First package to "hop" an ocean!

I am writing this post from my backyard attempting to freckle! It's finally warm in SW MO!!! Very exciting. Currently I'm less than four weeks away from graduating with my masters in speech language pathology, I defended and passed my thesis and survived filling out my first customs form. Lots of positive things happening around here. Easter snuck up on me, so I doubt Joel's package will arrive on time (It's somewhere over there...but....?). Here it though, an Easter deployment package. Easter is the first holiday Joel and I ever spent together. The woman who set up convinced me he had no where to go and I felt "obligated" to invite him to mine. This was about two days after our first date, and you know what.....he stuck around. It's a miracle really.

I feel like these care packages just keep getting more cheesy...but.... Contents of the Easter package:

*Different eggs with candy *Hanging basketball hoop *Bubbles *Chalk *Water balloons *Koolaid flavor burst thing *Peeps *Jelly Beans *Gum *Poprocks

I tried to burry everything under Easter grass (I love the smell of it!). My family has an egg hunt every year and even the "big kids" have to participate. To motviate everyone my mom always throws in a little cash. I think Joel thinks it's ridiculous that he has to hunt, however I thought I would try to recreate that tradition for him the best I could this year. Happy Easter to you all!

A special birthday

Today my GI turns 25! In honor of his birthday, the ARMY sent him to a different country. What a gift! ;) We celebrate a lot in April, we've been dating for two years and of course his birthday. I combined our anniversary and his birthday into one big package.

I used a divider to make it a little more personal. In the anniversary side I included: -I recorded 25 of my favorite moments together and burned it onto a CD for him to listen to. -I made a 4x6 photobook off of Shutterfly for him to be able to pack lightly. -A Mizzou Shirt -Some popcorn

I knew Joel wouldn't have much space to pack things and I had already given him a GoPro early for his birthday, so I went to the dollar store and individually wrapped a bunch of silly stuff. In the birthday side I put:

*Lots of DumDum suckers *A birthday card with me singing *Chapstick *Fruitstripes gum *Homemade cookies *Silly string *Noise makers *Party hats *Birthday candles *Peanuts

I also had some of his family send me videos of them singing him happy birthday and I e-mailed them to him. It was a nice piece of home. Here's the finished product!

We each celebrated respectively. I had Chinese food and he went for a steak. A group of the boys used the candles on a cake to celebrate "12 months" of birthdays.

We even got to Skype from 7,500 miles away.

A very cheesy Easter package is up next.