Charlie Will Have Some Strong Women In Her Life

About a month ago my parents came to visit us and rub the baby belly. It was AWESOME to have them for a day of fun, but my mom totally tried to guilt me into coming to her retirement ceremony. Normally a jaunt down to Pensacola is no big thing, but the ceremony was after the cutoff for when I was supposed to travel and especially since I'd have to go alone.

However, it's not everyday you get to witness your mom retire from teaching after THIRTY-FIVE years, so I went and surprised her anyways. Apparently my oldest sister thought the same thing, because she surprised us all when she showed up all the way from North Carolina too! There were 50+ retirees, but our mom had the loudest cheering section. I can honestly say, she earned every bit of recognition she got and then some.

She was the one in the red for reference.  I dropped the ball on getting a closeup in all the excitement, but here's a closeup for ya...

That would be my incredible Mother-In-LOVE that retired from the Air Force after twenty-two years, BEAT Breast Cancer, and has re-entered the workforce running the show of her own department in an Aviation manufacturing company.

You don't have to be as badass as these two to be a strong woman, but I'm most certainly happy that they will be in Charlie's life. Heck, I'm happy they are an inspiration in my life too. Congrats to both of our momma's making big impacts and kicking butt in their careers. This one's for you ;)

When You Witness Good Deeds First Hand

It's Friday, and I like keeping things light to kick off the weekend. Luckily, we've had some amazing stuff happen here in Enterprise lately, so that's easy. Now, you know how you see all these viral feel good stories and some of them almost seem to good to be true? I try to take them at face value and just appreciate the positive vibes, but lately I've gotten to witness these types of good deeds firsthand, and I feel very blessed.

Good Deed #1
A lady was having a yard sale to raise money for her son's youth group. Her son got sick in the middle, so she put everything on the curb and said Free or for donation for her child's Youth Group trip. When they returned from the ER, she found a pile of cash in place of the goods.

Good Deed #2
A woman with no connection to this soldier whatsoever, drove two hours down to Panama City and scoured the beach for a stranger's wedding ring. Not only did she find it, but the community helped her reunite the ring with the thankful husband.

Good Deed #3
When soldiers witness someone in need, they ALWAYS step up. I've seen it time and time again, and just recently we had a soldier that immediately took charge when he witnessed a terrible car accident. On top of that, he physically laid in gasoline with a family until they were rescued from the car and then disappeared without needing to be thanked. When the victim posted about it on our Fort Rucker Spouse Club site, everyone knew that he had to be found and 324 'shares' later, they were reunited in a matter of days.

And this is why I can't imagine being anywhere else during this pregnancy and for the beginning of Charlie's life. It is such a positive environment and unlike any other I've ever experienced. All of these scenarios happened in a matter of weeks, and this is how it always is here. We may not be able to stay here past the Fall, but at least I know we will always come back here since it's the "Home of Army Aviation". Alabama, I love you!

Brain Dump: I Might Break Up With My iPhone

GASP! Is it so?
I have been an iPhone user for about four years, and iPod user for 10+ years, and an Apple user since back in the day when we called them 'Macs', but I have been seriously disappointed with all the software glitches, updates, and poor picture quality of the 5S that was supposed to be 'soooo much better'. I don't know if I'll pull the trigger come upgrade time in June, but I need y'alls opinion on the the 6, 6+, and any other phone that you guys use, love, and/or hate. I'm down to the upgrade deadline, so HELP! Hashtagfirstworldproblems

+ Check out the Volunteer Coin I got. Sorry to keep bringing this whole volunteer thing up, but it's been a whirlwind of a year and I'm very thankful to end on this positive note with all these perks I never thought I'd get and I most certainly won't be getting next year. HashtagMerica

+  This week has been focused on the changing table and crib bumper. I kept changing my mind which fabric I wanted to use for the interior of the bumper, but I finally pulled the trigger with the more subdued pattern on the left. I would let you guess, but I wouldn't want you all to vote for the floral pattern on the right and then second guess myself. Hopefully I can call it done come tomorrow. Eek! I'm so close to being done with all the nursery 'projects'!

+ Cajun Chicken Pasta is one of my faves of all time, but I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for a bowl full of $0.30 pasta. The other day, I figured it was about time I tried to make some myself where it was cost efficient, I  control the seasonings, and most importantly, I could have a ton of chicken and veggies accompanied by pasta instead a pile of pasta two bites of chicken.
**I apologize to those of you that want a bloggerific recipe in the perfect format and font, but it's much easier for me to write it out how I cook it, and this is for me to remember as much as it is to share. Here's another recipe option for the ones that need more direction. ;)

Chicken Breast (2 or more)
Red and Green Bell Pepper
Red Onion
1 1/2-2 C. Cooked WHOLE GRAIN Pasta
2Tbsp Butter
1 C. Heavy Cream or Milk
1/2 C. Parmesan
1/2 C. Sour Cream
Blackened Seasoning to taste. I probably used a half C. in total...
Chopped Green Onion for garnish
Sub or add Chicken Stock for all or part of the cream to lighten it up. Just don't get rid of the cheese or sour cream, though, or you will regret it.

The great thing is that this recipe is customizable. With chicken/without, more veggies/veggies of your choice, season to your taste, and even cook it how it works for you. You can saute your chicken and veggies in EVOO and Blackened Seasoning, but I really recommend lighting up the good ol' grill. You will get a much smokier flavor, use less oil, and your husband will be proud. To grill, coat chicken and veggies {separate bowls} with Blackened Seasoning/EVOO. Cook chicken directly on grill and five minutes later you can throw the veggies on in a grill basket. You will want to flip the chicken halfway through (when the skin separates from the grill making it easy to flip) and try to stir the veggies periodically so they don't over char.

You should probably start the sauce before grilling if you are going that route, but if you are sauteing the chicken, feel free to make this a one pot dish and cook the sauce in the same pan using the heavy cream to deglaze the pan. In a large skillet, heat up some butta' and then pour in Heavy Cream, Parmesan, Sour Cream, and as much blackened seasoning as your little heart desires {just remember- you can always add more, but you can't subtract}. You can also add a tsp or two of sugar or sweetener of your choice if you want to add some depth as it cooks. It won't take long to meld the flavors, so toss in your pasta and veggies when done, mix to coat, and then serve with chicken and green onion garnish on top.

My last question for today: Has anyone tried ordering form Target this week? I've had nothing but trouble with their online site no matter which browser I try to use and it's frustrating the ish out of me. It may be because they are having a big baby sale, but either way I just want to order stuff and give them money. Why then, do they make it SOOOOO difficult.

Thanks for letting me brain dump! Anything on your mind?

You Can Only Climb One Mountain At A Time

Will has been doing quite well during his Blackhawk training, and I couldn't be more proud. Yes, I always say that, but it's still always going to be true. This segment of Flight School is the last thing standing between us and getting back to a somewhat normal life, and although I'm not in a rush to move with a new baby, I am ready for our next adventure. I guess I've got the itch to move again, which is strange coming from a person that never ever ever planned on moving out of Florida. Remind me I said this when I complain about packing and pulling my hair out.

Anywhosit, today is his first Blackhawk Check Ride, and I want to wish him luck. By the way, a check ride is basically an oral test that you take while simultaneously flying an aircraft, which sounds terrible to me. I know he knows his stuff and all of his instructors are always pleased with his progression, so I just hope for good weather, a good aircraft, and good vibes. While most of the other guys are mentally checking out because all they have to do is pass right now, Will is pushing himself more than ever and that's why I'm so proud I married him.

While he's off flying helicopters, he says my 'job' these days is planning for the baby. Technically I should be cleaning the house and whatnot too, but eh...a little dust never hurt anyone. Plus, this baby planning is kind of intense. I know it will all work out, but the planner side of me is agonizing over every decision. Some may not see these as hard decisions, but they have been in the forefront of my mind for months. I've even asked you all for help on these decisions and now some have finally been made!

#1 Chose a Maternity/Newborn Photographer.

I've never actually paid a photographer to do pictures for us. Most of them we do ourselves with my tripod and remote, and back in Colorado there were a few photographers that offered to do it for free. I think photographers are wonderful and well worth the money, but I just couldn't see paying 'investing' for just the two of us when I could do it myself. {Sidenote: Most people should NOT do their own photos, and please book my lovely photographer friends so that they don't get mad at me for saying that...} However, when it comes to something as important as maternity and newborn photos we agreed we will shell out the big bucks for something we will treasure forever. Here's how I decided, and it's important to consider these things when you are considering ANY photographer for ANY event.

Style You could be the most beautiful person in the world, but if the photographer you pick has a different style than you are looking for, you will probably hate your pictures. It could even be as simple as they get a little overzealous with Photoshop, but if there's something that you don't like about their portfolio, then don't book them. I like more natural photographers, and I LOVE Backlit and Sunset photography, so I chose a photographer in that style.

Experience Unless a photographer shoots you for experience and free, they better have a portfolio. Also, you want them to have experience with the type of photos you need. You wouldn't book someone without wedding experience for a wedding, and this applies across the board. I wanted to work with one photographer for both maternity and newborn, so they needed experience with both, and more importantly, I wanted them to have a portfolio that featured both to ensure that they had the experience they touted. 

Location You may want indoor, outdoor, or a specific location, and if you book someone that can't or won't accommodate, you will be sorely disappointed. Since I'm from the beach and we are within driving distance, I immediately set my heart on beach maternity pics, but finding a photographer that would travel and have experience with the beach proved difficult. Just don't give up, because it is possible, and she's not even charging me a travel fee.

Bang for your buck Just because a photographer has high prices, doesn't mean they are worth your money, and vice versa...just because a photographer is 'reasonable' aka cheap, doesn't mean they are worth your money or time. Find someone that fits the above criteria and offers you a decent amount of time, outfits, edited photos, rights to your photos, etc. Besides the fact that I wanted the same photographer so that we were more comfortable, I also found that most photographers offer a package for more than one session. The ones around here were still charging a pretty penny considering they didn't offer many edited photos, some wouldn't travel, and most seemed restrictive on outfits and time, but then I went to a Baby Expo Saturday and found one that fit ALL my criteria including DOUBLE the edited photos that anyone else was offering, she was flexible, and dependable.

#2 Deciding on a Mattress for the crib.
Okay, so this one was waaaaaaay harder. My grandparents sent us one with the crib, and although it was great...I read so many articles about SIDS and mattresses, that I knew I had to make sure we had the right one. {If you are reading...sorry, Papa!} I asked everyone I knew, read every blog that had reviews, and read through guide after guide before I could even come close to making a decision. I know for a fact that most people don't stress over this as much as I did, but better safe than sorry in my mind. Sweet Kathryn gave me a great suggestion, but while I couldn't find her exact one, it led me to the Simmons Kids Beautyrest Beginnings Sleepy Whispers Ultra Deluxe 2 n 1 Crib and Toddler Mattress. It sounds expensive, but it was super reasonable at less than $140 compared to the $300 Naturepedic I thought about getting. We received it already, and I'm pretty darn pleased. One step closer to having a fully functioning nursery! Too bad she may not sleep in it before we move.

Next On My List: Bassinet Mattress, Diapers/Wipes/Skincare, Sun Dome/Pop up for the beach. Any suggestions you may have are always appreciated, and I love any and all advice. Only two months left, so it's crunch time, people.

From Helicopter Crash To Family Day

A while back, I mentioned our friend Joel was in a helicopter crash. It had been his second day of training and really made us all question flight school. Well six months later, he made it through physical therapy, got his head right, and finished Primary. He had his Family Day on Friday, and I am extremely happy that I got to be there to support him.

He spent most of his time flying around to showcase his new skills doing things like 'Autorotational Descents' where they legit fall out of the sky {giving everyone watching a heart attack} and then come in for a landing, while we toured the airfield, played in the tower, and I got to sit in my FIRST helicopter!! Hard to believe, I know.

It was a heck of an afternoon, but I'm sooo happy the rest of the weekend was solely dedicated to hanging out with Will and enjoying some much needed relaxation. We did venture out to try a new Mexican restaurant, but my Chimichanga was meh, so I don't wanna go back. If you can't fry shredded chicken and tortillas correctly, then you can't call yourself Mexican. Such a waste of calories, and then I had to have a bowl of froyo when I got home to make myself feel better about that major letdown. I know this logic happens to be illogical, and yet I don't care.

I hope you all have a great week!

The After Christmas- Christmas

Well, I would first like to say thank you for all the kind words from Monday's post. It felt good to get it off my chest and every comment meant the world to me. To us. I still haven't told family and many friends, so your words of encouragement are all we have, so again, thank you.

This will be the only Christmas we have in this house. I'm surprised I even realized that, but it made me happy that we made the most of it. I put up more decorations than I ever have, we had our first real tree, and we had our own belated Christmas morning, which was filled with just as much excitement. After all, Christmas is a feeling, not a day.

We had already exchanged gifts, but we both saved a few good ones for this occasion.  A little back story is that when the guys make it through Flight school they give their spouses their own 'set of wings' to thank them for putting up with them all the help and support. I don't particularly like chain necklaces, so he got me wings that are more my style from Nomades. It's a little early to get my wings, but I'll take it ;)

PS. This is not an ad. I just really love the company! MilSpouses definitely need to check them out. They have all kinds of military charms and are just like Pandora! I even switched some of my Pandora charms to this bracelet because I like it better.

When Will saw that I put multi-colored lights on the tree he thought I was crazy. He knows I'm not a multi-colored girl, but something came over me. For our first real tree I wanted to go super nostalgic, and although I'll probably never use multi-colored again, it was fun while it lasted. Technically it lasted until today because I'm still getting decorations down, but don't judge me. I'd leave them up all year if I could. One day...I will be that old women with a Christmas house year around. Then you have permission to judge me.

The Year That Was 2014

You just can't finish out a year without a good round up, am I right or am I right? Usually it takes me all of fifteen minutes to pick my favorite shenanigans to share and call it a day, however, this past year turned out to be a doozy. It just goes to show, you never know where life is going to take you if you are open to experience it.

January || Had us packing up all of our household goods, saying goodbye to breathtaking Colorado, and retiring my orange shorts. All in all, it was a pretty big month for us full of many changes that were exciting and scary at the same time.

February || Moved to Enterprise, Alabama! Actually more exciting than it sounded, and now we never want to leave. We want to find out what Will is going to fly and chill here.

March || We ran the McGuire's 5K {mostly for the free booze}, and I was able to spend two glorious weeks at home with family and witness my niece's baptism.

April || Was my proudest month as Will graduated from WOCS and became a Warrant Officer, the first step on the journey to becoming an Army helicopter pilot. Mmmm mmmm....I love my man in uniform!

May || With warm weather came lots of outdoor activities, and our new favorite was by far tubing. The beach was fun, but you really can't beat hopping in a river on a whim and heading down your own Redneck Riviera.

June || I got to see my baby brother graduate from High School. Ten years my junior, I begged my mom to let me do anything and everything for that sweet baby, so it seems so surreal that he's an 'adult'. Eh...he's still a baby to me!

July || Will was safe in my arms after three weeks of zero communication while he was in Survival School, and I got turned away from a bar for my 'fake id' in Destin, Fl. Oh, and I shotgunned a beer like I was 21 again.

August || I painted a lot of owls.

September || We soaked up the last bit of summer in Panama City for Labor Day.

October || Man, oh man...if I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be October. We spent the month planning our big Halloween/Haunted House party {that I still haven't blogged about}, attended the good ol' Ten Year Reunion, got new ink done, had a blast with all of our besties in Jacksonville, actually had my husband WITH me for my big day, and possibly had the best Birthday month of my life. I never wanted it to end.

November || Celebrated Veterans and raised $1,000's for Charity {$23,000 to be exact}, which still makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

December || We took a leap and started the home buying process. We area learning the ups and downs and waiting to see if our house goes through {inspections on top of inspections}, and trying to remember to enjoy the process. We are learning, we are growing, and embracing this adventure...at least we are in it together!

If we didn't have all this fun stuff to look back on, I wouldn't believe 2014 even happened. It went by WAY too fast, which I say every year, but that doesn't make it any less true. I don't know what 2015 is going to bring us or if it can hold a candle to 2014, but I am most definitely looking forward to enjoying the South while we are here, Will graduating, and BOTH of us turning 30 this year. I guess that means I'll be leaving the 'Twenty-Something' blogger club soon. Oh well, I ain't scurred. Age before beauty ;)

Peace Out 2014...It's been real!

We Don't Even Have A Target In This Town!

  When we first moved here, I thought my life was over when we didn't even have a Target! No mall, no Starbucks, no Costco, middle of nowhere, and they still smoke in restaurants. I may be from right down the road, but it was a culture shock coming from progressive Colorado. I was going to post an inappropriate picture about just how progressive it is, but Will vetoed it. It's really strange when he's the responsible one, but alas...I need a reel-in every now and then too.

Alright, so if Perception Is Everything, I had to find ways to like this town real quick. Luckily, it has been easier than I even imagined, and it fits like a perfect pair of new pumps which I still haven't found. Living at a lower altitude {from 6,000' down to 358'} has all kinds of perks- our vehicles run better, baking is easier, less dehydration, friends won't get altitude sickness when they come to visit, and my eyebrows have finally started growing again! It's also nice to be in a small town. Going from a population of 439,886 to  27,775 makes life so much easier! No waiting in line to eat at a restaurant, I haven't had to use my horn a single time, there are no strangers- only neighbors, and this is the kind of place that you can leave your door unlocked. We don't leave it unlocked, but it's nice to trust your neighbors, ya know.

Why do I think you care about any of this? Well...you may or may not, but it's my blog and I want to remember how wonderful this place is. I can't believe we've only been here since February, but it feels like we have made years worth of memories. We will most likely return here throughout our military career, and I want it to always feel like a home.

Sidenote: Can you believe Will is now flying those things? He has a solo flight on Tuesday, and yours truly is freaking out. I know he's amazing and all, but two weeks of flying doesn't seem like enough to take over the whole thing! Please pray for us.

Fort Rucker is the "Home of Army Aviation", which basically means that it is our home away from home. Aaaand the Southern food doesn't hurt either. Just remind me of this when I get the itch to move again. I hate PCS'ing, but I always love a new adventure.

Have you guys lived in the same place your whole life or have you moved around?