The Wonders of a Patient Husband

My poor husband.

For the past three days I have been the most cranky, impatient, awful person to be around. I've been short, getting extremely annoyed at anything and everything, even if it's normally something that doesn't bother me, maybe I even think it's funny. But NO, not now, everything is aweful. It's not just with Dan either, today I got upset with my stairway for having too many spiderwebs on it. At the time, it seemed perfectly rational!!

I'm just now starting to really realize the wonders and extent of Dan's patience. But at the same time, it frustrates me! The more absurd I become, the quieter and more patient Dan'l becomes.

Somebody needs to tell Dan it's supposed to go the opposite way.

But, thankfully, it doesn't seem too hard for Dan to keep it up. It's just his personality. God's given him such a sweet and temperate spirit, and I'm thankful He gave the man I married that kind of durability. Goodness knows this isn't the last time this mental/emotional/hormonal breakdown will happen with me, and I know as long as I'm trying my best, Dan will be happy. He doesn't expect very much from me, and for that I'm thankful too.

God has given me a man who utterly surpasses all that I've ever needed. I don't deserve such a wonderful life partner, but God in His infinite grace has seen fit to bless me with someone who is after His own heart.

Thank you, Lord, for giving me Dan'l.




And, since I know this is inevitable...
No. I am not pregnant.

:-)

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Happy Birthday to you...happy birthday to you...happy birthday dear Hayden, happy birthday to you!

You were rough to bring into the world but you are SO worth it to your mommy and daddy!
Chris had a rough pregnancy, to say the least. She was in a hospital in Denver for about two weeks before she finally made it to where they were comfortable sending her back to the hospital where her OB/GYN practiced. She had very low amniotic fluid, so she learned to get very good at putting the fetal heart monitor on herself. By the end of the hospital stay she probably could have been a practicing OB/GYN I think.

This day a year ago, I was on my way to coach my volleyball team when I FINALLY got a hold of Terry, her boyfriend. I had been trying to get a hold of them for several hours, since I hadn't been able to stop by for a few days. The first thing I hear on the phone is "she had the baby." No "Hi," "what's up" or "how's it going?".... I started to turn the car around and head back the direction of the hospital, but he started saying that she'd had to have a C-section, and that she was still in recovery. So we agreed I would come visit when my practice was over.

Later, I learned she'd tried to deliver him naturally, but was unsuccessful in progressing the way she needed to. After 12 hours of horrible back labor, they finally decided they would take her to have a C-section. A little bit later, Hayden Michael Kinser was born!

Here are some pictures of Chris and Terry throughout her pregnancy, and of Hayden up till now.

Chris and Terry's pregnancy pictures I took when she was almost 8 months pregnant.

They love each other!

Love on the baby, even before he's born!

A beautiful pregnant woman

Kiss the baby!

He's finally here!

A month premature, his hat barely stayed on his head!

But now, he's big and strong!

And likes to play with his feet...

And clap his hands...

She will kill me for saying this, but Chris is one of the strongest people I know. In a big way, this first birthday of your son is a testament to your tenacity and strength, to raise a son under less than ideal circumstances, when a LOT of people you knew left you stranded because they didn't agree with the choices you'd made, when you needed support from them the most. But you stood strong and didn't cave under the pressure to do what most teenaged girls in your position would do. Not only that, but you became a wonderful mom, who would do anything for her child and tries her best to care for him in the way that is right. You deserve a lot of respect on this day, too... so treat yourself to a piece of cake, a scoop of ice cream, and a kiss from your baby boy. I love you, and miss you all the way up north.

Happy birthday to Hayden, and happy being-a-wonderful-mother day to you, Chris. :)

Control of the Battlefield Begins Here!!!

Well, that's Cape Canaveral's motto...
Yesterday I got to go with Dan to see where he would be working for the next for years. At first we had to sit through a REALLY long series of briefings (and after not getting an inch of sleep last night, I was struggling, to say the least), but after that we got to go on a bus and ride to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is about 12 miles north of Patrick, where we were having the hideous briefings. That wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be (claustrophobia. Are you serious? How do I contort myself in all sorts of directions to get into a 2x2 space behind the dryer and not be claustrophobic, but I get claustrophobic on a bus?) so I busied myself taking pictures!
We had a really old guy on the bus who was our tour guide. It was about time for him to retire, but he was really sweet. Unfortunately, the mike on the tour bus wasn't working, so only the people up front (which included us) got to hear him talking about the different buildings. The lady in front of us asked what a particular building was, and he stuttered and said "Uh...uh...uh...we don't talk about that." Well, I guess that building's secret.
We got to get out of the bus and walk around at several places, and I snapped a lot of pictures! Here are some of my faves.

Heads up: I never edited the sky in any of these pictures...the sky is always that blue!

Meet Reginald!

This is Dan's attempt at taking a picture of me being goofy. My Camera is rather picky, you have to get it just right or things will be completely white washed. Ahem. Good job for trying!

This is the handle where Godzilla, the Yeti, and Bigfoot grab Reginald to throw him into orbit. Dan calls it an air vent.

Dan being studly...as always. *whistle*

A wreath to commemorate the 3 astronauts lost in the Apollo 1 fire.

I thought this was cool.


The view from atop the control room that controlled the Apollo rocket. I love Florida.

The only lighthouse the Air Force owns. It's kind of beautiful.



This is where Dan thinks he will be working. Unfair. But hey, at least my man is a rocket scientist. ;)


This is a capsule that re-entered the atmosphere, and basically acted like a meteor. This is the pattern the fire left on the bottom of it. Cool!


This is the same capsule, it would fit two astronauts in it for 13 days. Can anyone say "colostomy" and "catheter?"


The view on the way home. Ahhh, this is the life. Florida has the best cloud formations, besides Hawaii. :)


The Control Room for the Apollo 1 Mission

Since posting all those pictures has taken me a good hour, it is time for the apartment to be cleaned. We have decided we can't call the apartment a house, as in, "let's go back to the house," so we've decided to call it "The Hovel." It fits it quite well!

Oh, and for some more good news...We are getting me some couches. Some RED couches. YES....I've wanted them since I saw them at a friend's house when we visited in June, and they are selling them now. Woot! Merry Christmas to me! Hahaha...well, I hear some grapefruit calling my name (so much for apartment cleaning)...

We Love To See You Smile

What does one title a first post on a blog anyway? Well, we DO love to see you smile, and I just had a random craving for McDonald's, thus triggering the flashback to old Mackey D's commercials. I digress.

Well! Me and Dan are officially settled in Florida. Dan had his first day of work today, and I watched a friend's baby for a good chunk of the morning. Things are nice here, besides the humidity that immediately whisks all traces of cosmetic off your face the moment you step outside. So much for looking our best!
The apartment is wonderful. Its big, 1200 square feet, and has two bedrooms (come visit!). I'll post pictures when there are officially no more boxes. I did take before and after pictures, so you get to see the transformation!
The new apartment is quite a bit of a downgrade from what we had in GA, so we are having to use every little nook and cranny to fit all our stuff. My kitchen is absolutely crammed, but I'm realizing the greatness of having a small kitchen: less walking and reaching, more grilling and flipping of delicious 93% lean beef patties that were $2 from the base commissary. Yes, I'm serious.
Yesterday, we joined a church! It's a rather large church, I'm guessing probably around 1200 people attend Sunday Mornings, but I don't have the feel that I'm being swallowed (Jonah, for instance) by the crowd. We weren't expecting to join at all Sunday night, but the preacher was pretty awesome. I admire him for some of the stuff he said. Lets just say I'm surprised there weren't bright red tomatoes all over his suit after he was done. Anyway, that was the youth pastor preaching....we like the Senior pastor a lot too though. ;)
I think Dan's favorite part so far is probably the pool we have at the complex. It's a very well maintained pool, so it doesn't feel like you're swimming in bleach, but its not slimy either. There's also a running trail he just discovered today, I think he's looking forward to trying that out. We also have a work out room, tennis courts, and a fishing lake all in the complex. I have to say...there's SO much more to do here than there was in Georgia. AKA; "What? There's an actual park here? Like, that we could eat at?" Yeah! There is! Right in the apartment complex! ...moving on.
Meanwhile, our house in GA is still sitting there, wondering who it can be a home to. Anyone? ANYONE? (see; Ferris Beuller's Day Off)
I am looking for a job, as a result of aforementioned house lying in wait. I am heavily leaning toward either Emergency Department Tech (EMT that works in the ER), or watching a baby in my house. Hopefully I can get some hours that will allow me to continue to have the amount of time to spend with Dan as I do now.
Well, that was a lot to fill everyone in on. BUT, alas, it is time for BBQ chicken to be cooked...and there will probably be pictures of that later as well.

Roger that.
Ashlee and Dan,
Aka, the Dashlee's