My Green Beret

Hello, everyone! On November 6th and 7th David had his ceremonies to become a Green Beret. The first picture below is from the start of the Regimental First Formation. This was November 6th. At this ceremony the men were able to don the Green Beret.





This was on November 7th. This is the graduating class, one of the smallest yet. All of these men went through the course and with all of their hard work, earned the Green Beret.
Here is David with a fellow graduate, and a friend. This is Drew Curtis and David. Handsome in those Green Berets.
The ballad of the Green Beret.

Halloween!

Halloween was such a fun time this year! Ashlyn was a lady bug and she seemed to enjoy all the excitement. Right below shes in a shirt that Aunt Lauren sent! It lit up everytime she moved! This is me and the amazing Kiera Durfee. Shes the kool-aid man.
And this is Ashlyn as a lady bug. Isnt she adorable?

Hair

I cut off all of my hair. I love it!! Here are some pictures of my new do!

Staking out our own peice of the world.

Hello all!
I was recently in Nashville, TN to look for homes. David and I, of course you all know this, are going back to Ft. Campbell.
We found a great home. 1500+ sq feet. 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 bath, formal dining room, 2 Car garage, and a nice sized backyard all for 129,900!!
This home is in the same neighborhood as Richard and Lauren, so it will be nice to be so close!
We put in an offer and it was accepted, now pending inspection, appraisal and financing it is ours!
We were pre-approved, but that doesnt mean that we will get the loan. So keep us in your prayers. I didnt take very many pictures of this trip, but when I have more time I will add them!
Chelsea

Insomnia

As of this moment it is 5:17 am. I went to bed at midnight, only to lay in bed for 5 hours. What the heck is going on? I haven't been getting to bed at a decent time for days...Since David left to be exact. Its not like im not tired. In fact, im exhausted. I just cant actually go to sleep.
Morning comes quick with Ashlyn, and I regret every night that I stay up so late. When I do stay up, Im a little more cranky than normal and I feel bad that Im that way near Ashlyn.
I know I should be in bed still trying to sleep, but I can only lay in bed for so long. Maybe the new sleep is lying quietly and restfully in bed? I guess we'll see.

A tad of an update

I hate the way these pictures post up!!!!
Anyway there is Ashlyn with her sized pumpkin.
We went to Garibaldi's with Brooke today.
Shes my upstairs neighbor, pictured below. Anyway so after that I had to pick some stuff up at Walmart and this little pumpkin, for my pumpkin, was only 78 cents! couldn't pass it up.
Maybe I will make pie with it after its done being decorative.
So, Ive been doing really well while David is gone and Ive actually gotten out of the house this time. Every day in fact. All is well and I will be traveling home on Monday evening to visit my mom and look at homes in Ft. Campbell.
Im bringing an awesome friend, mentioned previously in my posts. Crystal. She is going to help me select from the homes, because David is not available to do so.
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
Chelsea

Thoughts on David being away.

Hello All!
Im excited to report that last night was the first night I have ever spent alone! Usually when David leaves I go home to my mom's or I have friends stay the night, or I stay the night with them.
Last night I did well! I kept Ashlyn in her room, and I slept in my bed. I, of course, kept the bedroom doors open to hear her.
I admit, I didnt fall asleep until after 3 am, but the point is that I can do it! My mind runs over every possible bad situation that can happen, which gets pretty scary!

Onto something else...I am indeed traveling home to look at houses while David is away.
A good friend of mine, Crystal, is coming out with me to be my voice of reason.
We all know that I am impulsive. (what me impulsive...no....) So shes coming to talk me back into reality. Wish me luck. This is a big decision, and after much prayer, a decision that feels right.
Ill post pictures of the home we choose!
Chelsea

Some thoughts on todays world.

Life is hectic. I think everyone may be feeling the pinch of the Stock market ups and downs. I'm not feeling it by my money, just my thoughts.
I can't help but feel like we are making a mistake trying to buy in today's market.
My sister, a real estate agent, assures me not to worry. I trust her. She is fabulous.
I hope that our economy will stabilize soon, for everyone's sake.
I'm starting to not be able to sleep at night, for fear of the unknown.
I mean you can only read so much about buying a home. My mind is constantly running over the process. ack!! its crazy.
Maybe blogging will help me sleep at night. David can only stand so much of me talking about the same thing 1,000 times!!!
So be prepared. There is more to come!
Chelsea

Pictures of the Princess

Um these pictures are doing weird things!
Lets see these pictures are from Tuesday-today. Ashlyns on the comp. like mom and dad.
Theres the first time shes been to Mcdonalds, we wanted to see if shed play in the playplace since its cold here, but she didnt seem interested.

Ashlyn, my princess.

This is Ashlyn last night on the way home, she was so tired! We were trying to keep her awake!

And we are going to.....

Ft. Campbell, KY

Hello everyone, Im excited to tell you all that David called this morning and told me that we are coming back to Ft. Campbell. YAY!
See you guys in Nov!

The Fall season

I am so excited that it feels like fall here in NC. We went from 90 degree days and 80 degree night to beautiful 65-75 degrees in the day and about 60 at night.

Fall is definitely my favorite season! With beauty like the picture to the right, how could it not be?
Im excited for this upcoming fall. Halloween and Thanksgiving are two of my favorite holidays!

I love that in the fall the air has a wonderful crisp smell and as the fall comes into winter the smell of burning leaves just is magnificent. I hope everyone enjoys their fall as much as I will!

FYI

We think Ashlyn may have the chicken pox. So pardon us if we dont come around for a couple of weeks!

Oh, today.

Since I dont have a picture of Ashlyn having a meltdown, I thought this might suffice.
I mean, it is sort of the same face she makes mid cry.
Anyway, This picture is to represent the meltdown that is Ashlyn today. Recently, she has been forgoing her naps and instead staying awake all day just to stomp around, wave her arms and scream/cry. Why no naps you ask? well because you can't force one to do it.
I put her down everyday around the same time, as I always have, but she just lays in there and cries/screams. It really is a mind numbing sound. All in all at the end of the day her screams turn into laughs and smiles when Daddy comes home.
I tell you this little one is a daddy's girl to a T. Ill have to make a video so that you all can see how she responds. It really is adorable.

Ok so...Im trying to think of any news for a small update...
Mom in law I am not pregnant. I don't know your hours so I couldnt call to tell you.
We still dont know where were going, but David said that orders come out on Friday. We will see.
erm...I think thats it really.
Have a blessed day!

half way post

Ill post more later, but I have to run..





This is Damon and Crystal! Damon knew Richard before we ever met him. They have become somewhat of our close friends. We really enjoy spending time with them and often get together for dinners and movies and things.

We are always able to share jokes and wholesome entertainment with them.
I wanted to share some photos of the other night, I figure they make me laugh, hopefully they make you laugh too!

Ashlyn!!!

This is Ashlyn feeding herself for the first time with utensils!!!!


We were so excited to see that she was interested in feeding herself with the fork! We hope you all enjoy these as much as we do!

My modest dream house

This is the house that I want. REALLY bad. Its in Ft. Campbell.
http://choice1.northcarolina.remax.com/Listings/ListingDetail_r4.aspx?LID=36421422#


Above is obviously the kitchen, so warm and inviting.
This is the Formal living room off to the right when you enter. (above)
This spectacular room is the formal dining room. I am so in love with this one room. perhaps because it looks like my moms house? (above)
This is the front...nothing too special. I love it anyway.



EDIT: note that this is by no means our house. Im just in love with it.

More upbeat than yesterday!

Getting to meet Caily for the first time in 15 years!!









Hello all!
This is Me and my sister Caily. We were able to get together for the first time in something like 15 years!!!
She had come to NC to help a friend pack up her home and we made plans to meet halfway between the two places (Boon and Fayetteville) in Charlotte. When I pulled up to where she was parked it was instant excitement. We hugged and compared how we look (i.e.: height and hair and faces) Anyway, we decided to walk around the mall and we stopped at a little play thing for Ashlyn and then we went to Starbucks. It was so neat just talking with her about happenings in life as we've both grown up. Next we went to Steak and Shake. She wanted to go for the chili. So we sat there and talked and had a meal.
The time for us to go came all to fast. I was so happy to meet her and I can not wait until we can meet up again!

Slightly peeved...

This little image to the right is how I feel towards the state of North Carolina.
How can it possibly be that this state is the ONLY state in the great U.S. not to have exemptions for the military members which reside here?
I will tell you why. NC is the armpit of the states.
Maybe I am exaggerating, but that feels pretty good right now.
I am angry because, well its my own stupidity really. I could have taken care of my registration renewal earlier, but I thought no I have more time.
Our tags expire at the end of September..This month.. and I have yet to take care of this.
NC wants to charge us just over $300 to do this.
I would be fine if I knew were going to be stationed here, but we have no idea. If I renew in TN its only 21.50...FANTASTIC!!!!! Right? no. Seeing that we are stationed here, we can not do this.
Oh, there is another option. His home state is still listed as Utah. I will be happy to have Utah plates, but of course Utah has changed to a 4 day work week and I have no Idea what to expect in terms of costs, and where I'll need to send the check. Above that, I dont even know everything I need to submit to them, because they have decided to make a us.gov. website that is totally uninformative.
So thank you great state of NC for making me grind my teeth in anger and helping me hold on to the hope of not blowing my freaking lid.

Ashlyn being amazing.

This is just a short video of Ashlyn drinking from a big girl cup!! She loves it!

September 11, 2001

To all of the families that lost loved ones and to all of the people who gave their lives to save others....



I remember clearly what I was doing the morning of September 11, 2001. 7 years ago today.
I was an 8th grader at MLK magnet school. I was walking into my 2nd period class and the news was going. I thought, honestly, that this was a movie.
That class was study hall so it wasn't unlikely that it would have been a movie playing. When someone told me what was really going on, I didn't grip the reality of the situation. I just thought so what? its just two buildings.
In every class we had the television on and we were watching more events unfold. Still, I thought it would be over and forgotten soon.
We went to war in March of 2003. I was sitting in my grandparents living room. I remember feeling really sad. I knew more people were going to die. Now, thats not to be morbid, its just reality. The point of this post is to give memorial to all those who have fought and died in regards to the cowardly terror attacks that were 9/11.
Im sure you all know that David is a soldier who has been to Iraq. He serves because he loves this country, and I am thankful to have such a hero in my life.

Isnt life a hoot?

Where should I start?
Both David and I are nervous and anxious to find out where we are going to PCS.
We both feel strongly that Ft. Campbell would be the best. Why? because his brother and sister-in-law are there. My mom is 1 1/2 hours away. My grandparents are 4 1/2 hours away, and we just generally like the area. We had some odd times at best, but it stuck with us.
So why does it feel so wrong to think of leaving Ft. Bragg? Generally, we don't like it here.
We don't like most of the people, or the surrounding area. What is our deal?

There are both positives and negatives to any duty station.
Here are the Positives for Ft. Bragg:

*We have a great church family.
*We really enjoy most of the friends we know here.
*We really like our apartment.
*and the people who live in our building.
.....yeah thats about it.

The Negatives are:
*Some of the people we associate with.
*The filthy surrounding area.
*The drama that is here.
*No family.
*Our closest friends are at Campbell. :(

We are at a stand still with our minds and our hearts. I do not want to leave the Young Womens program. In fact, I'm going to be very sad when I do. Yesterday (Sunday) certain things and choices of others were brought to my attention, and I realized that these things are why I need to leave. I hope that when we get where I am going I will have the ability to discern the good people from the bad or the just plain crazies.

I (Chelsea) realize that I feel the strong need to help others. Maybe I feel the need to save people from themselves because I don't have enough self control to save myself. Obviously, this can lead to hypocrisies in my daily doings. So, if I have been hypocritical I apologize. Know that I only want the best for everyone around me. Maybe if you see me being self destructive, just once and awhile you could try and save me?

Be the kind of friend who holds your friends to their values.

Thats all the rambling I have for the moment,
Chelsea

Celebrating Ashlyn's First Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Ashlyn Elizabeth Fuchs
(August 2, 2008)



We spent Ashlyn's first birthday in Wilmington, NC with our small family and my mother Sarah! We had a nice time and Ashlyn seemed to enjoy herself. She got to eat Chocolate cake! (I'll post those pics later!)

Ashlyn in a nutshell

Ashlyn in Utero!


My sweet angel. She weighed 9 lbs 12 oz
21.4 inches born at 9:13 am!



This is the first time Ashlyn met
Grandma Sarah!



Ashlyn's First Christmas.
We dont have her Halloween or
Thanksgiving pictures. :(

The first time Ashlyn met her Oma!
Here is Oma, Daddy and Ashlyn!




Here is the first time Ashlyn met her
Grandpa David. (and her first time
on an airplane and to California)




Five generations!

Welcome to our blog!

Hello Everyone!
We decided that it was time to jump on the bandwagon and start a blog!
I'll start with a quick back history:

Met in June 2005 and married in August 2005!
David deployed in September 2005 and returned home in September of 2006.
We found out that I (chelsea) was pregnant in November of 2006.
David went to the Special forces selections in January of 2007 and was selected!
We moved to NC in May of 2007 and Ashlyn was born August of 2007!

So that should bring you pretty much up to this year. Well, David is on the tail end of the Q course and we should be getting our duty station sometime soon.
The possibilities are as follows:
Ft. Lewis, Washington
Ft. Carson, Colorado
Ft. Campbell, Kentucky OR
Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
With the possibility of Japan or Germany.

We aren't sure where we would like to go more. Each place has amazing opportunities and they each have their downfalls! If we do end up leaving NC we will definitely miss all of the amazing friends we have gained here. We know that the SF community is small and that we will see all of you again!

So, on to more news! I recently had the opportunity to meet with my 1/2 sister Caily in Charlotte. It has been 15 years! We were both so excited to finally meet our sister!
We had an amazing time and I am glad to report we both felt that deeper connection and know for sure that we are sisters, and we love it!

Oh, and today David got to do another jump. Ashlyn and I watched. It was so fun to watch him be brave and jump out of a perfectly good airplane. There is word that tomorrow we will have 11 inches of rain, this would be coming from the hurricanes on the coast. Im so nervous! I hope that these storms leave alot of people unharmed and still feeling safe.

Ok, so that was a random outpouring. I hope you enjoyed it and there will be more to come!