Adventure Science Center

Noah, Jonathan, Micah, Abriel, and Savannah

in front of the Adventure Science Center in Nashville Tn.

The Science Center was really neat. They had all sorts of great learning activites, for adults and children alike.

We're Home,

I'm going to bed:)

Hello from Ft. Campbell!!!

We arrived in TN about 11:15 this morning, we got our kiddos and headed to the Stroms. The kiddos ran right upstairs like they had been here a million times before. While Jason rested Justyne and I hit up the PX and Commissary. Oh the bargins. I forgot how cheap it is on post!! I think this is the ONLY thing I will miss about the Army. I got Jonathan pair of Nikes for school for 15 bucks! And New Balance for 12!! How awesome is that? Tomorrow we are going to the Adventure Science Center in Nashville. Then back home on Monday :( I'll post pics later!

Long Day...

Isn't
He
So
Cute!!









So I got to work at 9:15 this morning, and I didn't leave until 7:30. It wasn't real busy until 4 then WHAM! Every person in S.W. Fort Worth decided to drop by. By the time we got them cleared out, and did our work it was late. To make matters worse, someone from our Operations Team was supposed to take care of something for me, for a cutomer, but they didn't. By the time I noticed that they hadn't they were of course gone for the day. GRRRR, so I have to take care of it via the telephone while I'm the road tomorrow. Have I told you how much I think degrees are overated??? He spent who knows how much on college and he still can't do a simple task, and I have to pick up the slack. So annoying! Anyway.....

Jason got an e-mail today that Wednesday June 28, 2006 will be his last day in the Army. Hmmmm, I wonder how I should feel about this? Happy, sad, relieved, scared, unsure, nervous. I don't know. I am a little scared, but I think more then anything, I'm relieved. The Army has taken me to some awesome places, and I have met some GREAT(you know who you are) people along the way, but I'm done with it. It has worn out it's welcome in my life. It's not what I thought it was, or even what it used to be.



I'm getting my babies tomorrow! WOO-HOO! I can't wait to see them and hold them in my arms!! I have missed them so much.

Also, I need to place a disclaimer involving the drawing of the tattoo. It is not finished. It is just rough draft, and only one of several designs we are looking into. The Artist(that will make him feel special!) was concerned about me posting it b/c it wasn't finished.

Tattoo

This is Welton's first drawing for a tat for Misty, Katina and I. I really like it. I love how the 3 hearts are made with the same cord. It's never ending. The colors in the triangles are "our" colors. He's going to work on couple more, I'm so excited about this!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!

Today is my daddy's birthday! I wish I had a pic of him to put on here. He is tall and handsome and my hero. He's not perfect that is for sure, but he's mine. My dad, the only one I have and I love him.

Tattoo

Me, Lou, and Sister are getting a tattoo. For a few years the girlfriends have talked about it off and on. I think I'm finally ready. Scared, but ready! Lou found a super cool celtic thing, but it says it has wiccin and pagan roots, I'm not down with that. I really like the meaning though. I'm hoping that Wel can draw us up something similar, but more geared toward us. These are what we were looking at:

http://www.celticlady.com/flash/tm-1.html

http://www.celticlady.com/flash/ts-18.html

I have tried to search online, but it's a huge tattoo world out there!

On a super happy note: My kiddos are coming home in 4 days! YIPPEE! I can't wait. We are leaving on Saturday mrning to go get them. We will stop in TN to see my very good friend Justyne, then head back to Texas early next week.

Who doesn't want the American Dream?

I've heard this song before. It's not new. I've always liked it. They played it today at Church and it reallly hit home like it never has before. I felt we were slipping into this when Jason was actively Station Commanding. He was never home, always working. Thankfully, that is no more. Even if you don't have a job with long hours, or late nights you can probably relate it to your life. It's hard to not want to follow what others consider the American Dream. You see it, you think you want it too, but does it fullfill you? Nope.

Here are the words: Listen and Enjoy!


All work no play may have made Jack a dull boy
But all work no God has left Jack with a lost soul
But he's moving on full steam He's chasing the American dream
And he's gonna give his family the finer things

Not this time son I've no time to waste
Maybe tomorrow we'll have time to play
And then he slips into his new BMW
And drives farther and farther and farther away

So He works all day and tries to sleep at night
He says things will get better;
Better in time

And he works and he builds with his own two hands
And he pours all he has in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are comin' crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

His American Dream is beginning to seem
More and more like a nightmare
With every passing day
"Daddy, can you come to my game?"
"Oh Baby, please don't work late."
Another wasted weekend
And they are slipping away

'Cause he works all day and lies awake at night
He tells them things will get better
It'll just take a little more time

He used to say, "Whoever dies with the most toys wins"
But if he loses his soul, what has he gained in the end
I'll take a shack on the rock
Over a castle in the sand
Now he works all day and cries alone at night
It's not getting any better
Looks like he's running out of time '
Cause he worked and he built with his own two hands
And he poured all he had in a castle made with sand
But the wind and the rain are coming crashing in
Time will tell just how long his kingdom stands
His kingdom stands

All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You
All they really wanted was You

Out with the old, in with the new

The old: SSG Halllock
US ARMY Station Commander
and one super stressed dude!!

The new: Mr. Hallock
Executive Recruiter,
and hopefully much less stressed dude!

Ivan called be yesterday to say that the CG signed off on Jason's paperwork! Yippee! It's going to be forwarded the the tranistional office at Ft. Sam Houston, they will cut orders and then he will begin clearing! It's going to be tough, and I am a little scared. I am more excited though! He has a job, I have a job, it'll be a new experiance. Hopefully a good one. I mean really, it can't be much worse right??

Words to live by....

Write your sister's weak points in the sand
and her strong points in stone.

No More Debbie Downer!

I was told by a friend that my blog was being becoming a downer to read. It was true. I'm still VERY hurt, but hopefully we'll work it out. I do love her very much, I think that's why it's so painful. ANYWAY, I said no more downers.......

Today at work I got my business cards! How cool is that? They say my name, Store Manager, with all the store info. Don't worry, each of you will be getting 4 or 5! I'm so proud of them. My assistant manager said it just means now they'll know my name when they call to complain instead of just "can I talk to your manager". LOL. Do you know what the best part of being the store manager is??? When people call and are complaining, and they don't like what I'm saying to them, so they say, "Let me talk to your manager" and I get to say " I AM THE MANAGER" HAHAHAHAHAHHA, oh the sweet silence when they hear that!

My first post with raw emotion

It's hard when someone you love so deeply hurts you. I don't know how people get over it. I'm not really one to hold a grudge, but this isn't just grudge type stuff. It's someone who you love, trust, respect, and adore making a mockery of your relationship. Basically saying the way you've felt doesn't really exist, the relationship(as you knew it) doesn't exist. You start to question yourself: Does it exist? Did it exist? Was I making it all up in my little mind? Are my other relationships based on lies and false words? Do they really exist?

Do they?

When on life's journey it becomes our lot to travel with criticism of skeptics, the hate of some, the rejection of others, the impatience of many, or a friend's betrayal, we must be able to pray in such a manner that an abiding faith and a strong testimony that the Lord will be with us to the end.....

Getting back into the swing of things.....

LO. me and my sisters I did today:)

Pic of my sweet family on a L.O.
Misc. pics of me, I did this last night

I'm in the mood for scrappin'

I slept in Late today, didn't make it up in time for church, and now I'm going let my housework fall to the wayside...BECAUSE I WANT TO SCRAP!!! It's been so long. Pretty much since I started working, March 6th for those of us keeping track. I'm going to straighten the living room and kitchen and that's it. I'll do the rest later. I just want to scrap:) I have some fabulous new maggie mae stamps that everyone has been drooling over. I even got to the meet the owner last night at GASC!! So awesome!

Today was a good day:)

My beautiful, precious, and sometimes wild children arrived safe and sound with their Daddy in TN today. Jason knocked Jonathan's other tooth out, so now he is missing his 2 bottom teeth. They swam, and are all pumped to head to PA tomorrow.

I spent the evening with 2 of my best girls Katina and Staci. We went to the Great American Scrapbook Convention and had a super time. I can honestly say I did not get much done. I had a great time though. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to work on some stuff a little bit. I kind of have the bug again:)

I also got to chit-chat with a friend of mine who I have not talked to in awhile. It was great to catch up and here what a smokin' hot babe she's turned into! Tara you rock!!!

They're Gone.....

My babies are on the road. Please pray for a safe and easy trip.

Ramble, Ramble, Ramble.......

Tomorrow my babies leave :( I'm so not ready. Jason is. I keep pointing out to him that they did not grow in him for 38-41 weeks. I'm trying to be strong, but please keep in mind this will be the longest they have been away from me. College Smollege, these children are NEAVER leaving(again)!

On a happier note: THE MAVS WON!
It truly was a sorry excuse of a game. They played crappy and still beat them by 10 points, geuss that shows how bad the Heat really is. Dirk got the crap knocked out of him 1st quarter, I am blamimg his medicore performance on that. Today they are giving away tickets for Sundays game away. Wish me luck!

$292.80

That's how much it cost me to pick my van from the dealership. It was supposed to be a 139.95 service, then (of course) there was something going on with our brakes. So that tacked on another 160ish. So goes my luck....

Jason was able to get a hold of JAG, and they were able to help him work up a waiver to send to USAREC HQ. So hopefully we will be free and clear in 3-4 weeks. Did you hear my huge sigh of relief?? Please continue to pray for us and the whole deal, as we know the Army can always change their mind in the last second. I cannot wait until they no longer have any control over our lives.

My kiddos leave in 2 days:( I'm so not ready.....

The more things change, the more they stay the same....

Of course after Jason accepts a job, the Army decides they might want to keep him in. Or at least make us wait 4-5 months to get out. What happened to wanting to get rid of him ASAP? Grrrr, that's why I hate the Army. We are ready to move on, we don't want to be in the Army, we have a better life waiting for us.

Lots to talk about......

It's official, Jason has a job after the Army. He will be an Executive Recruiter with G.R. Morris and Associates. It's the company that up'd his salary over the phone w/o an interview. When he went in for the interviews, they offered their normal base( which was to low for us). I told Jason he should ask about the offer she made over the phone. Well, he called them today to turn down the job. They asked why and he said the base was to low. So they asked him, "What would it take for you to come work for us?" Jason told them, they said yes, and it's a done deal! Now the Army needs to hurry up. I'm so ready to be out of the Army. It truly is not the institution that I used to love.

I signed up to help with The Woman's' Ministry at Church. We signed up for prayer partners. I didn't get to meet mine last night, she wasn't there:( I did meet a fabulous lady who is a scrapbooker!!! Woo-Hoo! I wish that my calling was children's ministries, I have so much respect for the people who work with our youth. I just do not have the patience. So I volunteered to help with WM, I think I will like it. I need that closeness with other ladies for my walk to stay on the right path.

Oh, on a super cool note. My Area Manager came into the store, and said everything looked great. She was super impressed with our store numbers from last month. We had over 100 more transactions then the previous month, our average loan size was mediocre in my opinion but she was happy about. Even cooler was our referral's. They really push those b/c that is where a lot of our new business comes from. Anyway, our referral's were the 2nd highest in the region!! Only 2 below Grand Prairie which is almost twice as busy as our store.

My kiddos are leaving this weekend:( I'm so sad. I'm not 100% sure I'm ready for that. They are going to be for 2 weeks. I think that I'm going to be a basketcase. I freak out when I think about the thought of them being halfway across the country. Thank God they are not leaving for college anytime soon.

P.S. My sister in the bomb, she got my ipod working!!!

HELLS YA!!!

The Mavs are going to the finals! I was scared in the 3rd quarter when they were down, but I knew better than to count them out. The first 2 games are in Dallas next week against the Heat.

I totally feel this way.....

Rowdy, Loud, and Proud!

I have lived in Texas almost 5 years, I have been a Mavs fan pretty much since that first season we were here, and it in NO way prepared me for that game! I had so much fun. I don't know if it was b/c it was a playoff game, or b/c everyone was antsy from the huge loss on Tuesday, or Mavs fans are just wild, but it was GREAT! I had so much more fun then whwn I went to the Bills game(sorry honey). It was so fast paced, the ball going back and forth, seeing them actully steal the ball. I don't really enjoy watching b-ball on TV but in real life it was so much better. Those 48 minutes went by so fast. Here are some pics:

Me with my new DIRK shirt! I LOVE IT!

It's so cool to me that I've been to his hometown in Germany!

WHO'S THE MAN????? OH YEA!
No. 41 in the house!!!
He scored 50 points! A Mavs playoff record!
Me and my honey at the game!

I now want to go the finals so bad!!! I'm gonna get my dailing fingers ready!

OMG! I'm going to a Mavs game!!!

Living in DFW we are of course Mavs fans. For those of you who live under a rock, they are in the playoffs, tied 2-2 with the Suns. Well, today on the radio they were giving away tickets and guess who won?

ME!!

I'm so stinkin' excited. I can' wait. We have to go to the station, pick up the tickets, then head to the AA Center.

Also, Jonathan has an interview at a new charter school in Ft.Worth. I don't know a lot about it. From the website, it looks like someplace a definitely want him to go. He's a huge math and science buff and I would love to cultivate that. Check it out:

http://www.hsatx.org/

Girlfriends and Gappy Boy

This is the cheeesecake that I had on Saturday night. Doesn't it look YUMMY?? It was!

Me, Staci, and Diana at On the Border; we were minus 2 girlfriends...I hope they are OK!
Cosmo; I've never had one before. Not near as good as the girls on Sex and the City made them seem:)

And the biggest and best news of Saturday night: Jonathan lost his first tooth!!! He's been waiting for a year to lose a tooth. The tooth fairy left him 5 bucks! I wish I had that tooth fairy when I was a kid.

Only 10 more hours....

until Girl's Night Out!!! It's been SO long since it was just me and my girlfriends. We are meeting for dinner tonight at On The Border, and I bet there will be a little Starbucks afterwards. This day is going to DRAG! I have to get dressed and head out. I hope everyone has a great Holiday weekend.

TGIF!

I am so happy today is Friday. I actually have a 2 day weekend! I work Monday thru Saturday so I only get Sunday off, BUT Monday is memorial day! YEA! 2 full days to spend with my family. Speaking of.....My bubba is going to be in the 2nd grade......wiping tear..... I am not ready for my children to grow up. I do not want them to hurry up and get out of my house, I want them to live with me forever. I love them more than I could ever put into words. They are the reason that I wake up in the morning. Literally, one of the them is always in my bed hoggin the blankets in the wee A.M. hours. I love it. Nothing is better than early morning snuggle bugs with the 2 greatest gifts I have ever received.

Jason had an interview with an executive recruiting company. His interview was Tuesday, and they said to call them by Friday to let them know if he was interested. Well, they called him on Wednesday to see if he'd made a decision! So he called them today, and said he would like to continue the process. Next Wednesday he goes in to spend a day in the office. He will shadow the recruiters, make some phone calls, have a meet and greet with the other employees, and spend more time with the CEO/President. If they are both still interested(the company and Jason) then they will move on from there. They have a pretty thorough process to make sure they get the right people. The guy from the aviation recruiting firm is still interested too. He calls Jason about once a week, to see how close he is to getting out and he wants to set up a another meeting with him. I'm so happy he has some stuff lined up. Now if we can jusr get the Army to get a move on.

I wish I new how to write code

Ever feel so completely beat down? I wish I could write a few entries in code, so I could get my feelings out without offending anyone. I feel pulled in a million different directions, with each direction expecting 100% from me. Um, yah, that's not happening.

Misty's New Man

Aren't they cute? Joe loves Misty. I'm not sure he knows that she's human and he's K-9, Look at the way his arm is around her, it's so human like:)

Birthday Beauties!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

These ladies ROCK! If you have not had the pleasure of meeting them, hanging with them, crying with them, well, then you haven't lived. I have a handful of people who are in my circle of trust, and both of these super cool chicks are. They are beautiful, talented, loving, funny, honest, fierce, and fabulous. Not to mention lovers of the color green:) I love you both so much. I hope you had a wonderful birthday.

Ashrya's Birthday

The Cake
Ashyra gets Elmo!

Eat it!
Present Time!

Today was Ashyra's Birthday Party. We had Pizza and Cake, with a few close friends. Staci made the cutest Elmo cake! If you need a cake, she is your woman! Ashyra got the Elmo hook-up! She received lots of fabulous Elmo goodies:)

Another Great Quote

“When we're incomplete, we're always searching for somebody to complete us. When, after a few years or a few months of a relationship, we find that we're still unfulfilled, we blame our partners and take up with somebody more promising. This can go on and on--series polygamy--until we admit that while a partner can add sweet dimensions to our lives, we, each of us, are responsible for our own fulfillment. Nobody else can provide it for us, and to believe otherwise is to delude ourselves dangerously and to program for eventual failure every relationship we enter.”

Field Day!

Today was Jonathan and Elize's field day. I wasn't able to stay for all of it b/c I had to go to work :(



I'm really digging my new location. I miss all my old customers, but my new store is busier, and closer to home. My district manager told me today that I was doing great and the store looks wonderful. The former manager was a slob and super disorganized. There are checks and loan agreements lying around all over every where! I have to look up all the accounts see if they are active, and mail marketing letters if they are not. I have been super busy!

Denny Died.....

I knew he was going to, but that doesn't mean I'm not sad. I'm devestated. An actul "normal" couple and they have to ruin it. Is anyone else sick to death of Meridith and Derrick? I mean really, WHO CARES!! I don't. They should run off together and leave everyone else to not have to listin to their whining. I hate Meridith, I love Izzy! I hope Kali becomes a regular, I really like her. I want George to be happy. Somebody needs to be happy! Lord, knows Christina and Burke are destined to be the coldest couple on earth. I hate her almost as much as I hate Meridith.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

The gifts from the kids:
Savannah gave me an apron:
Anthony gave Amanda some shoes:
Misty got shoes too:
Hugs from my Bubba!

Happy Mothers day to all the mom's out there. Most importantly to MY MOM! thanks for raising me, loving me, and being there for me.

More damage......

The Culprit

The Damage
The Ticket(GGRRR)

Joe got out yesterday. He chased a construction worker up into his truck. The SPCA came and wrote me a ticket. Although I was at work. Now I have to take responsible dog parenting classes AND pay 25 bucks! It's Jason's DOG! Oh what a day.

Angel a.k.a The Matchmaker!

Here is a pic of my baby sister and her new beau(isn't that a neat word?) I set them up. Blind date thing. It has only been a few weeks, and I am in no way shape or form trying to marry them off. Although, Jason and I only dated for 4 months and look at us now, 10 years later, and couldn't be happier. I think they really dig each other.

2 Offers, 1 Day!

Jason received 2 job offers today! He had an interview at ITT Tech for an admissions recruiter. They offered him a job. Then, a corporate recruiting Company called and offered him a job with out an interview, based solely on his resume! He's going to interview with them next week. They are willing to wait until he gets out too. When he asked about salary, she quoted him a yearly base. He said that there was no way he could work for what she offered, so she up'd it an additional $14,000 a year! Sweet! Now if the Army will just hurry up and cut him loose!

Not a lot is going on. Just the normal busy life. Our house is the house that never sleeps. When the kids are asleep, we are cleaning, doing laundry, catching up on mail, or maybe just plain relaxing! I used to love mail, now I never have time to even read it. I go through about a weeks worth at a time! I can't believe school is almost out. Poor Misty, we are to have to plan for the summer so she doesn't go crazy. Tomorrow Jason has an interveiw with ITT tech for an admissions recruiter. He's very excited about so keep him in your prayers. It'd be great if he could have a job lined up before he gets out.

Vent

I need one day where I do nothing. I know, it's a lot of ask since I'm a wife, mother, sister, aunt, care giver, and working woman. How would anyone function if I wasn't there to call? To clean? To arrange transportation, and schedules? Jeez, they might have to do it themselves(GASP!)

Great Quote

The problem with happiness is that it is too often linked to the behavior of others.

Isn't that the truth? What a great quote. Something to ponder, and reflect about.....

Great People

I am so thankful for our Church family. We just finished our Wednesday night study class, and we met some AWESOME people there! I am so happy we decided to take the class. Next Teusday we are going to start going to a life group. Hopefully the group of people there will be just as wonderful. A special thanks to Lana and Josue who totally rock. Thanks for helping out with the cost of our cow! Wink;) wink ;)

http://meadowridgechurch-org.si-xios.info/dnn/

Sonic Half Price Burger Night!!

It's Tuesday again, you know what that means! Half price burgers:) Gotta love it when you can feed your family for .99 a head!

This is Anthony, child number 4, for those who can't remember the names and only call them by numbers. LOL. He's having a super fun time time climbing up Aunt Misty


Work is going well. Roy was supposed to interview 7 people today and NONE of them showed up. Isn't that weird? Maybe 1, maybe 2, but 7! Jeepers. There are 2 interviews tomorrow, we'll see how those go. Jason got a call back from the Aviation Recruiting firm asking if he was out of the Army yet. He also asked Jason what other others he had on the table. He said " I will definitely be in touch" when Jason said he still had no solid date in site for leaving the Army. The base is lower then other job offer, but it's closer to home, has more flexibility, and has a bigger commission.