It's crazy how things can change in just a matter of days. The last time I blogged we were pulling our offer on the house and the transmission in my car had taken a turn for the worst. Over the past four days we have managed to get into a new car, and potentially keep our offer on the house (more on this later). I've also found a strength in my marriage that was never ignited before. This past week was the first time that Justin and I were faced with multiple cases of chaos while being parents, but I really do believe we handled ourselves very well. Not to mention from Tuesday-Wednesday Justin had a twenty-four hour duty and he spent 38 hours awake before sleeping a wink. The lesson I learned is that no matter how many trials or tribulations I go through with my husband, we will always come out stronger and together. It is the best feeling in the world to know that we conquer the stresses of life well!

A few days ago, the builder for the home we put an offer on told us he'd be buying our rate down to the original numbers. On top of that, the builder installed custom blinds and added a refrigerator to the home. We honestly didn't think that our rescission would be counteracted, but now that it has.... we are in a very tough spot. I was extremely upset about not getting this house... and now that it's a possibility again, I don't know if I can take another hiccup. This entire home buying process has caused my stomach to stay in knots. It really is one of the hardest procedures I have ever been apart of. We sit down with our listing agent today to go over the new numbers and such. Hopefully we figure something out soon.

The new car is nothing short of fantastic. I normally don't get caught up in materialistic stuff, but I am glad and grateful for the new upgrade. Here's a look at our new dodge journey! It's a third row seater, and it's pulled all the stops you could imagine on an SUV. The only negative to this car is the trunk size, but the third row can be pulled down, which helps with space. This picture was taken with my new Canon T5i! I'm learning all about the manual mode, so excuse the light!

Speaking of my Canon T5i, be on the lookout for an entirely new blog from me. Aside from being a wife, mother, and student, I have my own hobbies. Photography has definitely started to become my favorite. With the camera upgrade, a lens upgrade, and determination to take quality photos of my family, I'm excited to see where this journey takes me. I'm also excited to document it for all of my blog readers. The blog is still under construction, but I'm hoping to share the link with you guys late next week. I will still continue to post everyday happenings and parenting tidbits on this blog, but I wanted to dedicate a new blog entirely to photography and my growth. Here's hoping it all goes well! 

Happy Friday all! 

♥- Leilani

Kicking deployment's butt !

We are currently sitting at the tail end of deployment and my emotions are ALL over the place. I'm nervous, I'm excited, I'm sensitive, the list could go on. This post is pregnancy aside, strictly my feelings and my thoughts about reintegrating with Justin and deployment in general. This entire deployment has been such a learning experience for me and for my marriage. We had to learn how to communicate efficiently with 7,000 miles sitting between us. We had to learn how to communicate without Justin being able to disclose his everyday duties or situations where he could have potentially been in harms way. And we had to find a way to communicate on Justin's bad days. It's not easy talking to a grumpy soldier! Justin is my best friend and we serve as each other's outlets. Having this road block between us really made me feel frustrated and helpless. I've never had an issue with Justin not being able to open up to me about what's going on.

It was a hard thing to work through the first few weeks of deployment, but we did it ! I had to give myself an attitude adjustment and instead of pushing the issues that deployment didn't allow for me to be included in, I decided to change the trend of conversation. I still ask how he's doing, if he slept well, things like that. I'm a Bubbly Barbara ! Optimism included. So I talk about things I know Justin will beam over ! Our little Ava, our marriage and how much we've grown, what we miss most about each other, what we have learned to appreciate most about each other, what we've learned from the time apart, etc. 

The answers I have received from him over the last few months have been remarkable. It's bittersweet what deployment can do for a relationship. I am even more grateful for the person I married, more appreciative of communication, and I realize how valuable time really is. I think the thought of him coming home isn't going to feel real until the day I'm on that field waiting to run out to him. I know we are going to be facing some new changes when he comes home. Our daughter being the most dramatic! Justin coming home to a house he has yet to live in, and readjusting to the fact that I've been keeping track of everything on my own and I've gotten good at it. Other than that, I'm curious to see what other challenges this process is going to present. I know we both can't wait to just cuddle our newborn and one another. I also can't wait for these bricks of deployment worry to be off my chest.

**I have a new appreciation for all the military spouses throughout our nation and the sacrifices a lot of us make**