Almost there!!!!

Ok well today I will try to write a post without so many typos ;). The last couple of blogs I typed really fast at like 2am so hopefully this will be a little bit better.

My friends left yesterday, which is really sad. I miss them already. I love my friends and their coolness for surprising me and coming to see me. I love my husband for arranging everything. He is so good to me ;). Anyways, on our last day together we just dilly dallied around. We had slept in late. We went and got some pictures developed at Wal-mart and just spent time together. We went to Olive Garden that night and had some amazing food. After dinner we got ice cream and then came home to talk and watch a movie. Of course we never got to the actual movie. We then made key chains out of bandanas, they turned out really cute. Then it was off to bed because they had to wake up early and leave the next morning, boo. I had such a great time with them I hated to see them go. Now time is passing so flippin slow. I am ready to be in Hawaii. Well that is all for now. Post again soon.


My Tatoo (it says Hosanna). I got it from the Hillsong song Hosanna and the butterfly is to remember my friend Brittany.

It was a little puffy so the swirls before the H look smooshed ;)


I also dyed my hair...it is a redish color:

Some new changes ;)

Well, I didn't blog yesterday so I will againg just have to do two blogs today!

Yesterday we woke up at about 10m (which I was up at 8 bc I can't sleep that late). We got ready and decided to go out for Mexican. After we ate we really didn't know what to do so we decided this would probably be the best time to look at tattoo places. Me and Amanda (Bean) were going to get tattoos and we wanted to make sure the place was good and clean ;). We finally decided that Baldy's (lol) was the place. We walked in and told them what we wanted and he asked when we were looking for it to be down. Of course we don't think you would actually need an apt. for a tattoo, I mean Kat Von D takes walk-ins right? Anyways he said we had to make an apt. and they were booked 3 days out. We were so sad bc they leave on Sunday and there would be no way for us to get them together. A guy in the back, Robbie, called up and said he could do them for us today...YEAH!!! Amanda and I were so nervous. I made her go first ;). It was so painful, but bearable. Amanda's mom was so funny. She messaged her and said now you and Morgan are "special" friends for life LOL that is too funny. After tattoos, we decided to go to Wally word and get some hair dye, which is a tradition with the Fab Four. We then came home and Nate made us stuff shells for dinner :). I have the most amazing husband in the world! We then decided it was time to dye the hair!!!! I decided just to go for it and dye my whole head and not just streaks this time. I love it! Anyways so we have had and amazing time so far and we have more day to go, which I know will be amazing. I thank God so much for all of my amazing friends all over. I am so blessed!


Bucket List Update:
Dye My Hair= CHECK!
Get A Tattoo= CHECK!

It's been a f'real mazin' day!

Oh my gracious! I have THE most amazing husband in the world. He organized for 3 of my girlfriends to come visit me for the next couple of days. For the last month or so he has been arranging for my friends to come up and visit me. I love my friends and husband SO flippen much.

Nate went to take a movie back to the Red Box and told me he would be back soon. Well, like an hour later he comes home and I was like what took so long? Next thing I know someone is coming through my door. I said, "hello?" and Blair, Porter, and Bean show there pretty faces to me :). I freaked out and jumped up in the air and ran to them. I made Porter pee herself, literally, but just a little bit. Next thing I know I twisted my ankle something fierce! It hurts SO bad and it's swollen. Anyways, I cannot believe they are here. Can we say greatest surprise EVER!!! I love these girls so much. Let the fun begin. I think we are going to get tattoes ;), I'm excited. Well, I better go off to have some super fun lol.

Oopsie...

Well, as you can tell this blogging everyday is not my thing, but I will prevail and master it yet.

I will just go ahead and post about what happened yesterday and later tonight do a post about today that way no one gets confused haha.

Yesterday the movers came and packed up the rest of our belongings and took them off to storage. We are literally living with what we will be taking to Hawaii and I could not be more excited. Nate and I think that we have decided just to go ahead and live on base if we can get a house there. It was getting to crazy to try to find housing with everything we needed for the right price off base so it looks like I will be living on base again. I don't mind living on base and if Nate gets deployed shortly after then I will probably be better that I am on base and not off by myself on a new island. They have some really nice houses on base so I am looking forward to hopefully finding a house in the neighborhod we like. We are asking for prayers for our dogs. If the temperature is not at least 85 degrees at any of the layovers or stops the puppies can't fly so that would be craziness. My Mom would take the dogs and then fly them out at a later date and then we would just pick them up then. We are praying that this is not what happens and the puppies can fly out with us ;).
We only have 6 days left at Fort Knox and only 10 days till Hawaii. I am getting very excited! I hope these next few days fly by. Well, I will post again tonight about the happenings of today ;) ttyl.

Shortie...

Well, I will do a quick update.

We stayed up late last night to watch movies. We only got to midnight and crashed ;). We watched a movie called Ghost Writer it was actually pretty good I would recommend it.

Today we just lounged around and got the house ready to be packed up for storage tomorrow. We then went on a double date with the Barlow's. We ate mexican and then went to see The Other Guys ( which i for seome reason had a brain fart yesterday and called in The Good Guys?). It was a funny movie and I would recommend it as well. Now we are just chillin and washing all of our clothes before our washer and dryer go off to storage tomorrow! Well, that is my post for now so I will write again tomorrow.

Addiction...

Ok well blogging everyday is some what monotonous. I will keep doing it however, or at least try, to make sure I am used to it when I get to Hawaii.

Anyways this blog will be short because I am about to have a random movie night with my husband. He went and rented 2 movies for us to watch and grab so snacks. I love him so much, he is so sweet to me ;). Well, today has been a pretty slow day I didn't accomplish very much. Nate had a couple of meetings today. One was about his OER which he got a great rating on so he should look really good for his next promotion next year...yeah! He works so hard so I am glad to see that others can see it. Tomorrow I might go swimming with my friend Andrea, it will def. help the day pass faster. Since tomorrow is the cheap movie day at the theater we are probably going to go see the Good Guys. Wednesday is the day when the last of our belongings go to storage so that means no more T.V., which I am ok with. Then that is about all we don't have anything planned until the next Wed. when we are off to TN. I think the next week or so will creep by I am hoping for a time speed up! I am so ready to be in HI.

I am so addicted to these decorating blogs they are TOO cute. I have so many ideas that I am dying to be able to work on. I never knew those types of blogs existed. I am so hooked now. I go on them at least twice a day to see what new projects people are doing. It is really amazing to see what people can do with "trash". I think I have also found a present that I want for my bday from my hubs. I will show a picture at the bottom, it would mean so much. At our wedding Nate and I decided we didn't want a solo or singing we wanted someone to read a poem so we choose e.e. cummings I Carry Your Heart in My Heart. I love that poem and it really applies to me as an Army wife and deployment so I would love to have this as a reminder rather than a yellow ribbon.

Here is the Necklace:

-I got this picture off the Lisa Leonard designs website. They have amazing pieces of jewelry there.

Well, that is it for now. I guess I wrote a little more than I wanted, but who cares. I am off to watch movies!

Good day!!!

I will just write a quick post today! Again I am just trying to get used to messaging each day.

Today was a fun day. We started off the day at church. It was a good service talking about how God protects us and rewards us. Then we went to lunch at Panera Bread. We had to swing by Wally World for a few things. We came home and relaxed for a little bit before we had Lasagna for dinner. Then we took the puppies to the Nature Preserve, Saunders Spring, for a hike which they loved. Afterwards when we got home we were ready to settle in when our friend who also happens to live across from us pulled in with her brand new truck that her and her hubs bought today so she wanted to go drive a little and get ice cream so we say Heck yeah why not. All in all it was a good day. I have been getting so tired lately with all this heat so no long message tonight. Nothing planned for tomorrow so we shall see! Write again soon!

Oh we might have found a house...please pray for us as we continue to search out housing.

Pillow Talk...

I am on a roll with this blogging stuff. I, again, am gearing up for my new blog that will debut Aug. 22...I'm really excited!

Well, today was another "shopping" day. I can't believe I went shopping 2 days in a row lol. Anyways, I am on this decorating kick and thought I would look for some deals at Burlington Coatfactory, they don't just sell coats haha. They normally have some good deals. While we were on that side of town we decided to go to Target as well. I LOVE Target. Nate was able to find a shirt and I found 2 pairs of flip flops on clearance for $2.50. We then went to Cato's and I found a neclace and 2 pairs of earring for $8. I am on a jewelry kick to and have found some amazing deals at Wal-mart and a bunch of other stores. We then went on to Burlinton. It was a HUGE success. I have been searching for accent pillows for our new couches since we bought them and they are always like $13 each or higher for the nicer ones. Today I was able to buy 4 big, durable and pretty pillows for $20. I was so excited that is all I could talk about on the way home ;). I will post pics on the bottom. We then went to another store called Meijer's. I like this store bc it is almost like a Wally world but a little higher in price, but hey have some good buys. Nate decided he wanted shrimp creole for supper so we bought the supplies there. Why he wants a really hott dish like that in this heat is beyond me. Anyways, we had a good day with some great finds and we spent very little so all that equals smiley face!

Tomorrow Nate and I are going to church, then home for lunch. We are going to take the puppies to Saunders Spring tomorrow afternoon for a little hike/walk since it will probably be the last time before we leave. I will post again tomorrow of how the day goes.


My pretty pillows!!!



Pattern up close!

A full day!!!

I am a little bored right now so I thought I would just post a random blog about how my day went. I better get used to blogging everyday because with my new blog I'm starting when moving to Hawaii I am posting a pic and a story everyday ;/...we will see how that goes.

The day started out with Nathaniel getting up at 4 something to go to PT just for fun. I could not fall asleep last night to save my life and we had to get up early to take Baxter to get his haircut and run some errands. At 7am I got up and got ready for the day. We were out of the house by 7:40ish. Baxter's hair appointment wasn't until 9am, but it was across town so we thought we would hit traffic. Then we caught our housing guy to sign our papers so we are now "checked" out of housing. Then we went on our merry way to the groomer's place. We were early so we just waiting in the parking lot and talked. Once Baxter was checked in we headed off to run some errands. We went to my dentist office to collect my records to take to Hawaii and of course wouldn't you know it they are closed on friday's...boo. Then we decided to head to the mall because we were getting my necklace checked out and my rings cleaned. We of course forgot that the stores in the mall didn't officially open until 10 and it was 9 something so we were with the over 60 power mall walkers LOL loved it! We then decided to go to Barnes and Noble to get Nate's birthday present, a Nook. He has been wanting one for awhile so deployment and birthday seemed like a good reason. Then we went to Michael's where I actually didn't find anything but some recipe cards. Then on to TJ Maxx. I have never really found anything good clothes wise there, but I love there Home decor department. I found some pretty cute things for only about $11. I was excited. Then we went to Old Navy becuase I needed an under shirt and I ended up buying two cardigans as well. I am going to take the undershirt back though bc I found a cheaper one at Wally World. We then had to go back to the mall since they were closed before. After all of that we went to pick up Baxter at 12pm so all of that shopping in 3 hours. I hate shopping most days so that is why we normally go on an miniday blowout ;). The day wasn't over yet either...

Nate had to go and accept his award from work so I dropped him at work and then went get my medical records at the hospital. Nate wasn't finished by the time I was done so I went to the Thrift shop on base and found some stuff for about $10. I am on this Do it yourself kick and have been readin a lot of blogs about how to make trash into treasure so I got the idea to make a picture frame jewelry holder so that will be my first project in Hawaii and I am so looking forward to it. After I picked Nate up we we came home and loaded our boxes up and took them to Goodwill and then went for china food after ;). Then it was off to buy new sheets at Wally world because my amazingly wonderful puppy Oreo decided she didn't like them so she shredded a hole in them. Anyways it has been a LONG and eventful, crazy and wonderful day! I will blog again soon!






These are some pics of the things I got today!!!

Life in the fastlane...

Well, we only have 17 more days until we arrive in Hawaii!!! I am getting very anxious. God has truly blessed us with some wonderful friends who have already offered to give us a place to stay until we find a house and to give us rides to and from the place we need to go until our car gets there. Right now our car looks like it will get there before we do ;), which is amazing news. We are finding it hard to find a place to live bc apparently a unit just got back from overseas and are taking up all the housing ;( , but God will provide. I can only imagine back to when I was counting down at 2 months and now it is almost 2 weeks. We have, or should I say Nate has, a couple appointments left until we are officially checked out of Fort Knox :).

Fort Knox has not been a bad base to live at, it kinda reminds me of college and how I had to travel to the mall and other "known" places. Wal-mart is right off base though ;). I am looking forward to being able to see Hawaii and God's beautiful creation.

Nate and I are excited about the new beginnings coming up in our life together. We are making some big decisions and looking forward to where God is taking us and what His will is for our lives together. I am going to miss Nate while he is away, but I know this seperation will only make us stronger.

Hopefully the next post will be a little longer, but for now this is a short version of my life and what's going on ;)...Aloha!

Friendship...

Well long time no type! I have been way busy these last couple days with a lot of different things. I have been saying some goodbyes lately and that has made me think about the meaning of friendships and the role they have played in my life.

In elementary school I didn't have a lot of friends. I was the girl that was an outsider and sometimes I was the easy target to pick on. I was contanstly looking to escape the walls of my classrooms because I wanted to be home with my Mom, the best friend a girl could have, at least in my case ;). I thought this was how life was. I had some friends at the dance studio, but that was only a once, or twice, a week gig. I was glad to see 5th grade graduation come and go.

In middle school things changed, for the better. I started making friends, a good bit of them. I realized that maybe it was me all along. I wasn't giving people a chance, I wasn't willing to accept the blame of being "friendless". I loved my middle school friendships, they were exactly what you would expect of girls at that age. We talked about crushes, classes, and much more. I was content with being a follower and going with the flow. I wasn't very out going and pretty much kept to myself. It wasn't until 8th grade on the 1st. day I decided to be someone different. I decided I was going to be that outgoing girl. I was going to love everyone and be talkative and speak my mind. That was the day I met Maggie Smith. I quiet girl who sat right behind me in our Science class. She didn't say a word, but I knew that she was new at the school. I told myself now your chance to be that "outgoing" person you want to be so bad. I turned around and with a confident voice said, "Hi my name is Morgan what is yours?"....and that was the beginning. Maggie and I are like sisters now time nor distance can break us apart. We have gone through so much together in our 11yr. friendship. She has taught me so much about how to be a friend.

In high school more friendships were made, but it was here were I learned what it is like to lose friends. I was so mad at God. He had given me great friends and now I was watching those friendships fall apart and I was partially to blame. I would ask God why He gave me these friends if I was just going to lose them only a little while later. A good friend of mine at the time named Erin Clements told me that God puts people in our lives for certain reasons and that maybe those were the people I needed at that time and I needed new people now. I took to heart what she said and I have carried it with me since. I know God knows what we need and when we need it and that applies to friendships more than anything. High school brought me a circle of friends that I will never forget. We were always together we even made up a name..."Underground Freaks". We weren't freaks, but it stood for that we didn't have to be showy about our friendship or how we had fun or even got crazy in our own ways. It was our fun fact of knowledge. I will remember that group forever. Thanks to Maggie Smith, Carlie Wright, Sally Dunbar, Delaney Harris, Jusin Lamb, David Moak and Michael Anderson for being the best group of friends a girl could have!

I guess we are at the college phase of my friendship post ;). College brings a new type of friendship. You now breath, sleep, eat, and work with your friends. I made so many wonderful friends in college to list them all would be crazy. I had an amazing Hall that I lived on...Middle Howard!!! We were all so close. It was with those girls that I experienced one of the worst things...a death of a friend. When your in college you don't think of death, well at least the death of a girl your age. Her name was Brittany Fogg, she was pretty, smart, loving, faithful, and a friend. She was killed on the way to drop off her boyfriend's Valentine's day present. When I found out the news I sat there with her roomate and another one of our friends just crying. I didn't understand...I wasn't supposed to. I remember being so alone, it was before Nate got there. He knew she had been in an accident bc we had gotten a call from her roomate. I was a chaplain and an RA so I was told before the girls on the hall. I remember waiting in the parking lot with Carlie and Maggie, we all went to college together along with Justin and Michael. I was standing there in the parking lot and Michael came up and gave me a hug. We hadn't been talking a lot lately and I felt our friendship kinda slipping away, but in that moment I was so thankful for him. He held me until Nate got there. I thought hurt would never go away, but it did and each day it got better. I have learned to cherish my friends and whatever relationship we have.

I have had many friends over the years and most of them I am still in contact with. I love my friends! They have all meant something different in my life. They saved me, from a life of whose knows what. God has blessed me so much through these people and I hope, if they haven't been mention by name, that they atleast know who they are!

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."
- Anais Nin

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival."
- C. S. Lewis

"No love, no friendship, can cross the path of our destiny without leaving some mark on it forever."
- Francois Mocuriac

bored...

Hello Person Im Bored Survey, Take Me(: Survey from Quizopolis.com

whats your name? - Morgan Salley Balough
got an age? - 24
do you think you give good advice? - pretty good advice
do they take your advice? - sometimes
can you count on one hand your bffs - Well I only have one bff but I have a lot of true friends
Were you in highschool when you got your first kiss? - nope college
were you in middle school when you got your first kiss? - nope college
can you name the person? - Nathaniel Balough
do you have a good outlook on life right now? - amazing outlook
are you excited for 2010? - heck yeah Aloha!
why or why not? - moving to Hawaii ;)
do you have a myspace? - I did but too many haters boo!
a facebook? - yep!
a twitter? - nah I think having a play by play is a little much
a zwinky? - a what?
are you addicted to anyone of those? if so which one? - Facebook
Are you currently taken or single? - TAKEN
are you happy with your status at the moment? - very much so I have a wonderful hubby ;)
do you have a favorite type of kiss? - the first kiss when he gets home from work
would you stay up to talk to someone on the phone? - I have before
who would you stay up to talk to? - My friends and family
whats your favorite number? - 88
do you miss someone right now? - My family and friends
text? or talk? - text on the phone but talk in person
who was your last text from? - My friend Allysa
do you have a crush on someone right now? - Nathaniel Balough
do they know? - I sure hope so
favorite animal? - fluffy ones
are you a goofy person? - yep!

Take This Survey at Quizopolis.com
http://www.quizopolis.com/survey/6845/Hello-Person-Im-Bored-Survey,-Take-Me(:-Survey/

Bucket Lists...

Lately I've been thinking about the things I want to do before I leave this earth. There are many times where I say oh yeah that is on my bucket list, but then I realize I have never written down any of the things I actually want to accomplish. Today I am going to write down some of the things I want to do before I die...

1. Skydive
2. Bungee Jump
3. Be a General's Wife
4. Work at a homeless shelter
5. Get a Tattoo
6. Lose Weight
7. Have a big family dinner at my house
8. Buy a house with a wrap around porch
9. Own a huge dog
10. Donate an organ
11. Adopt
12. Find a sports team to cheer for that is all mine, not just my hubby's
13. Be taught how to make sushi by a sushi chef
14. Play a game of golf (real golf)
15. Dye my hair at least once
16. Go on a girls trip to an exotic location
17. Go to Europe
18. Take my mom on a cruise to the Holy Land
19. Train a dolphin
20. Make a quilt
21. Do a marathon
22. Swim in a lagoon
23. Be a Secretary
24. Learn how to sew
25. Own a Jeep
26. Have a big family
27. Have a big garden and grow my own veggies and fruit
28. World Peace
29. Be elected to a public office
30. See a broadway show
31. Fly a plane
32. Drive a boat
33. Water ski
34. Help deliver a baby
35. Go on an acting audition just for fun
36. Meet Betty White
37. Have a full day at the spa (all day)
38. Drive a monster truck
39. Drive a motorcycle
40. Own a business

and the list goes on and I am going to try to add more and take off the ones I actually accomplish I encourage you to do the same write down some of the things you want to do then you have a list to look to or carry with you.

Lessons....

It has been craziness in the Balough household for the last two days, heck for the last couple of weeks getting everything ready for our move. I have learned so much throughtout this entire experience. One thing I have learned is patience. I am not a patient person at all and throughout my life God has blessed me with opportunities that help me work on building up my patience. This move has definitely been a patience builder. This move as gotten us both excited about moving and our new life in Hawaii. I love how God has blessed me with a husband that has strengths that I do not and how I have some he does not. Nate is the most patient person I know. He can wait forever for things as I am bouncing off the wall with worry and excitment all in one. I am ready to be gone and don't care what it takes to get there. Nate being the "good" one ;) is working out all those little details that will get us there with all of our stuff and our two puppies.

I LOVE that my husband is a planner. I was nervous when I first got married about planning for our future and moving and all that came with it. Nate had it all planned out before I even could ask. He had our rental truck booked, a storage unit ready, a new house on base for us to live in, all the info for my in processing ready, and the list goes on. He makes sure that we sit down and do the bills together so when he isn't around I will be able to handle everything. He also has planned out his Army career, this is a huge help to me because now I am not thinking every step of the way what in the world are we going to do next. Now I know that God laughs at plans, which is why it's good we are humerous peoople, so if our plans don't go exactly the way we wanted who cares it is all in God's hands.

All of that being said, I am so excited to be starting a new part of our lives in a new place with my husband. Whenever I get crazy about all the details I know that I have a solid person to rely on and and even stronger God.

All in the Family...

Well, a lot has happened since I posted last. My family came down to visit for a week. My mom, nana, uncle woody, and aunt margaret all came up from South Carolina. We had an amazing 4th of July cookout. We had all sorts of food like beans,grapes,burgers,brauts, turkey burgers,cole slaw,cold veggies and dip, and homeade strawberry lemonade. After we ate we waited around for the fireworks (you can see them from our backyard). They were amazing! Nate didn't have to work Monday so we decided to go to Louisville because although we had lived here a year and half here we haven't made it to some of the local attractions. We went to the Loisville Slugger Museum and were able to see how they make the famous bats. It was really interesting I didn't know how much went into the whole process, but the whole family enjoyed it. On Tuesday, Nate had to go back to work, but me and the family went to the Creation Museum, which is a truly amazing place, but it was really packed so that made it less enjoyable. We learned a lot though and saw some amazing exhibits. We then went to go shopping at one of my favorite stores IKEA. I love that store bc they sell so many things for the home that aren't that pricey and they have displays that give you really great ideas. We had what I call a "local" day on Wednesday. We went to the Patton Museum on base, my uncle is a HUGE history buff, later we just went shopping around town. On Thursday, The Family decided they wanted to go on the Bourbon Trail, which KY is known for. We went to Maker's Mark and Jim Bean distilleries...NOT a fan, but they had fun learning about how all of it is made and how long the whole process takes. On their last day we just lounged around and went shopping at Old Navy and Barnes and Noble and the mall. All in all it was an amazing time with my family and I am going to miss them all SO much.

Now we are getting ready to pack up the house here in KY for Hawaii. The packers come on Monday and hopefully it won't take them too long to pack up all our things and then the movers come on Thursday. Life is moving at a crazy pace, but I wouldn't change it for the world. God has truly allowed me to experience things and learn things I never imagined. I am so blessed to have the husband I do to be a partner in sharing this adventure God has us on. I am looking forward to the future and all it holds...ALOHA!

Blessings and Happenings

Well, a lot has happened in a short amount of time. We were able to go to Ohio to visit Nate's family. The circumstances weren't all that great, but we were able to visit with all of Nathaniel's family in Ohio before we are off to Hawaii. We met Nathaniel's mom at the hospital to visit his uncle Larry who had suffered from a stroke the weekend prior. We met up with his Grandpa and Peggy and his His Aunt Linda and Uncle Bob along with his cousin Cara. It was nice to be able to see everyone and just to catch up. We were able to go back and visit, but just for a little bit since they were bending the rules for us that late at night. We went home after that to say goodnight to Tim, Nate's stepdad. Tim was really sick while we were there so he rested the majority of the time. We woke up and went back to the hospital. We stayed there for a little while then we went back to spend the night hanging out and spending time with Tim. Sara, Nate's cousin, and her boyfriend stopped by to say hello and Uncle Mark also stopped by, he had made us one of his famous cheesecakes. It was amazing! We spent some more time with them and then went to bed. The next day, Sunday was really hard, we knew were going to have to say goodbye to Tim, probably for the last time. He spoke with Nate and I each individually and we were able to say our goodbyes and just talk for a little bit with each other. I was bawling like a baby by the end, he will be greatly missed.

Well, after all that we are back to the present day. Nate and I are preparing for the big move in about 2 weeks. We are going room by room and seperating our stuff which has turned out to be pure craziness. My family comes next week and I am so flippin excited for it. We did all the shopping for there visit, there was so much.

I am also going to start a new blog when we get to Hawaii. I am going to take one picture a day for everyday that we are there and blog about my day and the picture I took. I think it will be something different and that way my friends and family can see what it's like in Hawaii. I will probably discontinue this blog. Well, enough for now I'm off to bed. Blog again soon lol!

Survey!

1. When is the last time you ran?--not a big runner but I walked/hiked today!

2. Do your jeans have rips, tears and holes in them? No

3. What are you dreading right now?--Packing and moving...crazy!

4. Do you celebrate 420?--no

5. Do you get the full 8 hours of sleep a night?-- sometimes but not always

6. If anybody came to your house on your "Lazy days" what would ya'll do?--Talk or go out for lunch

7. Who last grabbed your butt?--i guess my husband lol

8. Have you ever been on your school's track team?-- No

9. Do you own a pair of converse?--no again my Bff owns like every color

10. Did you copy and paste this survey?--yes I did!

11. Do you eat raw cookie dough?-- I love it! yes, I do.

12. Have you ever kicked a vending machine?--no never kicked one but I have shaken one before and bammed on it!

13. Do you hate it when the radio ruins good songs by playing them over and over?--yeah they can get old really fast...there are millions of song out there a little variety is a good thing.

14. Do you watch trading spaces?-- Is that show even still on? I used to watch it.

15. How do you eat oreos?-- Not a huge oreo eater but if I eat them I follow after my hubby who take a toothpick and puts it through the filling and dunks it in the milk for a while then eats it.

16. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone?-- yes I have.

17. Are you cocky?-- Probably sometimes

18. Could you live without a computer?-- Probably

19. Do you wear your shoes in the house?-- Normally I'm barefoot or I have socks on but I dont' care if people wear them in the house.

20. Who or what sleeps with you?-- My hubby and two lovely cover hog dogs

21. At what age did you find out that Santa isn't real?-- Who knows I figured it out pretty soon thoguh I am a big snoop.

22. How many phones, house phones, cell phones do you have in your house?-- We just have our cell phones...no need for a house phone.

23. What do you do when you're sad?-- Talk to family and friends and the hubs

24. Who would you call first if you won the lottery?--My husband

25. Last time you saw your best friend?-- Christams but she is coming up in a couple of weeks ;)

26. Are you in high school? No, but sometimes with all the drama it feels that way

27. What jewelry are you wearing?-- Just my wedding band, I don't wear my other rings when I walk or workout.

28. Is anyone on your bad side now?--Naw!

29. What's the first thing you do when you get online?-- Facebook or check my email.

30. Do you watch Grey's Anatomy?--No but I hear I should watch it.

31. How do most people spell your name?--Well my first name is fine it's my middle and last name no one knows how to spell...I get Sally/Sallie/Salle (its' Salley) and then my last name we won't even go there with the misspellings.

32. Would you wear your husband's clothes?-- Oh yeah!

33. Where do you work?-- Out of my house ;)

34. What are you doing tomorrow?-- Well probably trying to pack some things up in my house so not a lot.

35. Is Justin Timberlake becoming the next Michael Jackson?-- Nah but he is a good musician and JT is already white so...

36. Favorite name for a girl?--I always liked the name Lydia but everyone in my family is named that lol (by the way these our not our baby names we already have those picked out)

37. Favorite name for a boy?--don't really have a Favorite boy name

38. Will you keep your last name when you get married?-- Married and I have my husbands last name.

39. When was the last time you left your house?-- About an hour ago

40. Do you return your cart?--always it drives me crazy when people leave their carts in the parking lot especially when i go to pull into a space with a cart in it...boo

41. Do you have a dishwasher? Yes I do!

42. What noise do you hear?--Tv and air conditioner

43. Would you survive in prison?--I hope I never have to find out.

44. Who is the youngest in your family? immediate my cousin Lydia

45. If all of your friends were going on a roadtrip, who is the most likely to overpack?-- Family-Ashley Friends-Me probably I over think about what I will need so I would probably be the one to over pack

46. Do you know anyone with the same name as you?--No

47. What's the last thing you purchased?-- Tampons and water lol

48. Do your siblings ever pay for stuff for you?-- Don't have any siblings.

49. What brand are your pants right now?-- Old Navy

50. Ever been to Georgia (the state)?-- Oh yes! That is where we are retiring to!

51. What irritates you the most on the internet?--when it crashes

52. What brand is your digital camera?-- Samsung, and Canon

53. Do you watch movies with your parents?--My mom and I watch a lot of movies

54. What song best describes your life right now?--I guess that song I wanna be a billionaire bc it's kinda fun and with going to Hawaii who wouldn't want a lot of money to blow.

55. Do you own expensive perfume/cologne?--No not the expensive stuff

56. Are you taking college classes right now? Not yet

57. Do you like sushi?--It's my favorite food!

58. Do you get your hair cut every month?-- I haven't had a haircut in forever!

59. Do you go online everyday?-- yep that is how I keep in touch with people

60. Will you pass this survey on to 5 people?--my blog is enough

Weekend...

Well, a quick update from this weekend...

The Resort was amazing. Nate and I left early and dropped Oreo off at the pet palace (we left Baxter at home). We made it to the Resort about 12:00pm and we checked into the hotel. After we dropped our bags off in the room we went and snooped around the hotel and found out were things were. Our massages were at 3:00pm so we got there a little early to fill out our papers. The Spa was the most amazing place ever! We were each taken back to our gender dressing rooms and we were assigned lockers with codes for our things. We had our couple's massage and that too was so amazing, just what we needed. Then we went back to the dressing room and took showers to get ready for dinner. We went to dinner at the Power Plant restaurant. After Dinner we went to the casino for a little while, that was a lot of fun. We aren't big gamblers, but was fun to go in and play some of the games. We were tired after that so we went to the room and went to bed. We woke up and checked out of the Hotel and went to breakfast and then we decided to go back to the casino again, just for fun since we didn't lose any money the night before. We never spend that much money that way if we lose it we aren't at rock bottom. We played a couple hours on 10 bucks lol. After that we decided just to go home we were worn out.
We were on our way home when we got the news that Nate's uncle Larry had had a stroke early sunday morning. Nate's mom had to go to the hospital because Nate's grandfather was scared to give him the medicine bc it wasn't gauranteed to work. They gave him the meds and he has improved a little bit, but he still can't move his right side and he can't fully talk. We are just asking for people to keep him in your prayers.
We are going to Ohio this weekend, which will hopefully be good trip. It will be a sad one. This will probably be our last time to see Nate's stepdad Tim. We are going to be saying a lot of goodbyes this weekend so we again ask for prayers.
Well, that is enough for now I will update again soon.

survey #4

50 Of Your Favorites Survey from Quizopolis.com

What is your favorite color? - Rainbow

What is your favorite stone or gem? - I like turquoise, dimonds, yellow stones

What is your favorite brand name? - Vera Bradley

What is your favorite shampoo & conditioner? - Aveeno

What is your favorite body wash? - Bath and Body works

What is your favorite lotion? - Vasaline

What is your favorite sent or perfume? - Juicy Couture smells nice, I wear something by Victoria Secret

What is your favorite electronic? - My laptop

What is your favorite song? - too many to name

What is your favorite movie? - I have a couple...Stand by Me, The Goonies, and the Little Mermaid

What is your favorite T.V show? - Golden Girls, current show is Fringe

What is your favorite pair of shoes? - My rainbow flip flops

Who is your favorite cartoon character? - Babar the elephant

Who is your favorite entertainer? - Dane Cook

What is your favorite sport? - Tennis

What is your favorite kind of car? - Jeep

What is your favorite drink? - cherry 7up

What is your favorite candy? - I like fruity candies

What is your favorite snack? - pickles

What is your favorite fruit? - tomatoes

What is your favorite piece of jewelry? - my new wedding set and my grandmother's ring that she gave me

What is your favorite accessory? - Headbands I just don't own that many

What is your favorite place to visit? - Any place where friends and family are

What is your favorite State? - South Carolina

What is your favorite City? - Cincinnati OH

What is your favorite theme park? - Cedar Point in OH nothing compares to that park

What is your favorite hotel? - Westin chains

What is your favorite Clothes Store? - Old Navy

What is your favorite Shoe Store? - Pay less

What is your favorite restaurant? - Kansai, and I love seafood places

What is your favorite fast food spot? - I don\'t like fast food so much but I like taco bell, and popeye's chicken

What is your favorite book/magazine? - Into the Wild is my favorite book and I still like Teen Vogue for my favorite magazine, but I also like those gossipy magazines

What is your favorite type of gum? - anything minty or cinnamon

What is your favorite brand of toothpaste? - Aquafresh

What is your favorite kind of toothbrush? - crest?

What is your favorite brand of mouthwash? - scope

What is your favorite season? - fall/winter

What is your favorite day of the week? - Friday

What is your favorite thing to do when celebrating your birthday? - Not a big celebrater lol I don\'t like parties so just go out to eat, but my anniversary is the next day so lol

What is your favorite when your bored? - Card making

What is your favorite thing to do when you can't sleep? - watch tv or play on the computer

What is your favorite way to get revenge? - not a big revenge seeker

What is your favorite thing that makes you smile? - Little surprises from my hubby or getting cards in the mail that aren't junk

What is your favorite word to say? - lol I have a lot of words I like

What is your favorite way to wear your hair? - on my head

What is your favorite nail color? - Omgoodness I am so all over the place...I love all the colors

What is your favorite T-Shirt & Jeans? - tshirt is an old Winthrop University tshirt and jeans would be Old Navy

What is your favorite ice breaker in a conversation? - What's your name? lol

What is your favorite way to get attention? - well i can tell you it's not by tripping

What is your favorite thing about yourself? - I have no idea I guess it would be my outgoingness

Another survey...

30 Personality Type Questions Survey from Quizopolis.com

Do You Like Your Name? - yes I do

What Age Would You Like To Be Right Now? - I like the age i'm at

Do You Have Pets? - 2 dogs

How Many Best Friend's Do You Have? - Excluding my hubby and mom...just one bff that is Maggie

What's Your Favorite Color? - Rainbow

Do You Like To Go Shopping? - Depends not a big all day shopper or clothes shopper

Are You Into Sports? - Depends on the sports...I like basketball and tennis

What's Your Favorite Hobby? - Card making

Do You Like To Read? - yes I do I'm currently reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

What Do You Do When You Are Mad? - get quiet

What Word Do You Catch Your Self Saying A Lot? - "you know" (more of a phrase)

MacDonald's Or Burger King? - McDonalds

Coke Or Pepsi? - Coke

Summer Or Winter? - Winter-you can strip down butt naked and still be hott in Summer but you can pile on clothes and cuddle and get warm in Winter...just sayin

Are You Nice To Everyone? - No- if you are nice to me and respect me I will do the same to you

Do You Like Swimming? - very much so

How Do You Do Your Hair Often? - I straighten it

What City Or State Would You Like To Go To? - Hawaii...oh wait! Next choice is Las Vegas

What Kind Of Ice Cream Do You Like Most? - Birthday Cake

Hot Cheetoes Or Doritos? - neither...Cape Cod Salt and Vinager chips

Do You Like School? - yes

Are You In School? - not yet looking at starting my Master\'s in the fall or spring though

Do You Play Video Games? - just the ones my Hubby makes me play

What Do You Do For Fun? - Spending time with family and friends

Do You Talk A Lot In The Phone? - I don\'t like talking on the phone rather talk in person

Are You More Shy, Or Talkative? - Talkative

Do You Like Going Outdoors? - Very much so

Do You Like Rainy Days? - yes when I'm home in my house or in bed

Do You Have A Favorite Restaurant? If Yes, Which One? - Yes, Kansai Japanese Steakhouse yum yum

Are You Awesome? - I think so

Honestly, Are You? - yeah basically

Survey #2

1.) What is your name? Morgan Salley Balough

2.) Do you find it annoying when surveys ask for your name? nah.

3.) What do you plan to buy in the future? a new trash can ;)

4.) Where did you get the underwear you are currently wearing? PX

5.) How many pairs of Converse do you own? none but my bff owns enough for us all ;)

6.) Who is your favorite “That ’70s Show” character? Fez he is hilarious

7.) There is a mummy standing behind you. What do you do? flip out!

8.) What do you think of Miley Cyrus? um no thank you!

9.) Do you tend to think that you are always right? sometimes but then I realize that I'm wrong :)

10.) Top Five Favorite Songs: Right now: 1. Hey Soul Sister-Train 2. We'll be a Dream-We the Kings 3. Hosanna-Hillsong (which is what my tattoo is going to be)4.Cooler than Me-Mike Posner (weird song but kinda catchy) 5. Reply-Iyaz

11.) What was your favorite toy as a child? Polly Pockets back when they were smaller than a penny.

12.) Have you thought more about your funeral, or your wedding? Well with being in the Army we have had to do a lot of will stuff so probably my funeral.

13.) Dinosaurs or Unicorns? Dinosaurs

14.) What is your favorite musical? Meet Me in St. Louis (oh how I love Judy Garland)

15.) You need new jeans. Where do you go? Old Navy

16.) Do you play the Sims 2? I did a long time ago but not currently

17.) Do you think Harry Potter is at all immoral to read? uh NO!

18.) What do you think of Maroon 5? I like them but they have faded out some.

19.) What about Coldplay? Love their recent stuff!

20.) Fall Out Boy? good band again faded out some.

21.) Katy Perry? a girl who stands out...heck yes!

22.) How about The All-American Rejects? like them too

23.) Have you ever snuck into an R-rated movie when you weren’t old enough to see it without parents? no but it did sneak my cousin and my bff's brother into Kill Bill Vol.2 LOL good times
24.) The Wii or Xbox 360? Wii- it is a pretty genius invention.
25.) Team Demi/Selena or Team Miley? Demi/Selena

26.) Do you know many Emily’s? actually I know a lot of emily's

27.) What do you think of the Jonas Brothers? Love-wow wholesome young people in today's society who would have thought?

28.) Have you ever slept in a tent, indoors or out? yes I have while it monsoon-ed outside...fun times. I like camping.

29.) What is your favorite kind of Girlscout cookie? thin mint

30.) Do you enjoy surveys? of course or I wouldn't be doing it

31.) What do you hear at the moment? Criminal Minds on tv

32.) Why do you think so many people love myspace? what's myspace lol

33.) What do you think of people who do illegal drugs? Jail.

34.) Do you watch the Olympics? more winter than summer, i love the ice skating.

35.) What are your top five favorite stores? 1. Michaels 2. Old Navy 3. Target 4. Barnes and Noble, 5. Wal-mart.

36.) Do you like the new Weezer album? haven't listened to it.

37.) What did you think of Panic at the Disco taking out the exclamation point in their name? they had an exclamation point?

38.) What is the worst job you have ever had? none have been so bad to label worst.

39.) Have you ever been to Minnesota? not yet

40.) What is the strangest thing you’ve ever seen on TV? That Asian game show where those people run into things and go through stupid obstacle courses and get hurt.

41.) Do you watch informercials when there is nothing on? Guilty they just suck me in!

42.) What is your favorite Disney Show? I don't watch very many Disney tv shows. I like there movies though.

43.) Have you ever seen the Wedding Singer? Not completely.

44.) Top five reasons people rank things:
1. Boredom
2.OCD
3.To decide pro's and con's
4.Because they are looking for something specific
5.Who knows!

45.) Have you ever gone camping? lots of times

46.) What do you miss most about elementary school? Simple math ;)

47.) What do you do when you want to fill out a survey, but none of your friends have posted surveys that you have not taken yet? I got a website to go to lol.

48.) What is your favorite kind of DQ Blizzard? not a big blizzard fan ;( just like the chocolate dipped cone or a plain cone.

49.) Has anything funny ever happened to you while in Wendy’s? I'm from the south what do you think?

50.) What is your current job? A stay at home wife and caretaker of two puppies.

54 questions...

1. Do you like chinese food? um heck yes! Would eat it everyday if I could.

2. How big is your bed? Queen size :)

3. Is your room clean? Yes because when it gets too messy it drives me crazy.

4. Laptop or Desktop computer? We have one desktop in the office and then we each have a laptop.

5. Favorite comedian? Dane Cook...YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW.

6. Do you smoke? no thank you!

7. Does anyone like you? pretty sure I got a big following LOL

8. Whats the sexiest thing about Condoleeza Rice? she can hold her own in DC baby.

10. Sleep with or without clothes on? I love pj's too much to sleep without them.

11. Who sleeps with you every night? My husband and my two rotten dogs that I love.

12. Do long distance relationships work? yeah I see them work everyday!

13. How many times have you been pulled over by the police? Never! I am a slow poke.

14. Pancakes or French Toast? pancakes with butterscotch chips

15. Do you like coffee? oh yes...all kinds!

16. How do you like your eggs? over easy

17. Do you believe in astrology? mumbo gumbo

18. Last person you talked to on the phone? My mom :)

19. Last person on your missed call list? my friend Alyssa we always miss each other ;(

20. What was the last text message you received? a text from my hubby ;)

21. McDonalds or Burger King? McDonald's for their wonderful Dollar Menu and breakfast menu

22. Number of pillows? 2 will do

23. Last thing you ate? Leftovers from Kansai last night.

24. Last thing you bought? Family Guy Season 8 for Nate

25. What are you hearing right now? Oreo, my dog, snoring and Family Guy on t.v.

26. Pick a lyric? You gave my life direction a game show love connection-train

27. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? not a big PB&J fan but I guess it would be grape.

28. Can you play pool? Yes but I'm not too good at it.

29. Do you know how to swim? since preschool :)

30. Favorite ice cream? Birthday cake

31. Do you like maps? treasure maps :)

32. Tell me a random fact: I am going to shave my head one day!

33. Number 33 was inappropriate.

34. Ever attend a theme party? does Halloween count?

35. Ever do a keg stand? LOL nope let's be for real

36. Craziest place you've slept after a night of drinking? lol again not a drinker.

37. What is your favorite season? autumn and winter (the in between)

38. What is the first music video you ever saw? probably a country one?

39. Pick a movie quote: "you just nailed the baby...Are my glasses ok?"

40. Favorite quote: The art of being happy lies in the ability of extracting happiness from common things.
-Henry Ward Beecher

41. What is your favorite hangout? Maggie's House lol (old school)

42. Best friend's name? Maggie Smith :)

43. How long have you known them? 11yrs in Aug. suckas

44. Last time you laughed at something stupid? everyday!

45. What time did you wake up this morning? 7:30am

46. Wake up next to anyone? Well I wake up with Nate when he goes to PT but then I go back to sleep so then I wake up with the dogs.

47. Best thing about winter? Soup on a cold day and playing in the snow.

48. Name a couple of favorite colors:I honestly can't pick I like them all.

49. How old are you? turning 25 this year :)

50. What month is your birthday in? December

51. Do you think pirates are cool or overrated? depends on the pirate.

52. Favorite Dave Matthews Band song (if you have one?) CRASH!!!

53. What are you doing this weekend? Going to get massages and spend the night at a nice hotel with the hubby.

54. Who will take this survey? who knows :)

Comings and Goings...

Wow! I actually posted within a month of my last post...Crazy!

It has been a crazy weekend with so much going on and so many emotions. Nate's grandparents came to visit us this Friday for the weekend, I always look forward to seeing them so much. I love grandma Balough because she always brings stuff to me that she knows I am going to need and use and funny enough the items are always something I was just thinking about needing. I love when she gives us these items because there is ALWAYS a story that goes along with each item that makes them more personal than if she had just given them to us and said, "Here ya go!". The funniest part about it is that grandpa Balough chimes in and says, "No no that's not what happened". It is so flippen amazing to watch them chatter back and forth...and that was just the beginning of it.
I have always loved watching Nate's grandparents together, they are definitely an inspiring couple. Nate and I both are a product of divorce so to see a lasting relationship that we can model ours after is truly a gift from God. They exude love through all they do. They are always willing to give us advice on anything from finances to how to get a stain out of a shirt. Last night they took us out for dinner to a Japanese Steakhouse. It was so much fun watching them get involved with the cook and all his throwing of knives and such. It was a wonderful evening that was capped off by playing more Monopoly Deal and Mexican Train Dominoes. Now don't let the fact that these are grandparents fool you they play to WIN!:) Grandpa always tries to come up with "new strategies" on how to kick everyone's butt, but most of the time it doesn't work. We then tried to convince grandpa to stay one more day, but they had to get back to Ohio. When they went to leave grandma Balough stopped and said she wanted to lift us up in prayer before she left, which of course made me cry like a baby. She prayed for our future and for Nate and I individually and the things we were going to embark on. All of this made it even harder to say goodbye. I really have never been one for mushy sad goodbyes for the most part, but this goodbye made me realize that this is one of the first of many that we will say in the next couple of months.

God has truly blessed us with wonderful families and AMAZING friends that are all portable because they are all in our hearts. It will be hard to say goodbye for 2 years, but I know God has big plans for us in Hawaii and for Nate in Iraq. I am so proud of Nate for making the decision to go over to Iraq and serve. We thought long and hard and prayed even harder about the decision. We have no regrets about and for the most part our families respect and honor our choices. I know they don't want us to move so far away, but right now with no children it is a great opportunity to see and live in parts of the world that would ordinarily not be an option. I always knew I was not meant to stay in SC forever, I just didn't know how God was going to move me out of my hometown. Who knew that it would be through a big eared, big hearted man named Nathaniel. God has given us such a gift by allowing us to be apart of this great unit called the Army. We are going to meet people and go places that we could have only dreamed of. With all that said it doesn't make it any easier to say goodbye to those that we love and care about. We have started our goodbyes with this weekend and they won't end till we get on the plane.

On a lighter note, Nate and I get to go to the resort next weekend, which I am SO excited about. I am looking forward to spending time with my husband just the two of us with no work just relaxation and at a gorgeous hotel.

I guess I better start in on the things of the day. I have to do our meal plan for the next couple weeks and clean out the storage closet and give our lovely dogs a bath. Well, hopefully my next update will be after our trip.

the up and coming...

Well again I have totally neglected this blog thing. Nothing much is going on with me at the moment. I am just trying to stay on top of organizing our move and so on. I think once I am in Hawaii blogging about all of my adventures will be a good time consuming thing for me to do while Nate is away.

Well there are a couple things coming up that I am really excited about...
1.Family coming to visit-My grandparents are coming this weekend for a quick stay to see us before we leave. In July my mom, Nana, aunt and uncle are all coming to visit for a whole week :). I will have to find something for them to do so I am working on that right now.We also get to visit my mother in law and my father in law in Ohio!Hopefully we will get to see all the aunts and uncles up there too...they are so much fun. Uncle Mark said he would make us a cheesecake for our going away present. He makes THE best cheesecakes ever. I am excited to see them all before Hawaii. His mom tells us that Nate's stepfather is getting worse (he has cancer) and this might be our last time to see him so we are trying to get there and see them and spend time with them before we leave.
2. Our little getaway weekend to the French Lick Resort in Indiana is coming up in a week and a half so I am really looking forward to massages and staying at the gorgeous hotel and eating a wonderful meal.
http://www.frenchlick.com/hotels/frenchLick/index.jsp
this is a link for the hotel...We are so glad to be able to take a weekend away!...and with our gift card we don't have to pay nearly as much as it would normally cost which is a HUGE blessing. I will try to be a good blogger and post pics and blog about it.
3.Hawaii!!!enough said ;) I am getting excited about our upcoming move and finding a new place for us to stay and for us to take the puppies to the beach and let them play in the sand. I am excited to be apart of a REAL unit and to no longer be in TRADOC. Nate also becomes a Captain next year so that is something we are already looking forward to happening.

All in all I am just doing the wifely things. Today I mowed the lawn all by myself and found it pretty rewarding. I thought since I will be doing it by myself in the future I might as well start now. Plus the lawns in Hawaii won't be like they are here so I got it covered. I am about to start reading "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". It seems like it will be an interesting book. I am then, hopefully, going to finish my book club reading from last summer. My friend and I started our own summer book club and I got stuck on the first book because I didn't have any time at camp to read them so I am going to play catch up and hopefully we can start another one this summer :).Well, that is all for now my hubby is cooking me dinner so I better go eat it. I will really try to update soon(haha i know).

Lets play catch up!

Well, it's been a while since posting and a lot has happened. We are gearing up to be moving in about 4 months and all that goes along with that move. Nate's mom was able to come visit us this last week and spend a couple of days with Nate and I just relaxing and catching up and venting ;). My family comes up in July and I am so excited for them to come see us, but it will be bitter sweet bc that is probably the last time I will see them before we move.

We have a lot coming in these up coming months! Nate's mom comes down for his brother's wedding on May 15th once that is over Nate and I are off to SC to see our good friends get married....I am so flippen excited to see them finally get married and to see all of our friends. June will be a month of spending as much time together as possible before the craziness of the move goes into overdrive. Nate and I are planning a getaway to a resort in Indiana and we are going to get massages and just spend quality time together. July is family and packing time! Then in August we are off to the islands :). Nate leaves shortly after that for Iraq or Afghanistan so we ask for your prayers while we go through that transition.

I am ready for May to be over...who am I kidding I'm ready to be in Hawaii :)!
There is a lot on my mind and I really wish I could vent it on here but I will shut my mouth for now...save the drama for your mama...and trust me if you only knew how much drama there was(boo). I will try to update again soon.

Too flippen sweet...

Well, I have been so busy lately trying to get things in order for us moving and for family coming to visit that I have been getting stressed out. I know one day/room at a time. I am trying to purge us both of 20 something years of stuff that we have collected. It is very hard for me to part with stupid stuff so I have been trying to tell myself that it is just stuff and I can give it away or throw it away. I have made great progress though and everything is seeming to find a place to be put/organized.

Anyways to the sweet part. Today I was sitting eating lunch at the kitchen table when I saw the mail man come and put a package in the mailbox. I thought it was probably some free sample thing or Army thing for Nate so I opened the door and got the mail. To my surprise it was addressed to ME ;). It was from this little store that Nate and I had gone to about a month ago looking at Vera Bradley. They called to tell me that the purse I wanted was in stock but since we are about to move and have family coming we have been trying to save money...so a purse was def. not a need so I made up some excuse like I was out of town or something and to just sell it to whoever wanted it. Back to present day...I opened the package to find the wallet and id case that was the print I wanted and was looking for and waiting for for a while now. In the I.D. case there was a little note that said, "To Morgan, Just Because, Nate." Nate called the place and ordered it over the phone and then they shipped it to me! It absolutely MADE my day and made me feel so appreciated and missed lol. Well, that's it I just had to lift up my hubby a little bit for a job WAY well done! I love NDB ;).

Really?

So can I just say how I absolutely LOVE talking to my friends!!! They always seem to know what to say to make a crazy situation be even crazier. My friend Alyssa is THE best at this. I just got off the phone with her and God bless her for letting me rant for like 2 hours :).

I have come to the conclusion that I am a very hard person to be friends with. I say that in the since that I have a very high criteria of what I look for in friends and what I can give back to that friend in return. Most of my best friends have been so for years. Somethings I look for in friends are a big mouth, a real friend will call me on my crap, which I appreciate alot. I good friend is always there. If you ask any of my friends they will tell you I like everyone and I do mean everyone until I have a reason not to and then I make the decision that I don't want them as a friend or I can't be the type of friend they need.

If you don't know me very well then let me tell you a little about myself. I don't care about how much people make or should I say how much their mommy's and daddy's make. There is no price limit to get into my circle of friends or to get my respect. I am a judge of character and how people carry themselves. I don't take much notice in what people wear or what they drive. Therefore those things don't matter to me. I don't like fake people period. I love all of my friends bc they are extremely honest about themselves and who they are and who they want to be. I am a very independent person and most of my friends are that way to. I am so blessed to have the friends that I do...they are a crazy bunch of people. Another thing I look for is respect. I want a friend that I can look up to for so many reasons not just shallow ones. I want a friend who will respect me as well.

I went to a private school all my life, I got everything I ever wanted but all of that is superficial and shallow. The greatest things in life are the things that money can't buy...friendship, true friendship.

I just had to rant about this bc if I get accused of not liking someone bc they have money, on more time, then I am going to scream!!!(well only been accused once but that is enough for me) WHO CARES!!!!!!!

Musically Minded...

So I have always loved music and only recently decided it is def. a map for life. I have also discovered that I have absolutely no idea what type/genre of music I actually like. I am now on a mission to figure it out. I am a sap for classics and I also like some punk, pop and rock so that is where you people come in :). I would like to knwo some of your favorite songs...in the whole word...those songs that define your life and that you can listen to over and over again and never grow old. So if you will comment on this blog by listing you favorite songs and hopefully I can find some more music to add to my favorites list. In a couple of days/weeks I will hopefully be posting again and list a top 10 songs that I like. So thanks in advance for those who post :).

Convictions, Distractions and things...

Okey Dokey...it's been a little bit since I posted but I have been a little busy. Anyways I ended my last blog talking about posting something the pastor was talking about last Sunday so that is what I am going to "blog" about. *sorry in advance for any typos or bad punctuation I am writing this really fast.*

The pastor challenged us to seek out and find that which distracts us from a closer relationship with God. He then urged us to write it down. I will be honest and tell you what mine were:
1. Money
2. Jealousy
3. Appearence

I wrote mine down and then though over them a little bit.
-I put money because I worry a lot about money. It is not that I am worried about having too little it is that I micromanage it so much. Nate and I def. have enough money for everything but I like to do budgets like nobody's business. Therefore I let money get in the way. Nate and I make sure we tithe and in doing so we have def. seen God's blessings and provisions come back but it is very hard to let managing of the money be given up to God even though he is the best accountant in the world :).
-Jealousy was my number two. For lack of a better word I chose this one. I picked it because often times I get upset to see people get heaps of blessings when they don't seem to really be doing anything to get them. It is not that I am necessarily jealous of what they have just how they can do nothing and get something when Nate and I work so hard for things. This has been my mindset since highschool. I often have to remind myself while there treasures builds up on earth mine are building in heaven. I would rather have a house is heaven filled with treasure then a house on earth filled with crap (that I can't even take with me).
-Appearence is the third thing that is a distraction. I workout everyday in hopes of losing weight and looking better. Guess what though God doesn't have a weight limit!!! I love knowing I don't serve a shallow God. I have realized to let go of what I look like...who cares. I have an amazing husband that tells me I am beautiful everyday and loves me unconditionally and family and freinds that except me big butt and all.
So with all that said I put my "distractions" in the offering basket and prayed over them. Now I am not saying that they are gone but being aware of them really helps me to control them. I urge you guys to find the distractions in your life and make a list for yourself, it has really helped me.

Another thing I was really convicted on was being materialistic. I, Morgan Balough, am a materialistic person. I own up to it!!! This is another one of my distractions...not as big as the others but def. enough of one to block the cross. I believe a lot of america is materialistic and either won't admit it or can't see it because all there stuff is in the way. Think of it this way...you might be materialistic if,... someone came into your house and destroyed everything you own and it upsets you....materialism. Now I am not saying you shouldn't be upset, heck I would be, but if you put ANY value on things it is, in my eyes, materialism. That new car you bought gets keyed and you flip...your putting value in something that you can't take with you. I am not judging anybody this is just my personal view on what being materialistic means and therefore I have discovered I am materialistic. Having things is not a crime, but putting self worth and value into things and let them define who you are well that is materialism. I put a lot of value in the things I have in my house. I wouldn't want somebody messing anything up or destroying anything Nate and I have worked hard to get. I have to tell myself daily guess what Morgan, God doesn't care what you have or what you wear!!! God isn't going to turn me down at the pearly gates bc I don't wear Prada or bc my t.v. was only 20in. I put a lot of value on stuff that is not eternal. I waste time trying to make my life comfortable in this world and don't work on my life for the next...eternity. So I am on a mission to become less materialistic!!!well enough about that...

Sorry for the REALLY long post but I guess I needed to rant a little bit and share a little bit. I normally am not a ranter but whatever. I will write again soon...but prob. not.

Great Nights and Goodbye's...

Well it's been a little while...this is becoming a trend with my first sentence.
Nate and I were able to go out last night for an amazing date night. He took me to our favorite Japanese restaurant and then we went to Best Buy to buy Blind Side and New Moon. After that we went to see Alice and Wonderland. It was a great night. Normally I am more of a home body and just like to stay in and come right home after we go out to dinner bc I would rather spend time with Nate and I know he has to get up early. He really wanted to go to the movies and since he is leaving tomorrow of course I was like, "sure". Funny enough though it was really cheap. Tuesday's are their $5 dollar movie days, which we knew, but, they also give you free popcorn when you order a drink. We got two movie tickets, two drinks, and two popcorn for only $16 bucks. I am going to the movies more often. All in all it was an amazing night out with the hubby. We haven't gone out in a while bc I was out of town then we are trying to save money for our move to Hawaii. Nate will have a couple days after we get there and before he reports for us to spend some time together exploring our new "home" of Hawaii.

It is crazy to think that in about 6 months I will be living in Hawaii!!! I am very excited to start this new adventure. It is very hard to be SO far away from family and friends but that is what military life is all about. Soon after we get there Nate is getting deployed to Iraq. I am a little scared but when your in the Army that is what happens. He needs it to further his career. It is hard to be promoted in the Army when you don't have any deployment times. It is a huge blessing that it will be in Iraq. Hopefully this mean a little less danger.He is only going to be gone for 6 months so that is also good. I feel bad that he can't deploy with the unit when it does but we won't be there yet. I am not as worried as I was when I first found out that Nate was joining the Army. I have decided that if God chooses to take him home it could be driving to work or be overseas, when God wants us he wants us. I have no room to complain or pout. Some women get married then their husbands deploy for a year then come back and are gone a year later on a terrible cycle so Nate and I have been very blessed to share our first year and a half together. We are just looking forward to what God has in store for us and our future.

On another note Nate leaves tomorrow for 3 weeks to go to Airborne school. He has been running around like a crazy man making sure everything is signed and good to go bc he wasn't supposed to go until July but the slots were filled. In the Army it is a big deal to go to schools it looks better when you are in a Unit and it looks better for promotion and it is just good training. Nate is very excited to go jump out of airplanes, and I am praying that he always lands on his feet. I will just ask that maybe when you look at your feet or put your shoes on that you might think of Nate and say a little safety prayer for him.

Well that is all for now I might make another post later about something the pastor called us out on at church that is really getting me thinking...

Randomness...

It's been a while since I've updated so I thought a quick post was in order.
I was able to go and spend a week and a half in SC which was so needed. I love being with my hubby but their is nothing like going home with your family and great friends and spending time doing fun stuff. I was able to see my prayer partner from the summer get engaged :), that was such a blessing. Me and my friend Amy had a vintage day. We got cokes in the old bottles and some lollipops and just strolled in downtown Greenville. It was so much fun. Hope also showed me how to officially use skype so I am very excited about staying in touch. I then got to spend a couple of days at my grandmothers house which was amazing. My uncle stayed and we got roped into declogging the kitchen drain. After there I went home to clear out some more of my stuff I left behind. We cleaned up and then went to Ikea which is def. one of my favorite stores. After all of that was done I came home. I think Nate missed me a little bit. When I got home he had dinner ready and had cleaned up the whole house and had all the laundry done. I was very impressed.
Tomorrow we are going to TN to visit some of his family and to get my car put in both of our names so we can register it in TN and therefore have no more car tax to pay :). Nate and I also are going to be selling his car bc we can only take one over there with us to Hawaii so we have some friends that are looking at purchasing it so that will be such a blessing.
Well that is an update for now I have to go get ready for date night with the hubby.

Far and away thankfulness...

Hello all this blog is coming to you from the University of North Greenville :)...
I made it safely to NGU yesterday and have spent some amazing time with my amazing friends. My future sis in law told us to list the things we are thankful for so I thought I would do that since there is a whole lot I am thankful for..

1. The forgiving God I serve for putting up with me and blessing me with so much.
2. A husband truly sent from God that challenges me spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally everyday and makes sure to show me and tell me he loves me all the time.
3. My mother who is the strongest woman I will ever meet. She raised me on her own and made sure I went to an amazing private school, took dances lessons and never wanted for anything. I appreciate her always being honest about money and feelings because it taught me the importance of honesty in all areas of my life.
4. My Grandmother who is in her 80's but can still kick it. She is such an amazing woman who can handle so much...and she gave me my mom:)
5.The rest of my family who are always there for me no matter the distance. Especially my uncle Woody whose has been like a dad to me and stays envovled with my life and teaching me weird history facts just because...and he has a kick butt sense of humor.
6. My extended family....My mother in law who makes us stay up to play seek and find games and manages a laugh and a smile even though things are hard....My father in law who is always interested in what Nate and I are doing and always will to give advice. I am thankful for my crazy sis in law Ashley who always calls us for advice at all hours of the night and is so enthusiastic about so many things. I am thankful for my Grandparents Balough for giving Nate and I a true picture of what lasting love is and for sharing with us their lives. I am also thankful for all of my new aunts and uncles on Nate's side who have adopted me into there family so quickly. For grandpa Swinehart that is too funny sometimes. I am thankful for Dorothy Swinehart because raised so many beautiful children and I am sad I didn't get to meet her. I am thankful for Nate's step parents bc they have shown me strength and perserverence. Tim who welcomes me with open arms as his own daughter.
7. My best friend Maggie Smith who I have been with since 8th grade. I'm thankful for everything we were able to do together and experience with each other and one day are parents will get married and we will be true sisters on paper :).
8.For my truest friends who love me as I am and treat me with respect. I am so blessed to have so many friends that have touched my life and I am so glad to be apart of theirs.
9. For my venting buddy who loves Kasey Kane (sp) for letting constantly talk her ear off and is willing to share herself with me...and she calls me on my crap which I really appreciate.
10. For my fab three that take road trips, die hair, make fun of Hitler, tshirt cult, and are all around awesomenest for taking time out of your life to visit me bc you knew I needed to see you and for making it happen and not just saying it would happen. I am so ready for round 2.
11.For the ability of Nate and I to support ourselves with no outside help. I am so thankful for our independence and Nate's planning for our future. He promised my mom when He asked her permission to marry me that he would support me in everyway especially finances and he has. I love knowing my hubby can take care of us and tell me no when something is a want and not a need.
12.My puppies who are my babies right now...for those who want to know we are waiting a couple more years for real babies even though apparently everyone wants a Nate and Morgan baby especially his mom :)
13.I am thankful for simple things like a post it that says I love you or a phone call from a friend.
14. I'm thankful for when Nate gets off work early, which is rare.
15. For a new day to start all of it over again....


Ok so this was really long but I thought that I couldn't just list it I had to explain why so...there is so much more I am thankful for but these are the biggest and most meaningful...enjoy.

Classes, Scrapbooks, and Prizes :)

A lot has happened in a little amount of time so I better get to typing. I have been going to all of these Army classes and have been overloaded with a HUGE and OVERWHELMING amount of information, but funny enough none of it really answers the questions I have. I am really big on Army traditions and courtesies. I would love to have a class just dedicated to all of those subjects. Well, there is no such class. A friend and I were thinking well why don't we start one. We are in the process now of researching all that we can from books and other spouse's. I think it will be a lot of fun to do and a great asset to other women in the Army.
On another subject I am going to this Scrapbook Extravaganza tomorrow which I am VERY excited about. I think I have talked the hubby into letting me buy a Cricut if I find one for a good price. I think it will be a funny girls day out, I am going with my FRG leader/friend and a couple of other girls. It is an all day event from 8-5 and they are going to serve lunch. I am not much of a scrapbooker, but I love to make cards for people a lot and add special touches to decorations and presents. It will be fun to see demonstrations and do different projects.
Some other awesome news is that we won a contest. Nate has been going by our housing office almost everyday for a month to enter us into this drawing for a $250 gift card to this French Lick Resort that is a hotel, spa, and restaurant and second prize is $50 to some restaurant. They told us they would be drawing today at 3pm so of course when neither of us got a call we figured we didn't win and no biggy, we normally don't win stuff like this. Nate was on his way home and was stopped by the head housing guy and was told that they hadn't drawn yet and that Nate should enter one more time before going home, so he did. Sure enough 20min later we get a call that said we won 1st place :). It took him 4 times to draw a different name than ours. They don't award both prizes to the same family. We technically won 1st-4th place. How crazy is that? We are so looking forward to going to the spa with this card.
Another fun thing happened to me yesterday in my class. A lady who I had met in a previous class was again a guest speaker in this class. She had come a little earlier that her time so she was sitting in the back. We were on the subject of grief and how to help people with their grief and what not to say. The phrase, "God never gives us more that we can handle," was one of the phrases not to say to someone, which of course is true, no one wants to really hear that in the midst of a tragedy. The speaker at the time was telling us how we say it to ourselves and how she says it to herself all the time. I gave my little tweak on the phrase and how I perceive my life sometimes..."God never gives us more than we can handle but today I feel like a pack mule". It is a simple phrase I tell myself because when you think about it in the old days and in some current locations people would use pack mules to help them carry stuff they couldn't in some cases there whole lives were carried on those mules. I feel like God does that to us sometimes. He knows that another person can't handle something we can so he "packs" it on us. Then there are times where we get to be the leader of the mule and simply walk beside them and guide. The lady in the back got up to speak about Volunteering and stopped and said thank you to me for being a "pearl" to her today. I had never heard of that expression and she explained that when things or people come along that she needs then they are pearls. She told me that the phrase was exactly what she needed to hear at this time in her life. You never really think who you can help when you open your mouth, but just think of all of those you don't help by keeping your mouth shut.
Well, enough for now I will write again soon...well maybe :)

just because

Well Nate and I finally broke down and bought another computer, one of those notebook computers.He is going to take mine when/if he deploys. We were waiting until closer til the time of us leaving but then we realized we would be too busy and probably forget and then we would be in Hawaii and everything is jacked up in price there so...we just bought it.
It is so funny how stuff we need just ends up finding us at good prices. Nathaniel and I are VERY cautious buyers when it comes to bigger purchases. We tend to shop around and then talk ourselves out of things and then just not buy them all together.
We found a whole living room suite for less than $1000 for everything and we shopped forever for that. We shopped for our tv for a long while and I finally found a great deal.
All this being said I have told Nate for a while that he could get a new grill bc he really likes cooking with charcoal, and ours is a gas grill. He kept swearing that there was a grill that was both a gas grill and a charcoal grill, of course I didn't believe him. Well, the grill does exist. I thought to myself ok so how much is this going to cost us, I mean I did promise. I was so scared to look at the price, but to my surprise it only costs $299 and it is HUGE and awesomely amazing. Needless to say we are going to be grilling out a lot this summer :). Another funny thing tonight was we have been waiting to buy the first season of this show called Fringe because sometimes you can get them cheap but this one was $44 and funny enough we randomly went to Best Buy tonight and it was on sale for $10.
I think God does these fun little things to make us smile and reward us for saving :).
Well, this blog was pointless but fun. I will write again later.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is only one day away!
Valentine's has come to mean a lot to Nathaniel and I, but not for the normal reasons. A couple of years ago we lost a really good friend on Valentine's Day. She was an amazing woman of God and wanted to do great things as a missionary. She was a budding Biology student and definitely put me to shame with her diligence. After her death I was left wondering how God could take such a beautiful person who was going to give her whole life to Him. She had often talked about her family and about some of her friends that she was witnessing to at the time. She really had a gift for fearless proclamation.The hardest people to witness to are often those the closest to you.
We had lunch that Valentine's and were laughing and cutting up like usual. We were a part of a VERY close knit dorm on campus that did everything together. She was leaving that afternoon to surprise her boyfriend with his present. She was hit on the driver's side by a Jeep Wrangler.
I sat with 20 other girls crying my eyes out and filled with such confusion and hurt.
I knew God always has a purpose for everything that happens, but at that moment things don't seem to have a great purposes.
We all attended her funeral together and wore ribbons to distinguish who we were and why we were there. We were taught about the Fruits of the Spirit, because those were her favorite passages. I cried harder than I ever have because as many funerals I have gone to this one was the closest... I lived with her, ate with her, shared with her, studied with her, and simply knew her. I will admit I questioned God so much and why He would do what He did.
The end of the service came and they had and invitational for people to accept Christ or rededicate their lives, which is only fitting for her funeral.
I got my answer from God...it only took 5 minutes. She had been a missionary already. Some of her family and friends stood up to answer the Holy Spirit's call on their lives.
I felt so small in that moment. Her death was to give those close to her life, eternal life.
It hurts still. Even as I am typing this I get teary eyed.
Her parents have decided that when the time comes they will donate their house for the church to use for missionaries to stay at.
She loved butterflies and funny enough when I find I am missing her most one happens to appear. I was very blessed to get my goodbye in the form of a dream. It was as simple as a hug and all she said was, "I'm ok" and it was over. I believe God know when we are ready to accept things. Nathaniel and I have decided to name our first girl Brittany Addalynn Balough in honor of our dear friend.
Everyone who ever knew her misses her and even those she didn't know she made an impact on.
We miss you!
Brittany Fogg you will NEVER be forgotten.

Oh Goodness....

I have already dropped the ball on this blogging thing :). How do people have the time to write one of these everyday? I guess I will make more time.
So, I haven't read my Jane Austin book yet, sad days. Although, do not fret, I have read the Married to the Military book...pretty good info. I don't know how to even begin taking stances on military life and the ins and outs of it all.
I do consider myself a pretty outspoken person...I pick my battles when need be and and don't waste my breath on those who don't care to listen. Those who really know me have seen my mean/outspoken side.
I love being a military wife...let me rephrase...I love being and ARMY wife. I take great pride in knowing that my husband is going to fight for my freedom and for others out there. I try hard not to complain because I did sign up for it ALL. I don't take the stance in arguing, "I didn't sign up for this, why is it so hard?" When Nathaniel asked me to marry him I knew what I was getting into and I take great pride in that fact. I love when people tell me to quit complaining bc they have the right to. What makes my pain and heartache and hardships worse than theirs?
You know the saying God never gives us more than we can handle and I definitely believe that but, it doesn't stop me from feeling like a pack mule at times :). God is good in all he does.
I often find myself comparing my life to others and thinking WOW how crazy, awesome, wonderful, superficial, stupid, fake, and complex someone else life can be. I have realized a lot in recent months on how to look at other peoples words and actions. I found that when I complained about things they became so much more important than the bigger picture. We are all selfish people, at times we have to be for our own survival. I realized that I am so busy complaining about something in my life that it clouded me seeing what was happening in others lives. I LOVE helping out my friends with there problems, but when I am so focused on myself it is pretty hard to help others. I love Philippians 1:3-6, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." I sums up how we should be feeling towards others.
I find I have to chastise myself for putting myself before others sometimes. God puts us first always!
I have so much to be thankful for.
I just want to say a HUGE I LOVE YOU to all of my friends (you know who you are) for letting me complain, tell me to get over it, letting me help you, letting me share in your ups and downs, and just being TRUE friends....
Philippians 1:3-7 is truly my pray for you all.
Well, this was a long one and I will try my absolute hardest to write again tomorrow ;)
...until then...

a lot to think about...

I believe this is my second blog and have found this blogging to be a little different than I expected. I seemingly keep forgetting I even have a blog to write on so I don't post very often.
A good bit has happened within the last couple of weeks and I can't even think of where to start.
Nate and I are pretty sure we have discovered our next duty station and I am so scared but so excited.
I am very excited about being able to go to SC at the end of Feb.. I miss my friends and family so flippin' much.
I am also on a reading kick now and I am dead set on reading all the books I have bought and I am also planning a trip to the library today to find more. My best friend Maggie and I started a book club this summer and I def. bit off more than I could chew. I have all of those books to catch up on and some to get. I will finish them though.I have decided to start with Jane Austen's "Persuasion" and to get me motivated I am watching a movie about a Jane Austen Book Club. I am very excited to get started and I am excited to post about it so keep checking in for that :).
I am also determined to stick to my workout regime and add more on to it. Nathaniel bought be a pilates set so workout with as well as weights and workout videos so I am looking forward to using that along with the daily gym trips ;).
Well that is all for now hopefully my next post will be about a book!