God really loves US!

So, we've been getting a lot of good news lately. The kind of good news that makes me hysterically sob with happiness. The kind that gives me uncontrollable heart palpitations of excitement. The kind that causes us to praise God and realize once again, how much He really loves us. I can hardly sleep at night from being to excited.

Good news #1:


This darling girl (who just ate a lemon apparently) is coming to visit us for 10 days in January!!! Oh my goodness. This was completely all God's doing. It was all meant to be! Let me start from the beginning.

As you probably know, we have been working to get our lovely Jack Russell, Ariel here. We had everything all set up for Ariel to get here. We hadn't bought the plane tickets yet, when Dustin found out about one piece of paperwork that he had overlooked. Apparently, he needed to inform the Tokyo airport of Ariel's arrival at least 40 days prior to her getting there. So we were super bummed out obviously. Dustin probably more so than me because he promised me that Ariel would be here by Christmas. He felt really bad about it and like he failed. I, on the other hand, felt strangely (Celexa) optimistic about the situation and told Dustin that it would be OK. I knew that we would still get her here soon.

The next day Dustin came home for lunch with a fantastical idea. He was still feeling pretty crappy and had been thinking about Ariel all day. His marvelous idea was for my darling sister, Brittany to fly to Arizona to pick up Ariel and then fly with her here.

See, the original plan involved Ariel flying by herself from Phoenix to Tokyo, then I would fly to Tokyo and pick her up and bring her home. The more we looked into this idea though, the more complicated it became. I would be landing in a totally different terminal than Ariel. And her terminal would be so far away that I would have to take a 30 minute bus ride there and back and try to make it back on my plane in time because I wasn't going to spend the night there. We also had no idea how long going through customs would take. Talk about stressful. No amount of pills could keep me from freaking out had I done this.

But, if Brittany took Ariel, they'd be together the whole time and she wouldn't have to go looking for her. Plus, it would cost the same amount for them to fly together. AND, it would only cost about $100 more to get Brittany from New York to Arizona.

I called Brittany as soon as Dustin told me his plan. Since we're paying for everything and it would totally be helping us out, Brittany, of course, was all in. And her boss said she could even take 2 weeks off!

So, we didn't get Ariel here for Christmas but now we get Ariel AND my sister! Hooray! I'm sooooo excited. She will be our first visitor here! We can have many adventures, even better than the ones we used to have!

Like this adventure that I like to call, "Very Pretty Girls Get Drunk off Their Asses and Still Manage to Look Beautiful While "Step-brother", Miguel, Takes a Picture". I think we're 14 and 19 here. Oooh, rambunctious youth.

I still like her even though she's taller than me and has bigger boobs.

I'm just so excited to see this lovely shinning face again! Except she doesn't exactly look like this anymore. Her head is a LOT bigger now.


On to Good News #2:

Remember when I told you all how I was beyond excited that our good friend Matt was getting stationed here in 2011?? Well, double that excitement by about 2,000, because now the Zimmerlys are getting stationed here as well!

Do you remember them?? They're the ones with the pug named Pugsy who is Ariel's BFF.

Beth Zimmerly is also the one that made our first wedding cake! It was delicious and had boob cupcakes on it!

But here's how we found out they were coming. Beth sent me a facebook message about 3 weeks ago. In the subject she wrote, "We can't visit you guys in March". I was like, "oh shit. Why?????" because they had been planning to come see us since before we even moved. They'd been saving up their money hardcore and everything. That's why they weren't able to make it to our wedding. But then I opened the message and it said, "Because we will be moving there in August!!!". I screamed with excitement and then ran into our bedroom where Dustin was still sleeping. I jumped on him and started blabbing loudly. He was extremely confused and probably a little startled as well.

I was finally able to spit the great news out to him, and even though he was still half asleep, he was able to show how happy and excited he was. That's when I started bawling. Geez, I must have looked like a close family member had just died or something. But I was just so overwhelmed with joy that I just couldn't contain it. God really really loves us.

We got exactly what we had been wishing for since we got here. We wanted our friends here more than anything and it's so amazing to me that now it's happening. The Zimms' "report no later than" date is August 20th, which means they'll be here a few days before that at least. And that ALSO means that they'll be here for my birthday (the 19th)!! Best birthday present ever!

It's going to be so beautiful, us being all together again. It'll be almost like old times. Beth and I get to be cooking buddies again! Ariel and Pugz will be reunited! We'll have food competitions and wonderful parties once again! It's going to be so amazing.

Since the Zimms will be here from 2010-2014, and Matt will be here from 2011-2014, we may have to extend our time here. Actually, we're really thinking that we will now. Beth and Matt were the people I cried over the most when we left Idaho. That last day at the lab was torture. Ugh. We don't want to go through that awfulness again. If we extend for 2 more years, we could leave the same year as them. Even though they would leave 9 and 4 months before us which will still suck but not as much, I think. And who knows? Maybe we'll get stationed with them again!

I cannot wait for Sammee to visit us here!

I just love Beth. She's so much fun to be around.

And I'm clearly adoring her in this picture.

I love how they're our oldest friends but look younger than any of us. I'm pretty sure they're actually only 16 years old.

Once upon a time, I worked at a magical place called Mrs Field's Cookies, where I make a giant cookie cake for Beth on her birthday.

OK. I have no idea what what we're looking at here. But I know this wasn't planned. Except for Matt's face. He's always and forever ready for any camera anywhere. That's Kati on the far left there. She's in Korea right now where Matt will soon join her.

I do indeed miss this face.

Oh, Mountain Home PMEL. I really hope Pete (middle) comes to visit real soon.

Going away party. Before all the crying started.

You can tell they're best friends because they both have blue shirts on and they both have fucked up faces. Pardon my french but come on. Look at those faces! What the hell is going on??

I'm pretty sure they'll walk like this together every day when Matt gets here.

I'm also sure they can't wait to be reunited like two old lovers. I wonder what shenanigans they'll get themselves into this time around.

I'm hoping the nights won't end with Dustin's face looking like this. I would hate for it to get stuck like that.

Calimanos Unite!

I have to be completely honest. The main highlight of the whole New York/Wedding trip, was being with all my siblings again. Especially the 3 youngest. I haven't seen them in 2.5 years and I always miss them the most. I miss Dustin and Brittany a lot too, don't get me wrong. It's just that I feel like I'm missing out on so much of the younger kids' lives. They're growing so fast and changing so much that it hurts my heart to think that I never get to see any of it.




Dusty and Brittany are all grown up now. Who they are today is who they've been for the past few years. They know who they are and they aren't going to change much in the years to come. It was awesome spending time with them and having all of us Calimano kids together again. It really doesn't get any easier being apart though. We haven't all lived together in about 7 years and I'm still not used to it. They're the people I miss most in my life. Along with Dustin, my siblings are the ones I love most in this world.



When I woke up on the day they were going to be flying in, I actually had butterflies in my stomach. I was excited and nervous. My biggest fear was that they would act shy around me and like they hardly knew me anymore. And that I would feel like I didn't know them either. It's never happened before but we had also never been apart for that long. I planned on seeing them everyday they were there and spending every possible moment with them to try to make up for lost time. Even though I knew, no matter how long I spend with them, it's never enough.

I was also afraid that when I saw how much they've grown I would start crying right there in the airport. And that wouldn't have been a good way to start our reunion week of joy. Plus, crying in public is embarrassing and I try not to do it at all.

All my fears left me though, as soon as the kids and I spotted each other. They completely bolted towards me with the biggest smiles on their jet lagged faces and I was bombarded with hugs and British accents. I cannot express in words, how happy I was at that moment. To see them and to see how happy they really were to see me. Brianna literally clung to me and I was really pleased to see that we were still playing favorites. Even though none of us have favorites of course. ;)

Dustin had my Nana's car and my Uncle Dennis, who came to the airport as well, had his. I, of course asked if I could steal the children away with us. My mom, of course, knew I would ask that and said yes. At this point I was so excited and happy that I was talking far too fast and too much to these poor tired kids. I don't think they minded too much since they were completely wired but Jadzia informed me that I talked too much.

But it was only the beginning.

That entire week I spent every day with my siblings except for the day after the wedding. I saw that they were very much the same but also very different. They've grown up so much and so wonderfully I could hardly believe it. I have never in my life met sweeter or better behaved kids. And I'm not just saying that because they're the loves of my life. They truly are amazing and I would be super lucky to have my own kids as wonderful as them. I give mucho credit to the fact that they're being raised by my mom who, even though she's waaaaay less strict these days, is very fair.

And also my step dad, who's pretty much the nicest guy on the planet and loves those kids to pieces.

Jadzia is the oldest of the "littles" and I think that's where I bonded with her. She's had to play oldest for the last few years and I really think she's grown from that. I don't know how, but she's actually gotten sweeter since the last time I saw her. She's the most talented person I know and can always make me laugh. And goodness gracious, has she gotten gorgeous! It's pretty crazy. She's also very protective of Brandon and Brianna. I got scolded a few times by her for mentioning things that may or may not have hurt their feelings. Then I felt very ashamed of myself!

Now, with Dusty and Brittany, I actually feel like I'm younger than them from time to time. They enjoy patting me on the head and treating me like I'm 5. Probably because they're 10 feet taller than me. But I have a feeling that soon Jadzia will be "older" than me as well.

When we were saying our goodbyes, Jadzia broke my heart the most. She seemed the most emotional and even told me that she wanted us to get a giant house for all of us siblings to live in together, which is actually a secret dream of mine. I feel a lot closer to her now because of that.

Brandon is still as sweet as ever. He's silly and then he's very serious and sensitive. And still very much Brittany's favorite. If we had faves that is. Which we don't.

He's a very cool little kid and has the best laugh I think I've ever heard. He laughs at Dustin's jokes so that's always fun for Dustin. lol He's very laid back and just a very understanding guy. I've always been able to talk to Brandon as if he were much much older. He just gets how people are feeling and why they feel that way. Now that he's 12, he feels a lot older and like he can't show his emotions as much. He's not as mushy as he used to be. I got weird looks from him every time I would roughly grab his face and plant a giant kiss on his cheek. But I'm excited to see what he's like as he gets even older.

And then there's my mini me. Brianna Rose. The girl was like a new accessory all week. She stuck to my side like glue and wouldn't unlink her arm from mine for a moment. I got pulled on and sat on every single day. And I wouldn't have had it any other way. I believe she's actually grown on me even more since that trip. I also think that she may have made her way into Dustin's heart as well. Never in my life have I seen a 9 year old break out into tears because she felt GUILTY that people were buying things for her and taking her to fun places. These kids didn't ask for a single thing they saw all day on our Manhattan trip. And we went to the Hershey's store, M&Ms store, and the ginormous Toys R Us. At one point, Brianna wanted to buy a Barbie paper dolls book (with her own allowance, no less) but then looked at the price (10 bucks) and quickly put it back on the shelf!! She claimed that it was far too much money! How many kids have you met that would do such a thing??

She continued to amaze me at the end of the night when she was miserably cold and tired and Dustin offered to buy her a I Love NY hoodie off the street. She started saying, "No. It's OK. I don't need it." I assured her that it was fine and we wanted to get it for her because we loved her. But that just made her cry because she felt bad that we were buying her things. Jim ended up buying her the hoodie which she felt better about, I guess. I then told her that she was my favorite and she informed me that it wasn't nice to have favorites.

Then there's Brittany and Dustyloo. They're grownups or whatever now. They're some of the best friends I could ever have. I'm proud of both of them and admire them soooo much. I wish I could have the motivation that Brittany has or even a smidgen of her talent. And I wish I could be as laid back as Dusty is and not worry about anything. Or even be as funny as him.

Oh, and I also hope he marries this girl. She's amazing and I love her and would like her to be my new sister-in-law. Yup.

I wish I knew the next time we'll all be together again. Money is a huge issue in all of this and I really wish it wasn't. I would love it if we were all at least within driving distance of each other. But at least now I know that no matter how far apart we are, we'll never feel disconnected from each other.

We have the best friends and family

Although most people gave us money in cards at the wedding, a few of our friends and family took a gander at our Target.com registry and decided they wanted us to have some funzy stuff we put on there. I'm glad we got some kitchen stuff and some money. Actually, a lot of money. Dustin and I are still ridiculously blown away by how generous everyone was.

We counted all the money on our hotel bed after the party and with every card we actually just felt more and more guilty. We're not used to people giving us money like that so it was a bit overwhelming. We would open a card, see the money or check and go, "Oh my goodness! WHY???" I guess people like us a lot more than we thought. But we are beyond grateful and never could imagine that we would've gotten as much money as we did. Thank you so much everyone!

One of the few things we've bought with the money so far are the lovely orange Rachel Ray cookware set. It was on sale too! Then I had to re-organize my cupboards so that I have cookware in this one and bake ware in the one below.

We also have some cast iron skillet that aren't pictured cause they're waiting to Dustin to season them and make them all prettiful.

Dustin's grandma got us a crock pot!! I'm very excited to start using this, you have no idea! It even came with a few recipes that I wanna try asap!

Love love love this! Brittany got it for us over 2 months ago but we haven't even hung it up yet. We tend to procrastinate. I put a battery in it though.

We also got some awesomely cute bowls and spoons for ice cream from my friend Jessica. Oh, and I think she also got me those amazing cookie cutters. I made heart shaped biscuits the other day! And then Kelly got me the cool beans cake decorating set that I'm worshipping right now.

And lets not forget the incredibly sweet video Dustin's family had made for us. Even if there is a picture of Brittany & Brianna in it that has nothing to do with me. We watched it when we got home. And of course, the book our Idahomies had made for us that made me ALMOST cry. Oh, how I miss those fools and all the fun we had!

Hooray for friends!!

Princess Brianna Rose

If you know only one thing about me it should be that I am completely in love with my younger siblings. It's almost a tie between them and Dustin as to who I love more. If I could live with them AND Dustin I would be the happiest chick in all the world! My younger siblings are probably the most amazing and unique people I have ever met in my life. I love them so much it's ridiculous. When I look at pictures of the 3 youngest I start crying. EVERY SINGLE TIME. I miss them so much and haven't seen them in almost 2 and a half years. I feel like I'm missing out on so much in their lives. I'm afraid that one day they'll totally forget about me.

But this isn't a sad post. It's supposed to be a happy and cute post. Filled with love and pictures of the baby of the Calimano clan, Brianna Rose.

She's kinda important. She's my flower girl and I would not have it any other way. She's my mini me also. The 3 oldest kids have the 3 youngest as mini-mes. The brothers have brown hair. Brittany and Jadzia are the dreaded gingers. And then there's me and Brianna. The cute ones. She's been growing outta her baby face lately and has started to copy my features.

And my sense of humor. She'll be 9 in May and I can hardly believe that it's been 7 years since she moved away to England. I've seen her only a handful of times since then but have never lost touch. They are my babies after all.
Brianna's was the first name I got tattooed on me. My first tattoo actually. It was the most significant thing I could think of to get. And I'm glad I got her name first. I think she was kinda proud as well. Since then, I've gotten my Gingers' names on my wrists and a few other pieces of artwork. I need money to get my brothers' names still. Sorry guys!

Since she moved to England at such a young age her voice totally changed. In my book, if you have a British accent then you are British. Case closed. I love listening to her on the phone even if I don't totally understand what she's jabbering about.

I love that she's growing up so beautifully. And I love that she looks like me. I was done with sisters that didn't look like me after Jadzia. Enough is enough with the red hair. I mean...come on.

I feel somewhat bad for her because she's starting to look like me. Hopefully she won't grow a nose like mine. And maybe she'll be the only one who actually grows some boobs. She probably hasn't started thinking about that yet though.

She's content just being the fun-loving princess that she is. She loves dogs, Hannah Montana, chocolate desserts, and dressing up. She thinks she loves coffee but actually only loves coffee flavoured desserts. Apparently she tried a sip of Mom's espresso and was less than pleased.

I cannot express to you how flippin' excited I am to see these freaks! And when Calimano kids get together something magically weird happens. Parents cover their ears and shush us for some reason. I think we just get really excited and have to talk over one another. Then it just turns into screaming and laughing. We all have pretty much the same sense of humor so there will be alot of laughing and also some fighting. Those things will never die.

And then I'll cry like the biggest baby ever when they have to leave. I will cry for weeks on end like I tend to do. I also cry whenever I talk to Brandon on the phone. But only Brandon for some reason. He doesn't know I'm trying to hold back my sobbing as we chat about dogs and what type of car Dustin drives but it always happens.

I'm just trying to focus on seeing them and spending as much time as I can with them while we're in New York. And the ridiculous amount of pictures we'll have to take together at the wedding and just in general. Because we don't know the next time we'll all be together again.