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.

He's Home!

Steven is finally home! He arrived Monday morning safe and sound, and we've had a great couple days so far! Lacy and I were soooo happy to see him! I'm sorry for the late post, but I kinda forgot about the blog until today...sorry! We started on a project...we're building a bed...and it's almost done. We still have to put the finish on it, but we've had a great time making it. We always have to have a project to work on, it's nice! We're also cooking Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and having David (Steven's bro) & his friend and our close friends Chris & Emily and their girls over. It's going to be so fun, we have so many things to be thankful for this year. More to come later....Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless!

Picking Steven up from the Airport...we are so Happy!!

Lacy is so excited to see Steven...she can't control her bladder! hahaa!

Steven building the bed frame

Steven putting me to work!

Steven enjoying his new Chop Saw!

Me putting Steven to work!

Almost Finished!
First coat of stain.

Finished product pictures to come later!

Sunday Steven Update!

I just heard from Steven tonight! He's in Germany and flying out tonight to Atlanta. He should be home tomorrow afternoon! yay! we're so excited!

Update on Steven

Well, it's Saturday and Steven's still not home. This is the army for you, you never know what's going on! oh well. I know his flight got postponed from Afghanistan to Kuwait, so I think he flew out Friday afternoon instead of Thursday afternoon. I have not heard from him since he's been in Kuwait, so hopefully later today I'll know something. The waiting is the hardest part....but that's all I know for now...more to come later!

How to Post a Comment

I know a few of you have asked me how to post a comment on here, so here are some quick instructions:

1. Look at the bottom of any post and find the word that says “COMMENTS” and click on it. It is next to the “POSTED BY JENAE AND STEVEN AT xxxtime.”

2. Clicking on “COMMENTS” will open up a separate window that has the list of comments (if there are any) on the left and a box to write in on the right.

3. Type your comment in the box on the right.

4. “Choose an Identity” by selecting either the Name/URL, Open ID button, or Anonymous bullet. It will leave you a blank to write in your name if you choose.

5. Click the orange button “PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT” at the bottom and it will add your comment to the post and you should see it immediately in the column on the left!

At the top of that same page, you can go back to the blog by clicking “The Fundingsland Family.” Let me know if this was helpful!!

Update on Steven

As most of you know, Steven is on his way home for his 18 days of leave. He's been traveling since Monday...mostly waiting for his flights...but he now has a schedule. He leaves tomorrow morning his time to fly to Kuwait (that's tonight our time) and is expecting to be home Saturday or Sunday! Yay! I'm so excited I can hardly breathe...or sleep! I think it's a 14+ hour flight from Kuwait to Atlanta, so I'm sure he's going to be dead tired by the time he gets home...and much in need of a shower! :-) hahaa. 2 Days...I cannot wait!!!!

On the same note, I'm feeling so blessed to have so many wonderful things in my life right now. My girlfriends here have helped me not only pass the time quickly, but have truly given me happiness and peace while Steven's been gone. These women are some of the strongest, most amazing wives, mothers and friends I have ever known, and I thank God every day for bringing them into my life. Also, my boss has been completely understanding and flexible with Steven's time home. He does not even want me to come into the office, because he knows how precious this time together will be. Not many employers have that mentality and I am more than thankful for his generosity. Our families have also gone over the top to show their love and support for us and for Steven's service. The care packages sent, letters, prayers, and support have given us so much strength and we are so grateful. Thank you and God Bless you all!

Wreath Party

The Army Wives are together again...just like we are every week! We had a wreath making party last Saturday at Erin's house to get into the holiday spirit. Lots of us are traveling over the holidays and our husbands are either coming home for good or for R&R, so we wanted to make sure we got in some festivities before we were too busy! We had a good time and all the wreaths turned out great!

Erin

Sofia, Mary's daughter

Claire, Erin's daughter


Me, Claire and Addison (Stephanie's daughter) catching up on some light reading

Addison reading me her favorite book! so cute!

Design Dilemma

Michelle W.

Michelle F.

Holly

Me, Mary, Michelle

1LT Fundingsland!

Steven got promoted today to 1st Lieutenant! His battalion commander, LTC Bradley performed the ceremony, and he's promised to send me pictures...so I'll update this with those later! Congratulations Steven! 19 days until he comes home for EML! We're so excited!

Fun Weekend

My parents came down for a visit this weekend, and we had such a great time. We kept the schedule full with a tasting at Beachaven Winery, Jazz on the Lawn, pumpkin carving and chili at Erin's house, little projects around the house, tour of Ft. Campbell, and great conversation. Thanks for making the trip Mom and Dad! Love you and can't wait to see you again at Christmas!

At Beachaven Winery

Me, Erin, Claire and Mom carving our pumpkins!

Erin and ClaireLacy Loving the Sunshine! Dad, mom and I at Jazz on the Lawn

Me, Michelle and Robin at Jazz
One of my favorite Halloween Costumes at Jazz...