happy birthday to my future hubby(:

Well tomorrow makes one week until Steve and I get married!!

 

Tonight was a much needed night. I spent the evening with my best friend. Melanie just knows me all too well. Its scary how often we complete each others sentences and how much we think alike. We went to dinner and then went shopping. Melanie and I have been inseparable since high school. Even when Melanie was on life support, I would have to say that we were inseparable. I made sure to be at the hospital twice a day to see her. Although only immediate family was allowed in I was known to the nurses as the "best friend and the girl who is getting married soon" They knew not to stop me from seeing my best friend. I am already counting down the days until Melanie comes to Kansas to see me. Until then I sure am going to miss her and her goofy butt.
2 months and 2 days until she comes out to see me(:

This picture was taken of Melanie and I at Myrtle Beach, SC. This was always a huge part of our summer each year. Just to go there and get away for a few days was what Melanie and I loved to do during the long summer days! There will be another one of these trips ... I promise(:

Tomorrow is going to be a good day. My mom, best friend, and I are getting up in the morning to do some more wedding stuff. Then later tomorrow afternoon we have my bachlorette party!! I cant wait to spend the evening with my girls. We are going to start at dinner and then see where we end up. My sister and Melanie have worked hard to put this night together and I know its going to be amazing.

The best part about tomorrow ... It is Steve's 21st birthday ...Yes, for those of you who didn't know I am marrying a younger guy(: I really wish that Steve could be here for his birthday but he will be home on Sunday!!

Sunday I am going to church as usual. It is sad because I have to say good-bye to a wonderful church family. I have been going to this church since I was a newborn baby. I have been an employee of my church since January 2009. After church they are giving me a "going away" party which will be nice to personally say good-bye to everyone in my church family. After my party I will have a little while to get ready and then its off to the airport to pick up my man!!!! (:
Later on Sunday night, we are going out for Steve's birthday.

Its going to be so nice to spend the week with Steve before our wedding. He can finally see what kind of planning I have been doing for the past 6 months!

Well until next time ...
Don't forget about the people fighting for your freedom.

Shenay

11 days. 6 hours. (:

Steve and I get married in 11 days. I can't believe that in 11 days I will be Mrs. Dillard. Doesn't that just sound good? I think so! I think I am ready for this whole Army wife thing. I am already learning so much about it. Things with the Army change all the time and I think that is probably the biggest thing for me to remember. It is the government and they can do whatever they want to.


Today I am going to spend the day with my mom. We have tons of wedding stuff to get done. We have to order my cake (which I am very excited about) We also have to go finish getting the items for the center pieces. I swear these center pieces will be the death of me. It is kinda hard to find stuff to make 26 of the same thing for all 26 tables! Oh and one of the biggest things on our agenda is that we have to find my mom a dress. Yes, it's 11 days before I say "I do" and the mother of the bride does not have a dress!! Tonight I am going out to dinner with some wonderful friends. I am really going to miss these people when I move. Later this week I get to babysit (more like watch) an amazing little girl. I have seen her grow up and she is just wonderful to be around. It will be wonderful to stop with the wedding conversations and play games and stuff with miss Lexi(: Then comes the weekend. My bachlorette party is this Saturday night. I am so excited about it. Its going to be good to go out with the girls who matter the most to me.


Steve comes home in 5 days and 8 hours. oh my goodness!! I am so ready to see the love of my life. We are so use to being apart, we are just so thrilled to know that we will be together for good once he comes home in 5 days!


We have our honeymoon plans all figured out. We are staying in a hotel here in Greensboro for the night of the wedding. Which is booked and all ready to go. We will be leaving that Sunday and heading to Tennessee. We will be there until Thursday or so and then we will take the 8.5 hour drive to St. Louis. We will be in St. Louis on my birthday. How many people can say they spent their birthday at the arch? I am pretty excited about that. Then once we get home (in Kansas) we will have like 9 days together before Steve has to return to work. We are both very thankful that he is getting so long off work and getting paid for every single day of his vacation!


Until next time.
We love y'all(:

Shenay.

Welcome Home ...

I think that the smile on Steve's face tells you all that you need to know. This picture was taken when we seen each other for the first time when he came home from basic training. Those were some of the longest months of my life. Although I got many letters and one phone call weekly, it was still very hard to be apart from the love of my life. We fell in love when this distance got the best of us. We realized that we were meant to be together forever.  
I miss Steve very much. He is at a special training class right now, and he is very ready to be home. I keep telling him that when he gets through with this it will be time for our wedding. Speaking of our wedding, I have so much to get done. Thankfully Steve's mother and my mother are behind us 100% to get this wedding planned. There are a few things that I am worried about. I still can't decide on a cake, I need someone to video my wedding, we have to finalize our honeymoon plans (more like make them, then finalize them), I need to pick out center pieces and the list goes on and on. I know it will all fall in place but its starting to be crunch time and I am starting to worry (even more).

Army wives is starting their new season tonight so with that said I must get off here and enjoy the next two hours. I have been waiting for this day since the end of last season!!

Until next time, don't forget about the people fighting for your freedom.
Love, soon to be Mrs. Dillard

Home from Iraq ... November 2010!

I have to say that these pictures are some of my favorite of Steve and I. These are pictures from his "welcome home ceremony" when he came back from Iraq on November 8, 2010. No amount of words could ever explain how much I miss Steve when he is gone. Maybe from these pictures, you can get a small idea of our love for each other.

One of those nights.

Do you ever have bad nights, where you can't fall asleep no matter how hard you try? It might have had something to do with my heels beating duke or something to do with the fact that the love of my life is 1200 miles away. (I think it is a little of both). When Steve and I have nights like this, we are both ready to say the army is not for us. Although we really know that we are meant to be an army family. The feeling of being alone from the one you love is very hard. I can't wait for these next few weeks so that Steve and I will be together forever!!! God has plans for everyone. There is a reason Steve and I have been separated due to the army for a few years now. We are strong and we both know that we have made it these past few years that we know we will make it the next few weeks. <3

So your wondering how the beach is? Well Melanie and I are having a great time. It's so good to get away from reality for a little while. Our weekend had consisted of the hot tub, lazy river, indoor pools, shopping, and of course the unc/duke game. We are just making memories and enjoying every second of it. A few more places to shop at this morning and then we will be heading home!

Until next time ... Don't forget the people fighting for your freedom!!
Love, Shenay

We get married this month(:

Well ... Steve and I get married this month!! Both of us are very excited and it can't get here fast enough. Steve has been staying out our house. He said it is very different without me there with him. Of course it is ... He has to wash his own clothes, cook his own food, and make his own bed(: just kidding! I am ready to be in Kansas doing all these things for him. What can I say? I love him! It is nice to be home for a little while. Altough I do miss my house and all my stuff (and of course my soldier).

In the meantime, my best girlfriend, Melanie and I are going to the beach for one more time before I say "I do" Once Melanie and I come home from the beach I will have a few more days of work (which I'm very sad about)and then it's going to be busy busy busy with last minute wedding plans.

Counting down the days until I marry the love of my life(:
Until next time, don't forget about the people fighting for your freedom.
Love, Shenay!