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.

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.

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!

Holiday Bucket List

+ Put up a REAL tree. We don't need it to be all Rockefeller Center up in here, but we've never had a real, honest to goodness tree. 

+ Decorate the exterior with lights, which would be another first for us. It may happen this weekend, but it's pretty frigid these days. I'll just have to ply Will with lots of spirits.

+ Make it through our Annual FRCSC Hollyday Bazaar. I mean, it's going to be Ah-Mazing, but considering I'm in charge of publicity, I'll be happy when it's over and I know I didn't fail. Hope, hope I didn't fail. I'm doing the best I can, but a month is not enough time to promote one of the biggest Bazaars in this area.

+ Visit the local Holiday Spectacular Park.

+ Christmas movies until my eyeballs fall out. My faves:
Miracle On 34th Street
Love Actually
One Magic Christmas
The family Stone
It's a Wonderful Life
...And every other sappy, lovey dovey, holiday movie there is.

Most Importantly...We want to soak in every joyous moment with friends and family. Our time here is going to be over before we know it, and we most definitely won't be here for the holidays next year, so it's time to party like it's our last holiday season ever.

My Veteran

It's 10:15pm, and I'm just starting this blog post. I swear I really was planning on starting it this morning, but I woke up sick. Then I was going to work on it this afternoon, and the dog distracted me because he's having heart problems {super sad face}. Finally, I planned on starting when Will went to sleep, but he fell asleep on me. Not that that's unusual, it's just that he usually rolls off after fifteen- twenty minutes. An hour and a half later...

I can't even tell you how many pictures I have of him like this. Several appear throughout my Instagram already, and I'm sure there are more to come. We've spent so many nights apart in the last almost seven years, that I still appreciate every moment of snuggles, and I hope it never gets old.

I've been a little sick off and on this week, and he's made me meals in bed, doted on me, and helped around the house. We have our 'moments' just like any other couple, but I can't be anything but thankful for my Prince Charming. If I wasn't already, I'd totally marry him again.

Well, now that this has gone completely off tangent, I will go ahead and wish a Happy Veteran's Day to all the Vets out there. You are all pretty great, but he's my fave.

Hope you all have a Happy Veteran's Day, and eat lots of yummy food. We've mapped out our meals based on the specials in the area, and I'm feeling pretty confident that our guys are going to be FAT and happy afterwards. It seems like an odd way to celebrate, but hey...I'm not here to argue when it comes to free food. Speaking of, remember that your food may be free, but the service isn't. Don't forget to tip and for gosh sakes don't be a cheap @ss. Secondly, for all the military spouses- DON'T get all offended when establishments don't give you free food. YOU weren't the one living in a dessert, eating MRE's, crawling with bugs, and in danger. I'm not saying it wasn't hard, but this is NOT your day. Mmmmmkay?

I don't care what those viral posts say, thank a Veteran!
PS. If you are a Blog Designer or interested in sending Care Packages to soldiers, I have TWO female Veterans that you can support. Please let me know if you are interested, and I will be happy to work with you!

My Three Favorite Pizza Tricks

Well, Top'O The Mornin' To Ya.

I think that it is a crime for St. Patty's Day to fall on a Monday, but I'm sure we all made up for that ahead of time. Not only did we have that McGuire's 5K; I went to a festive luncheon, and it was my very first Military Spouse event, as a matter of fact. One might say I'm a slacker of a military spouse for waiting four years to do this, but if you new what I had to work with at our last unit, you would understand.

Anywhosit, I was just as nervous as one might assume an introvert walking into a room full of powerful women would be, so I started planning my outfit out a week in advance. Although, the only thing I knew I wanted to wear were these egg shell tights. Don't ask me why I wanted to wear them, just tell me they're pretty. Please.

Now, I'm happy to report that they welcomed me with open arms, and I had a blast. There were Commanders wives, Mayors wives {from the surrounding towns}, veteran Flight wives, and new to Flight wives like myself, and everyone chatted it up like we were all equals. Yes, technically wives don't wear rank like their soldiers, but I know I sure as heck wouldn't approach a Commander's wife out of turn.

I can't wait to go again for just the food, but the Bingo and door prizes were pretty fun too. Speaking of food, we made pizza this weekend, and I thought I'd share my favorite tips for at home pizza. Whether you make your own crust/sauce or buy it, these tips are sure fire.

1 | ALWAYS buy fresh pepperoni from the deli. It will have so much more flavor, and you can use it for the pizza or to jazz up your sandwich.

2 | Whether you make or buy sauce, include: Smoked Paprika, Garlic Powder, and Powdered Ranch. Adding these will always ensure the best flavors. Sugar isn't a bad idea either. I personally love sweet and spicy red sauces, so sugar and cocoa powder are staples.

3 | Broil the cheese for the last minute or two. If you take a look at the Papa John's we got recently, you will see the bronzed spots on the cheese. Those little spots change the entire flavor of the pizza, and look pretty fancy too. I actually did it by accident one time, but now I do it religiously. Just try it and thank me later.

I know you came for the yumminess, but a few healthy tips too:

4 | NEVER use White Wheat. You are already eating gobs of cheese, so make sure you start it off with a healthy wheat. Even if you don't make it from scratch, you can find pre-made whole wheat crusts these days or make the Cauliflower crust you see floating around Pinterest. It's actually good.

5 | Whether you load your pizza up with veggies {onion, bell peppers, artichokes, spinach, olives, basil, etc} or have a salad, always supplement so that you don't have to gorge yourself on pizza. Just make sure it's a yummy salad, or you will say screw it and have another slice. Pizza is good for the soul, so enjoy {in moderation}.

Today, I will be making Corned Beef and Cabbage in celebration since getting drunk until 4AM isn't an option. We actually love cabbage, so any excuse to eat it is good for us. Whether y'all party it up tonight or enjoy it low key, Happy St. Patty's day to you all!

He {Almost} Tricked Me For Valentine's Day

Now that I don't feel like I'm dying anymore, let's recap a perfect Valentine's Day that I didn't think was going to happen. I didn't tell y'all because the internet wasn't hooked up yet, but last Wednesday was the anniversary of the day we began dating and our proposal. We usually do dinner, cards, and such, but this year the 'rents were in town and we had a million things going on. I got him a card, and he got me a big fat nothing because he didn't remember. I didn't make a big deal about it, but I definitely let him know that I was disappointed.

Cue to Valentine's morning, and I woke up half expecting a card, flowers, or some other indication that he didn't forget. Instead, he comes in, mumbles happy Valentine's Day, and asks if I want to do anything tonight. Ummmmwhaaaaa? I was instantaneously PISSED. He forgot Wednesday, put ZERO effort into VDay, and expected ME to come up with some type of plan as an afterthought? I think not. I sat there boiling and unwilling to say anything, but as I usually do when I'm mad, I typed it up in an email and sent it to him. This may seem strange, but I can be more clear, honest, and not so mean if I communicate via written word in moments of anger. You could say it's our 'love language'.

Guess who was trying to trick me and had everything all planned out? Guess who also learned that it's not a good idea to pretend like absolutely nothing was planned? That's right, sir William. He apologized for lending me to believe that he had forgotten, and {for once} he didn't give the surprises away, just told me to be patient. {For once} I was patient, and simply enjoyed the rest of the day. It wasn't extravagant, but it couldn't have been ANY more perfect. I guess you could say that the crisis was averted!

In other news, we hopped in the truck, and this post is coming to you live from Pensacola, Florida. Spending the weekend at home was definitely the icing on the cake, and we still have two days here. Cheers to the simple life, sweet tea, home-cooked meals, and front porch sittin'. The next two years are going to R-O-C-K.

How was your Valentine's Day?

Questions I Asked Myself Before 2014

I didn't even think I was going to make it to Midnight, but with sleepy eyes, I rolled over to Will {yes, we were in bed already}, and kissed him for the last time of 2013 and the first time of 2014. Last night, we had a quick dinner, watched This Is 40, and 'snuggled'...While others drank and carried on, we couldn't think of a more important place to be than home with each other. I guess it's a testament to where we are in life, and that makes me happy.

Obviously we didn't take any photos, but here is a gem from 2012/13 New Year's that has never been seen. This was right before the Deployment, so I was hanging on extra tight.

I never do 'Resolutions', but I saw that Whitney and Kenzie had some great Q&A's on their blogs, and I wanted to play. They have 25 thought provoking questions, but I narrowed mine to thirteen questions that round out 2013!

1  | What am I most proud of this year? Making it through the hardest work environment I have ever endured! Will has to 'embrace the suck', so I figured I should too.

2  | How can I become a better _____? Domestic. I keep my house 'clean', but I want to be like my mom who works and still does almost ALL the cleaning by herself, and by choice I might add. I want Will to focus on school and training the next two years, so I need to step up my game!

3  | Where am I feeling stuck? In my search for a career. I'm just not one of those people that wants to be a Doctor/Lawyer/Teacher, and I don't see myself sitting behind a desk or doing something mundane. I don't want to settle, but I'm getting to the point where I need to figure it out. I would go back to school, but no clue what the heck for. I need something that is challenging, fun, gives me flexibility so that I can be there for my soldier, and I have to be able to move every three years...Any ideas?

4  | Where do I need to allow myself grace? I hold myself to a higher standard than others could ever hold me, and a level that I would never hold anyone else. I need to just let go.

5  | What lessons have I learned? Don't let one person out of the seven billion in the world bring you down, and ask your spouse before you cause any trouble. They get a vote.

6  | What did my finances look like? Fan-flippin-tastic. We have been budgeting and saving for five years, and we are really seeing the fruits of our labor. My cousin owns a tax company, and while she was just going over our taxes, even she was impressed with our retirement savings and everything we are doing. I refuse to stress about money, so we control our money instead of it controlling us.

7  | How have I taken care of my body this year? Not only have I stuck to a fitness routine all year, I have made sure that I am learning how to do it right. Yes, I have moments when I want to target a "problem area", but I remind myself that in the long run, that will get you nowhere and it's not healthy. I hope 2014 brings even more knowledge, strength, and health.

8  | How have I procrastinated? Um...when have I not procrastinated...but seriously, I think I am getting better at this. Slowly.

9  | In what ways can I re-structure my time? Blog more from my phone, try to spend less time on Pinterest, and become an SAHW some time in the next six months ;)

10 | How have I allowed the fear of failure to hold me back? The two things I enjoy the most are singing and writing, and both scare me to death. It's like if I keep those two dreams to myself they can't ever be taken away from me. Just like anyone else...I'm not good with rejection.

11 | When have I felt the most alive? During all the fun shenanigans that Will and I have had this year. Anything I do with him, makes me a happy girl.

12 | Do you have a list of goals for the next year? I'd like to find more freelance writing jobs, possibly get certified to student teach, take on more domestic duties when I finish at Hooters, volunteer at Fort Rucker, and keep getting my fit on.

13 | What are you most looking forward to in 2014? Italy! One of our best friends is stationed there, so we are planning a visit next Christmas! It's a long way off, and we don't know what the next year holds, but I'm crossing my fingers that it works out!

In closing, 2013 probably rank as one of the best years of my life, because any year following a deployment HAS to kick ass. Here's a Flipogram for reference...

"But if you close your eyes, does it almost feel like

Nothing changed at all?"

So long, 2013!

I Got Drano For Christmas

This Christmas, I expected a quiet morning at home, a few fun gifts, snuggle time with my love, and a little sadness that we weren't home with family. Of course we missed the fam, but to be honest, it was one of the best Christmases to date!

First there were a gaggle of gifts, and here are the funny ones...

Gulf Oil Can Mug...My parents picked this up for Will because his family owned Gulf Gas Stations back in the day. I love that my parents are so thoughtful!

Brad Thor Alpha Jacket...Oh let me tell you about the jacket. Two months ago, Will sent me a link to the Scottevest, which is the end-all-be-all jacket. I went ahead and ordered it as a Christmas present because I'm a brilliant wife, and then the knucklehead tried to buy it himself. Instead of telling him that I ordered it, I caused a huge fight and didn't even feel bad about it. To further throw suspicion, I even told his best friend that I was sending it to his house, when I really had it sent to my work. Buck is terrible at keeping secrets, so I had no choice. As a matter of fact, I tricked them so good that they thought it hadn't been delivered. The hassle was ALL worth it to see his face and know that I GOT'EM!

Then there was the Drano... Remember when our pipe was frozen? Our Realtor assumed it was clogged, which I knew was not the case, so I said not to waste the Drano. The boys made fun of me for worrying about "wasting the drano", so this is what I opened. I KNEW there was something else to it, because Buck bragged about how good his present was, and low and behold there was $100 taped to the bottom. Sneaky Boys!

All I can think is the Modern Family scene where Sophia Vergara tricks Al Bundy for Valentines Day, and shouts, "I win, I win!" However, I think we can tell who was the happiest on Christmas...

Soon after, the meal planning began, and we realized that we had way too much food for the two of us. We knew a few people that didn't have anywhere to spend Christmas so an impromptu dinner was thrown together. Let me tell you, this is the BEST way to do it, because there was no stress- we just picked up the house, and started cooking.

It's funny, we didn't make a single plan other than opening presents or cooking dinner, and yet, it felt good to feed a few refugees, watch Christmas movies during our food comas, and we even ended up going out for a few beers and a lotta laughs. That's what it's all about, right? Food, friends, and beer fun.

One last thing, you may want to do the following, next year. 

I just made a weekly countdown with homemade tags, and corresponding bottles of alcohol, and it was a hit! I got the idea from the popular new Advent calendars made with wine bottles or shots, and streamlined it. We don't need a ton of booze before we move, so this was a perfect surprise for Will. Especially since the last two bottles are VERY hard to find, which made them extra meaningful.

Needless to say, I don't have a single complaint. Not even for the fact that I got Drano for Christmas. Anyone got a clog? I got'chu ;)

Weiser- "Have a Woof Woof Christmas!"

I hope you are all having the merriest of Christmas's, and enjoying family time! We may be a small family of three, but we are enjoying our Christmas just the same. I have my two boys, Santa already came, Christmas movies all day, homemade breakfast, and we are cooking like we have an army coming for Christmas dinner. Since we are busy cooking, here is a message from the fur child. If you haven't met, this is Weiser!

Hi guys!

I was mad at mom because she hasn't had me on the blog for awhile and dad's better at wrestling, but then she brought home my Christmas presents and stocking stuffers...For future reference, I CAN be bought.

The other reasons I love mom:

Her lap is really comfy, she takes me for lots of walks, and she makes me look like a dog-model in pictures. She most definitely knows my best side.

This Christmas, I am thankful for my three fluffy pillows, the dirt I play in, the warm light I chase around the house, the T-bones I get if I don't beg, and that mom is happy because dad isn't deployed this year. If mom's happy we are all happy ;)

Now I gotta go...it's PRESENT TIME!

Merry Christmas!!

Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Or so one might have thought...

We've had single digit and negative weather for almost a week.
Yes, Colorado does get cold, but not for this long. Among other problems, a big one is having your pipes freezing over, and this time it HAD to be the pipe that went to my nice-hot-relaxing-shower. I was more disappointed than anything, but Will started acting like a butt thinking that I was upset, and then it was my turn to act like a butt, because I knew he was upset. After a few rides of that not-so-merry go'round, we just accepted that neither one of us were mad and the situation just sucked.

The next day, I was still feeling off, so I thought it would be nice if we got a room at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort. You know when you think an idea is the best in the world, and the other person takes a minute to catch on? It totally steals your thunder, which made me rethink the gesture and pushed me even farther into my "mood". Thankfully, Will talked me out of cancelling the reservation, so I just tried to make it through until then. We won't talk about how we drove all the way to the gym on post because I was jonesin' for a shower, only to realize that I didn't bring anything to shower with...Did I mention that Aunt Flow was visitng? I think we are all understanding that this day was NOT going well.

This is where "Perception Is Everything" comes in...

“Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

I accepted that we weren't going to have a shower until Monday, but we could go stay at a luxurious hotel, and I'm ALWAYS up for a romantic evening.
It was time to get the party started.

After one of the best showers of my life, I prettied myself up {including my attitude}, and off to dinner we went! There is this great little fondue place in town called Mona Lisa that I've been dying to try, so that was the plan. I also need to mention that I was wearing a silk scarf that Will brought me back from Afghanistan. He likes when I wear things that he got me, so it seemed appropriate for him putting up with me. Not to mention, it's gorgeous-nous and the meaning brightened my spirits. Funny how a piece of cloth can do that.

The atmosphere didn't hurt either...

We couldn't have chosen a better place to unwind. We tend to rush through dinner, so it was the PERFECT scenario to make us take our time, savor, and enjoy each other's company. Most dinners take us half an hour, but this one lasted almost two. We may have ended up stuffing ourselves, aaaand... it was totally worth it.

By the time we got back to the hotel, all was right in our world. 

Well, the pipe was still frozen, but in the grand scheme of things, stuff like that really shouldn't matter. Life isn't perfect, but how boring that would be.

Now, I am listening to the plumbers cut through the garage wall to our pipe, and it is music to my ears. They almost left after confirming that it was in fact frozen, but I guilted them into staying when I mentioned that we stayed in a hotel to get a shower. I'm sure it's just a little hole...and technically we didn't tell them to do it...we just didn't argue either.

Anywho, wish us luck, and remember, you must CHOOSE to be happy.

A Perfect Thanksgiving

Last year, I spent Thanksgiving alone eating Cheez-Its, and Will spent it in Afghanistan. Obviously, you can put that in the "worst" Thanksgiving category.

This year? We made up for lost time. We didn't travel, we didn't go out for a fancy dinner, and we didn't celebrate with the masses. Instead, we spent the whole day together, gathered wood to get us through until we move, had a movie marathon, and filled our kitchen with more yummy food than we knew what to do with.

*Side note: Mix Apple Cider with your red wine for the holidays. Hello.

Would we have loved to spend the day with our families? Yes, but we have our own {albeit little} family now, and it is more than enough. It's funny how this man who used to be a stranger, is now the most precious member of my family, and after five years... that still has me in awe. The simple fact that I get to share Thanksgiving with him, is all that this girl truly needs to make it perfect. I hope you all had a great and meaningful Day of Thanks. We need to be thankful everyday, of course, but I'm happy that we have a reminder every year, and that we get to kick off the holiday season with thanks and blessings. 

Now, you are probably getting your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping on, while I will be slangin' wangs. I asked off for the long weekend, but duty calls and I can't say no. At least I'll be making money instead of spending it. I say bring on the holiday tips, and I wish you amazing deals without any physical altercations. 

~UPDATE~

If you want a chance to WIN stuff from the safety of your own home, then you should go visit Chantal @ Scattered Seashells. You will find yours truly helping to give away some swag, so get'on'it.