Tag Archives: Milton

Miss Me Some You

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Miss Me Some You

Sometimes you don’t know what you’re truly missing until you actually have it in your life.  That’s how I’ve felt these past two month being married to Milton.  As an only child, I always felt that I could be a strong, independent female that could roll solo and conquer the world.  And while that wasn’t always such a bad thing, I also longed to have someone consistently by my side.

In walks Milton.  You never know how married life will be once the honeymoon is over.  Will we get sick of each other?  Will his snoring keep me up at night?  Does he know how to put the toilet seat down?  It’s all a mystery.  Milton and I had the entire month of June together – and I mean the ENTIRE month!  He didn’t work the entire month so that we could spend quality newlywed time together.  Wherever I went, he was there.  Zumba- check.  St. Stephen Family Life Center – check.  Grocery Store – check.  Bathroom – uncheck, lol!

And our month together was great.  We found shows that we both like to watch.  Enjoyed just being around each other and doing nothing.  We even found solutions to household things.  For example, Milton loves to cook, but not clean.  Well, I love to clean, but not cook.  Problem solved.  He hates folding clothes but doesn’t mind putting them in/taking them out of the washer/dryer. Wonderful.

Everything was going well and we were learning to love each other (and our differences) and then the 4th of July hit.  Yes, this holiday was one that I will never forget.  On Monday at 12:00pm, while everyone else was getting ready for their BBQs, my dear Milton was in Fort Lee, VA checking in for the first time as a US Army JAG Officer.  And while I was super excited for him, I was saddened that my best friend was gone.  I never really realized how much an important part of my life he was until I sat in our room and he wasn’t there.

Bad news is he won’t be back in Louisville until close to Thanksgiving.  Good news is that I can still go and visit during part of the time he’s in Charlottesville, VA.  So while he’s gone I’m getting involved with some new ventures and ways to keep Louisville healthy – more details about that coming soon!

Newly Wed

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Newly Wedhoneymoon

I feel like I just returned back from paradise!  Milton and I left Derby day to spend a week at the 5 Star All-Inclusive Iberostar Grand Bavaro Resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  When I say luxury at its best, this was luxury supreme!

Right when we got out of our airport shuttle we were greeted with cold towels to wipe off our hands. As we walked into the lobby (before we checked in) a lady carrying a tray approached us and she asked if we wanted a glass of pina coladas or champagne.  Then, once we got to our room, within five minutes, six white chocolate covered strawberries were delivered.  Yum, wow, amazing – and we just arrived!!


Our personal butler came to the room, made dinner reservations for us, told us about our 24 hour room service which included both food and drinks and described all of the other amenities.  After he left, Milton and I just sat there speechless.

We woke up each morning to reserve a cabana and spent most of the rest of the day relaxing in the sun and eating/drinking whenever and whatever we wanted. And the food was oh so good.  There was always a breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet offered.  Lobster was a choice with every meal along with hundreds of other items.  We could also make reservations at the Japanese, Italian, Surf and Turf or French restaurants.  These places served four course meals and we were in heaven.  The alcohol was available while eating, at the beach, in the pool and in our room – Black Label Scotch, Bacardi Gold, champagne, Corona and Stella beers, fine wines and lots of tropical drink. We recorded daily videos throughout our trip in order to preserve our memories.

Throughout our trip, we continued to be offered random things.  One day when returning from a Michael Jackson impersonation show (that’s a whole ‘nother story), we returned to our room to have a drawn jacuzzi tub with rose petals.  Another day, there was a knock on the door and we were greeted with two Iberostar tshirts. And another day we were given an romantic dinner at the French restaurant which included roses spread out all over the table.

The only drama we had the entire trip was flying back (more about that next week).  We are both VERY DARK, I mean really dark!  I call Milton “dark child” and he calls me “dark chocolate”! Once we arrived back home in Louisville, Milton got out scissors to cut off our all-inclusive bracelets.  I cried my imaginary tears and screamed “no, say it aint so” as we realized we were back to reality, the real world and high gas prices.

CLICK HERE for honeymoon pics

I’s Married Now

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I’s Married Now!

May 11-3The week leading up to the wedding there was plenty of flooding and tornado warnings.  I worried that my wedding day would be the same. Saturday, April 30 had perfect weather.  The day before all of the bridal party arrived.  All of the groomsmen drove in from out of town. One ran out of gas 30 miles outside of Louisville – and left his wallet in Indy.  Not good.  One of my relatives drove 10 hours to the wedding, but never bothered to tell me he was coming.  Let the stress begin.

I had to ask Milton for one day not to have the open relationship that we have where we talk about everything.  If something went wrong on our wedding day, I preferred to be out of the loop. The rehearsal and rehearsal dinner went well.  I enjoyed bonding with my three bridesmaids after everyone else left.

Wedding day starts at 8:00am with my hair. Followed at 11:00am with makeup.  We arrived at The Grand in New Albany at 1:30 to take pictures.  First pics/video were of me getting ready.  Then, Milton and I had our “First Look”.  This is a time when only he and I are in a room together.  His back is to me as I walk down the aisle and then he turns around.  It was a golden moment.  We then all take all group photos.

I wasn’t nervous for the entire day, except for one moment – our guests were in their seats, the bridal party was downstairs and I was alone upstairs waiting to come down. At the top of the stairs I could see the back of Milton’s head in the mirror.  The reality of it all set it.  I walk into the room surrounded by all of our family and friends and all of the attention is on me.  I see Milton in the distance wiping his eye and all I want to do is be by his side.

We tried to make the ceremony and reception personal and meaningful.  During our first dance (to Luther’s So Amazing), Milton and I recorded messages to each other that played over the song.  We also did this with the mother/son and bride/uncles dance.

I did a dress change (yes, there were two wedding dresses) and was made a Kappa sweetheart by Milton’s fraternity.  We cut the cake, did the Electric Slide and took plenty of photos. My one and only regret was that I didn’t get to speak to many of the guests there.  But, I hope they know how much I appreciate them.
At the wedding we also announced where we would be living for Milton’s first two years in the JAG – not Germany, not Hawaii, not Ft. Bragg.  We are headed to Fort Knox!!!!!  Because Milton took the bar in IN, he couldn’t live in that state – however KY was fair game. We’d like to start a family and would love to be around friends and family as we go through that transition.  So, I’ll be here.  Milton will be here. The only thing that will change is my last name!

Army Life/JAG Wife?

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JAG  Army Life/JAG Wife?

A lot of people don’t know a whole lot about my fiancé Milton and his background.  When he was in high school, he wanted to work in a hospital, but he was too young.  So, he volunteered.  Most weekends, he spent hours upon hours volunteering in the emergency room.  The doctors and nurses were so impressed by his work that at the end of his senior year, they offered to pay for his entire college experience if he graduated in four years or less.  And he did.  Although he thought he wanted a career in medicine, he soon found a passion for the law.

In May of last year, Milton graduated with a Masters Degree in Bioethics and a Law Degree.  With the recession, many of his law school buddies were not offered jobs.  Milton applied to various law firms and legal opportunities.  One of those was the US Army JAG Corps.  I didn’t know what that was, but after watching the tv show JAG and the movie “A Few Good Men” I now know they are the lawyers of the military.

Last April, he found out he was one of 100 people selected in the US for his class.  When he first told me about it, I was mad because I felt our relationship wouldn’t have time to grow if he was away.  We talked until 6:00am one morning about whether the relationship could work.  Luckily, though, his training didn’t start for 15 months after he was selected so we had plenty of quality time.

So, for most of our relationship I’ve had to contemplate being an Army wife and what this could mean for my own life.  Where would we live?  What would I do?  When would we have kids? The first step is Milton being gone for six months for training in both VA and GA.  I will definitely miss my new husband, but we will still get to see each other some.

Well, three weeks ago Milton got “The Email”.  That’s the email where he was given a list of about 25 places and told to select his top 8 in order for where he would like to serve/live his first two years.  Places like Hawaii and Europe were on the list.  So were places like the middle of nowhere.  We put our list together, emailed it in and hoped for the best.

They started notifying people of their post in order of their last name.  Milton is a “T”.  We read on their Facebook page as others talked about where they were going.  Most were receiving their 5th or 6th choice.  I got a little nervous, but hoped for the best – and then Milton got the call!

And guess what?  He got the #1 choice on our list!  So, after Milton does six months of training starting over the summer we’ll be headed for two years to _________________…..

Ahhh, I betcha want to know!  You’ll have to wait a little while longer to know where we’ll be because we are making the announcement at our wedding this weekend!  Wedding countdown – 2 days!

A License To Wed

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A License to Wed

Apr 11-2Slowly but surely all of the wedding details are coming together.  One of the wedding horror stories you hear from couples is that they forgot to get their wedding license.  So Milton and I planned several weeks out to go and get it.

We had originally planned to get our license the day after I gave my speech since Milton was going to be in town.  He had done the research.  Since we are getting married right across the bridge, he went online to see what we would need.

We woke up that morning and I re-asked Milton if I needed a birth certificate or social security card.  He called and asked them but they said all that was needed was a driver’s license.  HOWEVER, they told Milton that because he lives in Indianapolis, we would have to get our marriage license in Indianapolis.
Which means a new trip needed to be planned!  We planned a lunch date/marriage license get together.  The process was very simple – show you driver’s license, pay your money and fill out a form.  Most of the information was typical but then they asked the following questions:

Have you ever been adjudged to be out of unsound mind?  If yes, has the adjudication been removed?

Are you related to the male applicant closer than second cousin?

Are you now under the influence of an alcoholic beverage?

Ar you now under the influence of a narcotic drug?
Luckily I passed the question with flying colors – and so did Milton. When asked if either of us had been married before or if we had kids, I am proud to say that no unknown love children or women from the past emerged.

Wedding dress – check.  Marriage license – check.  Shellin’ out a lot of money for everything else – check!!!  Let the countdown begin – 10….. 9 (wait stop right there)!  Nine more days…

April 2011

Ring My Bell

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Ring My Bell

Mar 11-1So, last week I talked about the death of my engagement ring and anticipation of being reunited with the new version.  Well, there were dozens of phone calls made.  I was told I would receive the new ring last Friday.  Cool.  Thursday night, though, Milton receives an email stating I will receive it on Tuesday instead?  Excuse me? What happened to Friday, Saturday or Monday?  Once again flustered, Milton calls to look into the situation.

They couldn’t mail it by Friday but now said it would arrive on Saturday via Overnight Saturday delivery.  I was given a tracking number and watched it the entire time.  It left Seattle, Washington Friday at 4:10pm, left FedEx ramp at 7:22pm, arrived in Memphis at 12:55am, left FedEx ramp at 4:40am, arrive in Louisville at 6:27am, on FedEx vehicle at 8:00am.

Now, here’s where it gets tricky!  I teach Zumba classes every Saturday morning from 9:30-10:15am.  I placed several notes on the door asking the delivery person to leave the package at a neighbor’s house.  Before I left, I called FedEx and asked about what time they may come.  I was told that I (not someone else) must be there to sign for the package and that it would be delivered by noon.

So here it is 8:45am.  I know the package is in route and I have to teach a class. What’s a girl to do?!  I waited as late as possible to leave and drove slowly down my street in case a FedEx truck was near. I started Zumba with the wonderful ladies and told them I would need to leave right after class because of my engagement ring dilemma.  Their response was – “What are you doing here?  Go home and wait for it!”  Luckily my right hand lady Jessica was there and stepped in to teach the class.

I ran out the door, into my car and drove quickly home.  Toward the end of my street I saw something that looked like a truck.  As I approached my driveway I saw the FedEx driver pull away!  Luckily I live by a cul-de-sac so the driver had to turnaround.  As she drove toward me I jumped out of my car and jumped up and down for her to stop.  I told her who I was and she said, “Honey, I felt so sorry for you. I saw all the notes you left on your front door so I went on and left it with your neighbor.”  I told her how appreciative I was.  I got the box and drove back to Zumba.  A couple hours later Milton and I met halfway in Seymour, IN.  He opened the box and re-presented me with my engagement ring.  This new ring is absolutely amazing in an emerald cut! Let the wedding planning continue!