A brief update!

It's been a few months so I thought I'd provide an update. At the end of September, Zach returned home from Iraq for his 2-week R & R. We were both thrilled that he would be here for the birth of our son.

Speaking of our son, Rowen Todd Lotz arrived on October 4, 2010, at 3:12 pm. He weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and was 20 inches long. He's absolutely perfect!

Zach returned to Iraq on October 13, 2010, when Rowen was just 9 days old. The next 8-9 months are going to be very difficult for our new little family, but we'll get through.

Until next time!

I've fallen a little behind...

So things got crazy in life and I lost track of this blog. I'd like to get it up and going again so bear with me as I *quickly* update everyone on life since November.

Well, after the wedding in July, we enjoyed a beautiful honeymoon to Paris, France. We visited the staple locations such as the Eiffel Tower, The Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame Cathedral, The Louvre, and other remarkable places. It was the trip of a lifetime. Upon returning to the States, we loaded up the Uhaul and headed out west.

A couple weeks after settling in to our new place in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, we adopted a beautiful black lab/pit bull mix puppy who we named Cadence. She's a very well-behaved little girl and she trained really easily and quickly.

I started school in August to continue toward earning my degree in elementary education. The semester was filled with homework, papers, projects and tests that took up much of my "spare" time. Zach also took a few classes to earn points in civilian education.

On August 21st, Zach celebrated his 22nd birthday. We had friends over for dinner and cake that evening and enjoyed time together. We also went to Tucson that weekend with a group of friends to see a stand-up comedian at Laff's Comedy Club. Also, Zach found out (on his birthday) that he made enough points to be promoted from Specialist to Sergeant! What a great birthday it was! On September 1st, I "pinned" my husband at a small promotion ceremony during an end of day formation. What a happy day that was for both of us! I am so proud of my soldier!

In October we celebrated our very first Halloween together. We dressed as nerds ("kick me" signs and all) and put Cadence in a cute little cow costume. Friends of ours had a fun party that evening so we headed over to their house after passing out candy to the neighborhood trick-or-treaters.

In November we adopted our second puppy, a golden retriever who we named Kobe. We also planned a trip home to Illinois to spend Thanksgiving with our families. We made the 25 hour drive straight through and arrived in Illinois just in time to tell my mom "happy birthday" on November 20th. We spent the week with our families and really enjoyed our time at "home". Also in November, we had to say good-bye to some good friends of ours who were PCSing (moving) to Fort Drum, New York. Zach and I were sad to see them go.

December was fairly uneventful, aside from our first Christmas together. Again, we had to say good-bye to some wonderful friends (part of being in the Army, I guess) who were moving to Fort Meade, Maryland. We didn't go anywhere or do anything really significant but we did enjoy spending Christmas Day together for the first time in years!

January brought some life-changing news! On January 25, 2010 we discovered that we were expecting our first baby! Now a whole new chapter of life begins! We were thrilled by the news and couldn't keep a secret for very long. Within a few days our family and friends knew about our excitement and they shared in the joy with us. January was also the start of a new semester at school for both of us. I started an internship at General Myer Elementary school on post working in a 5th grade classroom. I served as an aid to the teacher and the program gave me great insight into what having my own classroom will be like. I spent, on average, 12 hours a week in the classroom for 16 weeks. It was a great opportunity to work with students and a little something extra to throw on my resume.

Not much happened in February that I can remember so we'll move on to March. During spring break, Zach's sister, Chelsie, came to visit us. She spent a week with us at our home in southern Arizona and it was very nice to have that time with her. Zach's parents also visited us at the end of March and that was also very nice. Unfortunately, March brought with it some disappointing news. We new there was a deployment coming up in June, but Zach had been trying to get out of it with a job position in Washington, D.C. Sadly, the job offer came a few days too late and he was "locked in" to the deployment. The job will be waiting for him upon his return from Iraq in June 2011.

In April, I celebrated my 20th birthday (on the 9th). Zach planned with some friends of ours a surprise party for me that I was not expecting at all. He also gave me beautiful lilies...my favorite! Also on my birthday, we got to see our baby on an ultrasound. I was around 14 weeks pregnant at the time, so the baby looked like a little alien but it was still a very cool experience.

May brought the end of the semester and graduation for me! I finished my Associate's degree in elementary education, but was unable to participate in graduation ceremonies because of our trip to Illinois. We visited home again during "block leave" that Zach was allowed to take prior to deployment. This was his last opportunity to see many of our friends and family back home and I'm thankful he got the chance to spend time with them. Upon returning to Arizona, we started packing up our house in preparation for deployment. At the end of the month, we drove to Phoenix where we were able to get a 4D Ultrasound of our baby. During this ultrasound, we found out that we are having a BOY!!! Zach was thrilled to learn that he is going to have a son, and he swears up and down that he knew it was a boy all along.

June was a sad and difficult month. Zach's unit deployed on June 6, 2010, to Iraq where they will be serving for one year. My mom, brother, and Zach's mom were all able to join in the good-bye ceremonies and they also helped me drive back to Illinois to live with my parents while Zach is gone. The four of us arrived in Illinois on June 9th after 3 long days of driving. I spent the following weeks unpacking and getting settled in to my "new" life. Zach arrived safely in Iraq and also got settled in.

By July, we had both settled into routines and had figured out when we could talk to each other whether it be by phone, chat, or Skype. The 4th marked our 1st wedding anniversary; it was a bittersweet day since we could not spend it together. Over the next couple of weeks I spent some time researching and registering for baby items while also enjoying the summertime heat with friends at the pool. Zach started teaching on July 5th and has really enjoyed doing his job.

So that, in a nutshell, is our first year of marriage. I hope you'll continue to follow along (and I hope I can keep it up) with our lives as we prepare to welcome our little boy into the world in October (or September if he decides to come early). Feel free to comment or ask questions about what's going on in our lives.

Until next time,

Tiffany

Independence Day...or is it?

To my surprise, I woke up to my alarm. I'd actually slept through the night, despite my excitement. Then it hit me, I'm getting married today! Married! I walked out of my bedroom to the smell of eggs and bacon. I have such wonderful parents, I thought, but how am I supposed to eat on a day like this?! I was able to swallow a few bites of eggs and a strip or two of bacon to hold me over. I gathered up all the things I'd need for the day, and we soon headed off to the salon for our hair appointments.

To my disappointment, the drive to Macomb was a gloomy one. It was raining on my wedding day. I'd heard that it was supposed to be good luck, but I was having a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It was supposed to be sunny. Light breeze. Perfect.

It poured while I was getting my hair done. It poured while my mom was getting her hair done. It poured while I applied my fake toenails. It poured while I helped my bridesmaids with their fake toenails. It poured.

After all of our hair was done, my bridesmaid, Allison, my mom and I headed to Hy-Vee to pick up the boutonnieres and Mother's corsages. It was a bit awkward walking around in a grocery store on my wedding day; Ali made sure to tell everyone that she saw that I was getting married today. Soon, we headed back to the car, dodging the falling raindrops.

We headed to the church to begin getting ready. I, along with a few of my bridesmaids, headed downstairs to the restroom to do our makeup. I even dabbed a little bit of blush on each of my niece's cheeks. Our photographer met us at the church and started taking pictures while we were getting ready. Before I knew it, it was time to get into my gown.

My dress consisted of an intricate, lace-up back that my sister, and Maid of Honor, had to practice a few times before the wedding. Still, it took about 20 minutes to get it laced just right. One of the funniest quotes of the day came from my sister, Mindy, while she was lacing me up. (On her knees to be at eye level with my dress) "You should feel lucky. I don't get on my knees for just anybody." She definitely helped lighten the moment.

Once we were all beautiful and in our dresses we headed to the sanctuary to take some pictures. It was imperative that Zach not see me, or I him, before the ceremony, so our wedding parties had to be in communication with one another to make sure we didn't cross paths. They did a great job of make sure the big reveal didn't happen too early.

The guys followed us girls and I was pushed back upstairs so that Zach could take pictures with our wedding party. Luckily, I had a few girls upstairs to keep me company while I was waiting. I was counting down the minutes--Minutes! I couldn't wait to marry the love of my life.

We walked down the stairs and stood outside the sanctuary doors. I reached for a drink of water and my dad commented on how much I was shaking while I tried to take a drink. Just calm down, I told myself. This is a happy day. There's no need to feel nervous. I just couldn't believe it was all happening. This day I had been dreaming about and planning for the last two years was finally here. This day I would marry my best friend.

As I neared the sanctuary doors, I could hear my cousin Kelsey playing beautiful music on the violin. I'm so glad she could do this for us, I thought. My maid of honor started her procession down the aisle and I knew my turn was quickly approaching. I held tight to my daddy's arm as my ushers closed the sanctuary doors.

The music changed and the doors swung open. I saw Zach standing at the end of the aisle. I wanted to sprint down into his arms, but figured that would be inappropriate. Instead, I walked in step with my dad wondering how life could get any better. Somehow, the rain seemed unimportant. Zach's smile was brighter than any sun could ever be, and I'm sure mine reflected the same amount of happiness.

The ceremony was absolutely breathtaking, but it went by all too fast. We said, "I do", exchanged vows and rings, and lit our unity candle to the beautiful music of Ben Harris. Ben continued to play guitar and sing "When I Say I Do" while we took communion and prayed with each other. Pastor Jon announced us as husband and wife and we shared our first kiss as a married couple.

We greeted our guests in the foyer and exited the church while they blew bubbles around us. We drove around town for a few minutes and even received a few honking horns in response to the "Just Married" poster in our window and the pop cans tied to our bumper. Upon returning to the church, we took pictures with each other and our wedding party and families. Then it was time to party.

Our entrance to the reception was one to be remembered. Our wedding party and parents all entered from the main doors while Zach and I hid behind the projection screen on the stage. When the DJ announced us, our guests looked around and couldn't find us. Soon enough, they noticed the screen being lifted and saw Zach dip me and give me a big ole kiss.

The rest of the night consisted of dinner, dancing, toasts, and cake. We even had a little bit of karaoke toward the end. Zach and I shared our first dance to the magical lyrics of Mr. Keith Whitley--When You Say Nothing At All. We danced with our parents, our wedding party, and our guests the rest of the evening, pausing only to rehydrate.

It truly was the happiest day of our lives. Despite the rain, it couldn't have gone any better. Though it flew by and I don't remember many of the details, I wouldn't have traded that day for the world. This day I married my best friend: the one I laugh with, cry with, dream with, love.

Last-minute Preparations

Before I knew it, July was here. I couldn't believe it was so close! On the 2nd, Zach and I treated ourselves to full-body massages to relax and enjoy the last couple days of planning. At this point I was entirely stressed out about programs, favors, place cards, and seating charts. I was just ready for this wedding to be over with!

After our massages, we joined my mom and some of our wedding party to finish decorating for the reception. They had most everything done, but there were a few things to put finishing touches on. Looking around, I couldn't believe that this was all for us. I stood there and thought to myself, The people standing in this room just two days from now will be here to celebrate with US. I felt truly blessed.

On the 3rd, we met with our bridal party and some family at the church for our rehearsal. I took charge because we had a timeline to be on and I wasn't going to deal with people messing up MY schedule. We finished pretty quickly and everything went smoothly. After some last minute decorations at the church, we loaded up and headed to Chris and Cathy's for our rehearsal dinner.

Their house looked amazing! They'd set up wonderful tents and tables in the yard and decorated with lots and lots of red, white, and blue! We'd opted to do a cookout for our rehearsal dinner since we wouldn't really be celebrating the 4th of July properly. The food was incredible. Zach's dad and uncles did a wonderful job with the meats on the grill, and his mom and aunt's side dishes were mouthwatering. It was wonderful to just relax and enjoy a cookout with friends and family, even though in the back of my mind I couldn't stop thinking about what tomorrow would be.

After we finished eating, taking pictures, and passing out gifts to our wedding party, we headed out to Raritan for the fireworks. We were praying for dry weather, but the local stations were all predicting rain. The firemen were able to launch the fireworks display, but halfway through it started sprinkling. Nothing to ruin the fireworks, but several people were holding umbrellas.

Afterward, I went home to my parents' house with my roommate from college, Laura. She and I stayed up talking for a few hours. Then, I took a soothing bath to calm my jitters and try to relax myself enough to sleep. I stayed up until after midnight just to take a picture of my phone showing the time and date: my wedding day.

Half my Heart is in Iraq

Mom and I returned to Illinois just a few days after Zach and I's engagement. It was a sorrowful goodbye because Zach would be deploying to Iraq soon. I didn't think I would get the chance to see him again until midway through his deployment.

However, Zach and I arranged for him to come back to Illinois over a 4-day weekend in October. It was dangerous, militarily speaking, because they (The Army) had no idea he left the area. I picked him up at the airport in Peoria and we drove back to Illinois. Only my sister knew he was coming. We showed up at MidAmerica National Bank to surprise his mom. She was so shocked to see him standing there! Then we walked down the street to where my mom was and surprised her too. No one could believe that I'd kept such a big secret.

We enjoyed the weekend together, knowing it would be our last for a very long time. Zach returned to Arizona that Monday and I went back to life as usual.

He deployed on December 13, 2007. He called me on Christmas morning to inform me that he'd finally made it to Iraq safely. He was exhausted after traveling and spending time in Germany and Kuwait. I was so excited to hear his voice and to know that he had finally reached his destination.

We were able to communicate fairly regularly by email and phone during his entire deployment. For that, I am thankful. I don't know what life would've been like had I not been able to talk to my love on a regular basis.

The deployment months dragged on. I was in school, so that kept me busy. Zach switched between day and night shifts and, because of the time difference, we were often on opposite schedules. However, we always made time for one another because we knew that it was important for our relationship.

Finally, in June of 2008, Zach had reached the midpoint of his deployment and was granted leave to come home. He arrived back in the States on June 3rd and I was BEYOND excited to be in his arms again. We enjoyed yet another Sodbuster Days and actually won the backseat driver contest!

We also arranged with our photographer to have our engagement session while Zach was home. We spent the day at the studio and Glenwood park taking pictures and enjoying our time together. Our pictures turned out great!

Well, with being engaged goes planning a wedding. Zach and I worked together while he was home to work on some of the big decisions. We chose a photographer, a church, and our reception location. It was so great to be able to make those decisions together as I knew that I would be making many smaller, detailed decisions without him.

June went by all too fast, as did all of our time together in the past. Zach went back to Iraq and I started gearing up for my freshman year of college.

My mom and I started getting into the wedding planning as July 2009 grew closer. She was a great help in the planning and I don't think I would have stayed sane without her. Sure, she got irritated with me at times, but I know she loves me.

In August, my mom, best friend (and bridesmaid) Allison, her sister, Ashley (also a summer 2009 bride) and I headed to Springfield for a day of dress shopping! Amazingly, Ashley and I both found dresses that we fell in love with and this whole "wedding thing" was really starting to become a reality. Shortly after that, I took all 5 of my bridesmaids to Springfield and we picked out dresses for them. I was so happy to have some of the major decisions out of the way.

During all of this planning, Zach was still in Iraq. He worked at the Help Desk at Camp Taji, about 10 miles north of Baghdad. While he was deployed, he was promoted from PFC (Private First Class) to SPC (Specialist) Lotz. I was thrilled to hear of his promotion and oh-so proud of my soldier.

Also in Iraq, Zach competed in the Soldier of the Quarter competition. It consisted of a physical fitness test, a written test, and he also had to answer questions in front of a board of "higher-ups". He competed at the Battalion level and won! Then he traveled to compete at the Brigade level. Unfortunately, the night before the competition, Zach got out of bed and threw his back out of place. Because of his "injury" he was unable to compete and had to let the 2nd place soldier take his place. It was a devastating blow for him.

After he had recovered, Zach got the opportunity to compete again. Again, he participated at the Battalion level and won! I was so proud of all of his accomplishments because he'd worked and studied so hard for them.

Finally, February 2009 rolled around. Zach would be getting back to Arizona at the very beginning of March, so I made arrangements to fly down and be there for his homecoming.

On March 3, 2009, I was reunited with my soldier for good. Well, not technically for good. I stayed in Arizona for a few days, but soon had to return home to finish out the school year. Zach came to Illinois just a couple weeks after I left Arizona. He visited over Spring Break, so we had plenty of free time together. Soon though, he headed back to Fort Huachuca and we planned on not seeing each other again until just a few days before the wedding. However, that didn't quite happen.

I couldn't take it anymore! I was tired of being away from him. I made two trips to Arizona in the next two months. I visited after school was out at the end of May and then again at the end of June. In June, I purchased a one-way ticket and then drove back to Illinois with Zach and his buddies. We were all coming back to prepare for the wedding.

Speaking of the wedding, the day was quickly approaching. We arrived in Illinois around June 20th and had a few last-minute things to take care of before The Big Day. It was great to have Zach around to complete the finishing touches and make our wedding day the best day of our lives.

The Big Question

In late July 2007, my mom and I flew to Tucson, Arizona, where Zach picked us up at the airport and we drove an hour down to Fort Huachuca. Our flight got in late at night so we basically went to bed soon after arriving at the hotel. We spent a few days visiting local touristy places such as Bisbee, Arizona, a local "hippie" town and the famous O.K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona.

On Tuesday, July 24, 2007, Zach and I went out for dinner. We'd never really had a fancy date before, so I thought that's exactly what this was. We stopped at a quaint restaurant called "The Outside Inn" and Zach told the hostess that we had reservations. The woman seated us and I noticed how small the restaurant was; there were only about 12 tables in the entire place.

We enjoyed a wonderful meal that included fresh salad with homemade ranch dressing, mouth-watering fillet mignon, and fresh vegetables. The food was absolutely fantastic. Throughout our meal, Zach and I talked about the past year we'd been together (June 11, 2007 was our one year anniversary). We also talked about our goals and plans for the future.

After we were finished with our meal, Zach said he was going to find the waitress. We were hoping to make it to a movie so we wanted to get on our way. He got up to, as I thought, get the waitress, but instead, he walked around to my side of the table. He pulled a small box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee.

The next few minutes are somewhat hazy for me, but I remember Zach saying many wonderful things followed by, "Tiffany Lynne Whited, will you marry me?" Of course, I said YES! Through tear-filled eyes we hugged and kissed. I couldn't stop smiling, but it doesn't end there.

When the waitress brought us our check, there was no price. On the bill were two handwritten notes saying, "Congratulations!" and "Many years of happiness". Also written, was a bit of marriage advice. The waitress soon informed us that two ladies, who had been sitting at the table next to us, paid for our entire meal to say congratulations and help us celebrate! We thought that was so sweet of them. They will definitely be part of our relationship for many years to come.

When Boy Meets Girl

The following is the story of how we met, started dating, and survived a dreadfully long separation. Most of you know this story, but for those of you who don't, here it is:

Zach and I technically "met" at McDonald's in late May 2006. He'd recently graduated from LaHarpe High School where he played on the West Prairie/LaHarpe basketball team. I was a cheerleader for the basketball team, and I'd seen him play before. We never talked before, but we knew "who the other was". Well, that night at McDonald's I'd just gotten off work and stopped in for a late-night snack before heading home. Zach was working the register, and he took my order. We talked lightly, but nothing more than a regular customer-to-employee conversation. I left and headed home (he later told me that he'd watched me walk entirely out the door).

We soon started talking via MSN Messenger and MySpace and made plans to spend time together at Good Hope's annual celebration, Sodbuster Days. We hung out pretty much everyday until we finally started dating on June 11, 2006.

The rest of June and the beginning part of July seemed to fly by. Zach and I tried to spend as much time together as possible because we knew that our time was limited. You see, Zach had enlisted in the United States Army. He was set to leave for basic training on July 12, 2006, just one day after our one month "anniversary". We watched movies, enjoyed Heritage Days, and even visited Fun City with some of his out-of-town family. But that month went by all too fast.

While Zach was in basic training, I wrote him every single day. I would tell him what I did that day, how much I thought about him, and ask him questions about what he was experiencing. Once I started receiving letter from him it was easier to have a conversation back and forth rather than just write, basically, a diary. I also worked on a scrapbook of the pictures we'd taken during our month together. It helped pass the time and gave me an excuse to look at pictures of him without seeming obsessive.

School started and that helped me deal with my spare time, but the days still seemed to drag by. As soon as Zach told me what day he'd be graduating, I made plans with his parents to drive down to Georgia and see him. We drove down to Fort Benning, Georgia at the end of September and I finally got to see my love again! While in Georgia, Zach surprised me with a promise ring, which his mom decided to call a "pre-engagement ring". We dropped him off at Fort Gordon, Georgia for his AIT training and headed back to Illinois.

Zach was able to come home for Christmas that year, and he spent a wonderful two weeks with me and his family and friends. Too soon, though, he returned to Georgia to complete his training.

In April, my junior prom was quickly approaching and I didn't know if I'd have a date. Zach wasn't sure he could leave in order to join me at the dance. However, just days before the dance, he found out that he would have orders to his first permanent duty station and would have time to come home beforehand. Luckily, the days he was able to come home fell right around prom. On April 28, 2007, I got to dance the night away with my soldier in his shining Class-A's.

On May 3, 2007, Zach hopped on a plane and arrived at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. He described to me the wonderful site of the mountains, and I couldn't wait to witness it for myself. We continued to talk daily (often several times a day) and made plans for my mom and I to visit him in July. Little did I know, it would be an extremely memorable trip.