snapshots of our life.

ya’ll like my new banner? its not near as creative as josh brown’s abilities but it will do i suppose.

mom and i went shopping today. my jeans haven’t been fitting and i’m tired of spending 75% of the day hiking them up. and she needed some that covered her ankles (you know i love you boo! you can’t help that the dryer turns them into high waters…go ahead mama…say you don’t like me-i just heard you say it in my head). anyways, i feel better about myself and i have been working out regularly but i didn’t feel that big of a difference in my size. i’m down 2 pants sizes. and had it not been that they were the same brand (candie’s at kohl’s) i probably would have passed it off as that…but no…they ARE the same brand. not gonna tell you what size i was, or what size i am…but i have 2 more months (HOLY CRAP!) til craig comes home to lose 2 more pants sizes. ok a girl can dream.

2 years ago around this time i was in the most dramatic relationship of my life! haha. yeah but i’m totally not kidding. everyone has those moments where the look back and say what was i thinking. i look back and say what in the hell were you thinking kristen!? you know there is an issue when you plan a trip to the mountains to get away from him (and tell him you don’t have service when you really do). anyways i found this cabin online and moments from a serious breakdown mom and i booked it. we spent the weekend eating chicken and dumplins, relaxing on the porch, scrapbooking, and watching movies. and it was the most relaxing weekend ever. we had so much fun. so we are gonna go back up to that same cabin next month and i’m super excited about it. i need it.

its not that i’m bombarded with so many things to do or stressed to where i’m about ready to pull my hair out. its different than that. the only way i can describe it is numbness. i go through the motions every day and then at the end of the day wonder how the crap i got through it. i’m lonely and i’m ready for my life to begin. and its all at my fingertips but still a little out of reach. so i’ve become a real fun person to be around. (sarcasm implied.) i really don’t know how my mama puts up with me. i wouldn’t like me. but i’m grateful. and i swear i’m trying. this trip will be good for us.

i talked to craig last night for about 5 minutes. he was about to go to the other camp to see a medic. he thinks he got bit by a spider. there’s a mark on him, he had a fever and he was really drained when i talked to him. i’m hoping he’ll call tonight but he hadn’t yet. hopefully it was nothing. please say a prayer for him.

you know what’s funny? most girls getting married in the amount of time that i’m getting married in are counting down those days. they can tell you to the month, week, day, possibly even hour. i might be able to get the months right but that’s only after stopping to think about it. but anytime anyone asks me when he’ll be home from iraq…i can tell that down to the day. its just funny to me. not funny haha. just how different my perspective on things is. don’t get me wrong, i’m excited about getting married to him. but the only thing i can think of right now is being in his arms again.

well i’m gonna go get in my bed. my electric blanket bit the dust last night so we went to penny’s today (jamika i just thought of you when i typed that!) and got a new one. ya’ll know how i am about my electric blanket. randomly pick a post on this blog and chances are good mention of my electric blanket is there.

random and in no particular order, and i’m in list mode. which is a given, i don’t know why i felt the need to write that. you can look at the list and realize i felt like listing instead of paragraphing. without further ado…

1. karla being back at work today for the first time this week
2. coming home to find my graduation announcements on my doorstep
3. not having to bail my mom and roger out of an alabama jail
4. getting e-mails from old friends asking to meet for lunch
5. my new ringtone (“these words” by natasha bedingfield, instrumental—surprised?)
6. that in terms of my internship for school i am FINISHED…300 hours DONE! now its not an internship, its my job. and no more trivial journal entries and log sheets
7. my mama mumbling something under her breath… me replying with “mama i understood that. you said you didn’t like me?” and then laughing til our stomachs hurt.
8. my friends
9. being able to tell craig happy birthday on his birthday
10. crawling up in the bed with anna and josh tonight.
11. i, kristen lea cartee, have been entrusted with the mullet book off of the brown coffee table. it really will change craig’s world.
12. more talk of what the nasal situation is like in iraq.
13. 3 hour dinners at chick-fil-a with erica
14. the day going by faster at work because anna and i can carry on 5 days worth of conversations in 1 afternoon of e-mailing back and forth
15. the deputies at the jail—going back over the courthouse is going to be a definite change
16. my electric blanket
17. how huge beth and anna’s hearts are when it comes to giving to other people.
18. hearing craig’s voice
19. knowing that tomorrow i can sleep late
20. totally country 3 cd

ok trying to stay up to wait for the phone to ring, but i’m exhausted. night!

i finally got around to scrapping craig’s brothers wedding. i’m learning how to ink on my pages. it makes it look more rustic and not so clean cut–i like that. still learning through.
one more of anna’s bridesmaids luncheon

happy birthday you old fart! (just playin! you know i’m not gonna want to get out of bed when i turn 25…if 22 was this rough—can you imagine!? and i’m sure you’ll get me back for the old fart comments) its not your birthday here yet, but it is there. and i hope it is as good as it can possibly be. i’ll bake you a cake in 2 1/2 months and we will celebrate like rock stars to make up for it. ok so i take the cake part back–i’ve never baked a cake in my life. but we will celebrate like rock stars. i miss the little things everyday, but good grief when these big days come i miss you a bagillion times more. that’s right i said bagillion. i love you craig nathen! i promise i always will…old fart and all. muah muah muah muah muah!!

internship countdown: 288.25 down………11.75 hours more to go!
11.75 hours of work, 2 papers, 1 oral presentation, a powerpoint to turn in outlining my presentation, and a final exam for another class and i am finished with college. exactly a month away. holy crap. i can’t believe it.

ok i’m going to take a shower and get ready. anna, jamie, silvester, and jenny are coming over today to go bridesmaid dress shopping and dinner. fun! can’t wait. everything is becoming more real. and for someone who FREAKS about change as much as i do, i’m ok with it. well ok, i’m not OK with it, still has me anxious, nervous, and stomach-butterfly-excited. but its all stuff that i’m ready for. graduation, craig coming home, getting a real job post-college, getting MARRIED to the love of my life!, and moving to good ‘ole ghettofide columbus. at least i’ve been getting my practice on.

ok must shower now. got stuff to do.

another happy thought at sunset in iraq a few nights ago.

he makes me smile, even 8000 miles away. i’m sorry i want to always remember these in depth conversations:
crash5227: i know
crash5227: and i love you too
crash5227: btw
Craig: hehe
Craig: yif
crash5227: what is yif
crash5227: you is fly?
Craig: yeah I figured
Craig: yeah that too
Craig: it means You’s is fine
crash5227: well ysad
crash5227: you’re such a dork

pretty excited! i got offered a job today to stay on with the solicitors office. it will be only be part time, but i asked him how many hours i could work and he said 39 so that is great. they can’t give me benefits but that’s ok, they’ll give me the hours. and i’ll still have cobra til april. i won’t be at the jail anymore, i’m moving back to the court house in december which i wasn’t jumping for joy about cause the people are just too friendly for me to handle (sarcasm!). but its an awesome opportunity.

gary, the solicitor over at the jail most days, is moving to the division and is taking me with him to fill in for someone going on medical leave. which is great because i know him and i know how he wants things and how particular he is about a lot of things. and the other girl i will be working with is one of the few that has a nice bone in her body over there. we get along great. i’ll be going to court and getting cases together. so exciting.

ok bed time. night!

pretty excited! i got offered a job today to stay on with the solicitors office. it will be only be part time, but i asked him how many hours i could work and he said 39 so that is great. they can’t give me benefits but that’s ok, they’ll give me the hours. and i’ll still have cobra til april. i won’t be at the jail anymore, i’m moving back to the court house in december which i wasn’t jumping for joy about cause the people are just too friendly for me to handle (sarcasm!). but its an awesome opportunity.

gary, the solicitor over at the jail most days, is moving to the division and is taking me with him to fill in for someone going on medical leave. which is great because i know him and i know how he wants things and how particular he is about a lot of things. and the other girl i will be working with is one of the few that has a nice bone in her body over there. we get along great. i’ll be going to court and getting cases together. so exciting.

ok bed time. night!