Another CLAYSON!!

When I first moved to Washington, DC I was very lonely. Nic went into the Education Center one day and saw that there was a job opening at Webster University. He spoke with a woman that was super friendly. She asked for me to stop by and bring my resume. I was hired shortly thereafter and Gretchen and I were pretty much instant friends. Her husband deployed to Afghanistan shortly after I began working there and Nic was always busy with his Honor Guard functions so we had a lot of girl time to ourselves. We went to Medeival Times for Nic's 22nd birthday and it was great!!!



We also spent a lot of time together through work, naturally. She taught me a lot about the world of Education and made sure that I had a fun working environment. A few times every year we go to a soup kitchen in downtown DC and feed the homeless. This was my very first time at S.O.M.E (So others might eat)





Eric and Gretchen moved to Alabama around this time last year. Right before she left she was at the point in her life where she was ready to stop working a be a mom. She and Erick were just waiting for their wishes and timing to align. Almost instantly after she moved to Alabama she became PREGNANT!!!!





She was hysterical with her phone conversations and her posts through her blog and on facebook about her irrational fears. I told her to throw out those creepy books and get a new doctor. :) Her husband Erick, also made for good conversation because he was constantly eating and complaining of sympathy pains. Yesterday at 1:01 pm little Elise Alexandria Clayson finally made her grand entrance. She is 7 lbs and 3oz (or 13 the posts on her fb are conflicting :)) and she is 20 in long.

We have all waited for you for such a long time Elise, but your mommy has been dreaming of you her whole life.

I am so happy for the Clayson family!!! another one to add to the brood!! :)




Now the fun begins... :)

A little Nic update

Well he has officially been gone for two weeks tomorrow and he has already accomplished so much. He has a rigorous course schedule which includes tons of homework but he is totally rocking it. He takes tests on a pretty consistent basis, about one every one to two days. He has yet to score anything less than a 93. Yesterday his spotlight was a little bit overshadowed by Nicholas' birthday. It's a little difficult when the two Nic(k)s you love have a big day, the same day. Nicholas turned 18 and Nic passed two tests in one day which completed his block one and two and is now in the dreaded block three and he is now officially CPR certified. So a little warning everyone don't even fake a choking attack around him. Before he would forcefully try to save me with his warrior week training and would make it exponentially worse so now with his actual certification there is going to be no way from keeping him away while he abruptly will try to "save your life".

Block three is notoriously the most difficult portion of his schooling. I believe that this entails his EMS certification as well as a deadly amount of textbook information. He is proud of himself for consistently passing his tests which build his confidence. This is just what he needs to help him through his block three portion of school.

If anyone would like to send him anything I have his address and would be happy to share it. It would mean a lot to him for him to get anything to remind him of family. He is doing well but it is still rough for us both. So anything, a phone call or card would be great!


I thought this picture was appropriate. It was taken in Redondo Beach when Nicholas was still underage and Nic hadn't even proposed to me yet. We just celebrated one of our two year anniversaries on the ninth so this definitely shows how long it has been... Wow, time really flies...

Don't let the picture fool you... they're in love :)

TD- why?

sooooo... Nic left for his six month TDY on Friday.
It was rough. He had his alarm set for 5:00 but he turned it off so that we could spend some time together. As he was doing some last minute packing he wanted me to stay and chat with him. I had been doing a great job at holding it together but if I stayed and watched him pack I wouldn't be able to hold on much longer so I tended to the dogs. He stayed on the couch and watched the news with me until I basically kicked him out. The waiting was terrible. He said goodbye to the dogs who cried which broke my heart. Then with a slightly tearful goodbye... he was off. Friday he drove all the way to Tennessee. Once he got to Nashville he attempted to check into a hotel where he had reservations. He looked at his room and he asked for a refund because not only were they planning to charge him more than they quoted him but Nic said it was scary. Now for Nic to say something is scary I can only imagine what that place looked like. So he went across the street to a much nicer hotel and crashed for the night. I was lucky enough to have a girls night that night to take my mind off of everything that had happened that day. Besides Nic leaving I was attacked by a dog. I informed the owner of the dog's menacing attributes only to be met with... surprise... OPOSITION... go figure.. well at least I had the scratches, bruises and bite marks to prove it huh? lucky me.
Finally on Saturday I had a girls day all by myself. I walked the dogs, got my nails done and did a little shopping before church that night. Church was great. Sunday morning was nice as well I had lunch with some neighbors but Sunday night was a long one. I think the dogs just figured out he wasn't coming home right away and they were testing my patience until 3 in the morning. Nic made it to TX where he set up his room and is preparing for class to start tomorrow. I have been swamped with homework and housework and work work :) the dogs are finally starting to mellow out. hopefully this lasts through the night. more updates to come....