Yours Truly Is A Writer, Kind Of

Yes, I know we all enjoy writing or we wouldn't blog, but not all of get published in a Chicken Soup book! Am I right, or am I right?

Okay, so I know it's not the biggest deal in the world, but I am pretty dang proud. The fact that I can say that I was paid to write is a dream come true! I have such a passion for the written word, but I rarely think I'm good enough to go any farther than this blog. To say I feel blessed is an understatement, but I'll have to go more into that soon.

I'm happy to report that we have made it through five days of not talking to Will, and this is how I've occupied myself:

1 | Ladies Night Out with the co-workers!
Hence the hangover on Monday.

2 | I recently took up crocheting, because I already don't have enough on my plate.
I'm making a baby scarf for my new neice!

3 | Another present from Will: Dri-Fit ARMY pullover.
You saw the matching shirt in the last video. I promise I won't wear them at the same time.

4 | A. Buck {Our favorite third wheel} took me for a Birthday massage at Massage Envy.
Didn't think I was sore, but my whole left side was a big knot from favoring my right side.

4 | B. And then he really spoiled me with Chik-Fil-A. 
We were just glad we thought to go on a day that it wasn't Sunday!

5 | I hate candy corn, but the M&M version is my FAVE Halloween candy.
If you have never tried them, you better scoop 'em up if you see 'em!

I can't even tell you how many people make fun of me for being a 90 year old woman in a 19 year old's body, and now the crochet thing is totally giving them more evidence. DILGAF? For now, I am simply enjoying this week with friends, and then next week I will be right back into hibernation mode until Pensacola. I still can't believe that I will be there in eleven short days, and I will get to spoil this little nugget.

Le sigh...my daddy is so good with kids. I can't wait to squeeze them both!!
Well, I'll catch you on the other side of twenty-eight, and can't wait to see everyone's costumes. Anyone doing a link up for a costume reveal? Could be fun ;)

If You Want To See What Hyper Janna Looks Like

Confession: I went out drinking last night.

I know, it made no sense, and even less so now that I am barely avoiding this hangover.

See what had happened was...

I had to learn how to close the restaurant last night in preparation for my closing manger shift next weekend, and I was tricked into drinking a little too much after work. I honestly didn't drink that much, and even made the bartender cut me off, but miss-low-tolerance-over-here just can't hang like she used to!

Since it's already Monday afternoon, I will just share this little gem of a video that I recorded for y'all last week. You will have to watch it to get the full idea of my mental state at the time...If you want a sneak peak of  my Halloween costume, get a peek at a few Birthday presents, and find out my favorite sub shop, then you should probably check it out. I swear I only sound ditsy because I'm hyper. At least I'm pretty sure I don't sound like this all the time. Those of you that know me IRL, do I always sound like this?

This was my first time playing around with the transitions and jump cuts, so feel free to point me in the direction of a good tutorial, 'cuz I obviously need practice!

Lesson learned this round: 

No background music, and I should probably quit using the camera on my computer.

Anywhosit, Will and I usually chat it up about our day, work, and other goings on when we get home, and since he's not here, you guys are my stand in. Do you know how hard it is to have a million things to say to someone, and only the dog to listen? Six days left! I hope.

Handsome, Intelligent, And Shopped Pinterest For My Presents? Unbelievable.

Okay, so I know my Birthday isn't until the 31st, but in my eyes, it already happened and by far surpassed my own imagination. Picture it, Prince charming cooking your dinner, dipping fresh strawberries in chocolate, followed by a cake that HE baked, and presents that he found on your Pinterest board, while you take it all in from the fireside of the mountain cabin he secretly reserved for the weekend. I shit you not, I have THE PERFECT husband.

For three years, I have wanted to see the leaves change, and every year I am left unfulfilled. That is, until Will took charge and planned our weekend getaway in Florissant, Colorado. Welcome to our humble abode for the weekend {insert Vanna White hand wave}.

After a leisurely afternoon stroll through the autumnal paradise, Will hopped in the kitchen to make those fresh chocolate covered strawberries and one of my favorite meals. Even though we ran out of propane in the middle of cooking the steaks, they still came out perfect. To be honest, the whole dinner reminded me of one of our first dates and the beginning of our relationship in general. Just like the days of our humble beginnings, he made me Steak Au Poivre in the skillet, and it still melted in my mouth.

After dinner, he banished me to the bedroom, and I wasn't allowed to come out until the following was set up. Take special note of the Coconut Carrot Cake that he made from SCRATCH. Apparently, he went over to Buck's to bake it that morning he disappeared. 

Well played, sir.

Our third guest didn't seem thrilled, but this party wasn't about him. His birthday isn't until November, and now I know that I don't have to wear a party hat for his birthday.

As I sat there taking it all in, I was completely in awe. 

With tears in my eyes, I read the letter he wrote to me...

To my love,

I don't even know where to start. I spent all week trying to come up with the right thing to say, but it wasn't until tonight that I found the words. Something you said this evening struck me.You said, "You are so amazing...like a fairy tale", and I thought to myself, I have never found myself to be that incredible. I do these things because you deserve nothing less. You are my rock, my launchpad out into the world, and my safe haven when I push it a bit too hard. You sacrifice so much in support of me and the Army, so this weekend I wanted to be sure you know just how incredible YOU are. I'd be half the man I am today without you, and I can't wait to spend my life with you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY QUEEN.

I love you,

Will

I won't go into details about what happened next, but I will tell you that there was a Jacuzzi involved, and I properly rewarded him for making me feel like a princess. Or queen, as he called me. I'll take either title.

Come Sunday, the fun wasn't over. 

We got the inside scoop on a local spot, and ventured out to find "The Falls". They really do keep the secret quite well, because even the directions are quite confusing. Like the parking was just a "pull off on the left, past the house with the moose statue". For reference, we never found the moose, but the good news- is that we did find The Falls!

We were kind of expecting something along the lines of Niagara Falls with the hype this place got, but we still weren't disappointed by the beauty of the hidden gem. It might have been the tiniest waterfall I have ever seen, and yet, even the rainbows managed to find their way to greet us.

Afterwards, we decided to relax and soak in the Jacuzzi one more time. I feel so blessed that we can spend every moment together, and then still lay back and talk for hours. After five and a half years, we still chat it up like when we are dating. Possibly more, actually...he intimidated the shit out of me when we first got together, so I might have talked less back then ;) Sssssshhhh, don't tell him I admitted that.

Now, we have a week until my Birthday, and I already feel incredibly fulfilled. Thank goodness, because the Army took all their phones away for the next nine days, which lends me on the empty side. That means I may or may not get a birthday message or call from him, but I can only hope that he can call me {without getting into trouble} on the day I will need to hear his voice the most. Only time will tell!

Have a great weekend, all!

The Last Birthday That I Actually Spent With My Husband

When I was trying to figure out what I'd like to reminisce about today, I  pondered spooky decor, haunted houses, and slutty  college costumes, but I thought...No, I'm just not feelin' it. Then, like a zombie hand had guided me, I stumbled upon the pictures of the last Birthday I spent with Will three years ago.

It was the beginning of October, and we were stationed in Augusta Georgia. We were missing our friends, so we tossed around the idea that we all meet up in the cute wittle mountains in Northern Georgia for a fun-filled weekend. Considering everyone else lived in Tennessee, Maryland, and Virginia, we knew it would be a feat, and yet somehow it all worked out, and the stars aligned.

Our cabin was amazing, the boys cooked up some amazing food, the jacuzzi was a hit, and we even attended a few festivals. What I didn't know, was that the weekend was actually planned around me. We came home from the Apple Festival on Saturday, and the whole house was decorated for Halloween! Not only that, but everyone had brought costumes for our middle-of-nowhere Halloween party.

I can't even put into words how perfect the weekend was, and it didn't end there. As most of you know, I am pretty much obsessed with Benihana's, but what you may not know is that I have sucked down that fried rice for my Birthday for nine years in a row. It's usually a drive to find one near us, but the one in Atlanta was on our way home from the mountains. Just take a gander at the plate in front of me...

*Hopefully, I can make it to Benihana's for the tenth birthday in a row. My Sami Girl already said she'd go with me, so I'm seeing a blate in our near future! Woohoo*

By the time we actually got to my Birthday, I thought we were all partied out, but we had one last hurrah. Will knows my love for horses, so he took me out on the trails! I can't even tell you how excited I get around pretty ponies, and riding them is definitely second nature. True story: I could ride a horse before I could walk.

To round out the amazing month of festivities, I got to pass out candy for the first time EVER. Most of the kids were super cute, and I just hid when the big kids came by or the ones that kept trying to loop back around for a double visit. I wasn't letting those conniving little suckers clean me out before I was ready to call it a night. Plus I wanted leftover candy. 

Hey, it was my birthday.

If you don't make fun of me for my candy-passer-outer-attire, then I will tell you ALL about our secret getaway on Friday. You know you like my banana hat, anyways ;)

PS. Please excuse the photo quality. These were obviously taken before I became bloggerific. I know better now. Teehee.