Saturday

I finally got the call this afternoon. The schedule currently says he'll be home Saturday morning at 5:30am! yippie! this can change at any time, but hopefully it would be sooner rather than later!

Homecoming

I got an email from Steven this morning, and he thinks he'll be starting the final leg of his journey home within the next two days...home by the weekend!! Keep your fingers crossed! On the 13th he signed over his $4+ Million worth of equipment to the Platoon Leader of the company that is replacing them, so he's been "Mission Complete" for a couple weeks. They have been packing, traveling and counting down the days...the flight home cannot come soon enough for them! He says to tell everyone hello and he can't wait to see most of you this spring and summer. I'll keep you posted on his flight plan. Keep them in your prayers.

Steven, I'm so proud of you and honored to be your wife. I love you and can't wait to have you home!

THIS MONTH!!

The "Official" Countdown has begun, and as of today, we have 19 days to go!!! Yay! I'm so excited, I can hardly breathe! That's less than three weeks! I'm praying the date doesn't change too much from there, but give or take a couple days and we'll be okay! As far as I know, Steven has completed his last mission in Afghanistan and he's now basically waiting around to come home....poor Steven, the time is going so slow for him!

Some of my favorite women are coming down next weekend to help me pass the time quickly (the truth is, we just really want to have a girls weekend), and I'm so excited to see Mom, Anna, Sarah and Jill! It's going to be a blast!

Steven Has Moved!

I talked to Steven today for the first time in a week! His company just moved to Salerno, Afghanistan and it took them almost a whole week because of all the snow! They are all safe and are going to be working there for a month before they start the journey home. He doesn't have a date yet, but they're still planning on being home by the end of March. I can't wait! It's exciting to finally be able to say he'll be home NEXT MONTH!! Steven sends love and greetings to everyone, and he's looking forward to seeing you soon!

Snow Day!

I'm sorry I haven't posted pictures in a long time, I've been slacking on the blog! This is probably going to be a really long post, sorry! Lacy and I have been busy since Steven left. We first went up to Fort Wayne to spend Christmas and New Years with my family. We had a great time, it was nice to be with loved ones over the holidays.

Since we've been back, work has been pretty slow for me. With the economy the way it is, Trane is being very conservative with their funds and is not approving money for warranty work as quickly as I'd like! :-) So instead, I've been working around the house, I painted the guest bedroom and finally put my beautiful Nebraska Quilt on the bed. My brilliant mother made it for me out of all my Husker volleyball T-shirts and jerseys...I love it!

I'm also working with a local volleyball club. Since I coach high school and so many of those girls play on the teams, I am not allowed to coach them in the off season per TN high school rules. Instead, I'm coaching a developmental team to middle school age girls (there is not a middle school vb program in Clarksville) and acting as a co-club director. It's keeping me busy. Also, my church Army Wives small group just started a new study called "The Excellent Wife," and I'm leading the study this time. I know I'm going to need some help, so please keep me in your prayers! This group has been amazing, and we're looking forward to learning how to be the best godly wives we can!

We had a HUGE snowstorm last night...yeah right....all the schools are closed around here, and we probably had a 1/8 inch accumulation! Beware of the roads! hahaa! It's such a joke! Oh well, Lacy likes it!

Steven is doing well, they are still waiting for 10th Mountain to take over their post. That was supposed to happen mid January but still no change of command. He's been on guard duty LOTS these last several weeks (boring!) and not doing a whole lot...which is a blessing to me (much safer)! Not to Steven, though, he's bored and missing home. He says he's been working out a lot and hanging out with his guys, so that's good!

An obscene amount of presents....
My gorgeous sister, Anna.

Lacy with her christmas treats.

Mom, throwing down in the kitchen! She brought back the French Onion Soup tradition this year! So delicious!

Where is Steven???

I really want to go play outside...

Christmas Eve at the DeCamps...the new family tradition. So fun!

All of the Quance first cousins and their families. This is the first time we've all been together in years!
The guestroom. Please come visit...we have a room for you!

Our baby...

She really wants to go play in the snow!

I put new pictures on the mantle...Steven wanted to see them...here you go baby, what do you think?

Here's our HUGE snow accumulation! 1/8th an inch and all schools are closed!

Christmas Update

Merry Christmas! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays and their loved ones! We have so much to be thankful for this Christmas, and Steven and I are feeling truly blessed. I spoke with him last night for the first time in a week! He made it back to his outpost in Afghanistan finally after 11 days of traveling! He was welcomed back with many letters and packages, and he wanted me to make sure to tell everyone thank you for their support and prayers throughout this deployment. He and his men have all been safe and well fed (thanks to many goodies sent from home) and are looking forward to this little lull in workload this winter. The mountains in Afghanistan get extremely cold and have massive amounts of snow...so there's not a whole lot of activity going on. Hopefully all stays calm until they start their journey home.

Steven told me last night that they are expecting to return to the States in EARLY MARCH!! Could even be late February, but I'm not holding my breath for that one! They are now in the process of packing up their stuff and getting ready to hand command over to the Battalion from 10th Mountain (Ft. Drum, NY) that's replacing them. Steven is not certain how much longer they will be at their outpost, so don't count on any mail from here on out reaching him.

Lacy and I made the trip back to Ft. Wayne, IN to see my family for Christmas last Friday. We're having a great time and it's nice to be home for the holidays. Lacy is LOVING the cold and snow here in northern Indiana, she wants to be outside all the time...it's adorable!

Merry Christmas to all and don't forget the true reason for the season! God Bless!

R&R Fun

Here are a few more pictures from R&R. We visited some of our good friends in Lexington and went back to the restaurant where we had our first date. We had a great time! Steven got to spend some time with his brother, too!
Steve and Harvey

Daniel and Amy

Us and our friends Pete & Deena

Harvey, Steven & Pete

Sara and me

Downtown Lexington

At Bellini's (our first date restaurant) with our good friends Steph and Matt SimmonsPiper Simmons, Steph and Matt's new baby! We were so happy to meet her! Steven's going to kill me for this one...we stopped at Trane so he could meet the people I work with and they took pictures of everyone wearing these reindeer antlers. This should have been our Christmas Card.... hahaa!

Steven and his brother, David. Check out that beard!

Fake smiles at the airport, saying goodbye....sad day.

4 more months...

Steven got on a plane back to Afghanistan on Saturday morning. It was a sad day for us both, but we're so thankful that we had such a great R&R. We spent most of our time relaxing, working on little projects around the house, visiting friends, and just enjoying our time. You realize just how much you love someone when they're gone....he is definitely the most amazing man, and if deployments are the price, then I'm absolutely willing to pay! Hopefully these next four months will fly by.

He is scheduled to be home late March to mid April...no specifics yet (or ever with the Army), but I'll keep you posted on details when I get them. I have not heard from him since he got on the plane in Nashville on Saturday, but that's expected. I think he should be in Germany or Kuwait about now. They are actually going to be moving from their current location to another post in Afghanistan sometime in January, he thinks. So from here on out, don't count on mail reaching him at his address...stick with e-mail. He truly appreciates all the packages and letters he's received this deployment....and his men appreciate the treats too...when he shares! :-) Thank you all. More to come later....

Family Pictures

Here's a sneak peak of the photos we just had taken. Angela Cox at Classic Creations did an amazing job and we get to see all of the proofs on Monday morning! We can't wait! Check out Angela's website and business at : http://www.classiccreations.blogspot.com/

Weekend Fun

We took a trip to Nashville this weekend, did lots of shopping and ate at some amazing restaurants. It was just a relaxing time away and we had a great time. Before we left we finished the bed....it is awesome! Steven is so good at designing and making it all come together...thanks Uncle Odell for teaching him so much!

Finished Product!

Setting up the Christmas Decorations

Lacy's so happy Steven's home!
Union Station Hotel, Downtown Nashville

The Melting Pot for Dinner...one of our very favorite places...it's fondue.

Dessert Course...Dark Chocolate...Yummy!

Monell's for Breakfast, a local favorite.