Hi, Everyone!! Pour yourself a cup of whatever makes ya happy and have a sit-down and rest a while! I'm gonna grab another latte and some pumpkin muffins.. You just enjoy your visit :-D

So, hmm, let's see...

Oh, yes, I found out about the BlogHop'09 Party on Diane aka BunnyTrail's page (actually, she posted it on twitter first..lol) so thought it'd be fun to join in. I haven't had a good blog party since the last 5MinutesForMom one :-) Diane's post sent me over to Pensive Robin's blog as the big HQ for the BlogHop and then Robin sent me over to Amanda's blog for the BlogNerdBASH! Hmmm... I think this is going to be fun!!!

Let me tell you a bit about myself:

• My name is Sallie, but my husband and others will on occasion affectionately call me SallieMae (like the student loan company but I was here first...barely... I was born in 1971 and the government entity was created in 1972).
• I am married to a Marine, and am a homeschooling mom to 3 boys. We just graduated our first high schooler this year, our daughter.
• I'm a Christian. I love Jesus Christ with all my heart and recognize what a wonderful work He has done in forgiving me for my many sins. I am so not perfect but Christ is. Praise God!

You can find a more detailed description about me at this post, if you'd like.

My husband has been deployed several times to the Gulf region and has been diagnosed with PTSD, with the most recent diagnosis as "resolving". Most days are good. Some are bad. We pray constantly and we make it through one day at a time. I love my husband with all my heart and will do anything and everything to make it all "OK" for him once again!!

Our oldest son has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, on the autism spectrum. Our youngest son has many of the same tendencies but we have found the medical help in the military to be lacking, aka we've learned to work routines out pretty good on our own, so we have not sought a diagnosis for the youngest.  Sometimes I question that decision but most days I'm ok with it.

We live in the Crystal Coast region of North Carolina. Some of our favorite hobbies include going to the beach (uhm, duh!), fishing, clamming (a new learning experience adventure), hiking, and photography. We also love to read and blog, facebook, and tweet!

If you search through my blog (through either the topics in sidebar or the google search engine at the bottom of the page), you are likely to find anything on subjects ranging from politics, to family, to autism, to being feminine, to homeschooling, to decorating, to being a military wife, and even moving cross country tips for your pets!! We are generally a hodge podge of everything around here :-)

Honestly, though, the post that has had the absolute most hits has been my Caleb and The Scream post. It probably isn't my most well written post, but it gives a view into life with a kid on the autism spectrum. It is the one post I constantly get emails about. I think it has resonated with so many folks in the 10 months its been on my blog simply because they get it!

Thanks for coming by, ya'll!! I hope you've enjoyed getting to knowing me a little better! I look forward to meeting new blogging friends and visiting your blogs!!  

P.S. ~ Feel free to follow me on twitter. I'm @seasidetales.

In Christ,

Sallie