Today is my birthday!

Happy birthday to me! I don't know why it is, but I love birthdays! They don't even have to be mine. I love wrapping paper, ice cream, candles, funfetti cake, people in a good mood. I love all of it! And this year is no exception. My mom has been sending me a card everyday for the last three days counting down. My in-laws have both called me this morning. My little brother called me from 1st period! I'm meeting Rob at Subway for birthday lunch and we'll have dinner at Chapel tonight. I remember when I was little and had joint birthday parties with my sister. I loved getting to put on my new dress and party hat. We would have one of those big cheesey cakes with lots of icing (the one thing i don't like) that you get at Sam's Club. All of our family from both sides would come and stay for hours. It was always very exciting!
I'm so happy that we are coming home soon! It will be so nice to spend time away from here. From our house, from this office, from California in general! We can't wait to see Mae and all of her new fun tricks! I hear she can clap and give high five. It will be so much fun to have her here this year to watch and play with! Only 16 more days!!!

Funfetti cake time!!!!

tomorrow i will have been alive and kickin' for 22 years! that's very strange to me. i got my present from rob early this year (like every year) and was so excited! it is a gorgeous antique silver tea set and tray. i was so happy i cleaned off my dining table to make room for it! he even polished it for me. we have tree lighting this sunday and then next week we will be in Tahoe! and the week after that we will be home!!!! december is going by very fast, and i like it.

fun with dan and wanda

that would be Chaplain (LTC) Minjares and his lovely wife. they held a Christmas reception in their home this afternoon for the Unit Ministery Team. i won't lie, it was awkward at first but everyone ended up talking and eating and having a great time together. it is always nice to see the installation commander out of uniform and able to socialize with everyone like she's just a regular person, when in the military world she is the very top of the chain on this base. it's always nice to meet the higher-ups in an informal setting like that. it makes you realize that they are people, which sounds stupid, but it's easy to forget that they are real live people and not just ranks. i think that rob and i have been very blessed in a lot of subtle ways with this job and one of them would be that rob has gotten to meet alot of higher-ups, at least in the army, that he wouldn't have met otherwise. being able to meet people from the c-3 to the installation chaplain, the commanding officer to the installation commander. it's not anything that will mean anything for rob's immediate job or rank, but i think that it is always really important to have this sort of experience for the future. i also think that being in the place has given me alot of great information on the role of the wife. my very new, and very good friend Arlena is teaching me alot about the different ways to get involved and get information that you may need on base. my friend Jodi (& Arlena) shows me the way of an officer's wife, and what's expected of them as well as where to draw the line and not abuse your husband's rank. these women, and many more, seem to almost be grooming me to what i should be if Rob does choose to go to OTS. they are showing me the ropes of how to be the 'grown-up' wife as opposed to the younger, less structered wife that alot of new, young military wives reflect. i am very fortunate that i have had the opportunity to watch these women and learn from them.