Busy Saturday!!!

Well It was a busy Saturday and I got up and decided to make Justin some brownies in mason jars and get them ready to send them to him!!!

And here they are sealed and ready to wrap in bubble wrap and ship to Afghanistan!!
So then we have prom coming up for Bradley and Britani and it is time to start looking for dresses!! We tried on lots of them and then come home and ordered this one online!!

I can't wait for it to get here and let her try it on!!!

So that was it for me!!
Well at 4:35....I was sound asleep and my phone began to ring and up and out of bed I flew, hollering...It has to be Justin!!!! And sure enough it was Justin!!! He was good and sounded VERY upbeat!!! He has been getting packages!!!Yayy!!! He did ask for me to have everyone pray for his team leader...He was shot! It hit him in the protective cover and it just bruised him up! Then Justin went on to tell me that he had a grenade to blow up close to him and he got cut up pretty bad from it...but he is ok!! I can promise you...that was the sweetest sound I have heard in over a week!! He is so precious!! Ok well I could go on and on!! I am gonna go and have my coffee!! And then we will be off to church!!!! So much to be thankful for!! I hope that you all have a wonderful day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Friday...Not alot!!!

Not a lot for me...Glad the weekend is here!!

Not a lot going on this weekend...expecting to get some laundry done and my house cleaned up!

You all have a great day!!

And Please Pray for the Quake Victims as you are praying for Justin!! My friend Lynda Platts son, Billy is in Japan and they were part of this Quake!! Keep them your prayers!!

~Till Tomorrow~

All about Him!!!

Yes this is all about Justin....I have not mentioned him much lately cause I try not to bore you!!

But this is him...on his Deployment! I have a friend that I have made on the 1/6 facebook page and she down loaded some of these and so I will now share with you!!!

I hope he isn't like gonna shoot anyone with this gun cause it looks like it will kill!!

Unless they are shooting at him first!! haha!! I always told my kids to never start it but finish it if they have too!!

And here he is...not sure what he is doing!!

Posing for a picture...isn't he handsome!!
And him again!!


He just loves playing with GUNS!!

And while I sit here and worry about what he is doing and if he ever gets to have fun...Well here he is, goofin off with some of the other guys! He is the one with writing on his shirt!! And then another one piles on them!! I love it!!
Well here he is...I think he may be running home!! What you think?

Well thats about it for today!! It's all about Him...JUSTIN!!!

Keep him in your prayers and just know things are moving right along over there and going well!! Thanks for praying!!

~Till Tomorrow~

I'm in

As of Feb.24th 2010 I am enrolled and accepted into Dekalb Technical College!!!

I will start at the end of March and then by the end of October I will have my CNA and then I can advance from there!

I have been school trying to get stuff ready and finally I have just about got it done!! I have to go for one more test today!!

I am so excited...My Daddy always said I should be a nurse and so that is what I am finally gonna do!! I know he is proud of me!!

Well that's about it for me!! I will soon be take temps and blood pressure!! You all have a great day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

A Phone Call Home

I bet that title got your attention!!! HA!!

Sorry I just couldn't help it!

We did hear from our other Marine today!! Well he is not ours but we are really close to him!! Lcpl. Bouchard, Nick

He called home...He and Justin have been together since bootcamp and are still together just in different Companies!!

He made his Mama so happy by calling!!

He is not the one to call home at any chance but this is the time that his company has the phone so I may not hear from Justin this week...But..."No News is Good News"!!!! I am glad that he call and that they are doing good!! He did tell his Mom that they were moving right along with the mission!!

SO that is about all that I have for today...Sorry if my title got you too excited!!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Party Delayed for Alex

The Friday before Valentines was when the party was suppose to be...but it got delayed because of snow!! And not to disappoint the little children they still got to have their party...just delayed!!

They made this cute little teddy bear picture frame with a picture of the class making a silly face in it!! She was so proud of it!!

Tracy had a dentist appointment and was not able to make it but me and Ganky filled in and had a blast!!

Here is the sweet little Valentine waiting on her special Valentine snack!! I can't believe she is going to be 6 this year!! :(

And during snack time here come this sweet little face!! Avery got to see us and even cheesed the camera for a picture!!

After snack we went back and played a few games in the room and my favorite game they played was this....BINGO!! And they had so much fun!!

So that was about it for the delayed Valentine's Party!! It was fun!

I hope that you all have a great day today!!
Oh and I won another give away!! I am so excited...

http://billypsmom.blogspot.com/

Thanks Lynda!!

~Till Tomorrow~

back to school

Well, the snow is gone and the break is over and it is time for the children to go back to school!!! I love my kids and I love spending time with them but it is time for them to get back into the routine!! I don't like things when they get out of routine and for the past week they have been!!

So keep those smiles on those faces and off to school you shall go!!

Bradley since the day he started school has never really liked it!! They only have one more school year and they will be done! I can't believe that!! Anyways he is a procrastinator and waits until the very last minute to do anything!! And that include a research project that was due the day that it snowed...well I finished typing it up last night!!! He is such mess...but I love him so much!! My kids are my world!!

Well that's about it for me...I went to the morning service at church and then home for the rest of the day! My weekend wore me out and so I was in need of a Sunday afternoon nap!! And that my friend is exactly what I got!!

Have a good day!!
~Till Tomorrow~

Party til the break of dawn!!

Wow...Another late night for me!!

We had a Birthday Party for my sister Brenda last night!

It was lots of fun and we stayed out way to late!! Some of us stayed later and got to talking about when they were little...cause I am the baby and was not around when they were growing up!! That's a story for another blog for those that don't know! But got lots of laughs with my two Brothers and two of my Sisters!! Ganky had went home early...she was tired from the late night at the circus and her busy day!

I never leave home with out my camera but I did last night!! So the picture is not so clear, because i had to take it with my phone!!! But it is a picture of Brenda and her great-granddaughter opening gifts!! She got lots of goodies!!

So now today is church day! I think a nap will be in our schedule at some point for the day!! My kids have gone with Tracy to snow mountain for a belated birthday for Austin!! They were so excited they just went to spend the night!! So that left us in charge of this little Dixie dog that Britani has spoiled so badly!! UGH!! She wants to be held all the time!!!

So you all have a great day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Zing, Zang, Zoom

Jeff has a wonderful birthday!! He got to see these two babies and then he got to go to the Circus!! As I had said he had never been and so this was the year he got to go!!

He was just down right HAPPY!

And the Circus started off warming my heart and bringing tears to my eyes!!

The American Flag with the Elephant!! Made me think of my Marine!! Of course these days everything makes me think about him!!


Beautiful Horses...It amazes me how they get them to do the tricks they do!!

And for those that live in the Atlanta area. One of these Zebras is what was holding up Atlanta traffic the other day!! Me and Alex tried to figure out which one and we couldn't tell them apart!!
Oh and these were the most amazing...knowing they could rip this man into millions of pieces and they did the most amazing tricks!! I loved the Tigers!!

These two were the announcers for the evening and they were great!!

And this was my favorite clown!!!

Well except for this one
and this one!!!

No, Just kidding those babies loved it!! They were exhausted by the end and ready to be home! I have to say that it was a wonderful evening under the Big Top!! Our seats were GREAT...Thank you Tracy!! We were 3 and 4 rows from the ring and it was just the most perfect seating ever!! If I want to go anywhere else I will send her for my tickets!! haha!!

Well that is it for today and we will be having Party for Brenda tonight so pictures of that will be taken!! You all have a wonderful day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Happy Birthday to Jeff!

He is 43 today!!!!

I hope he has a wonderful day!!

Well I know he will...We are going the the Circus!!!

He has never been and always wanted to go and so we are getting with Ganky, Pa, Tracy, Derek, Autumn, Austin, Alex and Aver and to the Circus we are going!!!

We will all enjoy it!!

Oh and well I try to mention him in every blog...But as you all know he is out in the middle of the Marjah take over and well, he found a phone and called his Mama!!! They have satellite phones out there and he got 5 minutes on it with ME!! He was doing good and said that he was hoping for packages and said they should be getting some today!! I sure hope so...He said he was on post and all he could think about was food!! Poor baby has always been hungry and thirsty!! I got list of foods he wanted when he got home from bootcamp! Well anytime he comes home he gets all kinds of home cooked meals!! Let's just keep him and all the others in our prayers!!

I just love this picture of him...Look at that precious smile!! I can't wait to get my hands on him!!

You all have a great day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

I won a giveaway!

Yes that is me smiling!! I won a giveaway!! Yayyy!!!!

http://jenkinsk08.blogspot.com/

Go check out her blog!! She is just the sweetest thing and I can not believe that I won!! I am so excited!!!

I will post pictures when my goodies arrive!!

Going to school for a test today...will be starting back to school soon!

My back went out yesterday and I am hoping that I can sit through class to take the test!! UGH!!

Ok well you all have a good day!

~Till Tomorrow~

Not alot!!

Well, I just don't have a lot today!!

My Tuesday was just a normal day!! Nothing over exciting happened until the phone rang and it was these two sweet girls!!

I had worked in Alex's closet and was gonna do some work in her room! Well I never got to that...So she was calling to tell me that she wanted to re-arrange her room today!! And that she loved me sooo much!! And then that little Avery got on the phone and told me that she loved me to the rainbow and back!!

No matter what kind of day you have...good or bad...that will make it just perfect!!

So off to work I will go and get Alex's room re-arranged!! And get to listen to how much they love me!! And that my friend will make a worried, scared, missing her Marine Mom smile any time!!

You all have a great day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

God is Good!!

*This is an article from the Wall Street Journal*

U.S. Marine Walks Away From Shot to Helmet in Afghanistan

MARJAH, Afghanistan—It is hard to know whether Monday was a very bad day or a very good day for Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig.
On the one hand, he was shot in the head. On the other, the bullet bounced off him.
In one of those rare battlefield miracles, an insurgent sniper hit Lance Cpl. Koenig dead on in the front of his helmet, and he walked away from it with a smile on his face.
Lance Cpl. Andrew Koenig shows the spot on his helmet where a Taliban bullet struck, almost centered, between the eyes.

"I don't think I could be any luckier than this," Lance Cpl. Koenig said two hours after the shooting.
Lance Cpl. Koenig's brush with death came during a day of intense fighting for the Marines of Company B, 1st Battalion, 6th Regiment.
The company had landed by helicopter in the predawn dark on Saturday, launching a major coalition offensive to take Marjah from the Taliban.
The Marines set up an outpost in a former drug lab and roadside-bomb factory and soon found themselves under near-constant attack.
Lance Cpl. Koenig, a lanky 21-year-old with jug-handle ears and a burr of sandy hair, is a designated marksman. His job is to hit the elusive Taliban fighters hiding in the tightly packed neighborhood near the base.
The insurgent sniper hit him first. The Casper, Wyo., native was kneeling on the roof of the one-story outpost, looking for targets.
He was reaching back to his left for his rifle when the sniper's round slammed into his helmet.
The impact knocked him onto his back.
"I'm hit," he yelled to his buddy, Lance Cpl. Scott Gabrian, a 21-year-old from St. Louis.
Lance Cpl. Gabrian belly-crawled along the rooftop to his friend's side. He patted Lance Cpl. Koenig's body, looking for wounds.
Then he noticed that the plate that usually secures night-vision goggles to the front of Lance Cpl. Koenig's helmet was missing. In its place was a thumb-deep dent in the hard Kevlar shell.
Lance Cpl. Gabrian slid his hands under his friend's helmet, looking for an entry wound. "You're not bleeding," he assured Lance Cpl. Koenig. "You're going to be OK."
Marines took cover after coming under attack during the Marjah offensive Monday.
Lance Cpl. Koenig climbed down the metal ladder and walked to the company aid station to see the Navy corpsman.
The only injury: A small, numb red welt on his forehead, just above his right eye.
He had spent 15 minutes with Doc, as the Marines call the medics, when an insurgent's rocket-propelled grenade exploded on the rooftop, next to Lance Cpl. Gabrian.
The shock wave left him with a concussion and hearing loss.
He joined Lance Cpl. Koenig at the aid station, where the two friends embraced, their eyes welling.
The men had served together in Afghanistan in 2008, and Lance Cpl. Koenig had survived two blasts from roadside bombs.
"We've got each other's backs," Lance Cpl. Gabrian said, the explosion still ringing in his ears.
Word of Lance Cpl. Koenig's close call spread quickly through the outpost, as he emerged from the shock of the experience and walked through the outpost with a Cheshire cat grin.
"He's alive for a reason," Tim Coderre, a North Carolina narcotics detective working with the Marines as a consultant, told one of the men. "From a spiritual point of view, that doesn't happen by accident."
Gunnery Sgt. Kevin Shelton, whose job is to keep the Marines stocked with food, water and gear, teased the lance corporal for failing to take care of his helmet.
"I need that damaged-gear statement tonight," Gunnery Sgt. Shelton told Lance Cpl. Koenig. It was understood, however, that Lance Cpl. Koenig would be allowed to keep the helmet as a souvenir.
Gunnery Sgt. Shelton, a 36-year-old veteran from Nashville, said he had never seen a Marine survive a direct shot to the head.
But next to him was Cpl. Christopher Ahrens, who quietly mentioned that two bullets had grazed his helmet the day the Marines attacked Marjah. The same thing, he said, happened to him three times in firefights in Iraq.
Cpl. Ahrens, 26, from Havre de Grace, Md., lifted the camouflaged cloth cover on his helmet, exposing the holes where the bullets had entered and exited.
He turned it over to display the picture card tucked inside, depicting Michael the Archangel stamping on Lucifer's head. "I don't need luck," he said.
After his moment with Lance Cpl. Gabrian, Lance Cpl. Koenig put his dented helmet back on his head and climbed the metal ladder to resume his rooftop duty within an hour of being hit.
"I know any one of these guys would do the same," he explained. "If they could keep going, they would."

This was an article that was posted on the 1/6 page and I just had to share it!! This shows just how good God is!! Yes it was Justins Company and unit and it scares me to death!! Let's just lift them all up in our prayers...and please mention Justins name!!

Have a great day!!
~Till Tomorrow~

New Baby in the Simmons Home?

Well for the longest time Britani has wanted a little tiny dog that she could love on and snuggle up with!! We found one and here she is...

1.6lbs Chihuahua!!

Her Name is Dixie!!!

We already had one dog...Wally! And now we have Dixie...I am not much of an animal lover but, my husband and children are!! UGH!!! But she is cute and just as tiny and will not get over about 4 pounds!!

Ok, well enough of that! Things seem good over in Marjah and I have seen thousands of pictures and after all that I can't tell if any of them are my son or not!! I see one and I think it I may be getting a glimpse and I will ask someone and they say "No, thats not Justin!!" So on and on I go looking for just a picture!! Oh well, It passes the time!!

Well here we had talk of more snow...but looks like it may miss us this time...I was hoping we would get a little more!!

You all have a good day!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Happy Valentines Day!!

Today is the day that you spend with the one that is special and dear to your heart!!

I will be with so many...we will be going to church and I will get to be with lots of those that really are special to me!!

I wonder if Justin knows its Valentines?

I hope he has a good day and you all too!!!

~Till Tomorrow~

Oh, It's SO Pretty!!

I don't like winter...I don't like having to wear a jacket/coat...I don't like being cold...

BUT I LOVE THIS!!!

I love the snow...It is so pretty!!

These pictures were taken early in the day...we got a lot!!

I just think that it is so pure and clean looking!!

And had to let Justin know we were thinking about him...he would be having a blast in this!!!

We are all in and warm!! I hope you have a great day!!
Stay warm!!!
~Till Tomorrow~

Party time for one!!

That's right...Party time!

It was Avery's Day to have her Valentines Party because she does not got to school on Fridays!!

And so Party is what we did!!

This was what they put all the Valentines in!! I love it!!

Look what she made!! She was so proud of it!!
They had lots of food!!

Those kids loved it!!

Look how happy she is...she had her Mama, Ganky and me(Aunt Cindy) there to celebrate with her!!

Look at this baby blessing her food and probably saying a little extra for Justin!!

And then look who showed up...She was happy to see us too!!

Alex said her blessing too!!

Alex has her party today...if the snow holds off!!

Oh what I would not have given to eat one of these...but I knew Alex was watching!! haha!!


And well that was the Party!!

These two just are so precious to me!!

Life is fixing to be changing for all of us! I went and got registered at school today!! I will be moving on when I finish up with my schooling!! I will be making special visit time with these two!! I can not imagine life with out seeing them!!

So I was on my way to take them to school yesterday and the phone rang...It was that Marine of mine!!! He said that there plans were delayed a day so he got to talk to me!! We talked for just little over an hour and I loved every moment of it!! We laughed and I cried and we talked about things that he and I just talk about!! We have a really good mother/son relationship!! I am his mother but...I am also his friend!! We talk about everything!!! :)

But I am not so sure that I will be so lucky for this mission to be delayed again but I did get one more day of talking to him on the phone and several chats with him on the computer!!

You all have a good day!!

Alex has her party today...If the snow will hold off!

~Till Tomorrow~