perfect life

Ellie Waving

2009-03-06T12:50:00.001-08:00

Ellie is growing and learning new things everyday. This week she mastered the wave. She is so cute when she waves. Here is a video of her showing off her new skills. Enjoy!

Video

2009-02-06T05:00:00.001-08:00

Another Crazy Weekend

2009-01-23T08:20:00.000-08:00

Ellie and I are really looking forward to this weekend! Geoff is coming home tonight and we are always excited about that. Jake and Bailey are coming to spend the night tonight and then we are going to the rodeo for Dad's birthday tomorrow. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone. It is going to be a fun filled weekend for sure.

Sadly, Sunday is our last Sunday at Summit. We are really going to miss going there! Summit (or the people who make up Summit) really have changed our lives. We would not be where we are today without all of them. I know that the relationships we have made at Summit will last forever with or without the name of Summit attached.

A Year in Review!

2008-12-31T06:59:00.000-08:00

2008 has been a great year, definitely up there with the best years of my life. A lot of things happened, but the best by far is the birth of our little girl Ellie. It definitely changed our life, but for the better. I cannot imagine life without her any more.

2008 in Review

Geoff has been to many many schools getting ready for deployment. Air Assault- Ft. Benning, Umo- Ft. Stewart, NTC- Ft. Irwin, Ft. Leavenworth, Ft. Polk, Ft. McClellen, and a week in Yuma, AZ trying to get to a course in Cali.
Lots of Weddings- my cousin Brian, my friends Kirstin and Julie, and my little sister Brittany.
We went to Chattanooga and Blue Ridge on mini vacations
Lots of Babies were born- Shay, Madison, Cole, Alyssa, Aubry, Finley, Sophia, and of course Ellie.
Geoff changed units AGAIN! He also changed jobs... driving to Calhoun every day sucks.
We have been preparing for deployment. You wouldn't believe what it takes to get ready to leave home for an entire year.
I had to leave Davis and all my friends there. Christa, Stacy, Terenca, and Paige... I miss you guys, however I started job sharing with Mel and keeping the kids when I am off. It is great and Chestatee has been a great school to work for so far. All the people there have been so nice.
We have spent a lot of time hanging out with friends and family. I love my friends and family and they are going to be my saving grace next year.

Looking back at all the great things we have done this year. It really has been a milestone year. I love the way our lives change so much over the course of one year. January 1st always brings new hope and new adventures.

2009 is already a new adventure. I will spend the year raising our little girl while my husband goes to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan. I am going to miss him more than words can say but I am focused on a few important things for 2009.

Here is my list of New Years resolutions:

Spend more time with friends and developing even better relationships with the girls.
Spend more time with family and focus on developing Ellie's relationship with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
WORK OUT- I have to get this baby weight off before Geoff comes back home.
Spend more time on my relationship with God.
Spend lots of time with my daughter.
Keep my relationship with my husband alive across several seas.

Well that is all for 2008, heres to hoping that 2009 brings as many adventures, surprises and as much happiness as 2008.

Happy New Year!

Vacation

2008-11-25T17:11:00.001-08:00

We are having a blast here in Blue Ridge, GA. Here are some pictures from our trip.

10 Things I Wish Someone Would Have Told Me About Military Life

2008-11-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

Everyone has their day. Some days are good and some are not so good. I have so far been coping fairly well with this deployment (or at least I think I have been). This past week however it has been a little tougher. I am sure it is just a culmination of different things going on, like Ellie being sick with a cold, the Army pulling Geoff away yet another week in Dec., having nightmares about the deployment and so on. It will pass and I will be fine again soon, however I am going to take this opportunity to vent just a little. So if you are looking for a positive, give you that warm feeling blog you may want to move on.

10 things I wish someone would have told me about life as an Army Wife.

1. Things change daily. One minute he is home and you think all is well and the next he is gone.

2. The Army knows how to make it just barely worth sticking around.

3. As a Army wife deployments are much easier when you live on post.

4. You didn't just marry your husband, you married the Army too.

5. Deployments are 12 months long plus 6 months of schools away from home to get ready for the 12 months in country.

6. The Army likes to appear to care about the Soldier's family.

7. Being in the National Guard instead of Active duty doesn't really mean you get to stay near your friends, family and job. (Well at least as an Officer's Wife)

8. Sure Drill is only once a month but it sure does always seem to be on the same weekend as every other important event in your life.

9. Not being on deployment doesn't mean their at home.

10. Everyone you meet that finds out what your husband does gives you that I feel sorry for you look then you feel like you have to make excuses, tell them how great it is, and tell them how you really do fine when he is away.

Okay so I may not really be as bad as all that. The Army has provided us with the life we have today, however it is a huge sacrifice I didn't fully become aware of until recently. Geoff has been gone a lot through our whole relationship, but never like he will be next year.

2002- 6 months of Basic Training and 2 weeks of AT

2003- 3 weeks at Airborne School and 2 weeks of AT,

2004- 4 weeks at Camp and 2 weeks at AT

2005- 4 week long Activation to Mississippi

2006- 5 months of OBC

2007- 2 or 3 1 week courses that I can't exactly remember where

2008- 3 weeks Air Assault School, 1 Week Ft. McClellan, 3 Weeks Ft. Irwin, 1 Week in Yuma, 1 week in Ft. Stewart, 1 week in Ft. Leavenworth, 1 week at Ft. Polk and there are still two schools to go before he deploys on Jan. 5th.

These are only the ones that stand out in my mind I am sure I missed at least one. As always there is more to come like Ranger School, Advance Course, etc....

Anyway enough of my ranting. Please don't say I told you so, or you knew when you married him or whatever you maybe thinking. I am fully aware of that, but you can't help who you love. I would chase him around the world or sit (maybe not so patiently) at home until he returns, and trying to be the best Army wife I can be. (no pun intended).

Room for Improvement

2008-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

I received the following in an e-mail from my Grandfather. I loved it so much that I decided to post it on my blog. It is a little lengthy but worth the read. I am challenging myself to focus on one of these at a time and by the end of the list maybe I will have a better life (not that it is bad just that there is always room for improvement). I have decided to focus more on the important things in life. So what if the house isn't spotless if I am working on myself, my families and my friends happiness. I challenge you to try it and see if it works as well.

A GOOD RECIPE FOR A GOOD LIFE

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to God about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement,

'My purpose is to __________ today. I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that

is manufactured in plants/factories.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli ,

almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past,

negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the

positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid

with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. GOD heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings.

You'll be smiling before you know it.

The Countdown Begins

2008-11-02T18:19:00.001-08:00

As of Wednesday we have exactly 2 months until Geoff heads off for mobilization. He will spend most of January at Ft. McClellan, Alabama, most of February at Camp Shelby, Mississippi and most of March at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. They will then head to Afghanistan late March early April. Of course this is all tentative. If you know anything about the Army it is nothing is ever final until after it has happened. I am not looking forward to spending all of 2009 without my wonderful husband. I am sure my friends and family will be glad for him to return in 2010. (I tend to be needy at times when Geoff is away; though I try very hard not to bother people sometimes I just can't help it.) Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging so far. I have had numerous people tell me to call them for anything I need. I can't believe the overwhelming support I have been given and it is still two months away!

For those of you that have known me when Geoff has spent time away you know how I don't deal with this very well. It usually consist of mood swings, crying and feeling sorry for myself. Well I just knew that a deployment would be much worse and honestly for years I have been dreading it. I could never see how I would be able to survive a deployment. Well things haven't been so bad so far. There are two things that are different that I never factored into the equation in the past. The first thing is Ellie. Ellie is the second love of my life and she gives me a reason to keep going and someone to love in Geoff's absence. She has helped me tremendously and I am so glad to have her. The second is God. He has come back into my life in the recent past. I was saved when I was a young child and then I went off to college straying from my beliefs. Then recently I have begun my spiritual walk again.

One day I was driving home from school and the new Carrie Underwood song "Just a Dream" came on and I just began to cry uncontrollably. I decided at that moment to turn all my feelings and fears over to God and have complete Faith in him through this trying time. At that exact moment I felt this feeling of complete peace and have had the same feeling over the past several weeks every time I begin feeling sad again. God is amazing and I have truly been touched by the hand of God! I don''t know how people who don't know the lord can handle times like this in their lives. I just pray that he will touch them too, especially all the wives and children that will be effected by this coming deployment.

Fairies and Camera Hogs

2008-10-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today, I decided to try to get a good picture of Ellie in her halloween costume to hand out to our family and friends. So I get Ellie all dressed up and Shay is sitting right next to me. I start taking Ellie's picture and Shay starts crying. I would turn the camera toward Shay and he would stop crying and smile. It was so funny, he did this three or four times. I had to get some pictures of it. Then later he was eating lunch and was getting very sleepy. I can't believe it but he actually feel asleep while I was feeding him. I would take his picture and his eyes would pop open and he would smile. I just had to laugh; he is so cute! Here is the documentation to prove it. Also here are some cute pictures of my little fairy in her halloween costume.

I thought this one was funny. She is like Come on Mom aren't you done yet!

Pumpkins and Gold

2008-10-20T10:31:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend doing all things that you can only do in the Fall. I love everything about the fall, the food (Yum, pumpkin bread), the decor, the weather, the events, etc...We went to the pumpkin farm, a corn maze, and Gold Rush. We had a blast and of course got lots of great pictures. Here are some of the best from the weekend. John took a few more great ones at gold rush. I will have to wait to post those till he sends them my way.

Cute Picture

2008-10-13T18:47:00.000-07:00

So Ellie is all smiles these days and I just had to post these pictures. It melts my heart every time I see this smile.

Cousins

2008-10-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

As most of you know my cousin Lynn and I were born on the same day 25 years ago on July 14th. Well this year on June 29th I had a little girl and not 24 hours later on June 30th my sister had a little girl. I have always loved having a cousin so close to my age and now my daughter will be able to have a cousin to share life with. We have tons of photos of Lynn and I as babies and now I am working on a collection of Ellie and her cousin Alyssa. Here are a few that we took the other day when Alyssa came to see us.

Alyssa

Weddings and Babies

2008-10-13T18:06:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was tons of fun. We got a lot accomplished but we had a lot of fun doing it. On Saturday I took engagement photo's for my sister and her fiance Nathan. They turned out great if I do say so myself. This is my favorite type of photography. I get to take pictures but it is also laid back and fun. Here are some of my favorites from the photo shoot.

I also took some of Britt by herself. I thought Nathan might like to have a good picture of her to frame. Here are my favorites of her mini- photo shoot. My beautiful sister Brittany!

After all the photo fun we went to Tam's backstage for a bridal shower for Brittany. She will be getting married in two weeks and I am excited to be her Matron of Honor. Here are a couple of pictures of my mom, sister and I.

Finally on Sunday we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house to see my cousin's new baby girl, Finley. She is so cute and already has grown a lot since mid-August when she was born. I am glad we finally got to see her before she is all grown up. Here we are with my cousins Charles, Brooke and Finley.

Cumming Fair

2008-10-07T06:42:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to the Cumming Fair with Pat, Mel, Shay, Jason, Sandy and Korey. We had a blast! It was a last minute decision to go and I am glad we did. We ate funnel cake, rode the ferris wheel, watched the pig races, went to the petting zoo, and played a couple games. Here are some pictures of Ellie's first trip to the fair.

View from the top of the Ferris Wheel.

Jason and Sandy eating funnel cake.

Jason and Ellie watching the pig races.

Pat, Mel and Shay feeding the Camel.

Nessa, Geoff and Ellie hanging out at the fair.

Daddy and Ellie having fun.

Mom, dad and Ellie on her first Ferris Wheel ride.

Ellie loves the Carebear Daddy won for her.

Mom and Ellie riding the Ferris Wheel.

Pat, Mel and Shay riding the Ferris Wheel. Shay wasn't so sure about it.

Pat and Mel thanks for inviting us; we had a blast!

All Smiles and Some Laughs

2008-10-02T06:29:00.001-07:00

Ellie is all smiles these days. Geoff and I are loving it. Here are some smiles we caught on camera in the past few days.

She also seems to have a million funny faces. Here are just a few.

I LOVE YOU!

2008-09-14T11:43:00.001-07:00

I decided I need to brag on the people I love the most in this world and the people that make my life so wonderful.

GEOFF- my wonderful husband. He is so kind and works so hard to give Ellie and I the best life we can possibly have. I know that everything he does, he does for us. Sometimes I wish he would slow down and just spend a little down time with us but I know that working as hard as he does is just his way of saying I love you.

ELLIE- our precious baby girl. She is such a great baby and is so sweet. She of course has her moments but over all we could not ask for a better baby. I love her so much!

MY GIRLFRIENDS- Jen, Melanie, Kristen, Kirstin, Sandy, and Kim! I love each of them very much and love to hang out with them. I know they are always there for me when I need them and I hope they know I will always be there for each of them!

MY MOM- she has been so great since Ellie has been born. She loves Ellie to death and is always willing to help us out and give advice when I need it. I can count on her to help me through these uncharted waters and I love know I have her on my side.

I got the link to do this from Pat's blog. It is pretty awesome. Thanks Pat!

Shopping, Shopping, Shopping

2008-09-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

If you don't already know, I love to shop! Especially with my girlfriends Jen, Mel, Kristen, Kir,stin Sandy, and Kim. Shopping is one of my favorite past times. I don't always have to spend money to enjoy shopping (however nine times out of ten I do spend some money). Today I thought I was going to be working in the yard and on the basement and I surprisingly ended up shopping. Ellie and I went with Mel and Shay to the outlet malls. I probably spent too much money but oh well! I always feel relaxed and stress free after shopping for a little while.

The rest of the day has been great too. Geoff, Ellie and I all slept late, and then played in the bed for a while (Ellie is smiling so much now, we love to just watch her play). We got up and went to Waffle House. That is where we ran in to Pat, Mel and Shay and decided to go shopping. Later this evening we will be headed to church. I love going to church, it really gets my week started out right. I am also enjoying meeting all the new people at church. I am excited to make some new friends and maybe some new shopping partners.

Things have been great having Geoff home unexpectedly. He did not end up going to Ft. Benning and I love it. I know he will have to go eventually but here and now it is great to have him home.

I am not looking forward to tomorrow. Ellie is going to spend the night with Granny Kathy. I am going to miss her so much!

Ellie's first hiking trip

2008-09-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the family went on a hiking trip up Mt. Yonah. We had a blast and it was absolutely beautiful! Then we played putt putt in Helen. Ellie won of course!

It just makes me laugh!

2008-08-20T10:25:00.001-07:00

I caught Ellie in a big smile this morning. She has been in a great mood for 2 days in a row. I am hoping that this continues. I think this picture is just so cute. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

Well I guess while I am on here I will tell you a little about what is going on. This is my third week keeping the babies while Mel works at school. This coming Monday is my first day to teach and I am excited and nervous all at the same time. I have really enjoyed keeping Shay and Ellie. There have been times where I thought I was going to go insane, but there have been just as many fun times too (this picture is proof of that). I am just so glad that we have this opportunity to spend time with our children. We will never get these years back and I am loving it while it is here.

I love everything about being a mother (except maybe washing bottles and changing poop), but there are some things I miss about my old life. One is hanging out with my friends anytime I want to. I miss them very much and I want to see them more. Last night we went to see a movie and I had so much fun. I am so glad they are so wonderful. I will soon be able to figure out how to see them more and have Ellie ( if not by choice, by necessity for my sanity when Geoff leaves in a few weeks). I know that they are always there for me and I am so thankful for that. Well time to feed Ellie!

Cool Video

2008-08-01T17:18:00.000-07:00

Check out this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiGKWoJi5qM&feature=email

Ellie's first bath

2008-07-17T10:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday July 12th Ellie got her first bath. Check out the photo's they are pretty funny.

Getting ready to take a bath!

First splash of water!

Okay this isn't so bad!

Extremely happy but crazy

2008-07-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

Well I haven't written in a while and as you might guess it is because Ellie was born!!!!!!! She is so beautiful and I just love her to death. She was born at 1:59p.m. on June 29th. It was one crazy day after pushing for 1 hour and 45 min and then having a c-section, but it was all worth it in the end. I had some great support in the hospital. My wonderful husband never left my side, my mom stuck it out until we went in for the c-section, and Christine Barnes a nurse and wonderful friend was there to help me through. I don't think I would have made it without them. Then waiting in the waiting room for hours and hours was everyone that I love most in this world. They all stuck it out with me for hours waiting on baby Ellie! It meant so much to me that they were all there. We are home now and recovering well. We are learning together and getting use to our new life style. She is a lot if work and Geoff and I are going on very little sleep but I never knew I could love someone so much that just came into my life. I am so excited about our life and all the great things we will be able to share with our angel.

Through these last few weeks Geoff has really showed me how much he loves me and what he would be willing to do for me. He started it all off with upgrading my wedding ring. He took the old diamond out and had it made into a necklace and put a new much larger stone in my ring. He gave it to me on the way to the hospital and he made me cry. It is so beautiful, I just love it so much. I don't deserve such a beautiful ring or such a great husband. Then in the hospital he was there by my side the whole time. He got me everything I needed and helped me do all the things that are so difficult after abdominal surgery. After we made it home he continued to stick by my side and helping me with all the things that are difficult. He also never complained about all the places we needed to go and all the people we needed to see. Everyone wanted to see Ellie and we stayed on the move or with company pretty much all the time in the first few weeks. I absolutely loved having him home with us. He went back to work yesterday and Ellie and I really miss him. I am sure he is happy to be back to work, he always says he has to go to work to get any rest. Ellie and I love him with all our hearts!!!!

3 Years!!!!!!!

2008-06-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

On July 25th, 2005 Geoff and I got married. So this July we will have been married for 3 years. This is not a great milestone (like 10, 25, or 50 years) or anything but none the less I love to celebrate each year we get to spend together. We have had so many great memories and times. I am looking forward to many many more in the future. I decided to make a little video (I am not a computer whiz or anything so be kind) of some moments from our first 3 years. With Ellie well on her way we may not get to celebrate our anniversary like we would like this year. Check out the video on our web gallery at

http://gallery.mac.com/gtmiller21#100167

So here is to Geoff, the love of my life and my best friend. Happy early anniversary, baby!!!! We have had some great times just the two of us and I am looking forward to all the great moments to come for the three of us.

Deployment on the horizon

2008-06-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

So I know that deployment is still a while away but it is hard not to think about it. Geoff says I think (worry) about it to much and that I just need to enjoy the time we have together now. He is right but I like to see it more as preparing for it. I have a hundred questions and worries about the time when Geoff will be away. I think most of the worries stem from not know how I will be as a mom and then just 2 months into being a mom I will have to be a single mom at least during the week. Then in April I will be a single mom for a year while Geoff is in Afghanstan. Hopefully some things will be better after Ellie gets here. If nothing else I won't have time to worry about it when she gets here. Anyway, I have been researching on the internet some blogs and stuff on how to cope with deployment and how to make it easier for both Ellie and myself. Nothing I have read has claimed to make it any easier but there have been a lot of ideas on how to make it through. I especially liked this blog of the wife of a retired Marine.

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/10/27/210718.php

She is straight forward and honest but helpful. I just keep reminding myself that many many wives before me and many after me will all make it through. I just hope I have the strength to be one of them.

Ellie's Almost Here

2008-06-10T13:16:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! We are getting so close. Ellie is almost here. We have been working hard to get her room finished and all her things ready for her to use. We have the swing, car seat, stroller and bouncy seat ready to go. We also have her crib and other stuff in her nursery. Check out the pictures below of her room. I love it. All thats left are a few odds and ends and some decor on the walls. My mom is painting polka dots on letters that spell her name and I am in search of the perfect picture for the other wall that I haven't found yet. Thank you to all of you who made this possible. Ellie will be set thanks to all of you.

Geoff at NTC continued

2008-05-30T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here is the update from California. He hasn't been able to write as often because of not having service on his phone. Just about one more week left and he will be home. YAH!!! Don't forget

- = P.

If anything happens with Ellie and I and I don't have the ability to call. This is how you get in touch with Geoff (if he doesn't answer his cell phone):

Call the Red Cross and tell them the situation and tell them you need Geoffrey Miller and this is where he is: B troop 1st squadron 108 RSTA roster number mil6619 FOB Dallas NV470982 FT Irwin CA

5-26-2008

The -ast few days have been interesting. First we had medical training on the 23rd. We learned a new way to control bleeding that was discovered by s-ecial o-erations forces. Its cool to know something that big Army hasn't found out about. We also watched videos on the royal marines in afghanistan which was neat. We've gotton several briefs on Afghanistan and what to ex-ect in real cobat. Some of the SF guys have had 3 tours in afghanistan so they have a lot of knowledge we really want to hear. On the 24th we went to our convoy livefire area. We did a cou-le of dry runs. We then went to a mortor range and fired mortors, 240b, and .50 cal machine guns. It was a great feeling to just get out of the truck and start shooting. Normally when we are not with SF we have to go through a ton of useless safety stuff. This is when Dusty and I climbed the mountain to call you. Yesterday, the 24th we went to our convoy livefire range. My SF team let me run the livefire mission which was great. We waited for the night mission for five hours and then the range got canceled. We got a helment camcorder from our SF Commander. We tried to film our livefire but had tech difficulties. We have it figured out now so we should be able to get some cool footage. I want to get some footage of a direct action hit on an enemy com-ound. We'll see. The highlight of my day was talking to the SF sni-ers about shooting and reloading. These are the only guys in the Army that actually know what they are talking about. Right now we're growing beards and wearing desert camo uniforms to start getting into our roles of host-nation forces that are getting trained by SF. On our FTX we will fight with SF just like host nation forces. Today was a recovery day and we drove HMMWVs to the Commisary and -X. I got yelled at by a LTC with a bad attitide for -arking our vehicles in the wrong area. What a tool bag. Like we maliciously -arked in the wrong area. Anyway, maybe we can get some cool video footage. That's what's going on. Ho-e you're having a good time and I'll talk to you soon.

5-30-2008

Hello! Here's the lowdown. We arrived at our forward o-erating base yesterday just afternoon. We moved in 26 vehicle convoy for about an hour. It's very dusty. When I check my G-S I have to clear the dust off so I can read it. Everybody was mad when we got here because of the conditions but it's no worse than anywhere else. It's another tent but just a little smaller. The cow at the fob is better than it was in the other area but still army food. We got out of bed this morning at 4am to hel- an active duty unit. We were ther security element in a city called four corners. They have hired 250 actual iraqi contractors to live there. When we rolled in there was a huge mass casualty situation. There were real am-utees acting as the wounded soldiers and civilians. It was a little disturbing but realistic. I sent my HMMWV and another one to the front of the city and the other two to the back. All of the gunners were shooting bad guys and I took a stack of dudes into a house and killed two dudes. Josh Lasley got shot by a sni-er and one of our vehicles got hit by an IED. Everyone reacted well and we out-erformed the active duty guys by far. The SF team was im-ressed and Mays got the two back vehicles on helmet-cam. Tomorrow we have a quick reaction force mission so it should be chill unless Danny gets lit u-. Dusty is at a different fob so we haven't seen him in a few days. Our new commander wants me to stay here in B troo-. The commander of the 48th BDE came by looking for me today to talk to me about it but I was out on a mission. I've never had an 0-6 trying to find me. Ho-efully this will set me u- for a com-any command. I want to command an embedded training team when we de-loy if we don't go as a com-any. If I did that I would only have 16 dudes but we would get an Afghani Batallion to train and fight with. Anyway, more about that later. I'll try to find some service tomorrow and give you a call.

Geoff at NTC

2008-05-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

Here are some e-mails that Geoff has sent me from NTC in California. If your interested they are pretty detailed about what all they have been up to out there. P.S. the P key on his blackberry is stuck so anytime you see a - it is in the place of the letter P.

Day 1

We left the armory this morning at 0730 and got to the air-ort around 0930. We went to a cargo bay near the air-ort and boarded a 737. Our two units filled u- the whole aircraft. We landed in Dalla TX around 1200. We took off again and flew into nowhere CA, drove 2hrs across the desert and arrived here at NTC. Our bus had no AC which was interesting in the 100+ degree heat. We un-acked our stuff and the meetings began. Five meetings later it's time to walk half a mile to the latrine and shave. It looks like we'll be here in a big tent for a week, in the all-out combat area for a week and then back here. I met my s-ecial forces guy and he seems cool. They have lots of technology that we'll get before we mobilize so I can't wait to learn how to use it to it's full ca-ability. We had a guy forget his helmet but other than that we are so far so good. More tomorrow, lots of sni-er training so that will be cool. Take care of yourself and ellie!  Love Geoff

Day 2

Our tents have dro- cords where we can charge stuff. We have air conditioning in our o-erations center so for our big meeting each day at 1800 we get AC.. We're going to the field for our second week so we'll be moving. Right now we get two hot meals of yum army food and an MRE for lunch. The showers and the outdoor chow hall are literally a half mile from our tent so this adds a degree of difficulty and need for time management. It looks like a shower every few days will have to work. It seems like I have brought everything I need so that is good. Right now we are going to mandatory briefings for our training area and getting our vehicles equi--ed with miles gear, which is like high-tech laser tag. Tomorrow we start on ranges so we're very anxious to get out and actually do something. On the way in yesterday I saw a dust devil, which is a dust tornado. Evidently these are common but I had never heard of one. It turns out that our bus from the air-ort was the only one withot AC. I ho-e you are right about it cooling off. We're ready for it. Dusty, Danny and I had a bible study this morning on James cha-ter 1 and 2. Ho-efully we can maintain this throughout but we'll see. We're all somewhat miserable right now but our bodies will adjust. I love you and I will call you later.

Day 4

We did medical training most of the day today. It was still 99 but it felt a lot better than yesterday's 105. Ihaven't been slee-ing very well I assume because of the full moon. Maybe tonight will be better. We're doing urban stuff tomorrow so it should be really good training. The SF guys are fun but they like -lanning as they go which causes huge issues for us. Their command doesn't have to re-ort to higher like we do. Our commander is freaking out because we have 2 SM- cadets here with us. He said if they got hurt we could go to jail. I told him he was wrong but he doesn't understand. This will cause heated discussion tomorrow for sure. I may have to break out the regs on him. He also works for recruiting and retention command so he should know better. My guys are doing well with aquisitioning our missing items. We were missing wea-ons mounts and antennas for our HMMWVs but after it got dark they majically found their way to our vehicles. We're ready to roll in the morning now with no issues. I'm more than ready for the livefire we have coming soon. Ammo allocation is always a nightmare but it will be woth it. There's nothing like seeing the results of years of training all at one time with real bullets and real holes in targets. It turns out we will be fighting with SF during our FTX like we are afghan nation army soldiers. They're asking us to grow beards and wear different uniforms. This should increase morale if our command will -lay along. I miss you and ellie belly. Stay busy and I will be home before you know it. I love you and will try to call tomorrow.

Quiet Monday

2008-05-05T17:47:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day. I went to work and helped with cheerleading tryouts. I really like the idea of being able to help when I feel like it and not having to be there all the time. Then I thought I was going to have to stay for the 5th grade open house but the other teachers told me to go home since I wasn't going to be at Davis next year. I had an IEP today that the parents weren't able to come to so I just sent the paperwork home. I also got a really nice compliment from our assistant principal. She said she really wished I wasn't leaving Davis and that if I wasn't she would have offered me the head of the SPED department job. I would not want that job but I was definitely stunned by what that meant. I have only been a teacher for a year and a half and she wants to promote me to department head already. I felt like that was really saying a lot. I just hope I can make as good of an impression at Chestatee next year. So I got to come home early and spend a quiet evening with Geoff. We had some Moe's for dinner and just hung out some. He made me waffles for breakfast on our new waffle maker. We learned that even though the waffle maker is non-stick you really should still use cooking spray. The first waffle did not come out so good but the second was very yummy. A couple of weeks ago he decided he wanted to make breakfast for us everyday before work and I have absolutely loved it. We get to spend some time together in the morning and it starts my day of great. He is so sweet for doing that for me. This past weekend was great too. It was a drill weekend and usually I hate them but this one wasn't' bad. I worked and then went to meet Geoff at John and Jen's house where we stayed and dog sat Saturday night. John and Jen were really nice for letting us stay at their house. It really helped Geoff out not to have to drive but still be able to spend some time with me, Hailey, and Holly. We also went to a Guard bonfire. It was fun and very interesting as usually (those guys are really different from what I am use too). Sunday I slept late. I missed church and that makes me sad but I just couldn't swing it this week. Then I picked Geoff up from drill (early amazingly enough). We headed home and since are AC isn't working our wonderful friends Pat and Mel let us come eat dinner with them in their cool house. They even cooked our food for us so our house wouldn't get hot, aren't they awesome. I am excited about tomorrow night because we get to watch baby Shay while Pat and Mel go out for an evening. I really truly love Shay and he makes me so excited about Ellie. Well that's enough about my boring life. I am sure everyone gets tired of hearing about how great my friends and husband are.

I am a big sister AGAIN!!!!!!

2008-04-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Check out our web gallery for more pictures of my baby brother Cole. He arrived today April 26th. Mom and baby are both doing good. I am here at the hospital. I will be updating the web gallery as we take more pictures. He was delivered by c-section so we haven't gotten to hold him yet.

http://gallery.mac.com/gtmiller21#gallery

When you get to the web gallery double click on the picture labeled Cole's Birthday.

Ellie

2008-04-21T14:34:00.000-07:00

We just got back from the doctor and my 28 week appointment. We had an ultrasound and all seems well. Ellie is a big baby measuring in the 85th percentile. They say she is measuring a week ahead of schedule. The midwife said that doesn't really mean anything about when she is going to come though. It may have just been an early growth spurt. Her heart rate was 137, and kidneys, bladder, and other organs all looked good. I still have a low lying placenta, however it not sever enough to be Placenta Previa. The midwife took me off my restrictions :) YEA!!!!! She said the only thing that the low lying placenta may cause is a C-section, which I mean whatever as long as Ellie is safe and healthy. They will do another ultrasound on May 16th to see if that will be necessary. Here are some of the ultrasound pictures.

The top picture is of her face. It is side ways but very detailed. It is really cool to see her distinct facial features. The bottom one shows that she is still a girl!

Week of friends and family

2008-04-19T20:00:00.000-07:00

Let me just say how wonderful my friends and family are. They really watch out for me especially when Geoff is out of town. Pat and Mel let me eat dinner with them 3 nights in a row. Jen, Sandy, Kristen and Kirstin meet me for dinner and a little shopping on Thursday. I had a wonderful dinner with Papa, Carol, Terry and Allen on Friday. Tonight I went out with the best 6 girls I know. Mel, Jen, Kristen, Amanda, Sandy, and Kirstin for Kirstin's bachelorette party. We ate at the melting pot which was loads of fun and delicious. We then went back to Kristen's for Jen's famous chocolate fondue. I love hanging out with them. They truly are the best friends anyone could ask for. I really don't know what I would do without them. I know Ellie will love each and every one of them as much as I do. I am really excited right now because Geoff comes home tomorrow. I have missed him terribly, but luckily as I said before I have had plenty to do to keep me occupied. I like being busy when he is gone, so I don't sit home and miss him. The time goes by much faster. Well I am heading to bed so tomorrow will be here sooner.

Weddings and Babies

2008-04-12T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today we went to my cousin Brian's wedding. It was very nice. Everything went smoothly and they were extremely happy. I was even able to catch my great uncle doing the twist. Of coarse you have to know Uncle Lanier. He is the uncle who claims he taught my cousins and I how to pick our nose. He is a funny and lovable guy. I also received some pics of baby Madison today. Check out all that red hair.

Baby Madison

Sleeping with dad. Wow I can't believe Paul's a dad.

Brian and Lindsey dancing at their wedding.

Great Uncle Lanier and Great Aunt Edith getting down.

Geoff and I at Brian and Lindsey's Wedding.

A Crazy Day

2008-04-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

The outside of our hotel, The Sheraton Read House. It was a beautiful hotel with many quaint details.

The inside of our hotel. It had beautifully carved detailing on the ceiling.

Geoff sitting on a train in Chattanooga.

Me at the Chattanooga Choo Choo

Yesterday was a crazy, but great day. We woke up in Chattanooga after a great but short trip. After checking out we made our voyage across GA to Athens. We first went to the hospital to see baby Madison. She was born on Tuesday April 8th around 1:55 p.m. Her parents (our friends) Paul and Christina Tremblay were doing great and couldn't have been happier. She is adorable. We got to spend a little time with them and see the new baby. It was great seeing them, we haven't seen them in so long. After leaving the hospital we went to my dad's house. We saw baby Cole's new room and all his cute baby stuff. I know he is going to be a great little brother. I am very excited about him coming into this world. He isn't due until May 17th. Hopefully he won't come until then. While we were there last night Brande was really sick. She ended up in the hospital with a very serious infection. The doctor says that she will be fine but she will probably have to stay another night. He also said that it isn't effecting Cole in anyway. Keep them in your prayers, that everything continues to go smoothly. After finally making it home, after a long day of visiting and driving, poor Geoff had to do school work until after midnight. I know he is exhausted. Our Chattanooga trip was restful but definitely not long enough. Well its been a great spring break so far, it has just gone by way to fast.

SPRING BREAK

2008-04-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

YEAH! It is spring break. I just got home and its Friday afternoon. I don't have to be back to work until the 14th. I am really excited about spending some time with Geoff. He is taking Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday off of work just to spend time with me. Isn't he a great husband! We are going to go to Chattanooga Tuesday and Wednesday. I am really looking forward to time away. We spend a lot of time together at home but we always have something going on video games, school work, internet, watching shows online, housework. We always have a blast when we go out of town together. I remember how much fun we had the time he suprised me for my birthday and flew us to St. Augustine, FL. It was one of the best presents ever. It was just for the weekend but we had a great time just walking around and hanging out. I am also looking forward to not thinking about IEP's for a week. Our coordinator came and told us all the things we have been doing wrong on our IEP's today. She is very picky, luckily we don't have to redo any we just have to do it from here on out. I only have 5 more meetings to lead and 4 more IEP's to write. Well I off to enjoy some much needed time off.

Feeling a little guilty

2008-03-25T17:40:00.000-07:00

Today was an okay day. My back is hurting like crazy. Every night when I get home it always hurts no matter what I do. I cannot wait until Miss. Ellie gets here. I really don't like being pregnant. Other than that it was a good day. School was rather painless, however for some reason I wanted to leave asap. I don't usually watch the clock so much but today I was ready to go. I don't have any IEP meetings this week (well ones that I am in charge of, I still have to attend some) so that makes it a little less stressful. I am nervous about a test that Mel and I have to take this Saturday. I am sure we will both do great but you know how big test are just nerve racking. We had dinner with John and Jen tonight, that was fun as usually. We had to do the big switch the lawn mower for the carpet cleaner (there I go again sounding old).

The weekend was good. I really enjoyed having a day off. I needed it although I probably did to much and that is why I am hurting and I am so tired today. I am looking forward to spring break. I know all the teachers and kids at school need the long break. I am not however looking forward to Geoff leaving again on April 14th. I seriously miss him and hate for him to be away. He told me a few days ago that his unit wanted him to go to Pathfinder school on July 17th. I feel really bad because I asked him not to go. I know that that school is hard to get and he may never get it again. I have never asked him not to do something Army related before. I mean don't get me wrong I have done my share of complaining about stuff he is doing but I have never flat out said don't do this. I only asked him not to because of Ellie. I am so afraid that I could not handle him being gone for 2 weeks a week after Ellie is born. I know that there will be times when I have to handle it all by myself but atleast that will be a few months into being a mom. I am scared enough of being a good mom that I don't think I can do it alone atleast not that soon. I know he understands and has been good about it but I also know he is disappointed. He wants to be here and there at the same time and that is just not possible. I guess when you have more than just the two of you, you must sacrfice some things you would other wise do. I think this was the right decision even if I feel guilty about it. Ellie and I need him and I not so sure we could do it without him. I hope he isn't too made at me.

Well thats enough for tonight.

New to this

2008-03-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I felt left out. All my friends have blogs and they all read each others blogs. I guess it is my turn now. I am really not so sure that I have anything interesting to say, but hey I may suprise myself.

I guess I should start by introducing myself (is that what I am supposed to do? ) My name is Vanessa and I think I have a life as close to perfect as possible. I have the most wonderful husband Geoff that I can always count on and whom I love very much. I would do anything for him even if he doesn't always think so. I am 24 weeks pregnant with our first child. Its a girl! I am so excited I can't hardly wait for her to get here. We are going to name her Ellie Kate. I pray everyday for her safe delivery and health.
I have a great job with people who really care about me and some AWESOME friends. Through out this pregnancy they have all really been there for me. The doctor has put me on "restrictions" and I have been on bed rest a little. They have all been great, helping me and making sure I don't do to much.
Two of my friends, Pat and Mel, just had the cutest baby boy. Shay is such a cute baby, I only hope Ellie is half as cute and sweet as he is. They live next door and Mel and I plan to job share next year so we can have some time with our babies. I am really looking forward to job sharing, but I guess I have to get through this year first.
I am a teacher and I love my job. I teach 6th grade and I have some great kids this year. I teach special education (but not the type of kids you might think of when you hear that, mostly ADHD and minor learning disabilities). It is IEP season and that makes things a little stressful. IEP's are 9-10 page documents that we have to write on each of our kids that follow them to the next grade and decribe their disability. They are a great thing for the kids, but a pain in the butt for me. Yesterday I had my second IEP of 8 for the season. It went well. I love when I have understanding parents who care about their children.
Well one thing that you might notice about me is that I am always planning for the future. Sometimes I plan to much and I drive Geoff crazy. Lately, I have been trying to plan less because the other day I came to the realization that I am wishing Geoff, Ellie and my life away. I need to learn to live more in the moment and enjoy where I am now. I have been working on it, but I am not so sure I am doing such a great job with it yet.
Today was a great day. I went to work till noon (at the storage unit- my weekend job) and then spent the rest of the day with my hubby. I really enjoyed this because just last weekend he got back from a 13 day army school. I miss him so much when he is gone, I love having him home. We got new patio furniture today (Wow, that makes us sound old) anyway we are excited about enjoying some of this beautiful weather we have been having.

Well I guess thats enough for now, I never imagined I could think of that many things to write about. I guess we will see now if anyone else thinks it is interesting to read.