I vow to help you love life, to always hold you with tenderness and to have the patience that love demands, to speak when words are needed and to share the silence when they are not and to live within the warmth of your heart and always call it home.

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Traveling Is Our Addiction


Since our lives first melded into one back in August 2008, my husband and I have traveled. We've traveled while we're poor as mud and traveled while we're financially stable. I believe this is a passion that awoke in myself when we met. Before he came into my life I was was focused on school, working and dating. Then once those things were met it allowed me to really explore my "wants" in life...so we did. So far together we've been to:

New Orleans, LA - 2008

Cozumel, Mexico - 2008

Corpus Christi, TX - 2009

Ochos Rios, Jamaica - 2010
Memphis, TN - 2010

Cincinnati, OH - 2010


Eureka Springs, AR - 2009

San Antonio, TX - 2010

Paris, France - 2011

Zurich, Switzerland - 2011

Rome, Italy - 2011

Venice, Italy - 2011

Floated Illinois River, OK - 2011

San Angelo, TX - 2012

Austin, TX - 2012

NYC, NY - 2012

Panama City, FL - 2012

Orlando, FL - 2010

Big Bend National Park, TX - 2012
I'm so glad that we started in on this addiction together. Traveling isn't the same when you do it alone. It's magical to explore the world with someone you love. We've acquired these ideas to travel to these places from family, friends and complete strangers. We were inspired to see what they saw. Stand where they stood. We're planning another trip to Europe when my husband returns from Afghanistan. I hope that if nothing else, this inspires you to never settle for a life that you think is all you deserve and can afford. Like I said previously, you don't have to be rich to travel. You just have to plan ahead, save...save....save...and travel on a budget. Hope these photos can inspire you to see what we've seen, go where we've gone and make a new path for yourselves!

Okie City


For the first time since my  husband deployed, I finally had the opportunity to go home for a week! My first stop was seeing my in-laws and meeting my niece for the first time!

Elise Is So Tiny!

Then I braved Enid's first snowstorm to head to Mannford, OK to meet my other "niece" and see my best friend!


Love My Spencer Babies

She Melts My Heart!

So Beautiful

She Sleeps With Her Daddy Close By

The First Baby My Husband and I Fell For..Not A Baby Anymore! Jaxon

I spent the night with them and was lucky enough to accompany Jenna and Payton to her 2 month old appointment! So special. This woman is such an incredibly strong mommy. Not only is she raising a newborn, 2 year old, holding down a full-time job, taking care of their farm...but she does this alone. Her husband along with mine, is deployed. She's an amazing inspiration to me. She is full of dignity and strength, oh I how admire her.

Then back to Enid for family and BF Alex time!

Scary Movie Night

Mom, Me and D-man

Future SIL

Then Enid's second snow storm rolled in...



Luckily my awesome dad braved it enough to get me to El Reno to see my in-laws! Since my husband's parents just moved there this last week, it became a new adventure with new sites to see! I had the opportunity to see where my MIL worked, see where my FIL worked and meet his coworkers and see their new house they just closed on the day before I arrived!

SNOW!


Loving Their Fireplace And Stone Floors

All in all this was a good trip home. A lot of changes have happened since I last visited. Changes that were good, necessary, and some that just plain made me sad. Enid has always ultimately felt like "home" to my heart. This trip was different. Our family home lost it's residents that gave it that feeling, people have moved on and left me with a new outlook on Enid, OK. I didn't find what I came looking for on this trip home, but instead I realized something else. Life doesn't just freeze while you're away. Of course I knew this...but it didn't actually feel real until I witnessed it for myself last week. My parents are divorced and making new lives for themselves. My brother is growing up and building a life of his own (with a new SIL hopefully in my future). My family home isn't that anymore. Maybe it's time I let go of Enid. Maybe it's time I allow a new place to feel and be home. It's time to grow up and fully embrace my family we're building here in Florida. I know our home here doesn't feel like home, but I know it will soon. When he walks through that door this final time, my heart will be at home.


Sunday, February 17, 2013

Valentine's Day

Our first Valentine's Day apart went relatively unnoticed. His day was like every other day there. He woke up, checked email/Facebook, worked, and ended his day watching a movie with his best friend Wes in their room tucked away in the desert.

I worked the night shift the night before. I mostly avoided Facebook and Instagram. Went to bed at 10am and went back to work at 9pm. Luckily SyFy had a scary movie marathon on, so I was thoroughly occupied at work during the slow hours.

Yes this won't go down in history as amazing, but it won't go down as our worst either. I was comforted knowing that someone loved me and wished he was with me that night. Honestly, what more could you want than to love and be loved in return.

I did get some pretty fabulous pick-me-ups in the mail from him and my amazing family!

Fantastic In-Laws

Husband knows my weakness...irises


Poem in Hawaiian

Lastly, my fabulous VDay date

Next year we talk of doing something very romantic to make up for this one. That one may go down in history as our best, alas something else to look forward to.

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Master's Level

I finally made the leap. I signed up for my Master's Degree online! You may be thinking why? Does she need it? Isn't it expensive?

1. I do need it if I decide to stay in the AF past April 2016. The AF has become stringent on promotions and aren't handing them out like they used to. If I want to remain competitive among my peers then it's a must do.

2. It is expensive, but FINALLY the AF is fitting most of the bill. Now before you roll your eyes and think, "Wow she gets everything paid for..." nope! I didn't get a dime of my undergraduate paid for. In fact, my husband and I are still paying that off, over $20k worth. The AF is paying for up to $250/credit hour of my master's degree. I found a military-friendly online program that offers degrees and that I already have credit towards from my tech school in TX. Basically my tech school credits transferred over and I only need 7 more classes to graduate with a Master's Degree in Intelligence Studies with a focus on transnational crime and organization. The school costs $325/credit hour, each class is 3 credit hours so the AF pays for $750 out of each class and we only fit the bill for $225. Every class is 8 weeks long, so I hope to be done early in 2014. When everything is said and done, my Master's Degree will only cost us $1,575. Cheapest degree I've ever got, even cheaper than my associates! It's ironic that the AF will only pay for my cheapest degree, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

Now the AF doesn't just hand out $$ to go to college for free. In turn, when I finally graduate, the AF will tack on 2 years to my service commitment. Right now, I owe the AF 4 years of service, starting from April 2012. The plus side is the college service commitment can run at the same time as my original service commitment. So confusing! Bottom line, as long as I finish my Master's before April 2014, then I won't accrue any more time on my service commitment.

Finally, understand that this isn't my bread and butter idea of a Master's Degree. This degree checks a box needed at work, and honestly gives me something to work on while my husband is deployed. Plus for less than $1600, wouldn't you do it? Yes I will hang it on the wall, but it won't be my pride and joy. I still hold on to dreams of pursuing something else in the near future that I will be extremely proud of. Also, if we start a family and I get distracted, at least I'll have one Master's Degree. People at work always say get it done now, because your time just becomes more valuable the longer you live. How true they are.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Benchmark 1, Check!

As I've blogged before, my husband and I set benchmarks for myself. These are to help me get through this long time but not focus so much on calender days but instead events. These give me things to focus on and look forward to. A year is a long time to be without your person. We'll spend every holiday apart except for Christmas. It's so tough because a lot happens in a year, and for your person to miss out is a tough pill to swallow. Hopefully with the changing times and budget cuts, they'll limit these suckers to only 4-6 months instead! But until then, we established benchmarks. I highly recommend them.

1. Month long training in Destin, FL (January)
2. Trip Home (February)
3. Family Visiting (March)
4. Mom Visiting (May)
5. Bestie Visiting (July)
6. Me Visiting a Bestie (August)
7. AF Full Marathon in Ohio (September) --> My first full!

As you can see we have something for me almost every month. Thank you for everyone who is involved in this, we really appreciate it! I know it takes time and money to either come visit or make time for me and I appreciate it more than I can express. This has really shown us the amount of love and support we have around us and all over the country.

I just experienced my first benchmark! It was fun having a little mini-vacation to Destin, FL! The best thing about it was the companionship. My husband always tells me I could make friends in a cardboard box. He tells me I'm a very friendly, approachable person and make friends wherever I go. I don't see anything wrong with that! I made friends immediately there, and we had great times exploring ocean-side bars, restaurants and shopping! It was the first time since coming to Florida that I had "people". I soaked up every minute of it. Here are some pictures of Destin, FL!









Also, something I've received this month was my very own care package. As military wives we send them out all the time, but never expect to receive one. My MIL is amazing, supportive and just an incredible support system all on her own. She has sent me a few and I'm so very thankful for it. She'll send pictures of my husband, Oklahoma food products that I crave and crafts to keep my idle hands busy! I also received a little something from Kit's sweet cousin:


Thank you so much! I love it :) This month has been full of support, friends and good times. January went by quick! Can't say I'm sad to see her go.

Weight Loss Journey Month 1


Well one month down, many more to go! This month was quite a challenge for a couple of reasons. Most obvious because it was the first month! It's always hard making changes and sticking with them. The third week in I went out with friends a couple times too many and ate pub food, drank cider and just consumed way to many calories and not enough exercise! Ah well, we can't be perfect all the time. Luckily, there's always that following week, which I kicked it's ass! Another challenge I faced was living in a hotel room all month. I was sent away already to do more training, so I lived without a stove, large fridge or grill for awhile. The challenge was not being able to grill food, make healthy eating out choices or load up my fridge with yummy fruits and vegetables (lack of space). The bright side of living there for a month was that the gym was only a 5 minute walk from my room and the base had amazing running trails.

For my first month I had a total of 5.6 pound loss! I definitely didn't hit my goal of losing 10lbs, but for being on target for only 3 weeks, I think I did alright. I'll take any loss I can at this point. This is naturally a slow process, and if it isn't then you're doing it wrong! It took months, even years to put it on so it's not going to disappear over night. Plus, all I have IS time right now, eight more months of it.

A fellow Instagrammer posted her weight loss rewards and I loved the idea! Here are mine!


I need a pedi soon, so that's real motivation! This is a great tool because it allows you to focus on the smaller goals instead of the overall huge goal. For instance, losing 30 pounds can be intimidating, but losing 10 is way doable to our minds! Little goals always add up to the big one! Also, I found this little gem in a fitness magazine I was reading:


I don't know how accurate these numbers are, but it helps to get an idea! I plan on getting a full blown physical when I'm done with my weight loss journey to see where my numbers are. Yes I want to be thin, look good in my bathing suits and sexy in dresses, but that's not my main motivation. I need to be healthy. Diabetes runs in my family, along with a laundry list of other fun ailments and I'm determined not to suffer from any of them. I want to be healthy for my husband, our future McBabies and our family. I want to hit 100 years old and I believe weight management and proper diet is a must to achieve that. I rather be strong and fit, than thin and weak. Let's go and get fit! We're worth it!