Alright, so here I go. To tell you about how this year is going to go, or the possibilities of how it might go. I have to tell you about how 2008 went for Nathan and I. So coming from 2007 into 2008. It wasn't very good. So I will try to not drag the events out. But mind you, this might be a little long! :D
January 1st was suppose to be a day where everyone recovers from the night before or partying and havin friends over. Getting a little crazy. Well for the second year in a row Nathan and I were ditched by everyone that we had invited to come over and hang out. Drink, get a little crazy. We even got rid of the kids that night so we wouldn't have to worry about them. Everyone we invited ditched us, didn't show up. Everyone had some lame excuse to not being able to make it. So whatever I thought. Some friends, two years in a row. Forget them. So I don't try too hard with friends anymore after two years in a row of being set up. Be honest, if you don't want to some out or over. DON'T tell your friend that you are going to show up and not show up. Truth is the best policy.
February.
Valentine's Day.
Did nothing for Valentine's. Never really do, but I wanted some alone time with Nathan. We never got it because no one would watch the kids for us when they said they would. Here comes another "people you can trust to not stand you up" incident. Not. February wasn't very eventful. Just more bills that needed to be paid and money being tight because of having little Nathan Gage December 2007.
When Nathan and I got out taxes back we went to Gander Mountain and bought a 22 for me. that was about as eventful that month could possibly be.
March.
Mother's Day.
Nathan's sister Beth was the only one that could watch the kids for us so Nathan could take me to a Mudd Bogg. Well, she never did what she said she was going to do or anything. She was just doing her own thing. Couldn't be honest and tell Nathan and I that she really just didn't want to watch the kids. No honestly in my friends nor family members.
My present for Mother's Day.
Nathan was working at Traverse Motors at this time and he was checkin out Ebay when he wasn't suppose to be. He should have been working. Well, while I am home checking Emails. I get an Email from Ebay stating I won my bid. I thought that there was a mix up until Nathan came home and I walked outside to my truck and asked him. "So what did your highest bid win you???!!!" He smiled and I knew he got something without telling me. He bought me a scope for Mother's Day.
Can't get anymore Redneck then that! Boggin' 4 Boobs Mudd Bogg and a scope for the gun he bought me. Mind you when we went to Gander Mountain. We went in looking for boots for Nathan. We walked straight back to the guns. The guy tried selling me a pink wooden 22. Wasn't happening. And we walked out with a gun, forget boots!
At the end of the month of March we went out to Twenty-Nine Palms California to suprise Nathan's best friend Ray Payberg. Ray was coming home from Iraq, his second tour of duty with the Marine Corp. We went to Joshua National Park with Ray once, drank the whole other time but the day we were leaving to drive back to Las Vegas to get a flight back home. It was a disaster. But great to see some friends that we hadn't seen in sometime. Amber, Ray's wife tried the best to make it the most. She did a great job! She made it worth being away from the kids for that long. Thanks for that Amber!
April and May
Can't say much happend in these months other then the night before we left for California in March. We bought another lifted K-5 Blazer. (Full sized blazer) We just pretty much started a body swap on the K-5 Blazers. We already had one full sized truck. We just bought this other one because of the body.
Nathan also quite working for Traverse Motors because they were a joke and he started working for Budweiser working the night shift. We were happy with this one. Making more money, he spent the day with the kids and I. We were happy.
Then August came along.
June and July
We just spent all the time summer time together as a family. We were truely happy. Life couldn't have gotten any better. Until August came along.
August
Nathan stated to me that he was thinking about the military alot and what could have been. I asked him what he thought about it. He said he was thinking about joining again. I knew that this was going to happen eventually. I knew this is what Nathan wanted to do, it was only a matter of time before I had to come to terms with it. So he wanted to check it out. That was a Saturday night, the following day. Sunday, Nathan went to work that night, I had a pep talk with my mom about what Nathan wanted to do. She got me through that. I waited until 2 am until Nathan got home from work. Sundays were always slower so he got home 4 hours sooner. I stayed up, when he pulled in the drive I was already standing on the front porch. Waiting to tell him what I was thinking.
He came up on the porch, he asked me what was wrong and why I wasn't in bed sleeping. I cut him off and told him that if this military thing was what he wanted then I am behind him 100%, no less. I love him and support him in everything and anything that he has ever or would want to do. So we went to bed talking. We got up, went to town, did some erronds. And this is where I wish I never would have said "Lets check it out, the office is right there." So we went to the Marine Corp. office and talked to them about what our options were. The following day, Tuesday at noon we were to have Nathan at the recruiter's office for the ASFAB test. The kids and I came back to pick him up at 4 pm like we were told to do. We went there at 4pm. And waited and waited and waited. The kids and I waited until 6:30 pm out in the parking lot. It was crappy. We got a list from the Recruiter of what we needed to come in on Thursday and look things over. Maybe sign some papers to get the ball rolling. I asked when the soonest Nathan would leave IF we signed his life away on Thursday. Oh, he wouldn't leave until Novemeber 17th 2008.
We thought that was great! We had PLENTY of time to cut wood to get us through the winter and to finish the body swap on the blazers! Wednesday we did our running around, getting birth certificates and social security cards and little bits of things here and there they needed. Thursday we went in without the kids. Nathan picked Aviation Mechanic. He got his MOS. The recruiter then told us before Nathan signed papers that he talked to the guys upstairs and they said because Nathan was "high risk" he had to leave August 18th. Nathan was considerd "high risk" because he was in the DEP when I got pregnant with Nevaeh and he wasn't going to leave her and I behind. He asked me what I thought. I told him I stand behind you in everything you want to do. If this is what you want, then this is what you want. And he signed the papers to become a US Marine.
9 days later Nathan was gone. Gone. Not here. Gone. The house got quiet, the days seemed longer, I was unhappy. I had two kids UNDER the age of 3 to take care of, bills to pay with no income coming in. I had to sign a paper stating I don't hold the Marine Corp. responsible and I wont go after them because I can't touch the money Nathan is making while in bootcamp. I had never been away from Nathan more then two days since we had gotten together back in 2004. Now he was gone for 3 months.
September
My dad started going to Ohio for work and he would drive back home on the weekends. So now that my dad was gone. I had no one to talk to and hang out with after 4 pm. I would spend the day with the kids at home, then abour 4 or 5 pm I would go to my dads house and catch up with him. Spend time over there. My dad and I have a close relationship. So that was hard on me too. But it made the time that Nathan was gone, alot easier. Easier and go by faster because on the weekends I would look forward to my dad coming home and spending time with him! So while I waited for my dad to come home in the short term, I was waiting for Nathan long term, which in the end made waiting for Nathan go by quickly! It was still hard though. I wont state that it was as smooth and easy as butter.
October
Beth had baby Joel on the 4th. that was eventful and crazy. She did GREAT! Want to know more? Write me on my Myspace page! We took our kids out trick-or-treating and on that night I finally got to see Nathan! Platoon videos came out on Recruit Parents. com and they kept me strong through the 2 months left I had before I found RP.com. October went by quickly also after a girl that had been on RP.com wrote me. She has two kids, her fiancee was in bootcamp also, a different PLT but same company. India Company. Her name was Kasey and we became FAST friends! We got to the point where we were writing emails back and forth all day long, 9 am to 2am. She was awesome. I was also looking forward to meeting her when I was flying out to San Diego California. We were going to hang out and spend time together while we were in California!
November
The 12th I flew out to Califonia. I got there, went to Cafe Coyote to meet Kasey. Nathan's mom's adoptive dad and his wife picked us up, took us to eat. It was fun. I guess. Then Jocelyn and I went to the Cafe, met Kasey and other girls I had met on RP.com. It was AWESOME! Nate's ma and I went back to our hotel room.
November 13th- We woke up, got dressed. Went to MCRD base and met up with Kasey again on base. We watched the PLT's out on the Parade Deck. We went shopping around, waiting until 1pm. At 1pm we got to be with our new Marines! We spend the five hours together with Nate's ma taggin along behind us. It was GREAT to see him again. I cried and couldn't let go. (Getting teary eyed just thinking about that moment again!!) It was hard to let him go when he had to go back to his barracks and we went to Kasey's barracks. She and I stayed in one room and Nathan's mom in the other she rented out. It was awesome! I have pictures, they will be up soon! It was an awesome night, we stayed up talking about the time we had with our men! It was the best time I have ever had with another chick friend! lol.
November 14th-Kasey and I got RIGHT up and got ready to go see our men! It was amazing! We went to the graduation ceremony, and by the end of the day we met back up at the barracks we were staying in! Nathan and I were tierd, had an emotional day! then Kasey came over and said that she and Guy wanted to go bowling. So we got ready, we all went to the bar, had a couple drinks, played a game of bowling. We were tierd! When we were drinking at the bar. There was a guy from Nathan and Guy's company that was hitting on the bar tender and just being stupid. When we walked out of the bar, there was that same guy, the one hitting on the bar tender, throwing his guts up. It was great fun! Just glad it wasn't me!
November 15th- Guy and Kasey took off early morning for their plane. Nathan's mom left even sooner. Nathan and I spent a few hours together by ourselves, picked up some things. We caught our plane, and came back home.
November 16th was my birthday and we didn't do much of anything.
November 20th we were going to get married. But my grandma passed on. R.I.P. grandma Harger!!
November 21th Nathan and I were married!
November 22nd Nathan and I had our wedding reception! It was AWESOME!
So pretty much since then everything has been great other then Nathan had to go back to California. He was there for 2 weeks. He was able to come home for Christmas and the kids birthdays. It was GREAT To have their dad home with them and myself!
So December
Christmas was great, birthdays were great. The time with Nathan was great!
Dec 31st and Jan 1st
We went to a movie together, went out to eat dinner. Went to Cyndi Ogan's house for a party. Picked the kids up at 1am. Then January started!
So that is the year in a 2 hour typing blog!! I tried not to leave anything out. But right now. This is where I am leaving you to let you know what is going on and to give you a better understanding of how our lives have gone. And what more is to come!
