Love is why we do it

Love is worth the pain

Love is why we fall down

And get back up again

Love is where the heart lies

Love is from above

Love is this, this is love

ASHLEY, COMMANDING OFFICER.

is breaking the silence and writing again! Hold on to your hats. Please don't die from all the excitement this is surely causing you.

I don't know how many times I'm going to say "I've been busy," so I'm just going to leave it like this...I've been SUPER busy! Since I last wrote I've been go go go go going. Full speed ahead.

My only day off last week I got to take some pictures of super cute kids. Now, I don't claim to be a photographer...at all or ever, but I like to take pictures. I like to give my friends something that they can adore and cherish for years to come. So I got to hang out with the Standridge kids. Let me tell you about this family. One, I haven't seen Rebecca (their mother) for years. Lots of years, like 5 of them. However, this woman amazes me. She's got 4 beautiful children and is quite possibly one of the best mothers I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. The patience she possesses is utterly amazing. Now, the kids, they're awesome. Surely the product of top notch "bringin' up." I loved playing in the park with these guys...and gal. They kept me laughing, and I felt like I was playing most of the time. So, Ashley (in the third person) had a wonderful day in the park on her day off!!

This weekend was great. I drove to Charleston, SC (one of my favorite places on earth) and helped Alex and now Abbey Hunt celebrate the happiest day of their lives. Alex, is a "brother" of Tomato's. I used brother because that's really the only way that you can describe the relationship that a former Citadel cadet has with his (or her) classmates. I mean, they're "thick as thieves" or whatever the expression is. A lot of Tomato's classmates were there. A lot. Of course they treated me like their best friend ever and went to great extents to make me feel welcome and happy. It was wonderful to talk to Tomato's friends, it was like having a piece of him with me the whole time. Tomato's sister was my date and all was well in the world.

This was my first Jewish wedding experience, and it was great. I've always wanted to shout "Mazel Tov!" That, alone, was probably the highlight of my life. Also that whole chair dancing thing. That was especially epic. I kind of wished for a second that I was Jewish, just so I could do that. The whole affair was beautiful, Abbey was beautiful, her dress was beautiful and the love between the two of them was...well, beautiful.

My favorite part of the wedding was one part that will always stick out in my mind. Tomato called, I told Matt and it wasn't long before all his "brothers" took turns talking to him. Not in the middle of the wedding, mind you, but when everyone was was settled to eat. It was so special to watch them all get to talk to him. Words cannot even describe how happy it made Tomato, who is alone in Afghanistan, to talk to all those guys. He was even happier to talk to Abbey and Alex. Needless to say, I almost cried at this wedding about 100x more than at any other wedding I've ever attended. Even the couple's dancing didn't even make me sad. Knowing, even thousands of miles away, for 15 minutes my husband got to be apart of everything again and was smiling during an entire phone conversation made me the happiest I can remember being through this whole ordeal.

These are the guys lining up to talk to Tomato:

It's been a great weekend, and I'm back to work tomorrow. Then off to Georgetown, the place of my birth, to see my granddaddy. He's awesome and has a lot of dogs. Cats weren't his scene.

TOMATO, THE HUBS.

This is for you. You're awesome. I'm so lucky to call you mine. I hope you are reminded of how much you are loved.

...and then there was

ZERO, THE DRAGON.

...has a new game, that we not so affectionately call "pokey." During this game he incessently pokes his bone/toy/frisbee in a bulldog's face and then quickly jerks it away when they go to grab it. This is a very unfriendly game. He thinks it's the best thing ever. Of course.

BONUS!

I have a cousin named Holly. I don't really know her that well, but she is AWESOME. She makes ceramic epicness. She made me owls, and if you know me, you know I adore owls. She is awesome. Did I mention that? I mean, how sweet do you have to be to spend that much time on someone you barely know? She's awesome. Awesome.

Song of the Day:

This = Love by The Script