Mrs. Muffins and Riding the Roller Coaster

I decided to participate in Riding the Roller Coaster..


A blog hop for Mil spouses! It is hosted by Wife on the Roller Coaster and you can find it here

The rule of the blog hop is to leave a short bio about yourself. So here it goes

I am a 26 year old army wife. My hubby and I have been married 2 years. We met over myspace. He had been in Afghanistan and his sister, who I worked with needed help setting up a myspace account. Him and I talked sporadically but didn't start talking until he decided to go to Vegas with his sister and myself. We officially met in person in November of 07 and left for Vegas in December. After coming home from our Vegas trip we were inseperable. We were engaged in January of 2008 and married in April 08. M deployed a month later and finally in April of 09 I moved down to North Carolina where he is stationed. We enjoyed a full year together adjusting to married life before he left for another deployment about a month ago.
I am a behavioral therapist and work with children of military families who have autism.
I love reading and in my free time I am either spending time with my friends or laying out by the pool with a good book.
I can't wait to meet other milspouses through this blog hop!

And I want to give a big shout out to Mrs. Muffins. She created my blog design a few months ago and last week I had asked her if she could change up my header since I wanted more pictures. And she did! It looks amazing. Mrs Muffins makes the most amazing blog layouts and they just keep getting better and better. She also gives military spouses discounts so if any of you are looking to revamp your blog she is the girl to go to. She does fabulous work!! Thanks Mrs Muffins. You are the greatest!! You can go to her website HERE

The Oceans Between Us GiveAway!!

I was sent a review copy of The Oceans Between Us by Susan Wiggs and given information about a giveaway that I am excited to share with all of you.





Synopsis:

Steve Bennett is a perfect navy officer with a perfect navy family, and he's confident that his world is just the way it should be. But his son wants to be an artist instead of attending the U.S. Naval Academy, and his stalwart and capable wife of 20 years, Grace, is tired of being the perfect navy wife. She wants her own home, and she wants her own career. She's feeling altogether unsettled, but nothing is more unsettling than the secret her husband has hidden from her their entire marriage. Nothing, that is, until the accident on the carrier.

For more information about the book and author you can visit this link
http://www.bighonchomedia.com/assets/Harlequin/TheOceansBetweenUs.zip or
go HERE

I loved this book and finished it in two days. I read it at every possible moment, on my lunch breaks, during dinner, and I couldn't put it down to go to bed. This book captured what it is like to be a military spouse. Grace has been a Navy wife for 20 years and always put her husband's career and her family first. Now as she is preparing for her children to go to college and her husband to deploy yet again, she starts to wander about her life. Grace want's a home to call her own and to start her own business. These things had been cast aside because of her husband's career. I personally could relate to Grace's struggles. I have only been an Army wife for 2 years but I recognize the conflict between putting your husband and his career first over your own. Is it selfish to have goals and dreams for yourself while being a military spouse.
Grace and her husband both have recognized that their relationship has changed and both had realized that somehow along the way they drifter apart. The problem is figuring out how to get back to the way they were. I also think this is something that many spouses, military and non can relate to. As time passes along with starting a family and watching your kids grow older, how does a married couple sustain a loving and lasting relationship.
Grace and Steve's marriage is changed by the discovery of a secret and an accident aboard a carrier. I couldn't stop reading until I knew what happened between Grace and her husband. I rooted for Grace as she started achieving her own personal goals but yet I wanted Grace and Steve to rekindle their relationship!
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read. It is fantastic!

And now onto the exciting part-The Giveaway

The Ocean Between Us

BOOK RELEASE + GIVEAWAY



Prizing for your website:

One (1) Grand Prize winner from your site receives:

* Get a little renewal in your life with a $50 VISA gift card
* Copy of The Ocean Between Us



Two (2) additional winners will receive a copy of the book!



Confirmed Start Date:

April 26, 2010

Run for 2 weeks after start date


Learn more on the author’s website:

http://www.susanwiggs.com


Additional Details:

Retail Value: Books are valued at $14.95 each.



Shipping Guidelines:

This book giveaway is open to participants with a United States mailing address only (international readers can enter if they have a friend in the States who can accept their prizes by mail.)

So please head on over to the author, Susan Wigg's website at www.susanwiggs.com and enter this amazing giveaway!
I am so excited to have been contacted to share this information with you all. And again this book is a definite read. You all will love it

Empty

I just got home from dropping off Tank at the airport and let me tell you, I lost it. I was already a mess when I woke up this morning. Last night I decided to not put him in his kennel because I knew today he would be in it for the duration of both flights and a layover. I decided to camp out in the living room with my two dogs and Tank so that way if he needed to go outside we were right by the door. Tank slept until about 130am and then woke up to go outside. I then figured I should probably go to bed since today is my long work day. I put Tank in his kennel for about 10 minutes. He howled the whole time so I picked him up and carried him to bed with me. Tank was such a little cuddle bug. My other two dogs piled on the bed also and we all slept curled up together.

When Tank and I woke up this morning I think he knew something was up. Normally he can't wait to play with the big dogs and is full of energy. This morning he just laid in my bed and would let out a few little cries. This caused me to cry because I just felt awful about putting this poor little puppy on a plane.

I packed up his kennel, made sure it was secure and took it to the car. Normally he runs to the door and tries to come out with me but this morning he stayed put. The whole car ride to the airport he lay curled up in my lap. My friend J met me at the airport. I started blubbering like a baby as soon as we got out of the car. It didn't help matters that the woman behind the check in counter told us it's cruel and inhumane to ship a dog. I felt awful. Here this dog was abandoned, shuffled to four different homes and now has to board a flight to go to his 5th home. I felt like I was taking a baby and putting him on a flight with no supervision. I am terrified something will go wrong. that he will be scared that he will be traumatized for life.I know many people don't understand. But I've always been a softie for animals and get attached easily. We took Tank outside and fed him a little bit before putting him in his kennel. I bought him a special bone for the flight and he actually went into his kennel without a problem.It was awful leaving the airport, I cried the whole way home and know I won't be able to relax until I know he made it safely. I wanted so bad to keep him for myself but 3 dogs in an apt building is way too much, Especially with M being gone alot and an upcoming PCS.
What's funny is that my dogs are moping around too. My youngest dog refuses to eat or get out off my bed. She too is normally hyper in the morning and runs all over the place.

I don't know why I am taking this so hard. I know that it's just a puppy. That he will be ok and he's going to a good home. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in the past month I've been to the airport three times and have had to say goodbye to someone. Then once again I return home to an empty house. I know I have my two dogs but they don't require alot of work. The puppy kept me busy which always helps when your hubby is deployed. I also can't cuddle with an 80 pound lab without being squished so it was nice to have a little puppy to cuddle with.

I am dreading going to work today and really just want to stay in bed all day and sleep. Ugh it's going to be a rough day