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!

Baby Shower #2!

When you are pregnant it seems like everyone's knocked up. Seriously, Friends near and far, including my friend Amanda from the Spouse Club. Because we are both 'with child', some of the club ladies wanted to have a little dual shower for us, and it was Ahhh-mazing. Plus way less pressure with two four of us sharing the lime light.

{Thank goodness Amanda is having a boy because it made it so easy for them to nix the pink!}

They held it in one of our gorgeous Community Centers on Post, which was a treat since we don't get the privilege while living off post, On top of that, the best party planners of the group decorated and whipped up some bomb.com food and desserts. I may have taken home two strawberry cakes, four chocolate cupcakes with homemade cream cheese frosting, and a rather large piece of Pistachio cake...but who's counting? I promise I haven't even finished two cupcakes yet, so I am rationing.

I still can't believe we have made such amazing friends here at Fort Rucker, and all of these folks genuinely care about our family and our baby girl. I realized this Saturday that if we were stationed somewhere else right now it would be a completely different scenario, and I can't imagine having her anywhere but here. We don't have the option to live in our hometown and have all the family, but we truly have found a new family here, and I couldn't ask for more!
Thanks again to all the ladies from both showers!

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?

Real Southern Charm

Warning: If you don't like the South, history, mansions, architecture, or beautiful decor...then this post isn't for you ;) It's not long, but it's full of Southern charm.

Our April luncheon was the BEST luncheon of the whole year! The Mayor of Ozark and his wife invited us to the historic Holman Mansion to get a real taste of Southern hospitality and history, and I still can't believe how awesome it was. I absolutely love learning about anything historical or architectural, so I was  complete dork soaking it all in all day.

Long story short, that big ol' house was built for $75,000 for entrepreneur J.D. Holman back in 1912 and it has become a part of Alabama's history and is now being restored by the city of Ozark. I wish they had restored the A.C. before our luncheon on a 90 degree day, but even then it was still worth it. We had a wonderful lunch, heard the history from J.D. Holman's granddaughter, and had free range of the house and grounds. I dare say we were transported to a different, much simpler time and I will never forget it.

Even better, we were able to tour the Dowling-Steagall House across the street as well, and you wouldn't believe every detail of that place. It was actually used as a hospital before Ozark built a hospital in 1951, and it was owned by Congressman Henry Steagall who is known for working to establish the FDIC. Not only that, but he acquired the land where originally titled Camp Rucker is today. Camp Rucker grew into Fort Rucker, so I guess you could say I wouldn't have the chance to enjoy wonderful Alabama without the Congressman.

Now if only I could figure out how to throw a pool party here...The thought of floating in water in my condition has never seemed so pleasing. We are hoping to go to the river this weekend, but I know the water hasn't warmed up enough to go for a real swim. C'mon summer!

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!

Just Call Me Fairy Godmother

Man, we need multiple homes for rent, because I wish that we could give all of our applicants homes. They were so polite, had glowing references, and all seem to be wonderful people that made it hard to say no to. On the flip side...I loved getting to pick the cream of the crop for our first tenants. One less thing I have to worry about during this pregnancy!

Obviously that went well, as did the rest of the events this week. Yes, everything was on a tight schedule, but it all came together nicely with our Fairy Godmother Prom Dress Giveaway kicking off Saturday. Most of the dresses were worn on the local pageant circuit so you can imagine the quality and pizazz. If only they had this when I was in high school.

In case the video doesn't show up, you can see it here!

To further prove how important this community is to us at Fort Rucker, we held the annual Sweetheart bingo on Tuesday. We treated four hundred of the local senior citizens to Bingo, breakfast, and eighty prizes including a snazzy TV. I told the winner that the only stipulation was that she had to carry it out herself, but she didn't believe me for some reason ;) It was so amazing to see the smiles on their faces and have them tell us that while they usually feel forgotten, we gave them a day they will never forget.

You see that table full of prizes up there? We hit up the Wiregrass area and got ALL of them donated! Can you imagine living in a place so wonderful that only a handful of businesses tell you no when you solicit free stuff? I still can't believe 70+ prizes were that easy to get, and bless this wonderful sweet town and everyone in it.

In addition to all the wonderfulness, we held a contest to see who had been married the longest, and the spring chickens below have been married for SEVENTY-TWO years. I'm sure you are thinking they got married as babies, but he also won oldest man at the ripe old age of seventy-four, so they are just that lucky. When asked what kept them going for seventy-two years, she said love and communication...he said always saying yes m'am.
I think we know who was probably right.

Now it's time to relax, and by relax I mean clean the house, paint baby furniture, grocery shop, and basically catch up on life. We have a week until we go to Pensacola for the McGuire's 5K, less than one month until our first baby shower, three months left of work, and {hopefully} at least four months until CQB makes her appearance. Dear Mr. Time...please slow down.

Patting Myself On The Back

I was blown away when I got Volunteer of the month for FRCSC back in August, but now I'm just speechless after getting a POST WIDE award from the Commander! You can read about it in the Army Flier {C1-3}, but basically I was recognized along with some other AMAZING co-volunteers for our service as part of the Volunteer Corp. I didn't even know what a Spouse Club was when we moved here, and now I'm happy to be an integral part...to be needed.

The best part was they tried to surprise me and told Will about it two weeks early to make sure he was there to support me. I know it doesn't compare to the absolutely incredible things he has done in his career, but he knows that I volunteer on post to represent him, learn more about the Army, and make him proud. I'd like to think that makes us a good team.

I probably won't be able to do as much come baby time, but I hope to always be involved. Other spouses tell me that they don't know enough about the military to get involved on post, but how else do you think you learn? On the job training is the best kind, and although I may not have gotten paid for volunteering, I definitely got invaluable information, experience, and lasting friendships in return. That and a sweet VOQ parking pass coupled with bragging rights ;)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

As If I Could Be Anymore Proud...

Well, I'm glad that y'all are just as excited about this new adventure as I am. Technically, I just got promoted from SAHW to SAHM, so I'm gonna get a pay raise, right Will?

But seriously...this has been the craziest two weeks of my life. Find out we are pregnant, close on a house, blindsided with the news that we were 19 weeks pregnant, AND we had Will's Selection Ceremony. Most of you know that he is in Flight School for the Army, and up until now he has been learning to fly helicopters in general. This week, they released the class rankings and the students had the honor of choosing what they were going to fly in order of said ranking. Not to brag or anything, buuuuut...he got second out of the WHOLE class after a year of cumulative training to get his first choice aircraft!!

We are now a Blackhawk family, and we couldn't be more ecstatic. Everything has fallen into place like I couldn't believe, and now the real fun begins. PS...I totally got my truck stuck in the mud to take that picture. Do what you gotta do.

Now I just need a min or a month to process all of this. Kthxbye.

Bazaar Fun

A few months ago, I didn't even know what a Hollyday Bazaar was. I also didn't know how to publicize an event on such a grand scale, but I guess you learn something new everyday. I'm still in awe that we spent a few months with our nose to the grindstone, and transformed a plain ol' Army hanger into a bazaar wonderland.

The morning of, I was blown away at the line of HUNDREDS clamoring to get in. We were offering free 'swag bags' full of goodies to the first 350, and we ran out in FIFTEEN minutes. We were up against four other big local events, and if I had any doubt about how our turnout would be, my mind was eased that morning.

I mostly ran around as a floater/photographer, but our FRG {Family Readiness Group} had a taco stand fundraiser, so I wrangled up some friends and we volunteered for that too. Even Will came to help, which definitely made my day.

But Will wasn't the only one that had me smitten. I have been volunteering with a lot of 'important' spouses that I'm already pretty stoked about rubbing elbows with, but when the Command Team spouses know you by name...it's pretty unreal. I liken it to being a fangirl to celebrities in the civilian world. To me, these people are celebrities as cheesy as that sounds.

Wanna know the best part? We raised $23,000, yes THOUSAND, dollars this year! I still can't believe that a small force of volunteers can pull something like this off, but I guess our small force is a force to be reckoned with, and I'm just honored to be a part of it. That's why this is the hardest I've ever worked for free, and possibly harder than even when I was getting paid. Meaningful trumps a paycheck these days, I guess.

Now, I'm just ready to take a break and enjoy the holidays. Time is flying by, and I'm not ready for what comes next. The next move could come with a lot of factors to consider, so I'll just be living in the moment for now. Happy December 1st!!

I Got Volunteer Of The Month!

I'm happy to report things are looking up since my last venting sesh. I got some much needed family time, a girls night out, and I found out I am the Volunteer of the month for the FRCSC!

That is nuts to me because I just started this volunteer thing. I didn't even know there was a volunteer of the month when I started painting those owls, and now I've gotten this awesome recognition. To some it may not seem like a big deal, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up a little. I've been working my butt off lately, and it's really nice to know that it's not going unnoticed. As a matter of fact, I mentioned to Will that he gets all these special homecomings, and I get nada when I come home. He needs to recognize I'm VOM now ;)

Girl time is also getting me through these days. I haven't really had many 'girly nights out' since I've been married unless Will was deployed or in training, but the paint party we just went to at All About Art was a big stress reliever. Wine, painting, and girl talk? A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

It was awesome that our group took up half the room, but I don't think our teacher liked that very much. In the words of Carrie, don't tell us to bring wine and then get mad when we end up drunk tipsy. Let's be real...all that matters is that we can maintain a paintbrush.

Whatevs...our paintings turned out great, and even though I didn't really want to paint a peacock they were really cute, I made that ish my own, and my teal color scheme totally worked. I don't want to make a habit of losing time with Will, but there will definitely be another painting party in our future. Hhhmmm...maybe I should just make them all come to my house and have them help me paint/stain my benches, coffee table, and sofa console. I won't even charge them the $30 bucks! What about y'all? Any takers?