Spring and New Beginnings

SO time is drawing very close to an end and our family will be a whole unit again.

This past year I managed (with God on my side) to do just a few things to note.

Keep a fish alive the whole year.

Raise a 2 year old

and 2 pups.

Start Growing flowers in the garden.

Lose 10 pounds.

Buy a car with the help of my husband on the otherside of the world.

To think that this is just the beginning of many adventures yet to come!

Friday Fun!!!

Capturing Those Moments That Mean the Most

Helping Mommy wash the Car!!!

Her best friend as of late.

Swimmy time in the pool

Emma and Kay playing in the pool.

Military Spouse Friday

What are some  of your ideas for staying connected with family...you know, those people we moved thousands of miles away from? SKYPE SKYPE SKYPE...we lived in Germany for 3 years and I had the first grandbaby on both sides living there so SKYPE made such a difference for both my husband who was deployed and for the family living in Texas.

What's the most romantic gift you have GIVEN? I love to book us couples massages for R&R or right after block leave but for R&R this last time I got the massage, spa bath and fondue package. It was amazing and we were so relaxed afterward.

Would you encourage your child, if they came to you and wanted to join the military?  Absolutely I would encourage my child to do anything they had prayed about and considered the options, risks and value of making that choice.

What is your least favorite bill to pay and why? Student Loans have always been the worst to pay. But we finally got all the paperwork to go through and the Army has officially payed off all of our loans.

What is the proudest moment you've had as a military spouse?  Oh do I have to choose one? I really love being a military wife. I love the people that you encounter on this unusual journey and I absolutely love helping other wives experience the most that can out of this life. I couldnt be more proud of my husband and after almost 2 deployments in 4 years he is becoming every day a man that I admire and will love my whole life.

Military Spouse Friday

1. During military separations (whether short or long) how do you keep yourself positive and motivated? I participate in programs that keep my mind on the positive like MOPS and PWOC. I also make sure that I a part of some kind of girls night weekly dinner so I have friends that are sharing my experiences and we can all talk through the things we are going through.

2. What is your favorite concert you have ever been to? NSYNC was the most memorable. Maybe not the favorite but really what is better at 13 than NSYNC???!

3. What do you miss most about your “hometown”?  The beach. I am from Corpus Christi TX and I miss running my toes through the sand and having a constant tan!

4. If you could run in any race, which charity would you choose to support? I would love to run for a program that supports child adoptions or children foundations for a better life. There are so many out there it is hard to choose just one.

5. You find out Willy Wonka is your father, what 3 course meal do you INSIST he create in that stick of gum? Olive Gardens breadsticks and salad, My homemade chicken parmesan (yes I'm promoting my husbands favorite dish, and a chocolate cream pie deliciousness to top it off

Thanks to http://wifeofasailor.com/

Random Thought

A MUSICAL LIFE

So I don't know what you've ever wondered about but one thing that has puzzled me ever since I was a wee thing was why our life is not like the movies where we can just break out in to song anytime we feel like it. I view my life in a mostly optimistic way so I feel often the need to do just this. Before you go judging or commiting me just think about it. What makes movies like Enchanted, Singing in the Rain and Lion King so WONDERFUL? The songs of course. Because really Enchanted would have been just another movie otherwise. I know that there are only a few of you out there who really know what I'm talking about. Who wouldn't love to have their very own theme music whenever the need arose? What I am trying to say is why not see life a bit more on the bright side you know the kind of moment when everyone around you knows your choreographed dance and you all sing and dance in unison. There may only be a few brave souls to actually take this wonder in to affect and believe me my husband is constantly on his caution when he feels like it is a song breaking out kind of moment for me! I love that my optimistic bubble doesn't frustrate him but only makes him love me more. Really it was just a random thought that came to me today and still puzzles me. Who knows maybe someday I will have the guts to surprise everyone and break out in to song and dance for no reason at all! BEWARE.
What is something that you wonder about?

Favorites Early

So I was going to save my favorites for Friday but I wanted to share a wonderful giveaway with you as well as boost Ashley's blog! Check out her giveaway ending soon. http://freckleberryfinds.blogspot.com/2011/02/daisy-petal-designs-littlest-blooms.html?showComment=1299588480187#c1058880612400008516

Thanks http://freckleberryfinds.blogspot.com/

Monday Memories

  Many people I found have great goal and dreams for their lives. To save the planet, to become president, to find a cure...you get the drift but me I was different. My dream and my goals were to become a teacher, become a wife and be a mom. Ever since I was a little girl I would play "wedding day" with my parents, make sure each of stuffed animals had a good mommy and saved up enough money to buy my first teacher kit at seven, all accessories included. Everything was so ideal then because you see stuffed animals don't talk back, or cry for endless hours, or get out of bed every 5 minutes to test the waters. A little girl dreams of her wedding day but doesn't think of that being the first day of an adventure that would hit highs and lows, and take lonliness and love to a whole new level. When we reach the point of knowing what we are going to be when we grow up we don't know the lengths we may have to stretch to eventually reach our end results.

  No one told me however that reaching those would bring pain, joy and ultimately a peace in knowing that I am right where I belong. I am currently a mother of one extremely smart sensitive, and stubborn 2 1/2 year old wife of almost 4 years to a soldier in the US Army that I spent exactly 1 year and 11 months of my marriage with and the rest of those years through phone calls, skype and letters. I am also in the last stretch of receiving my Bachelor or Science in Elementary education degree through Liberty University. In this time I've dealt with ER trips for a sick baby more times than I should have to count, raising our child the way my husband and I agreed on for a year and 10 months on my own and feeling like what I do is never quite enough. Loving a man deeper than I ever thought I could love mostly through distance and making moments together count. Sharing a life that I never even dreamed to take on the task of living and loving every person, every place and every adventure even if I didn't always like it for the time.

  I guess what I am trying to say is that I am so very blessed to no longer be a child that is making dreams and hoping for a future filled with wonderful things, because I have those wonderful things right here before me. I thank God every day for the wild adventure He has set before me and I know it is not short of detours, cliff and road blocks but I will trust Him in each endeavor.

"For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord, Plans for good and not for evil, For a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
What things are you thankful for?