Saying goodbye for a year

Ugh, I don't even know where to begin, we've had such an emotionally draining day today. Ed is on his way to Afghanistan as I type and Layla and I are beyond heartbroken. A year just seems so long. I know I've done this twice already but it doesn't get any easier, not to mention this will be my first time completely on my own, not in California with my loved ones. I do think this year will be a great bonding time for Layla and I, we'll get to experience so much together which will bring us even closer than we already are. I just know how close Ed and Layla are and it'll be hard on both of them having to be away from each other, they truly are best friends. I just hope and pray that Ed will come home to us safe and sound. Let the worrying begin!

I woke up this morning with a massive knot in my stomach, not ready to say goodbye to my love for a year. I have been dreading this day for months now and I cannot believe it was finally time. We woke up and finished helping Ed pack and get his last few things ready to go then headed out to his company where we waited for him to get his weapon and just hanging out until it was time for them to get locked down. Even though we were just sitting in the sun all day with nothing to do, it was so nice being able to hang out with Ed those last few hours. I will cherish those last moments together. Ed took forever to get his weapon, he didn't want to have to wait in a long line to get it so he was waiting until the last minute. Layla is so funny, she told him "Daddy, do you want to get dead? No? Then go get your weapon!" It's amazing what this little girl has been exposed to in her short life, she knows exactly where Daddy is going and what he's doing. It's cute and sad all at the same time, makes me feel bad for her. It was so so so hard saying goodbye, it gets harder every time. I can't even put into words how much we are going to miss Ed, I just hope this year goes by super fast and he's back in my arms in no time!

OpLove Photos

Since Ed is on his way to Afghanistan pretty soon I really, really wanted some updated family pictures. As morbid as it sounds, you never know what's going to happen in the year they're gone. If something happens, I want pictures I can look back on and thank goodness for Operation: Love Reunited. Operation: Love Reunited is a non-profit, fully volunteer organization that offers professional photography sessions to military families and members who are getting ready to deploy, who are currently deployed, or those who are coming home. A good friend of mine had her pictures taken by an amazing photographer she found through the OpLove website and as soon as I saw the pictures, I fell in love. I had to call immediately and cross my fingers she could fit us in on such short notice. Brittany is a sweet heart and told us she was available to shoot asap. I was so happy! A few days later we were at a park shooting amazing photos. We had such a great experience with her and I will definitely be going back for more. We got our picture CD today and I am absolutely in love, these will definitely be memories to hold onto while Ed is gone. THANK YOU B.Lee Photography for everything, you don't know how much I will cherish these pictures.

I wish I could share ALL of the pictures but these are my favorites! And my absolute FAVORITE picture! This is going on a canvas in my house. I'm in love with it!

A day in Denver

One last mini trip to Denver before Ed takes off for a year. We love exploring and taking full advantage of all the places the Army sends us which right now is Colorado. We've had fun ice skating at the 16th Street Mall in December and just last month had a great time at the Aquarium. Today's adventure brought us to Denver for some RC racing! This was Ed's last RC race to take place in before he leaves so we were there! We got up to Denver bright and early in the morning, a little too early, so we decided to explore some. We found lots of chu-chu trains and guys working on them. Layla loved watching them!After killing a few minutes it was time for Ed to do some practice laps and then time for the race to begin! This darn race lasted ALL day long! I always laugh because I swear up and down that I hate going to Ed's RC races but then when it's time for him to actually race I get so into it. Layla and I cheer and I get so mad when he messes up. I guess that's the competitiveness coming out in me, I want him to WIN every single time!During the middle of the race, when Ed wasn't on the track, Layla and I snuck away and headed to Hammond's Candy Factory which only ended up being about 5 minutes away from where Ed was racing. They have free tours going every 15 minutes and we were just in time to go on one. We had so much fun! It was like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! Tons of taffy and tons of candy canes. We got to see how candy canes were made (all by hand!) and how to stretch taffy to get it in the right shape. Plus we got TONS of free samples. We were definitely on a sugar high when we got back to Ed! Fun times in Denver once again! I love my little family and the adventures we go on!