Nic's First Braves Game

If you know me well, then you know I absolutely LOVE the Atlanta Braves and have a fabulous time attending games! Lucky for me, Nicholas had a blast watching the Braves win a game in early April against the Cubs. The best part of the game was seeing Nic's face light up with a huge smile at the homerun that was hit!

We started the day off greeting the Budweiser Clydesdale's on the street in front of the stadium. Nic was in awe at seeing the horses and stood in front for his photo opportunity.

Once we entered Turner Field, Nic was in total amazement at everything going on around him. As we walked around (because he wanted to see it all), he spotted the batting and pitching cages. which of course he had to take part in. At first, when he was holding the bat it was ALL wrong, so before I could say anything, a kind man standing with his grandson helped Nic bat the right way. After two swings, he was able to hit a ball and did pretty good. He LOVED being able to pitch more than batting.

There was a lady next to the pitching cage that was painting faces, or arms in Nic's case, by airbrush. Nic became excited and wanted a tomahawk painted on his arm...but only if I would have my face painted. So, after his arm was painted I had to get an A painted on my face. Both turned out really good!

Throughout the game, Nic and I took pictures and even had some taken together thanks to the nice people around us that offered to take our photo. Nic was full of laughter and excitement throughout it all. He kept his glove on the whole time in hopes of catching a ball, which sadly didn't happen. He yelled and smiled during the wave and of course when the Home Depot tools raced to the finish line that was right in front of us.

Once the game was over, kids from all over lined up in one of two lines so they could run the bases!!! Since Nicholas became a Kids Club Member for his birthday, he was able to line up with the first group full of Kids Club Members and run the bases! It was a bit chaotic, but a ton of fun for the little ones! Nic ran the bases and was rewarded with a t-shirt and certificate! Once he was back with me, he smiled and smiled and told me how "cool" it was to run the bases.

To see this video, you must be viewing this post on our blog, not via email.

This outing was needed for me and Nic. We needed time away and a day out with just the two of us. Of course, we barely made it to the interstate when I heard snoring from the backseat. The heat and sun wore the little man of the house out!!! He slept almost all the way home. For those of you that don't know, that was over an hour and a half of sleeping! We all heard about how much fun he had for days...Okay, so we are STILL hearing about it and how he cannot wait to attend another game!

Spring Break in Mena & Easter in Macon

I know I am soooooo behind on my updates on here and I don't have much of an excuse other than I have been super busy and trying to figure things out in our lives. No worries though, all is well with the Biddle Family!

The last week of March was Spring Break for the kids and it was a BUSY week for all of us! On Friday, as soon as the kids were home from school we spent time packing for our trip to Arkansas and getting ready for Nic's 6th birthday party!!! It is still so hard to believe our little man is now 6! Time sure has flown by. Nic's party took place on a Saturday and following it, Kevin took a 5 hour nap before we all loaded up in the truck and headed to Mena, AR!

The drive from our house until we reached the outskirts of Memphis was hell! It stormed the entire time, slowing us down and at one point with us having to stop on I-20 before we reached Birmingham. Due to the high winds, a tree fell into the middle of the interstate causing a tour bus to lost their windshield and a car to end up totaled. We pulled over for the car to make sure they were okay and found two young women on their way to visit family, pretty shaken up. Kevin got out to check on them at first, then called 911 to let them know what was going on and to get assistance out before someone was seriously injured or a major wreck occurred. The tree scratched the entire drivers side of our truck when we hit it, luckily we were in the right lane, so we didn't have terrible damage or worse...flip.

The kids slept through most of the drive...the perks of driving through the night! Excitement struck as soon as we crossed the bridge and saw the Welcome to Arkansas sign, then again in Hot Springs and as we came to the Welcome to Mena sign. It almost felt like we were home...

As you can see, at one point they were sleeping nicely - then the next the girls were fighting...

 

Nic was so excited to see Bailey and as always, the two of them stayed side by side whenever we were at Aunt Jeanette's house. It is so cute to see these two together. They run and play, then lounge around and sleep side by side. Nic adores her as much as she does him. Even at night, she decided she needed to sleep right at Nic's side!

 

    

During the week, we spent time with Grandmama, Aunt Jeanette, Leah, Don, Nita and the Philpots...which made the whole week absolutely amazing and of course has left us longing for more time with each of them! We had an amazing week in Mena and cannot wait to get back. The week flew by us a bit too quickly!

Towards the end of the week, Breanna and I decided we wanted to shoot my .380 and lucky for us, we were able to do so at Don and Nita's house on the back part of their property. Bre did AMAZING shooting!!! I must say, she takes after her mom...a total natural! Kevin wasn't thrilled about being around my gun, but he managed to keep "calm" while around Bre and Aunt Jeanette. He even found a bit of patience with them both in teaching them the right way to shoot. Of course, as soon as it was over and he could get away from my pistol, he was out of there! We can't thank him enough for teaching Bre and Aunt Jeanette how to shoot! This was also Aunt Jeanette's first time shooting and she did great!!! It was so much fun watching her and Bre shoot!

 

 Our last day in Mena was an emotional day for each of us...we were all so sad to see the week come to an end and to head back to Georgia. Nic and Caitlin loved on Bailey until we almost had to pry them off of her. I'm sure she loved it though. We took photos with Aunt Jeanette and Grandmama. I know I was trying my hardest to contain the tears as we were saying our "Goodbyes". I hate leaving those two, as does Kevin, Breanna, Caitlin, and Nicholas. I can honestly say that Aunt Jeanette and Grandmama are two of the most amazing woman we have in our lives and we are so blessed to have them! We sure do miss them now and cannot wait to see them sometime soon!

 

Since we knew we wouldn't get home until very early Easter morning, we let the kids have an egg hunt on Friday afternoon before we all ate dinner at Don and Nita's house...of course, they had a blast! We left Mena a little after lunch time on the Saturday before Easter and started to make our way back to GA. In the couple hours we were able to sleep, the Easter Bunny stopped by and left goodies in the kids Easter "Baskets". Each one received a cute piggy bank and a basket full of things that they loved!

  

Out with the Old...

As many of you know, our weekend was a bit on the rough side with Kevin's F-250 ending up in the shop. We had to pull into an empty parking lot right outside of Stone Mountain on Saturday while on the way to my Dad's house due to the truck making odd noises and then locking up while Kevin was driving. We jacked the truck up and took the wheel off to find that his bearings were completely warped and there was absolutely NO way we could drive it any further without seriously risking his wheel falling off while in route. Now, we all know that would have been more than terrible had it happened! So, we did what anyone else would do... We called the dealership down the street to let them know of the issue (after Thanking God that we hold enough common sense to put extended warranties on all of our vehicles), then we called a towing company to have us towed to the dealership.

Thankfully, my dad doesn't live too terribly far from where we were and was able to meet us in the parking lot while we waited. Him and Josh, my brother showed up in Josh's truck, with Barb following in her van. We all waited for the tow truck and spent time chatting. When the truck arrived, we all watched as it loaded our F-250, then Barb took the kids to their house and the rest of us headed to the dealership.

Once we arrived at the dealership, the guys quickly dispersed to the lot to look at new F-150's while I handled the issues with our truck and World Ford's Service Department. Thank you to Key for helping us and getting everything set up with NO issues! After a few minutes, Josh and I had to rush over to Enterprise to pick up our rental car while Kevin and Dad kept looking at the nice and pretty new trucks. Before leaving them, I told Kevin "We are NOT buying a new truck!!!". Now, please keep that in mind for later while reading this... I even told my dad and the salesman, Jody that in no way were we in the market for a new vehicle at this time because we are focusing on other things going on in our near future.

Once at Enterprise, we were put into a Chevrolet Impala as our rental car and we honestly HATED this thing while we had it. It was great on gas and did have power, but was the most uncomfortable car with very limited room! Luckily, we were only in this vehicle for just a few days.

Now, here comes the bad news...or I guess you could say good news that was given to us in an undisguised blessing type way. On Monday, we received news about our truck that led us to make some pretty quick decisions. The bearings were in fact shot and damages were covered under the extended warranty. However, there were a few other issues that were not covered under the warranty and would cost us a few thousand dollars that we simply do not have right now for the repairs. So, this is where I ate my words... After a lot of talking back and forth, we had Jody run numbers for us this morning...on a new F-150!!!

Yes, we ended up trading our F-250 that we have loved so much this past year in on a 2013 F-150 thanks to Jody Sexton and George Figueroa with World Ford Stone Mountain! Family and friends in that area, if you are in the market for a Ford, please head on over to World Ford and ask for Jody Sexton! I simply encourage you to check them out! The customer service is outstanding! Every single person there worked hard to make the deal from today go through as it did and found awesome interest rates for us! We could not be any happier or pleased as we are with Ford!

Kevin drove the truck back to Macon and absolutely LOVED it! It was so quiet driving and easy to drive throughout traffic across the Atlanta area. The interior is nice (I love the color scheme!) and the options that are included in truck are great! We are so excited that compared to the F-250, it will cost less to fill this truck up, give us more miles to the tank of gas, way less expensive oil changes, inexpensive tires, and the overall upkeep will cost us less now. Overall, we are very pleased with our decision to trade and so thrilled with Kevin's new truck! It was so good to see him happy with this decision and to see it work out as it did for him and us. Thank you to everyone at World Ford!!! We are more than pleased with this experience and will be doing business with you in the future!

This was just the beginning of our crazy and exciting day that was full of changes...

Last night, Kevin and I started talking more about my truck and the fact that with so many miles on it and all the driving that I now do, I am getting to the point of being in the market for a new vehicle myself. I needed something more dependable for my daily driver that came with a good warranty. After going back and forth, weighing options, I started to talk to our friend, Danny Gillian that works over at Butler Toyota in Macon to see what we would qualify for. NEVER did I think we would be matched with my now NEW CAR!!!

Goodbye Nissan (I am truly sad to see my xTerra go...), you have been an amazing SUV...

But, I am super excited about my new car!!!

Hello, Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE!!!

We have bought new cars in the past, but they have always been more towards the base line vehicles. For the first time EVER, I have a loaded car, equipped with a sunroof and navigation! YAY! I am on top of the world tonight, so much so that I almost broke into tears. Well, between this and the anxiety over the whole anxiety attack that occurred. Thank you so much, Kendra for talking me through this craziness tonight and helping to calm me down! This of course, is also a Happy Birthday, Brittney "gift" and it's one that I LOVE!!! I am amazed with all of the features that come with this car and can't wait for tomorrow when I meet with Danny to learn more about my car!

My car is perfect and I am so thankful to have all that I have been blessed with. I am also very blessed and lucky to have the husband I do that wanted to not only get me into a new car, but to get me into the one that I wanted without simply settling as we have done on past vehicles! Never, did I think I would actually like a Camry, but I love it and cannot wait to drive it more! Oh, and when we were driving it tonight, we noticed it will get almost 700 miles a tank of gas! 700 miles, people!!! That is almost double from what my xTerra and his F-250 were getting! Simply amazing!

Speaking of Danny, thank you so much! It's so hard to find a good dealership now and even harder to find an outstanding one! Today we lucked out with two outstanding dealerships! Thank you so much to Danny Gillian and Troy Stephens R for making this deal go through! You guys simply amazed me with the way you worked this deal and how quickly you made things happen! The customer service was amazing as was everything about this whole process. Even though we made it there literally at closing time, they all stayed late to make sure this deal went through, have my Camry detailed, and even filled it up! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and dedication!

Today was an amazing day, even though it did in fact add more to our bills, lol. The outcome of our new vehicles is that they will pay for themselves with the money we save in gas and upkeep.

Thank you Kevin for taking me to the Toyota dealership tonight!

If you are looking for a new Ford in the Stone Mountain area, give Jody Sexton a call at 678.344.3300 or if you are looking for a new Toyota, please call Danny Gillian at 800.706.0600

Tell them we sent you! (No, there is no referral plan)

Dear "Old Army" Life

I sat down the other night after taking time to pull away from conversations and everyday life and took the time to think about what we have been through, where we have been and where we are now. Where we are now is so incredibly different than where we were in life just a couple years ago. After all this time, I have found a way to be content with the past and our experiences/obstacles because each significant and insignificant moment in our lives have made each of us who we are today. They have molded us into the lives we live and left us with the will to survive and fight harder for things we desire in life. Things will never be the same, not as they once were. But, that is okay because things always happen for a reason. With all that I have been through from the army life, Kev's time active duty and now as a wounded veteran, kids, and my own serious health issues/surgeries, this is our life and I am so proud of where we are and who we are. 

When I sat down and wrote, it became a letter to our old Army life. It all just poured out of me in an unexpected way. I never thought I would just sit down and become honest with myself and then share it with others. I did this because often we lose ourselves in the negative side of this life and forget that there is so much positive to it - even with the breakdowns and numerous shedding of tears. I have decided that I am going to put a sincere smile on my face and enable myself to be happy despite the hard times, despite the breakdowns, despite the injuries and despite what we are going through - and you can too! Our lives as spouses of wounded veterans is far from easy, but the more any of us dwell on the past and focus on the negative aspects, the worse off each of us will be. Why bring unneeded misery to our lives, we have enough of that with daily living when moments are rough. We can all make a difference, whether it's revolving around our families or taking our own experiences and using them to help others. I have taken this stand and want to use our experiences to help others, to let them know they are never alone. We have all been there.

I submitted the below article to Yahoo Contributor and they published it a couple days ago, I won't share the whole thing on here, however you can always click HERE to view it on Yahoo's website.

.......While I so desperately have wanted to hate you, I simply cannot. Had it not been for you and all of your experiences, Kevin and I would not be anything close to what we are today, nor would our marriage hold the love and strength it does. Sure, I despise the stress that came with you, the numerous times Kevin spent away from us, the many super close calls, multiple changes you brought into our lives, injuries Kevin now faces, and so much more. Yet, without you, this strength that now lives within me would be nonexistent and my heart would never swell with pride every time our National Anthem plays loudly through the speakers and brings me to tears. I wouldn't know what my heart is capable of handling and loving, just as I wouldn't know what it is like to miss someone so much every ounce of my being hurts or what it's like to fall in love with the same person over and over again upon every return home. I wouldn't know what it's like to fill with pride and love as my husband dressed in his BDU's and later in ACU's, stood in formation, or led his soldiers. I wouldn't know what it's like to wait for that one phone call to come in in over two months and that one call get me through two more months of limited communication while he was in a war zone. I wouldn't know the feeling of rockets hitting his FOB while we are talking on the phone and listen to him as he drops the phone after telling me he loves me; only to breakdown hours later as his voice came through the speaker of that same phone telling me he was okay, they had just lived through another attack........


.......You've taught me patience in every step, just as how you have taught me "Hurry up and Wait" in everyday life. Everyone knows we all became professionals in this sense. During his first deployment, you taught us to never take a single moment for granted and to cherish every day that we live, good or bad. You've given me strength and confidence to stand up for what I believe in, to never give up, and to fight for Kevin with his injuries, after all no one else can advocate for him as I can. You left us with the cold reality of tomorrow not being promised so to enjoy each breath we take and to always smile.......

To read this article in full, please visit http://voices.yahoo.com/article/9861689/dear-old-army-life-12086719.html?cat=9. Please feel free to share this blog post and the article. 

To contact me, email brittney.biddle@yahoo.com

Eggs in a Vent

You know that moment when you grab the clothes from your dryer only to find everything is still damp? You have to throw everything back in and start another dry cycle, of course with a bit of frustration. Then, as the dryer is turning, your mind starts running crazy... "Is it the heating element?" or "could the vent be clogged somewhere?". Regardless what it is, in your busy life it's an inconvenience. This is what happened to me last week, however it was neither of these issues.

Kevin and I went to Home Depot to pick up some things to clear the vent, thinking the cause was it being clogged. The dryer is barely eight months old, so we were hoping it wasn't the heating element or anything like that.

When we made it home, we pulled the dryer out and found two things... 1. The vent and duct leading from my laundry room to the outside is NOT closed off. In other words, there is comets openness for things to come in and out! and, 2. This is what we found...

Super cute, blue bird eggs!!! I wanted to cry. By running the dryer with the best and eggs in the vent, those babies had absolutely no hope in surviving!

What gets me even more, not even a few days before Spring Break I was downstairs and heard a scratching noise upstairs. Every time I made it to the top of the staircase, the noises stopped, so I could never find the freaking noise! All we can think is the mama bird decided to form her best in the vent right before w left and laid the eggs while we were away for the week. Why she would decide upon our dryer vent is beyond me and I hate that she did!

So, next time your dryer isn't drying all the way, check all areas before taking the time to spend money and time on parts that may not be needed!

Also, keep in mind clogged vents in dryers can lead to house fires. We are very lucky in this aspect that it did not catch on fire as clogged as it was.

Looking Back on February

February was an amazing month, it started off wonderful and ended the same. It's been such a long time since I have been able to say something such as that. Sure, there were plenty of bumps in the road and difficult times, but so much was learned and many unexpected experiences were lived. I wrote about the WWP Caregiver Retreat that I was blessed to attend and the impact it made in my life, but I have not yet shared the latest trip I was on - I was simply blessed to attend the USO Caregivers Conference in San Diego, CA on February 25. This was an unexpected trip for me and it was one that I am still trying to process and that will play a part in my life from here on out.

Early on February 24th, I "fearfully" headed to Hartsfield International Airport in Atlanta to start by short, but amazing journey. Fearfully because I HATED flying, especially being that the only time I had flown before this was from Atlanta to Frankfurt, Germany; which is a bit crazy as first flights. This time, however, I was flying solo - no husband and no kids. To my surprise my flights were actually pretty good and a bit relaxing for the most part! There was a bit of turbulence on the way to San Diego as we flew over El Paso and then on the return flight home from Vegas we hit quite a bit of turbulence that had me uneasy for a few minutes. On the way to San Diego, I had a connecting flight in Houston, TX then on the home we connected in Vegas. All in all, the flying and connections were actually kind of fun!

I arrived to the Atlanta airport a few hours before my boarding time and being that I had free time I was able to meet up with a long time friend of ours, Jason. It was so good to see him and made me miss hanging out with him and his wife, Heather even more. It's so good to still have friends after so many years and experiences in life.

After hours of flying, I arrived in San Diego a little after 4pm. I met up with someone from the USO and another fellow caregiver at the airport and together we headed to Camp Pendleton. San Diego is a beautiful city - well, from what I could see between landing and our drive. It is definitely a city that I would love to return to and actually spend time sight seeing. We arrived and checked into our rooms right as the sun was beginning to set. To those of you who don't know me real well, one of the things on my Bucket List was to see the sun set on the west coast...this trip enabled me to complete this. The sunset was beautiful, a bit magical. My room faced the Pacific Ocean and was an amazing view. Following the sunset and some downtime to collect ourselves, we all met in the lobby to go out for dinner. Once dinner was over, we made it back to the hotel around 9 and I believe most of us headed to our rooms and crashed for the night.

Early Monday morning, February 25, 2013 we all headed to the opposite side of Camp Pendleton to begin our day with the USO Caregivers Conference, which was above and beyond outstanding. I highly recommend all caregivers to attend a conference if given the opportunity. I won't go into a ton of details on this post since I already posted a pretty detailed post a couple weeks ago. Honestly, I started this post last month and thought that I completed and published it. Obviously, my thought process was not accurate and I am now trying to catch back up! To read more about the actual conference, click HERE. I still feel incredibly blessed that I was fortunate enough to attend this conference and to meet the people I met! Absolutely amazing experience with fantastic bonds that were formed! Connecting with people is the key to so many things in life, especially when connecting with individuals that get us and our lives!

Following our day, we all headed back to the hotel for some downtime...or in mine and Monique's case, a walk to the Exchange, which was down hill from the hotel. How neither of us slid down this hill is a bit of a mystery. We enjoyed our afternoon and the warm, sunny California weather. We did take some time to ourselves after our trip out before dinner. Dinner was spent with a nice group of people, and many conversations at our table of seven. I thoroughly enjoyed the people I sat with and chatted with.

Once we were back to the hotel, Monique and I talked to Kristen who happily took us to Oceanside Beach for a few minutes! This trip was for me to dip my toes in the icy cold Pacific Ocean and walk on sand that literally felt like ice! It was so cold, yet such an awesome experience for me! This was the first time I had ever been able to step foot in the Pacific Ocean! The furthest west I have been is the eastern side of New Mexico!

Beautiful way to start my morning!!!

Monique and I with Elmo at the Conference

Oceanside Beach, CA - My FIRST time ever at the Pacific Ocean!

Following an exciting evening, Monique and I said our goodbyes in the lobby and each headed back to our rooms. It was time to pack and get ready for bed. The following morning I met a group in the lobby at 5am so we could head to the airport in San Diego. Our few days there had sadly come to an end.

This trip is one that will stick with me from here on out for so many reasons. I was able to mark things off of my bucket list; flying from the east to the west coast, seeing the sun set on the Pacific (beautiful), see San Diego (even if it was to land and take off), visit California, walk on the Pacific beach and dip my toes in the cold water, see the Grand Canyon (okay, so we flew over it. I was still able to see it, which is what counts!), and to make more connections that I will always carry with me in life. February changed so many things about me and my life that I am still trying to process it and take it all in. I feel as though a weight has been lifted off and that I can breathe again.

Thank you to all in Tampa, FL and San Diego, CA for making such a positive impact in my life! I can only hope and pray that I can leave people with a better outlook in life and a reason to never give up in life!

Until next time, San Diego...

Flying over the Grand Canyon was a picture perfect site

Leaving Vegas, flying over states, and landing in Atlanta... Home for this southern girl!

iTunes Giveaway

To many, music is a true therapy in life. I know for me it definitely is! I can relate to so many songs and have many that have helped me get through some of the most traumatic times in life, as well as the best. For example, "Somebody Must be Prayin for Me" by Tim McGraw. For years now, that has been a song that has guided me through so much, especially the bridge and chorus,

Sometimes she stares out the window
And wonders about her hollywood dream
But when she tucks her kids in bed
she softly whispers as they fall asleep

Somebody must be prayin' for me
Somebody out there must be prayin' for me
Ain't it funny how you always find just what you need
Somebody must be prayin' for me 

If you know me well, then you know the reason without me having to go into an explanation. There was so much I wanted to do in the music business, then I found out I was pregnant with Breanna at the young age of 17. Five months after an emergency c-section and holding my sweet preemie, we found out that we were having baby #2, Caitlin. At the age of 19, I had carried two high-risk pregnancies, survived two c-sections and watched as two sweet little girls took over every part of my life. At the age of 23, Nicholas was born via c-section. At 25, I had to undergo a hysterectomy due to my medical issues. All of the dreams and goals I had that I walked away from, were for a reason. At the time I could not see that of course, now I do. It leaves me so thankful for taking pregnancy on and becoming a mother at a young age. Had I not, I never would have been able to have my children. That alone has left me so blessed in life.

Anything Miranda Lambert makes me smile. There are so many songs I can relate to and that seem so fitting in life. Heart Like Mine is one of my absolute favorites and makes me think of me every time I hear it. When I See You Smile is a song that has helped me stay strong and helps me know that everything will be okay. It was mine and Kev's wedding song. Long Trip Alone by Dierks Bentley was Kevin's Skype ringtone while he was deployed. Every time it would play through my cell, I just knew everything was okay...he was okay. If I Could Reach by Gloria Estevan is another that hits me real hard... Caregivers, listen to it when you get a chance. You will understand. My list could just go on and on and on since music is my number one outlet in all that I do. It is the one thing I could not live without.

So, what song helps get your through good and bad times and why? Right now on my Southern Girl's Stand Facebook page, I am giving away a $10 iTunes Gift Card! To enter in this giveaway, you must like my FB page and comment on the status, which you can click here to comment! Also, make sure to share this with others you know! I can't wait to read what songs/music gets you through life!!!