I’ve always liked that song. “Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold!”

I used to make friends much easier when I was younger. I would pretty much say that anyone was my “best friend” when I was really little. Then I learned better. I met my absolute best friend when I was little, but we actually became best friends the summer after 6th grade. I am so blessed to have her in my life!

Unfortunately she lives two states away. While we text pretty much every day, it’s still hard to not have her close to hang out with. So I have been trying to make new friends. Living in Nashville, I do pretty much everything with my sister, who is also one of my absolute best friends! Now I live an hour away from her. The few friends I had here from before deployment have all moved away.

I’m determined though! I just recently joined the Fort Campbell Enlisted Spouses’ Club. They do a lot of get togethers and charity events. I was excited to find out about it! Tonight was the first event I’ve gone to. We met at Horsefeathers, which is a pottery painting place. They also have wooden items that you can paint. I didn’t end up painting anything. I just wanted to meet people. And I did! I sat with a couple of ladies and had a blast! I can’t wait to get to know them better.

So hopefully soon I will be posting more about my new friends and the Spouses’ Club!

I decided to make today my Thankful Thursday. I’m so thankful for SITS and the opportunity to be their featured blogger on Monday. It was AWESOME!! I got lots of comment love and met some new blogging friends. YAY!

I’m thankful that my best friend is coming to see me tomorrow! Her baby shower is on Saturday but she’s coming down early just to hang out with me for a little while. She’s amazing.

I’m thankful for my husband. He cleaned up the living room and dining room (and even a little in the kitchen and my office!) tonight while my stepdaughter and I were at my parents’ house and shopping for baby shower supplies. He’s the BEST!

I’m thankful that my stepdaughter has been here this summer. I missed her so much this past year! She’s pretty awesome and has been a HUGE help to me today! I’m gonna miss her when she goes back home.

I’m extremely thankful for my parents. They raised me right and I am a MUCH better person because of them. They love me unconditionally, support me, and always give me sound advice. I also learned from their example. I praise God for them!

I’m especially thankful that my God is always present and never forsakes me. He provides for me, comforts me, and loves me no matter what. I am His and He is mine!

I’m so excited about this. My best friend is having a baby girl in September and I’m planning her baby shower. I’ve been waiting for this for 6 years! Hehe.

She was very resistent at first. She doesn’t really like being in the spotlight. I understand that. I’m the same way. But I know she’s gonna love it and have a blast. She’s also going to be glad, years down the road, that she had a baby shower and made memories!

I want to tell you all about the planning and details, but it’s all a surprise to her. Not the fact that she’s having a baby shower. Just everything that’s going to happen. And she reads my blog so that wouldn’t work. I did, however, promise her I wouldn’t do the baby food tasting game and the dirty (candy bars) diapers game. She takes the fun out of it!! Oh well.

After the shower, I will post lots of pictures and tell you all the details. I promise. It’s gonna be so great!

I love celebrating my birthday! Even though I’m getting older, I cherish each year. This birthday is bittersweet for me, since my husband is still deployed (but coming home SOON!) and because my sweet Grandma is not doing well at all. Thankfully my sister and our best friend Cara are here to help cheer me up! Last night we spent time making dinner, with our new pampered chef stuff! Then we watched a movie. Today we are going shopping, maybe letterboxing, and going to see a movie. I’m excited! Here’s some pics from last night.

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My sister gave me a $25 gift card for my Fave place! Starbucks! YUM!

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I got money from my grandparents, my aunt and her roommate. The stack of $1′s is from my Aunt. LOL!

And today I got some beautiful flowers from my deployment support group! These girls are amazing! I love them so much!!! (I’ll post pics tonight. I’m about to go shopping!) So far it’s been a great day. Especially since I got to talk to my sweetheart for a couple of hours, online AND he called me! Oh how I love that man!

It’s that time again. Time to learn a little bit more about me and life as a Military Spouse. But before we get to that, I wanted to let you in on some very special news I just found out today. My bestie in the whole world is Pregnant!! I am SO beyond happy for her and her husband! I’m also super excited about being an “Auntie”. Hehe. My sister and I are in full planning mode for an awesome baby shower! YAY!!!!

Ok that’s all. Here’s the questions. Hope you all have a great weekend!!!

1. Do you or your {spouse} ever wish your {spouse} was in a different branch of the military? submitted by The Turner Family

Well, my husband started out in the Marines and he still claims them. LOL! So I’d have to say that.

2. What duty station(s) are on your “No Way, Hell No, Not Going, Have Fun Unaccompanied” list and why? submitted by Every Branch

I don’t know much about a lot of them, but I’d have to say Fort Sill, OK; Fort Bliss, TX; Fort Leonardwood, MO. There’s probably more, but I don’t know anything about many others! LOL!

3. If you could be one age forever, what age would you choose and why? submitted by Three Krakens

I’m gonna quote my sister on this one. She told me to say “25, cause that’s where I am now and it’s all downhill from here.”

4. If you were a breakfast cereal, which one would you be? submitted by the C.W.

Frosted Flakes. “They’re Grrreeeaaat!”

5. What is your morning beverage of choice and why?  submitted by NH Girl Displaced

Water, but when I’m craving coffee, it’s normally a venti Caffe Mocha with non-fat milk and no whip from Starbucks. Yumm.

I am so incredibly blessed to have my amazing & beautiful best friend here with me for a few days. We don’t get to spend much time together these days because she lives 2 states away. Fortunately for both of us, she had some vacation time to use up, so she came here for some much needed Bestie time. YAY!

We have been best friends since 6th grade, although we have known each other longer. We are like two kindred spirits. We understand each other. We can finish each other’s sentences. We are soul mates. We even joke about living out our last years together in a nursing home, which we’ll have to do because our husbands are years older than us! But that’s A-ok with me.

She really is the best friend a girl could ever ask for. She doesn’t understand what I’m going through with this deployment, but she is constantly supporting me. I can vent to her and she never complains. I ask for and listen to her advice. She gets excited for good things in my life, cries with me for the sad things, and threatens to beat up anyone who hurts me. We love the same movies and can watch them over and over. We both love “Friends” and constantly use references to the best show ever.

In short, I don’t know what I’d do without her. I can’t imagine going through life without her. She is my rock. My best friend. My sister.

Mother’s Day is this Sunday. So this post is all about my mom.

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My beautiful Mommy

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When I was little, my mom and I would stand at the front door and clap and cheer for the lightning and thunder. We would thank God for the rain. My whole life my mom has been an example to me. Shown me how to praise God for the good and the bad. To always have faith that God will never give us more than we can handle. It wasn’t until 4 years ago that I was really able to understand, and appreciate, my mom’s faith in God.

During my teen years, I was horrible. I argued with, yelled at, blatantly disobeyed, and basically did everything I could to hurt my mother. I thought she didn’t understand me. Thought she didn’t know what I was going through. And for a lot of it, she didn’t. I was hurting and I took it out on her and the rest of my family.

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I used to watch one of my favorite shows, Gilmore Girls, and wish that I could have a good relationship with my mom like the main characters in the show had. I was so jealous. I never thought I would have that. I so desperately wanted my mom to know who I was, even though I didn’t even know myself.

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My mom never stopped praying for me. Begging God for my life!

When I moved out of the house I missed my mommy. I called her more. Asked for advice. I didn’t always listen to her advice, but I was still in my rebelious phase.

In October 2005, my life changed. I was at church and was listening to a guest speaker. He was talking about being baptized. Now, I had been baptized when I was little, but it wasn’t until I was 14 that I understood what giving my life to Christ really meant. So listening to that speaker talk about baptism being an act of obedience, I felt God tugging on my heart telling me that I needed to be baptized again. I started crying. I was so embarrassed to be baptized again in the church I grew up in. All those people would know that I wasn’t saved the first time. But I knew I had to do it.

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On my Mommy’s birthday the next year, I was baptized again. This time it was a true act of obedience. Ever since then, I have focused on my relationship with God and repairing my relationships on earth. Especially the relationship with my mom. Now I talk to her almost every day. I value her opinion. I ask for her advice, and I listen to it! I see how wise my mom is. Our relationship isn’t perfect, but she is one of my best friends. When things happen, I call my mom! I love spending time with her!

I was talking to my mom one day last week. I was telling her about the bible study Matthew and I have been going to, which is about faith. I was telling her about that week’s lesson. She asked me if she had been a good mom. If I had learned from her. I just started to cry. I told her that I learned so much from her! About life, about faith, about being compassionate. So many things. I told her that when I see a beautiful sunset, I just praise God for his beauty. Because she taught me that!

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I am so blessed to have her as my mom. I couldn’t ask for anyone better.

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I watched the movie “Everybody’s Fine” last night. I’m not exactly sure what I was expecting, but it wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was very good. Very emotional. I’m not going to give anything away, for those who haven’t seen it. When it all came to the emotional high point, I lost it. I’m talking tears running down my face, gasping for air, heart aching. With not a tissue in sight! Definitely makes you think about life and how you live it.

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Last week I finished reading “The Last Song”. Again, definitely NOT how I expected it to end. It was such a great book! I boo-hoo’ed through the whole last quarter of the book. (Again, with no tissues! I’m sensing I should go buy some tissues!) Everyone has been telling me how much they loved the movie. Well, I purposefully have not even watched the previews for the movie until I finished the book. I didn’t want the movie trailer to give anything away! So last night as I had put the dvd in to watch “Everybody’s Fine”, the trailer for “The Last Song” came on. All I have to say is: I CAN NOT WAIT TO SEE IT!!!! I’m really hoping that my amazing husband will surprise me with a date night to go see it! (HINT HINT!!)

What is my current reading project, you ask? I’m currently reading the book that one of my best friends wrote. It hasn’t been published so I am not going to mention the name or the story. I will say that I am only a few pages in and it is amazing. I have full confidence that it WILL be published! Be on the look out for the name Joshua Mayhew!

What are you reading right now?

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Today my baby sister and I are going to spend the day together! (Ok, she’s not a baby! She’s only 2 years younger than me!) I’m excited because we haven’t spent much time together since I got married. Mostly because I live an hour away and hubby and I have been staying close to home to save money.

My sister is one of my absolute BEST FRIENDS! She’s the best sister anyone could ask for! I am so blessed to have her in my life!

She was also my maid of honor! And a good one! She helped keep everyone in line and me calm! LOL!

Well, enough talking. I’m gonna go see her! YAY!

Much love,

Sarah Ruth

I am so behind on this post! But to my defense, I have been extremely busy! I’m getting married in 8 days!!!

So I’m gonna make this short.

I thought this would be an interesting survey to look back on 2009.

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Celebrated one year with the love of my life. Got engaged!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don’t remember what my resolutions for last year were.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nope

4. Did anyone close to you die?
I don’t think so.

5. What countries did you visit?
No where

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you didn’t have in 2009?
I will have a husband!! Hehe. I’d love a new car too!

7. What dates from 2009 will be etched upon your memory, and why?
August 22nd. The day my sweetheart proposed to me!

8. What was your biggest achievement of this year?
I’m not really sure.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Nothing that I can think of.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I had both, but nothing too serious.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
Our wedding bands or my wedding dress

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I have no clue.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
I’m sure there were some.

14. Where did most your money go?
Life

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
My bridal showers

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
I have no clue

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: a) happier or sadder? b) thinner or fatter? c) richer or poorer?
a. Happier
b. Fatter
c. Poorer

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Traveling

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Doing nothing

20. How did you spend Christmas?
At Grandma & Grandpa’s house. One of the best Christmases I’ve had in a long time!

21. Did you fall in love with 2009?
No

22. What was your favorite TV program?
So many to list

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
Not quite hate…

24. What was the best book you read?
Oh gosh. Does Twilight ring a bell?!

25. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I don’t know.

26. What did you want and get?
A Cricut Expression!

27. What did you want and not get?
A house

28. What was your favorite film of 2009?
New Moon

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 24 and spent time with my family. My sweetheart sent me beautiful flowers!

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Nothing

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept of 2009?
I’m more conservative than I used to be.

32. What kept you sane?
My fiance and my best friend

33. What political issue stirred you the most?
Don’t even get me started!

34. Who did you miss?
My bestie. But I always miss her! I missed Cara more, cause she moved to Chicago.

35. Who was the best new person you met?
Nikki!!!

36. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
Pick your battles.
Much Love,