Suspenders

I miss my Grandparents. I don't know what's gotten into me lately but I have really been missing them. My Grammy Headley is the only one still living. And I am embarrased to say I have hardly visited her in the home where she resides in PA. My Aunt, cousins and sister are faithful visitors. They brave every visit not knowing what she will say that day or if she will even recognize them.

Looking back, I don't think I appreciated my grandparents like I should have. When I was in my teen years, I would sometimes be annoyed that we would have to take a weekend/day and go see them. I took for granted they would always be here. And now I would give anything for a visit.

Left to right: Grandpa and Nana Pearce, Grammy and Grandpap Headley
They always seemed to have a great time when they got together.

Grandpa and Nana with our old dog Murphy.

We got to see my Grandpa and Nana more growing up because they lived so much closer. My Grandpa was a quiet man. And if you had the honor of meeting my Nana you knew why. She could talk for hours! But she could also listen like no one I have ever known. Nana had a warmth about her that is hard to explain. She had a great way of always making you feel important. She would greet you every time you'd visit with a smile and such enthusiasm that you knew she was genuinely happy to see you.

Grandpa would always greet me with a hug, kiss and a little pat on the back. He would always point me to the rooster cookie jar that always had cookies in it. My Grandpa was a suspenders man. I don't remember many times where he didn't wear them. He would get more every Christmas and seem just as excited with every pair he received.

I was afraid he was slipping from my memory. He passed away my freshman year in college which is over 10 years ago. I see his face but I was finding it hard to summon his voice. Recently my sister gave me a dvd (made from a video) that someone took at one of our Pearce family Christmas’. It was a video from the early 90’s. As soon as it started, I lost it. There were my Nana and Grandpa opening presents, laughing and having conversations. Now when I feel like they are slipping from my memory, I know I can pop in the dvd and they will be with me again.

They had a great love and were married for a long time! I remember their 50th wedding anniversary celebration and how much they still loved each other. I wear my Nana's wedding band on my right hand. It was a gift my mom gave me that I cherish. You can still see their initials engraved on the inside.

Grandpap, me and Grammy circa 1982.

My Grandpap and Grammy always tried to be there. They traveled quite a lot to spend time with us growing up. I think they were afraid my Dad was hurting us. My Dad always said we would get so excited they were coming we would get hyper, clumsy and bump some piece of furniture. My sister and I always had new bruises to show off when they got to our house.

My Grandpap had the best stories. I wish I would have appreciated them more. When I was little I didn't know why he would always tell the same story over and over. I get it now that I am older. I even do it now myself! When I was a teen it would annoy me to hear the story of how I would always call a train a 'twain' and how excited I would get when I saw one. I would love to hear the story again, if only I could. I want to hear more about his experiences as a Zem Zem clown and his alter ego 'Mr. Bill' with giant blue hair. If only I had one more day.

It makes me a little sick to tell you that my Grandpap and I got into a fight once. I know. I can't imagine what you must think of me. Who does that? Nobody does that. I know we both said things we didn't mean. I think about that day often. It is a moment in my life when I thought I was standing up for myself but I should have given my Grandpap the respect he deserved and let him say his peace. I was wrong. It took me awhile after his death to get to this point but I know he forgives me. He (along with my other grandparents) was a strong, faithful Christian. He wouldn't hold a grudge. He was an outstanding person. I have met few in my life like him. And I was lucky to have him love me unconditionally.

Grammy too, was amazing. A little crazy fact about her: she never learned to drive. She was happy to never get behind the wheel of a car. She could play the piano and organ beautifully. And I rarely ever heard a negative word come out of her mouth. No matter how frustrated she got somehow she managed to focus her energies in another way. And boy could she bake! We knew that whenever she was around there were cookies hiding somewhere.

After my Grandpap died unexpectedly from a stroke, she started to go down hill. I can't imagine trying to live without someone you have loved for more than half your life. They loved each other tremendously. Her heart is broken and I don't think she will truly happy again until they are together again in Heaven. I can't say that I blame her. I just wish we had the old Grammy back. But then I am just being selfish.

The pastor spoke on Sunday about 'have to' vs 'get to'. Instead of when I was younger and thought I had to go see my grandparents, I wish I could take a trip and get to see them all. To get to hear their stories, get to watch Wheel of Fortune with them, get to see their smiles and get to feel their hugs. It was an honor to get to be their granddaughter. I just didn't know it until it was to late.

I miss them a lot. I wish they were still here. But I know I will see them again someday. I know we will be together again serving the Lord in Heaven. And while I don't know what Heaven is going to be like, I hope I will get to see my Grandpa in his trusty suspenders!

Poor Boone (Part 2)

"I'm sitting, what now?"

"Wait a minute, what the heck is this thing? This wasn't part of the deal."

"Geeze, Mom. Why do you keep doing this to me?"

Lobsters, Whales & Sharks...Oh My!

This past weekend we were fortunate enough to get our first visitors! Kathy, my friend Jeff's mom, and her friend, Ben, were vacationing in Maine so they stopped by for a visit. When they arrived Saturday, we took them to Five Islands Lobster Co. They are located on a wharf in Georgetown, ME. Dinner was delicious and the view was amazing!

There was a lobster shack, a Love Nest Grill for those who didn't want seafood and an ice cream stand. We choose to eat seafood and we were glad we did!

The great thing about the wharfs around Maine are that you know the seafood is fresh! They actually showed Aaron and Kathy their lobster while they were still alive.

Aaron, Me, Kathy and Ben with full stomachs!

After a quick trip to L.L. Bean for some boots, Kathy and Ben headed to their final destination Booth Bay Harbor, ME. Since Booth Bay is only about 45 (+) mins away from us I decided to join them today to hang out.

We walked around the quaint town until we decided to go on a whale watching trip. We didn't know if we should or not since it was rainy and miserable but we all decided to brave the weather. They were both great sports! They were only around here for a few days, so they decided to pack as much as they could into the time they were here.

This is the Pink Lady II that took us on our 3 1/2 hr whale watching adventure.

This was our captain. I forgot to ask his name, sorry!

On the way out of the harbor they pointed this house out to us. It was the home of Maragret Hamilton. I didn't recognize the name either. He then told us it was the women who played the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz (1939). She lived out her life here. She died about 5 years ago. Cool huh?! If she were still living there, I probably would have tried to visit her after the trip. And no, I am not kidding! :o)

The first animal (besides birds) we encountered was a porpoise. But unfortunately, we saw him so quickly I didn't have time to take a picture. Next, we met this friendly seal.

Isn't it cute?!

He/she hung around the boat for a few minutes. The captain said that they weren't usually found so far out where we were. He noticed he was young and thought maybe he just hadn't learned any better yet.

On the trip we were able to see 5 whales. It was amazing!! At first they were really hard to spot but once I could figure out the signs to look for it was fun. One of the first things you see is the water they spout out. Now, I know that isn't the technical term but I can't remember what they called it!

You can see it in this picture pretty good.

This Humpback whale came the closest to the boat. It was a big creature! The captain of the boat told us we saw both the Humpback and Finback whale. But I am a little leary because I never saw the tail of the humpback whale. Oh well, I got to see whales and that was cool enough for me!

This creature, the Basking Shark, was the weirdest thing I saw all day. It didn't have a care in the world. It was just floating very slowly on top of the water. It came quite close to the boat too.

I never saw it's head but I tried with this picture to get an idea of it's size.

Here is Kathy and I freezing! But it was more than worth it. It was an overall great experience! It may have been an even better day because it was so dreary. There were only about 20 people on a boat that normally holds 75 people. I think we got lucky that there were not many crazy people like us. It made it easy to see over the side of the boat and take pics.

I took a lot more pictures than this but I will spare you. It was great having company! And it was great to get to experience something new together. If you ever get a chance to go whale watching, you should definitely do it. Next up on our animal watching agenda is Puffins!

Happy Birthday 3rd Boone & Lucy!

It was three years ago that these two crazies came into the world! They were 2 of 8 puppies born to T-Spoon (their mom) in Watertown, NY. Our friends, Karen and Clay, own Lucy (purple collar). It was cool having brother and sister together, even if only for a while. Lucy now lives in North Carolina.

You wouldn't believe how many pictures we tried taking before we got them both in the shot! can you tell they are related? ha ha!

Boone has been a great part of our family. He was a great friend and security guard for me when Aaron was gone too. I heart him. For his birthday I plan on taking Boone to PETCO. I think it will be fun for him to pick out his own present. It will be his first time there! Keep me in your prayers! :o)

Some of my Favorite Things

Aaron (of course!). The wind. Strawberries. Wrapping presents. Smiling at strangers. Getting them to smile back. Singing at the top of my lungs in the car. My sunroof. Shadows from trees. Looking at the clouds. Eating a good cheeseburger. Hugs. Kids swinging on swings. Looking at old photos. Coconut. Any Hallmark store. Painting my toes. Lighthouses. Snow angels. Flip flops. A ripe peach. The Office. Day dreaming. My friends. Boone. Snowmen. Reading Books. Taking a good photograph. Blogging. My family. Rides on the Harley. Scrubs re-runs. Picnics. Meeting new people. The Wizard of Oz. French onion soup. Netflix. Window seats on a plane. People watching. Green lights. Driving over bridges. Take out pizza. Amusement parks. S'mores. Sydney’s drawings. Picking out the perfect card. Road trips. Any zoo. Haircuts. Express lanes at the commissary. Dryer sheets. Hot chocolate. GOD.

What makes you smile?

The Time Will Come Again

It has been a little over a year since Aaron touched down at Fort Drum, NY after being away for 16 months. I little over a year since the girls and I were waiting anxiously for all the pomp and circumstance to be over, just so we could get our arms around the men we loved.

Having Aaron home this past year has been amazing. We fell right back into our life together. It was hard not to want to hold onto him 24 hours a day. It was hard to give him his space at first. I am sure there were days he felt I was suffocating him. But I just couldn't help it. And those of you who have experienced a deployment (or had someone in your life gone for awhile) know what I am talking about.

The year since his return has been a little nuts to say the least. I don't know where the last year has gone. I really don't! We left Drum in August, lived at Knox for 7 months and now we are here in Maine. The funny thing about the madness is that I have loved every minute of it! No matter what happens we are together. It sure beats 16 months of worrying about Aaron, wondering when he will get to call me and hoping/praying that the car door you heard shut outside at 11:00 pm doesn't bring with it men in Class A uniforms.

The year he was gone I relied heavily on women I had only known a short time. Because of this deployment these women have become life-long friends and my family. Frannie, Karen, Erin and Briana are a remarkable set of ladies. I was lucky to find such outstanding, strong, loyal, courageous women to help me through. They all have since moved on from Fort Drum too. Frannie and Matt recently bought their first home (Yeah!) and are living in OH. Karen and Clay recently moved to NC, where they bought their first home (Yeah!) as well. Erin and John are still in the Army, living in AL with their two beautiful girls. Briana and Ryan were the first to leave the Army for OH. They too have bought their first home (Yeah!) and have added little Delaney to our family (double Yeah!).

Recently, 'Welcome Home' signs have been popping up all over the neighborhood. Living in Navy housing I would expect it. But I didn't realize how much it would affect me. I am a little embarrassed to say that I always tear up seeing them. Every time! I guess it is because I know the feeling. I know the feeling of counting down the days/hours/ minutes until you can see the one you love. It also makes me feel a little sick knowing that our time for deployment will come again and Aaron will be off to a far away place. I am not looking forward to it.

People always say 'I don't know how you did it'. And sometimes I wonder too. But I don't know how to explain it. I just did it. I did it because I love Aaron. I would rather spend a year without him then not be married to him at all. I chose to love him for the rest of my life and I wouldn't have it any other way, madness and all!

I can't wait to see what the next year together will bring.

Welcome Home Ceremony June 2007
(John, Erin, Karen, Clay, Aaron, Me, Matt & Frannie)

Poop Butterflies

I can't wait to see this movie! I don't know when Horton Hears A Who is supposed to be released on DVD, but I hope it is soon.

Who knew?

I had no idea Maine could get this hot! I am loving it, but Boone notsomuch. I think he misses the air condition we had in KY.

To the Best Mom Ever...

Happy 50th Birthday Mom!
Love you LOTS!

Happy Birthday Steph!

I hope you have a great birthday!

Hot Coffee

Aaron and I watched a great movie yesterday. Have you ever seen/heard of the Martian Child? If not make a point to rent it. It came out in 2007 and it stars John Cusack. (He is one of my favorite actors.)

It was one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I want to tell you all about it. There are so many great things to talk about...but I want more for you to see it, so I won't spoil it. I am afraid if I tell you too much, you won't watch it. :o)

Let me know if you watch it and what you think. I promise you won't be disappointed.

*If you watch the movie, you will understand the title to my post.*

Scattered Ramblings

* I finally got a job! Nothing too exciting. I am the Central Cashier at NASB. I am a Navy civilian! Ha ha ha! Aaron keeps calling me a traitor. I count/deposit all the money that MWR handles on base and all the paper work that goes along with depositing it. There are other parts to my job, I just haven't learned them yet. I will keep you posted!

* I saw a bumper sticker today that said 'Driving Under the Influence of Hall & Oates'. Love it! If we would have been at a red light, I probably would have got out, knocked on their window and asked where they purchased it. Love me some Hall & Oates!

* Just got back from Portland. I found a good Nephrologist down there. I hope this one returns my phone calls!

* Maine has no billboards along their highways. There is a law that bans them (click here to read about it). I love the idea myself. It is nice to drive down the highways and be able to see nature and not a huge face of someone selling insurance. Although, I do see where there are a few downsides to the law. It really stinks for small businesses. Also, you have to know what exit number you need. You can't just drive down the highway (somewhere in the ballpark of where you know the store is located) and check the billboard for the exit. Trust me when I say this, we passed by Cabela's a few times the other day before reaching it.

* Money is disgusting! I should have believed my mom years ago when she told me it was dirty. You should see my hands after hours of counting it. Can you say hand sanitizer?!

That's it for now! Off to make chocolate chip cookies...

I can't help it...

Since it was such a beautiful day, Aaron and I set off on the Harley for a ride. Our original mission was to scope out a fishing spot for Aaron. We found him a spot and much more! When we turned on to the street we had been looking for I was instantly excited because I saw a sign for a lighthouse! I know what you are thinking...another lighthouse? I can't help it. I haven't seen many in my life and since we live in Maine why not take advantage of the opportunity?!

Here are pictures from our trip to the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse in Rockland, ME: (Remember you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them for better viewing.)

The stone walk way to the lighthouse.

On our way! The rocks used to make up the walk way were massive and beautiful.

The lighthouse up close. It didn't look like much to us at first until we realized you could climb all the way to the top of it!

The actual light of the lighthouse. I didn't get many pictures inside but it was a tight fit. The stairs were insane to climb. They were very windy and steep! I understood why a lot of people were not climbing to the top. But we could not resist!

One of the many gorgeous sailboats we saw around the lighthouse.

This picture does not do this sailboat justice. The four sails were amazing. I had never seen a sailboat this big before. I told Aaron it looked like they were coming to take over the little sailboat.

A picture Aaron took of me looking out the bedroom window. The lighthouse was manned up until 1963. In 1964, the lighthouse was fully automated.

This is the final sailboat we saw on the way back. The boat itself was magnificent but I was so excited about the dogs Aaron took this picture for me. Aren't they so cute in their life vests?

And finally, I am still trying my hand at this photo stitching thing. I didn't get it perfect but you can at least see the cool view from the lighthouse looking back to the land. Definitely click on this picture to enlarge it. I don't think blogger likes my weird sized pictures!


I hope everyone had a good weekend and that you have a great week!