Hello.. My name is Kasey...

and i'm addicted to babycenter.com January 2008 comment boards.
I have diagnosed myself. I can't get off this stinkin' website for more than like 30 minutes at a time. I would say that I need to find a support group, but this IS a support group! I am constantly reading the threads about everything from contractions to post-p nastiness. And let me also say, what terrible friends and big sister I have for not filling me in on the aftermath! I'll spare the details, but I was almost in tears over my new found information yesterday. It does not sound pleasant. I just keep looking at Rob thinking 'Oh buddy. You are so carrying the next one.' I think my eyes are going to fall out from all the reading, but I keep going back for more.
AHH! it's been ten minutes... time for my next fix....

over the hill....

I am old. I mean it. I am really old. next week is my 23rd birthday, but I am still old. I woke up this morning thinking abut the coupons I can use before the end of the week. I just put on my jammies and realized it was 8:30. My purchases today consisted of groceries because we were running low on cereal. I am old. So I thought, why not list all of the things I've doe in almost 23 years...
went to kindergarten
met the Dilleys...
was there when my brother was born
had a Mickey Mouse head lunch box
went to Colorado
finished elementary
played b team volleyball (yes i was cool)
joined NRHBC youth
initially met Rob
met Allison, Juls, Johnny, Greg, & Aaron
the Julie and Johnny saga began
went to Florida
finished middle school
cheered for two years
learned to drive
got a jeep
had some hair trouble
got a sunfire
graduated high school
the Julie Johnny saga continued
was accepted into the U of Bama
was accepted into Tarleton
was accepted into A&M CC
went to Tarleton for a semester
got engaged
went to tcc for a semester (with all the cool kids)
went to the virgin islands
got married (to Rob)
moved to San Antonio
was a librarian at a high school
went to Mexico
was there when my niece was born
moved to California
was a librarian at an elementary school
became a contractor for the army
met my nemesis
met a mormon (not the nemesis)
got pregnant (by Rob)
went to Hawaii
survived California
moved back to Texas
I think the Julie Johnny thing is still going
am awaiting the birth of my son (with Rob)
am already thinking of how we are going to get to MD (our next assignment)

Alright, so it's not so bad to be old. I've done alot. I've been incredibly blessed! I have amazing friends that have been with me for years and are still here, as well as new friends that feel like family. I have a wonderful growing family that includes the cutest little girl in the world. And I have an amazing husband that loves me unconditionally. He has seen me in my most shining moments and in my darkest hours and has never given me anything but love and support (unless I'm throwing up. He doesn't do throw up). And now he has given me the chance to be a mom, and better yet, the mom to his little boy. I am completely honored to be his wife. Everyday I watch him put on his uniform and go out to keep the world safe, and everyday I realize again how lucky I am. Our life isn't perfect. We will have to move every few years and there is always work to be done, but it's a great life. I've even grown fond of the moves.

I'm a good blogger

So that seasame seed is not 34 weeks and 5 days along and kicking my butt! He (yeah, it's a boy) is so big and heavy!!! We go to the Dr. on Monday and I hope that we will have a better idea of his actual size. I am terrified that he's going to be 20 lbs!

We have done alot since my last post. Rob graduated from his course in Cali. We moved (temporarily) back to TX and are within 6 weeks of the big day! Rob's currently in a new class that has some pretty great hours. My Dr. is a nutball, but I really like him. And sweet Henry makes his presence known 24 hours a day! I get worried when I haven't felt him every hour!

We are so excited to meet him! That is possibly the biggest understatement I'll make this year. We are SO excited. He isn't even here, but it feels like he's always been with us. I told Rob 'I don't remember not being pregnant.' And I don't! I know at one point I wasn't, but that seems like such a long time ago. I can only imagine what being his mommy in a few weeks is going to be like! I've been 'nesting' like crazy lately. I had the stove apart last night to clean the drip pans and rearranged our 'dining room' as much as I could. We also put our tree up and decorated it last night! As a reformed slob, I can honestly say that being a slob is much easier! Our apartment is so tiny that even the smallest thing on the floor makes the whole place look disgusting. Poor Rob didn't see this coming!

Anyway, this is the boy when he was 27 weeks:

Hi Guys! (are there cuter hands on the planet??)

Sweet Boy!

It's not a secret anymore!

I have waited until I was able to talk to my mom before saying anything, but...
I'm pregnant! Rob and I are thrilled to say that we are expecting our first baby in January!
It doesn't seem like it's really happening, but it is! We feel incredibly blessed and were so excited to get to go home (last weekend) and share our news with our family. Our first real prenatal exam is June 5th, right after we get back from Hawaii. We've known for almost two weeks now, and it still seems unbelievable. According to the all-knowing, powers that be (aka the internet) I am finishing my fifth week. The baby is the size of a sesame seed!
What's been really fun, and somewhat overwhelming, is the congratulations we've recieved! People we haven't spoken to in a long time have reached out with such sweet words. We are so appreciative of all of the congrats and well wishes for this tiny little guy (or girl)!
I'll be using this blog as a means to keep friends and family up to date, so check back in in a few weeks!

How great is our God?

Last week (well actually the past 2 months) was dedicated to our Easter event on Saturday. My partner in crime, Arlena, was away on a TDY assignment to Orlando for the past week. I should probably mention that I work in an office where people like to stress out. I don't actually know if they like to, but they do a lot! All week long I was also in charge of getting three of her four babies to there designated places. Call it a crash course in motherhood! Needless to say, my plate was very full. By the grace of God, I was actually feeling pretty good about everything until Friday when a very upset Arlena called and said 'I missed my connecting flight.' So instead of being in Monterey at 10 pm she would be in San Fran at midight! Then she had a two hour drive to get home! I was feeling the stress for her! I made it to the Chapel at 4:50 a.m. on Saturday to start setting up with Rob, she joined us at 5:30 after only 2 hours of sleep. The weatherman had said it was going to be '40% chance of light showers' but we put our trust in God, said a quick prayer, and went a head with our plans to set up outside. Boy did God answer! We had one of the nicest days in Monterey that I have seen so far! With that came 410 people! We both smiled and hugged and praised the Lord for such an amazing turn out. It brings tears to my eyes now to think back on what a blessing this event was!
Sunday, I was back at the Chapel at 6:15 a.m. to help set up for our Sunrise service. I thought I would surely pass out during CH Minjares' sermon. Not because he didn't do a great job, but I was beat! After lunch we went home and I took a nap and slept for about 3 hours before George was terrorizing the back door. There is no sleep to be had if George hasn't sanctioned it! Rob and I finally climbed into bed around 10:30 to be up at 5:45 this morning. I thought for sure I would be dragging in today after such an insane weekend, but I'm not. I feel like the little bit of sleep in comparison to the lotta bit of activity was for me like the loaves and the fishes. How great is our God that He would bless us so richly this weekend, and still let us wake up renewed?!

See spot run!

I'm a little nervous, and a bit hacked off at the moment. There has been a spot on my hip, a bit smaller than a pencil eraser, for something like a year. No big deal, little pink spot. Until I saw it a few days ago... same size, but darker. Call me a hypo, but I'm not one to play games with skin care issuses. If you had ever seen my grandfather's nose, or his father's, you would understand. So now the hacked off part, I call TriCare West (military insurance company) and say 'I need a dermo that you guys have sanctioned' them' there is only one in a 30 mile radius' me 'Goody. Can I have the number?' them ' Hang on......... You need to see Dr. Clark first for a referral.' me 'Not good. It's impossible to get him unless I'm dying.' them ' You should practice your cough...'
Why is it that we have to jump through ten hoops before we are allowed to maybe see a dr.? I don't even know if this lady is going to see me, but I have to go to Dr. Clark, get a referral, wait a week to see if TriCare will accept the referral, and then make an appointment with the derm. That just seems like too much. I feel if you are a dermo and I have a dermo problem, I should just be able to look you up and give you a ring. Like the dentist. Some people don't like the dentist, but I do. You find a dentist that accepts your insurance (which is next to nil in the military scene for some unknown reason) and call them. They schedule you and your done. I like that system. Anyway, my initial consultation with Dr. Clark is at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow. I guess my cough was better than I thought...

Get your praise on

I'm really excited about this weekend. My Dilley twin friends are coming in for a few days begining Saturday. But Friday, I'm going with a group of women from the Chapel to Beth Moore in San Fran. I'm really excited to hear her in person. Her books are so moving, so I hope that hearing her voice makes it all the better.

long days go on forever

I guess the old saying 'time flies when you're having fun' is true. today has been long and tediously boring. i have planned out what i'm going to do tonight though; go home, pick up fromt porch, take down red screen, put away laundry, fold more laundry, make dinner, work on quilt, fold more laundry, go to bed. what, that doesn't sound like fun?! that's because it's not. oh well, maybe tomorrow something exciting will happen and i'll be able to rush into the weekend!... it's only 1:24... good grief.

Lights, cameras,...

Tomorrow night I am hosting my first 'FLAME' party (stupid name, i know) which is basically a group of women from chapel that get together once a month and play games and eat and such. My theme is 'Oscar' so I have 'tented' our dining room with black, red, and sparkly stars. It's going to be alot of fun. I don't know how many people are going to be here. I bought a new formal dress at Ross that has an incredible likeness to my wedding dress, for $20. It almost makes me sad that I paid much more for my actual wedding dress. Ouch. Anyway, I have to go roll out the red carpet!

aaaallooooohaaaaa

The plane tickets are booked, the hotel is booked, and I wish I was packing my bags as we speak! It's cold and gray in Monterey, go figure. I asked Chaplain yesterday 'Can I take a week off in May? Like a full week, not a weekend?' and he said 'Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to.' But then he laughed, looked at the calendar and approved it, and about ten seconds later I booked it! 9 days, 8 nights on beautiful Waikiki beach! I could not be more excited about something. I'm thinking about making a paper chain to hang in my office to count down the days!

long time gone

it's been almost two months since my last post. That's crazy. So very much, and so very little has happened since then. We went home for Christmas, which was great, we went to the Westin for New Years, which was great, and we went to OK to see extended fam, which was great. Overall this was a total blast. We've also gone to Tahoe, and I have been back home since that blog!
And just this minute I thought, I should retitle this blog to "the military is the coolest thing in the whole world, ever!" because I just got off a website and am booking a 9 day, 8 night super sweet trip to Hawaii for Rob's class break, and because we are military, we get to stay in a military hotel (which is very clean and nice) right on Waikiki beach for less than $100 a night! Go USA! As much as this job can suck (moving to SA, moving to Cali, living in Cali, working in, you guessed it, Cali, and never knowing where 'home' is going to be next, ect) there are total perks! And let me go ahead and tell you sisterhons, I am a perk kinda gal. Tell me that I have to stand outside all day for a community garage sale, and i'll tell you to where to stuff it, but tell me that I'll make a couple of bucks, get a tan, and get rid of some crap in the garage, and I am the first one there! So I don't get a gown when I go to the girl dr (emily), it is free, and it's not like that paper gown is covering so much by the end of the visit anyway! "Please feel free to look at my boobs, tummy, and bajingo, but I'll freak if you can see my arm!"
ALOHA!

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.

Tis the Season

Thanksgiving is over and behind us and now we move forth (or are shoved, I can't decide) toward Christmas. This time of year is always a blur to me. I think that with work this year may be worse. I have five seperate engagements next month and Rob and I are talking about going to Tahoe to celebrate my birthday and our Christmas. That means that the 15-17 we are in Tahoe, and come back to Monterey only to leave the 21st for Ft. Worth. Speaking of the birthday... I turn 22 in 10 days. As busy I have been lately it feels like it is sneaking up on me. I should circle it on my calendar or something so I don't forget it!
Mom tells me Mae is army crawling like a pro these days! She'll be walking by the time we get there!! (not really) She is very talented though. She pulled herself up onto the edge of the table. That's brilliant for a 7 month old! I can't believe she is 7 months old. And will be 8 when we see her! She's growing so fast. I have baby, baby pictures of her I was looking at last night and it was so amazing to see how much she has changed in the past 7 months. We can't wait to come home and see her, and if everyone else is there, I guess we'll see them too... 24 more days!!

are you kidding me?

There was a letter to the editor in the Monterey Herald titled "Get the Military Out" that is blowing everyone's mind around here. Apparently some moron woman wrote in saying that DLI is just a conspiracy to cover up that it really is a place where the FBI is training men and women to kill other people. (are you kidding me?) And that Ft. Ord and POM are tricks by the government to buy up all of the land out here to make it so the military members are the only ones who can afford to live out here. (again, are you kidding me?) Sincerely, moron woman

Well I would like to use this to reply to Ms. Moron.
Let me start off by saying that your letter did not have one ounce of truth to it. It is obvious to me that you have never seen past the gate of POM. If you ever did manage to slip in, you would notice that there are no firing ranges, no grenade training, no anything cool like that. It is a school, you blubbering idiot. The FBI is an organization that can be described as the top police of the country. They do not care what is going on at DLI. They have very little to do with our military. Especially, the military out here. As far as your second rambling, there is nothing I would like better than to pack up and move. I would give up most of my possessions to tell you and all of the people like you to kiss me between the back pockets as I drive out of town, but right now my husband has a job to do. Never mind that the job he is doing will probably take him away from me very soon so that he can go and fight to protect your dumb butt. Lets just forget for a second that people like my husband train and train hard while they are in a school like this so that one day they can spend at least 10 hours of their day every single day working to make sure that we are safe. And that this is a 24/7 job. Do you think that I am bitter when people like you start running your mouth without taking into consideration all of these things? You better believe it sister. We miss holidays, birthdays, anniversarys, ball games, and family gatherings all the time so that you have the liberty to say ignorant things that critcize my husband and our friends. With all of that out of mind for a sec, I will simply point out the fact that we are not millionares. While you sit writing your huffy-puffy letter in your 2.5 million dollar home, we sit over in Seaside making an E-5 paycheck stretch as far as it can possibly go. And we are the only ones who can afford this place? Military members shop in special stores like the Commisary, because groceries at Albertsons are too damn expensive. Yes, Monterey is beautiful, but what is the point when we can't spare the money to buy gas to go and see all of these beautiful things? Lady, let me close with this: the day that we get to pack our house and say goodbye to this place forever will be one of the greatest days of my life. Not because it is so expensive. Not because it isn't beautiful. But because we will finally be rid of a city that is so chocked full of their own self righteous beliefs that they can't see that these are real people that are fighting, and these are real people that are dying, and these are real family members left behind. So when you go and rest your little head in your safe and comfy bed tonight I hope you can't get out of your mind the picture of men and women over seas standing gaurd, sleeping on cots, and getting shot at every day just to make sure you feel safe writing hate mail from your dining room.
Sincerely, Proud USAF Wife

Six kicks.... bottom

In six weeks from today, at 12:30 to be exact, Rob and I are headed home! In ten months, 3 weeks and 4 days we will be leaving California for good! We have already been out here for over six months of a year and a half tour! That is worth celebrating. If only we knew where to after San Angelo... And for the last bit of information, I will be 22 in 27 days. That, my friends, is crazy.

They wouldn't be walkin' in Texas...

I took these pictures this morning outside the Chapel. Every single stinkin' morning there are close to ten gigantic wild turkeys gobble-gobblin' on our front steps. I told Inge, our secretary, 'They wouldn't be walking around this close to Thanksgiving where I come from!" I tell you, if I had the stomach to defeather one of these beasts I'd save myself a good $20 or $30! I guess I'll stick with the ones Alberston's or the Commisary provide free of feathers. And it's not just the turkeys. The deer back home made it a point to get across the street quick, fast and in a hurry. Not here. These deer are huge and will stand in the road and stare you down. They dare you to hit them. They'd probably find an enviro lawyer and end up driving your car off. Crazy Californians...
Six weeks until the homecoming!!!

Yeah, she's adorable!

"The Lord is a Geek."

Words of wisdom from the younger Drew Denham. My little brother is so funny. Not always in the 'haha' way, but always funny. Right now he's totally into the guitar. He's a total rock star! Which is really funny, because we should have seen it coming. There is a video of my chubby brother strumming a plastic guitar and singing 'Don't break my hort. My aachee breaaakeee hort. I jus don't thank he'll understand.' from years ago!
I was sitting in my office today thinking about what to put up on the Chaplain's bulletin board for Thanksgiving. I decided on a large cornacopia and in yellow cursive 'Give Thanks'. It looks very nice, but it immediately brought my little brother to mind. I love that kid. I am so thankful, looking back, that I had him growning up. He was so funny as a little boy. It's weird to think that he'll graduate next year (God willing). He seems like a whole different person when we go home now. Not quite a grown up, but definitely not my chubby baby brother. So I thought I would give him these words.
Little brother, I love you
and I always will.
Even though you're a freaking giant,
your my little brother still.
Although we are states away now,
And it seems like I am so far,
Call me if you need me
And I'll be there by plane,
By bus, or car.

LOVE YOU DREW!!