heart, because I was his nursery nurse the night he was born (I got to hold him before Ryan did hehe :-P). It's just one of those special bonds ;-).

That evening, we joined our friends at Jazz on the Lawn at the one winery in town. There was a rockin' band, delicious appys (courtesy of our foodie friends), plenty of vino (for those who could consume it) and, of course, great laughs. The only unfortunate part of the evening was that a very long snake (Nick claims that it was both small and harmless) found itself near our blanket--it created a bit of a stir, but all of the guys worked to remove it via a canvas bag and it was released in the vineyard. I was very concerned about what might be lurking in the dark for the remainder of the evening. That aside, Nick was in full on party-mode, and before we both knew it, he had put away two bottles of Beechaven wine...Let's just say, this evening didn't end until about 2 in the morning after a Sonic burger run...We have to enjoy this type of fun now, because I hear it's frowned upon to tote your offspring along on late-night escapades such as this one :-P.

Not to mention, Emmy probably wont be interested in sleeping in until we feel ready to wake up. :-P Only one of us felt well enough to go to church on Sunday morning (hint: that would be one of us who drank water all night). Nick started to perk up in the early afternoon, in time for us to go to the compound for our Family Readiness Group meeting to go over plans for moving forward after the crash and arranging continued support of the widows.

We finished up the day with an indoor BBQ at Lindsey and Josh's place (the nasty weather prevented the cornhole tournament that had been discussed the night before). It was delicious--as usual! Let's just say my girlfriend's husbands eat exceptionally well :-). Everyone seemed a little more subdued than they had been the previous night (especially the boys who were all still hurting in a bad way :-P).

Monday was our lazy day...The weather was dreary and the weekend's festivities had worn us out. So we recharged our batteries by cuddling with our girls, playing trivia games on the couch and cooking our Labor Day dinner together :-P. Nick just has a way of making everything more fun :-).



Barefoot and 26 weeks pregnant :-D


The birthday boy--check out those dimples!


Annlee thoroughly enjoyed her chocolate chip cookie


Charlie's partner in crime, CJ


Charlie's big sis, Abigail, holding onto her balloons


Jazz on the Lawn at Beechaven winery


Nick and his designated driver


Lindsey and Marin


Molly and Sara


Josh, Matt, Kim and Sara


Matt and Marin Humphrey together again! Matt just got back from Afghanistan!!

Nick's ice cream creation

Last night, Nick and I were feeling especially old, being that at 9:00 on a Friday night we were sitting on the couch watching Man Vs. Food on the travel channel (excellent show, by the way). We decided that we should do something to make ourselves feel cool, and determined that we should go get some of the frozen deliciousness that is Coldstone Creamery. My order was already decided by the time we walked in the door (chocolate ice cream with marshmallows and almonds) but Nick was feeling, shall we say, a little adventurous? I'm not really sure what inspired his combination of flavors (perhaps it's all the Food Network TV shows that I force him to watch with me), but he opted for Country Time lemonade sherbet AND berry cream ice cream with strawberries mixed in. Of course he needed a "love it" sized helping of his inventive creation. When we walked out of the shop, and I asked him what he thought of this new recipe of flavors, and he quickly responded "not good." I nearly aspirated my own, very delicious, ice cream while laughing at the look on his face as he did his best to eat as much of it as he could...He made a bit of a dent in the generous cupful of lemonade/berry flavored ice cream/sherbet, but I would give you a word of advice that if you should happen to find yourself at our house in the near future and he offers you ice cream, I would politely say "NO" and go to Coldstone to make a more palatable ice cream selection of your own. He does deserve to be commended for his creativity....the best recipes are rarely mastered the first time around ;-).



None of these resemble Nick's ice cream sundae

Heavy thoughts

Nick and I just returned from our trip to Florida a couple of hours ago, feeling emotionally drained. A little price to pay, compared to what the families of the fallen are experiencing right now. I can still hear a grieving mother's screams, pleading with God to bring her son back, and when I close my eyes, I can see a heartbroken widow clinging to her husband's coffin. The sights and sounds of grief, and there is nothing at all that we can do to ease their pain.

I think about these devastated widows, and how I felt when Nick was working hard in Colorado...all I wanted to do was see him, hold him and have him tell me that everything was going to be ok. I imagine that is what these wives are craving right about now, although they will never hear their husband's reassuring voice again, feel their comforting arms around them or find solace in watching them breathe. How quickly God's blessings can be taken from us...

The Army Chaplain said something at Rob's funeral that really struck a cord: when we are born, we are given an expiration date. The day that we die is already predetermined by God. Nothing could have changed what happened on Mount Massive August 19th, because it was God's will. Definitely a difficult concept to embrace, but I imagine that is what having faith is all about.

What has been made apparent to me in talking with so many different people these past two weeks, is the many blessings that God has granted us all in spite of this tragedy. I am still in awe everytime I think of the first responder hiking team--on that whole mountain, something caused them to work at that particular spot that day, where they were close enough to be at the crash site within a minute's time.

One of the fallen's sisters was explaining to me that she had just recently moved back to her parent's hometown because her husband had just deployed overseas. God placed her where she would be most needed in helping her parents cope and, in return, receive the support that she also needs.

I spoke with the mother of a widow who said that she and her parents had decided to visit with her daughter while her daughter's Nightstalker husband was training in Colorado--for no real reason other than they wanted to. Therefore, her daughter was surrounded by family when the casualty notification team knocked on her door in the middle of the night. I got goosebumps each times I heard these stories...God was preparing these families for the tragedy they were about to experience.

Nick leaves tomorrow for Philadelphia (my tired pregnant body has dictated that I need to sit this one out) where he will be paying his respect to PJ at his viewing, funeral and burial ceremonies. After which, all of the fallen Nightstalkers will be in their final resting places...and then it will be time for everyone to become acquainted with their "new" reality.

I don't have many pictures from this past week or so, but I do have a couple of the Patriot Guard at Chad's burial service. The Patriot Guard is a motorcycle club that travels to military funerals to shield the families and the fallen from protesters. (I can't imagine what kind of lunatic would deem it appropriate to protest at a military-or any-funeral service for that matter, but I have promised my dad there would be no politics in the blog :-P). Essentially, these motorcyclists stand with large American flags and surround the entrance of the church and the cemetery...It's absolutely remarkable! Thankfully, there haven't been any protesters at any of the funerals thus far