"Sisters by Chance, Friends by Choice"

I couldn't ask for better when it comes to the family I have been blessed with. My sisters Heather and Brooke came to visit me this past week. We did a lot of hanging out and eating out, a little bit of shopping and a slight bit of cleaning (after all that is what I am supposed to be using this week for). I definitely appreciated the thought and enjoyed the company. Spending time with family is important to me- even more now that I know I will be living so far away come September.

During our short shopping trips (short because Heather can't walk too much for too long these days) we did some shopping for bridesmaids dresses and I did some make-up sampling. We may have found the dress which is quite exciting and I am am liking a make-up but still testing out my sample before choosing the kind that might last me on my big day.

We, or at least I, had a lot of fun with my sisters being up here- because not only are we sisters (by chance) but friends (by choice)!! Love them--and the rest of my family of course! :)

"Sweet" Deliveries for 2LT Strohman

It's funny how it's the little things in life that can mean the most. A box of cookies sounds rather ordinary for most but for Matthew it was that "sweet" delivery of homemade chocolate chip cookies that made his day and reminded him of how much I love him and that I am thinking of him always. Not to mention the other guys in the barrack were a bit jealous and now they all know just how much I love him ;) Matthew can be assured that his "sweet" deliveries won't end any time soon as I am always trying to think of new and fun ways to remind him that I love him with all my heart and think of him each and every day we are apart due to his training. I want him to always know that even though this time apart is difficult and that many more like this lie ahead, I never for a moment regret choosing the life I did- our love will always manage to get us through, and of that I am sure!!

constantly smiling

So it was about 2:15pm on March 20th, I had just gotten home from the dreaded comps I mentioned in my last entry and was standing at my counter going through the mail when there was a knock on my door--so I immediately took the 3 steps to the door, opened it, and no one was there...but...I looked down to find a box that read 1-800-flowers.com and a nice little smile crossed my face. I brought the box in and took out the message card sealed to the front to find that the contents of the box were sent to me from my one and only, Matthew!! It was then that the nice little smile grew a bit bigger. Then I opened the box to find a nice bouquet of beautiful yellow, peach, light pink, and dark pink roses and my bigger smile then brightened. I took out the bouquet and as I unwrapped my beautiful roses they just seemed to multiply- the bouquet just grew and grew (as did my smile)!! I spent the next hour arranging my 3 dozen beautiful roses- trying to find a vase that they might all fit in and trying to figure out where to place each and every rose...smiling all the while. Smiling because I love flowers and the flowers mean Matthew loves me- with each rose meaning that he loves me that much more! Him being in Georgia while I'm still here in Ohio won't stop him from showing me how much he loves me---he's always finding ways to keep me and my heart constantly smiling!!

That Dreaded Comprehensive Exam

My comprehensive exam was set for March 20, 2009 and I had been dreading it since the start of my graduate program back in June-- but just like finals week it has come and gone and to finish it was a huge weight off my shoulders! I survived comps!! And I even got a button from the College of Social Work saying "I survived comps!!" and then we were all treated to some free pizza from Donatos. So not too bad. Now I'm just waiting for the results, they should come in about 2-3 weeks. Obviously I'm hoping for the good news of a "pass" - but in the unfortunate event that I didn't pass I would have to retake the exam before I could graduate, so it's a pretty big deal and a little stress is still weighing on me during this waiting period.

Finals Week

So finals week has come and went and I managed to make it through. This particular finals week was a little more challenging than others in the past as it was a two week stretch and Matthew left right in the middle of it all. But like I said I made it through it and now it's over :) Out of my 5 classes this quarter 2 were just pass/fail classes and I of course passed both, of the other 3 I ended up with a B+ and 2 A's! This quarter my GPA was a 3.76 making my cumulative GPA for grad school a 3.85 out of 4.0- so I'd like to think I'm doing pretty well even if there is some slacking and procrastinating going on. Only 10 weeks left to go- whoo hoo!

A Taste of Army Life

So I have yet to attain the official status of "Army wife" but I sure have gotten a taste of the life style- and it's only just the beginning of a long road that awaits Matthew and I ahead. It's a bitter sweet feeling. I am so excited for Matthew to finally be able to get started with his career after a 9 month wait for his first training to begin after commissioning back in June 2008. Yet I am so sad to have him away for so long and of course at a busy and stressful time- and a time when we might otherwise enjoy the planning of our wedding, together.

Matthew packed up and headed out on the morning of March 8th (oh how quickly that 9 months went by- for me anyways). He headed to Ft. Benning, Georgia for his first training and will be there until April 28th I believe and then will be headed to Ft. Knox, Kentucky for his next training and will graduate that one on August 28- the weekend before our wedding. He will have to remain at Ft. Knox for the next week and will then head home the night before our big day.

I am still able to talk to Matthew on the phone most days and we have email, web cam, and snail mail to help keep in touch and get each other through this time apart. I will probably getting to visit once while he is at Ft. Benning and we are unsure about the visits at Ft. Knox. Although Ft.Knox is only about a 3 hour drive we have been told that Matthew will have very few weekends off- which would mean not many visits possible, but we'll see if that holds true or not and I am sure we'll see each as often as we can.

The first few days of Matthew being gone we're pretty rough for me (and I think his first weekend free was a little rough for him) but things are getting better and it feels a little easier (most of the time) as the days pass- we're making it through alright so far. Only about 5 1/2 months to go!!



Below are pictures of us packing/preparing Matthew for his 6 month adventure of training:

Military Ball

February 27 was The Ohio State University Army ROTC's 100th annual Military Ball and because Matthew was working for the ROTC program during his time between commissioning and his first training we had the pleasure of attending. Below are a couple pictures: