Okay, So Maybe I Splurged A LITTLE...

Before I was pregnant, if I knew I had to wear a bikini all weekend, there is NO way I would be eating sodium, processed foods, anything not home cooked, or heaven forbid anything fried. Now, the only reason I don't eat those things is for Charlie, which means as long as I have it in moderation I can indulge without worry because it has NO effect on this bikini line.

Here's what I 'indulged on' this weekend:

Watermelon Cake, Blackened Fish Sandwich, Hush Puppies, BBQ Pork Nachos, Gelato, and then the in laws came in town and whipped us up a pancake breakfast to top it all off. Have you ever had watermelon flavored cake? Let me tell you, I wasn't all about it when I saw chocolate chips on top, but you can't judge a book by it's cover. Watermelon and chocolate now go HAND IN HAND in my mind, and I want more in my life asap. Luckily, my friend Karie is our resident baker, so I will be requesting it. I think Will is getting tired of hearing about it, but too bad, so sad. Watermelon, watermelon, WATERMELON CAKE!

We had actually cancelled plans this weekend trying to take it easy, but once again we reminded ourselves that we must seize the day, er...weekend. We all hopped in the truck and down to Destin we went. We ignored weather and Riptide warnings to soak up our last time at the beach before my doctor said I can't travel. I actually thought it was a terrible idea for Memorial Day Weekend what with traffic and whatnot, but boy was I wrong. It was pure perfection and just what we all needed. Bye bye beach...I'll miss you for awhile!

Hope you all had a great Memorial Day! Remember- all gave some, and some gave all.

I'm Celebrating ME This Weekend

Oh boy that sounds selfish, but it's not my fault that Military Spouse Appreciation Day AND Mother's Day fall on the same weekend. Normally I get all awkward celebrating my birthday, but I don't mind when it comes to holidays that you share the celebration along with others. I do feel a little weird celebrating Mother's Day since Charlie hasn't made her official appearance, but everyone keeps wishing me "Happy First Mother's Day", so it must be okay. And let me tell you, I have a new appreciation for all you mom's out there. My brother just had his birthday, and I thought to myself...your birthday should be mom's day of celebration. All you did was come out of the womb. She's the one that did all the work!

How will we be celebrating, you ask? We are headed to Panama City Beach for Maternity photos, some beach time, and some romance... bowchickawowow. I'm also hoping for yummy food and perhaps a virgin Miami Vice, but I assume those won't be hard to find. We still haven't found a hotel yet, but it's just the two of us, so we can wing it. I just love getting to hang with my best friend scratch that, my two best friends ;)

1. Tell us about yourself and your blog. Well...most of you know me already, but for any newbs- I'm a college grad, Hooters alumni, SAHW with a Security Clearance, who will soon be promoted to SAHM. Seriously, I do have a Security Clearance.

2. What branch of military are you affiliated with? U.S. Army

3. What is one thing you enjoy about the military lifestyle? Moving to new places and the incredible community that you find among military folk.

4. What advice would you give new spouses? GET INVOLVED. You will never grasp the capacity this life has unless you explore it from the inside out.

This month actually marks five years of our time with the Army, and the above picture was taken at his Basic Training graduation. He hates the picture because his uniform was the wrong size, he had the crappy issued boots, and he was probably mentally checked out, but it was our first picture with him in uniform and I will always cherish it. So much has changed since that picture was taken, and it's been better than any adventure I could imagine.

To all my MilSpouses, Happy Spouse Day, and to all my mother's, Happy Mothers Day. I'd also like to extend the greetings to the girlfriends and fiances that don't always get recognition, and if you are working to get pregnant, adopt, foster, or have angel babies...y'all deserve this weekend just as much as anyone. Let's all celebrate!

When Valentine's Meets Mardi Gras

I was a happy pregger after Will setup a firepit, cooked cedar plank salmon and wings, and roasted me s'mores, so when he told me Valentine's was going to continue into Fat Tuesday I was over the moon about it. Being as my mom is from Louisiana,  Mardi Gras holds a big place in my heart and I love that we are in the South to celebrate it. People celebrated in Colorado while we were there, but it just ain't the same, y'all ;)

Since we had our appointment on Tuesday, he planned for us to stay on the Bay in Fairhope Monday night. We stayed at Emma's Bay House, which I can't say enough good things about and even got to attend the annual Fairhope parade in their quaint little downtown area. We walked the bay, explored the B&B, we he had drinks at McSharry's Pub, dined on Italian at Pinzone's, and Will caught me Moon Pies at the parade! Let's be honest...that's all I wanted, so everything else was a super duper bonus.

As you know, the appointment went well, so then it was time to get our Fat Tuesday celebration on! He even chose the Berney Fly on Government St. as our second B&B because it was close enough for us to walk to the parade route. It's so adorable that he thinks of everything ;) Technically, we didn't actually witness the parade after realizing the unruly crowd was a bit much for me in this condition, but we did have a bangin' dinner on Dauphin Street and I got a WHOLE King Cake to mySELF. Okay, okay, I took most of it home, but it was aaaall mine! I also found the baby in the first bite, so I take it as good luck.

Will definitely over did it on planning all this and I definitely gave a few side eyes at him, but I was so thankful that he wanted us to have such a special trip 'before baby'. It was THE perfect way to take the pressure off from the impending appointment, celebrate the crazyiness life has thrown at us, and truly enjoy each other's company while making memories of two before we are three. No matter what, he's my everything, and CQB is a glorious extension of that.

For everyone that said "Ew" when we said we were moving to Alabama...eat your hearts out ;) You just don't know what you are missing out on here.

Our Funny Valentine

I love celebrating love as most of you know, and that's why we've been celebrating our dating anniversary since year one. Eventually the celebration was upgraded to include our engagement anniversary and it just so happens to be two days before Valentine's Day, so really...it's just one big ball of love. Now to top it all off, we've added baby news to the mix, so we might as well lump that in, because why not. I had actually mentioned that maybe we shouldn't put too much effort in this year with everything going on until Will pointed out that it's our first Valentine's with Baby Bogert, and thus we should be celebrating. Can't argue that!

So the surprise I mentioned Wednesday? I've started to POP! I had my backdrop all ready, so it was about dang time. It's funny, I actually bought that crib spring before I knew I was preggers, and it turned out perfect for bump pics. And speaking of the bump, I have started a little side blog to do bump dates and a place where I can document a lot of the baby 'stuff'. I won't be ignoring the fact that I'm pregnant on here, but I know that not everyone wants to read every detail of le baby. For those that are interested check out the Halfway Bump Date today.

But let's get back to le hubby. I've really been falling in love with him all over again these last few weeks, and I'm so happy to celebrate that this weekend. It's true when they say your heart grows to hold more love instead of the baby taking it away from them. The trick, though, is making sure we show each other that we are still a priority. I don't actually know what he has planned, but he says he has it covered. I'm pretty sure that as long as I'm snuggled up with my two loves, I'll be a happy girl. And chocolate...chocolate is welcome too ;)

And because this has been on my mind this week...

I've never actually watched the 1970's show That Girl, but the other morning I was up at the crack of dawn and it was the best option. It was a cute episode about an engaged couple going to marriage counseling after their first fight. The part that got me was that her father stepped in and told her you shouldn't hire someone to build you a cabinet, when you can take pride in doing it yourself. It struck me because I do think that one of the biggest problems in a relationship is the 'disposable' factor these days. Everything is disposable, replaceable, upgradable, and that is extremely dangerous when it comes to love. We put forth effort into careers, social media, blogging, DIY, and yet most won't use that same energy in their relationship, which is something we all need to keep in mind.

You can get a new pair of pants in your relationship ladies, but the same skirt is still going to be there. Work on yourselves, build your relationship together, and don't outsource your love.

PS. Link up your Valentine's post with Sweet Helene and Sarah!

Our Christmas Angel

When I started this post, I planned on just recapping some of our Pensacola Christmas, but once I had the pictures uploaded I realized there seemed to be one star in all the photos. Not surprisingly, my favorite little princess {my niece for anyone new around here} stole the show, and as usual, stole my blog for the day. It's not her fault she's so darn cute.

The whole trip home was spent with all of our wonderful family, but Christmas evening we started a new tradition. Now that my brother has started his own family, they wanted to host dinner and considering how good he and his wife can cook- NO one was complaining! They made a FIFTEEN pound Ribeye cooked to perfection and Paula's Red Velvet Cake was out of this world. I would kill for more of that cake...

Maddie doesn't really get the whole unwrapping process yet, but somehow having a kid around makes Christmas that much more special. I already love every single thing about Christmas, and we truly embrace the years that we aren't stationed thousands of miles away. Next year we could be as far as Korea, so every memory is absolutely priceless. We are blessed to have such wonderful families, and we hope to never undervalue how precious the time together is.

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!

My Pet Goats

It was wishful thinking when I mentioned we were going to the beach for Thanksgiving. Yes, we were technically in a beach community, but it was Novemburr and cold which kept us hanging with the livestock on the in-laws farm. I use that term loosely because it's mostly goats, chickens, turkeys, and some exotic birds, however we were tromping around the mud and hay in our wellies, which totally counts as farm life to me.

What I didn't know was all their goats were preggers, and two were born Thanksgiving morning! Baby anything is cute, but baby goats are a whole 'notha level. I was NOT joking when I said if they stayed these little, I'd want one. Matter of fact, I think I want to keep goats when we eventually settle down. Maybe I'll start making Goat Milk products or something.

Other than that, we went to the Orlando Auto Show, , took Momma for her first Sweet Tomatoes experience, dined on Venison, and sang by the bonfire. Actually, the dude singing was from season two of The Voice, but I didn't catch his name or picture. #bloggerfail.

On the way home, we stopped at one of my favorite places in the whole wide world! We passed through St. Augustine, so I begged Will to take me to The Conch House. They are off the beaten path, have amazing food, and you just can't beat the view. You can sit in private elevated gazebos, and it's like eating in a tree house. so fun!

All in all, it was an amazing Thanksgiving, and made me realize how much I have to be thankful for. It sounds cheesy, but it's true...every day is a blessing. Even the bad ones make the good seem that much richer. I don't want to hear that on a bad day, but it doesn't make it less true. Seasons Greetings!

Happy Turkey Day!

I know we are all thinking turkey, but really, let's take time this weekend to be thankful. Not for the settlers stealing the land from the Indians, but for the fact that if you are reading this...we make up 8% of the world. Let this soak in:

via

I really am thankful for a lot of things {Mapquest, coffee, my hunky hubby, family, friends that become family, all of YOU} but mostly because I will be spending Thanksgiving in paradise with the in-loves...Hello, white sandy beaches. I need you in my life.

But in all seriousness...I hope you all REALLY enjoy that turkey! I'll have mine in sandwich form smothered with stuffing and gravy laden potatoes, all followed by pumpkin pie. YUM.

Life's A Beach, And I'm On One

Much like Birthdays, I rarely spend fourth of July with my husband. Facebook allowed me to hop through my timeline today to find out that we have missed five of the seven Independence day celebrations, and this actually surprised me. I guess I never noticed, because it's not my birthday or my most favorite holiday, and I still get to celebrate. I do however, feel bad that he's missed so many Fourth festivities when he's the one that's still fighting for our freedom. I think we are going to have to make next years celebration one for the books to make up for it. For now, at least I can say that this year's was a success.

Thursday, we kicked off the festivities with my first official FRCSC event as the Secretary! Obviously I didn't set up the tables as you can see the boxes underneath, but no one at Freedom Fest cared, and they bought all of our memorabilia.

Some of the other wives came, so I got to enjoy the festival with them, and then we watched the biggest fireworks show I've ever seen. Fort Rucker does a great job on Freedom Fest as a whole, but apparently they had left over fireworks from last year. Double fireworks? Heck yes. Triple, if you count going to Joel's after for sparklers and roman candles.

Does anyone else think that fireworks are magic?

I don't think it really hit me that Will is gone until the morning of the fourth, though. I was alone, I had no plans, and I was wishing I had gone home for the holiday. I kept telling myself {out loud, mind you} that I should just text everyone to see what they were doing, but I thought that some would be doing family things, some were out of town, and I was just being a baby. I guess I wasn't the only one feeling alone, though, and the next thing I knew, we were having girls night with wine and some of the best pizza I had ever had. I could have ended the fun right then and there, but the weekend only got better.

The boys are away, so the girls {and Joel} will play! I was brave saying yes to go to the beach not knowing if I have solved my face issue {clue: I think I have}, but I am SO glad that I joined the fun. We relaxed, chatted away, met some fun bartenders, and even found my favorite bathing suits on sale at Ron Jon's. Funny story, I had told everyone how much of a lightweight I was, and then after about four sips of my margarita, I was slurring my words. Sure, our new friend Dennis made it extra strong, but c'mon...four sips? Needless to say, I was happy to only have one seeing as I was driving home six hours later.

Oh, but the food...We had planned on looking for something a little more authentic, but when you are starving with a slight buzz, Pompano Joe's will do. Actually, my Grouper Reuben was one of the best things I've ever eaten, and that wasn't just the buzz talking.

The other two hadn't been to Dick's Last Resort, so we popped in there and it didn't disappoint. For those of you that haven't heard of it, it's one of those places where they...well, act like dick's. I'll just let you read the hats. Our bartender started off mean, but it didn't take long for us to crack him. By the time we left, he was begging us to stay. We win.

To say that this was much needed fun, would be an understatement. No drama, Bahama Mama, good for the soul kind of day, and seems like a turn in the right direction for me. Now we just can't wait to take the gang back when they get home. If we had that much fun in one day, it's going to be epic next time. Countdown: 12 days!