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.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

9 Months Later

Today is August 3, 2013. This date means two things for The McVays.

First one, this day marks 9 full months that we've been apart. We've been separated long enough to make a human! Crazy! This is by far the longest time we've gone without seeing each other. Hopefully the end is near. He's tired, worn out, burned out and ready to start life up in a new place with a new job. Speaking of new job...he signed up for Troops to Teachers.

http://www.proudtoserveagain.com/

Troops to Teachers is a U.S. Department of Defense program that helps eligible military personnel begin a new career as teachers in public schools where their skills, knowledge and experience are most needed.


I'm super excited for him. This is in the works in case he doesn't get accepted into law school. I want with everything, him to have a career he loves. He deserves it. His dad was also a teacher, now superintendent so I guess you could potentially say, "Like father like son". Either way, I know whatever path lay ahead, he'll for sure be amazing at what he does.

Secondly, this day marks 5 full years since our "second" first date. Five years! I sure do love this man and the last five years have been remarkable. We'll have to celebrate a little late, but happy 5 years together! As we like to say, the best is yet to come!

The photos here are all from those first couple months together back in the fall of 2008!

First picture together ever!



First OSU fb game!


Photo Book


Shutterfly allows you to customize your photo book just the way you want.
So if I shared my photo book that I just made then I got a $10 credit toward the site. Worth it! I finally got this made as an engagement gift for my little brother and new fiance! Shutterfly rocks at photobooks. I suggest friending them on fb...and wait for a good deal then spring! I got this one made for 50% off.

And I took all these photos in here except for their side trips pictures! I'm pretty proud of my work :)

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Waiting Game

Waiting. I hate it. I hate waiting to check out in line at a store. I hate waiting a long time for my food at restaurants. I hate waiting for my weekend each week. I hate waiting for that damn fish to inevitable bite my hook. Most of all...I hate waiting almost a year to hear/see/feel my husband love me.

Patience has never been my strong suite. I'm spontaneous, adventurous, out-going, opinionated, but patient...nope. I've been really patient these last 6 months. I know he has to put in his time over there and likewise, myself serve this alone time as well. In May we had a pleasurable "deployment scare", meaning we thought he was returning home that month! His roommate/best friend did. Not my husband.

Alright patience, kick in again please, we have a little more ways to go.

Then this month (July 2013) his replacement roommate just arrived home to his family. I'm so happy for them, really. But I'd be lying if it didn't make me sad, jealous and slightly more frustrated. The Army still hasn't given him an estimated homecoming date, not even a month. Could be Sept, Oct, Nov...no one knows. Well I'm sure someone knows, but it's definitely not us at this moment.

I must remain patient, calm and carry on as usual, for his sanity and mine. I know it won't help to badger him about it every time we talk, and it won't help me if I constantly obsess about it. So here's to trying new things like patience for a change! May the force be with me.



Sunday, July 21, 2013

Dog Day Out

The last couple weeks I've been working longer hours than usual and been coming home exhausted. With that said, Zeus hasn't been getting his long nightly walks that he's accustomed to. He's good to get a 15 minute nightly walk. This weekend I decided that Sunday would be Zeus's "Dog Day Out". The idea being that he'd end the day worn out, happy and full of attention.

We started the day off with a hour hike in the Florida woods. Zeus left exhausted and hot.


All Smiles


Love my hiking buddy

He left really hot, and I wanted to take him for a dip in the ocean to cool us off. Up to this point, I've only taken him to the bay where the water is calm like lake water. Since we were in Panama City Beach for the hike, I decided to try him out at the public dog beach with open ocean water. I haven't done this yet because Zeus can be really excitable with other people and dogs around, so I like to only do this when my husband is with us. Well we tried it solo and it was a success!



"Mom it's so bright!"



Zeus did so good and loved the waves. We chased the waves and sat with our butts in the sand people watching. Afterwards we shared an ice cream cone and headed home where Zeus crashed. Success!



You may be thinking at this point that I love my Golden entirely way too much, and you may be right! I'm posting this today mostly for my husband. He misses his two best friends, Zeus and I, a lot. He gets to talk to me on the phone about once a week, but since we can't skype he doesn't get to see Zeus. He misses him a lot, so I post things like this so that he can see and hear Zeus.

Plus, I love my damn dog that much!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Favorite Eats

I've come across some pretty nifty food items lately and felt the need to share!


I found these gopicnic boxes at Target for about $2.50 each. Essentially it's a small lunch item ranging from 300-400 calories, depending what type you get. The items in it have no HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), organic and whole grains. These are great for keeping at your desk, car or on a picnic. I threw some in my carry-on while I was flying last weekend. No refrigeration necessary and yummy!

The SunRype fruit strips are a fun way to get a serving of fruit in and have a dessert item. Each strip has 3/4 serving of fruit and no added sugar or HFCS. Again, no need to keep these cool so you can store them anywhere.


When my best friend visited me last month she got me hooked on green tea lemonades from Starbucks. It's half green tea, half lemonade and 100% refreshing on a hot day. They have have enough sugar in them from the lemonade so I never get added sweetener. A Venti size is 70 calories, not bad, still beats having a can of coke. But, I wanted a cheaper option when I got the craving, so I did some searching for a lighter lemonade option to make my own at home. Target wins again! They carry now minute maid light, 15 calories per 8oz...so I mix a cup of home brewed green tea with a cup of light lemonade, pour over ice and whala! Thirst quenched for a mere 15 calories and way cheaper then the $3.50/drink at Starbucks.

Chia seeds are my new favorite. I first learned about them in an ultra marathon novel I was reading, "Born to Run". Chia seeds:

  1. Help weight loss. Chia seeds are popular for weight loss. They reduce food cravings by preventing some of the food that you eat from getting absorbed into your system. This blockage of calorie absorption makes them a great diet helper.
  2. Feel fuller faster: They can also help your diet by making you feel full. This is because they absorb 10 times their weight in water, forming a bulky gel.
  3. Hydration for athletes: They are also great for athletes because the "chia gel" can hydrate the body.
  4. Reduce your blood pressure: There's evidence to suggest they can reduce blood pressure.
  5. Omega-3: They are the richest plant source of Omega-3 (the vital fats that protect againstinflammation—such as arthritis—and heart disease). In fact, they contain more Omega-3 than salmon!
  6. Benefits for diabetes: Because chia seeds slow down how fast our bodies convert carbohydrates into simple sugars, studies indicate they can control blood sugar. This leads scientists to believe chia seeds may have great benefits for diabetics.
  7. They are easier to digest than flax seeds, and don't need to be ground up.


Don't be disgusted by their odd texture, it feels like the tapioca in tapioca pudding. When placed in water, the seeds swell with it, making them ideal to consume before heavy activity because once digested they release extra water into your system, resulting in you staying hydrated for much longer. I add them to my oatmeal in the morning, smoothies or even just my water bottle. They have no flavor, but again, a weird texture.
 
If you have any new health items you've discovered and want to share then please comment at the bottom! I'm always up for change.

Sunday, July 14, 2013

First Summer in FL

July is officially halfway over. Holy cow. With school always starting in August, it will always feel like to me that summer ends then. Given that there is a month left of summer, I wanted to post some favorite summer pictures of my first one in Florida.



I have crabs in my pool!

The Supermoon









My Zeus

I love foggy mornings














A jellyfish inked itself


Even though this summer was spent alone, I feel I made the best of it. The beauty here is amazing to see, and if you haven't visited me yet and seen it for yourself, then start planning your trip. The sand, sunshine and The McVays are waiting!

Benchmark #6: Alex Visits/4th of July

My long time, high school best friend traveled from Oklahoma to spend the long holiday weekend with me! I really can't begin to write how blessed I've been with visitors this year. This visit was icing on the cake.

We first met on the volleyball team in high school, and with all the traveling we did we became really close. Our friendship continued when we went to the same community college for our associate's degree and then the same university for our bachelor's degrees. Go Pokes! She is a wonderful giving, trusting, and the most kind soul I know. She recently just finished RN school and is working her dream job as a psych nurse! So what better was to celebrate then come to the beach and visit the best friend.

Our Independence Day:

Always include the husband on holidays! Love > Distance






Who wouldn't want a taco in a poncho?


5 in on the 4th

Despite the monsoon that came through all weekend, we still had a blast. We went to my favorite coffee shop, Seaside and saw the angry ocean.

The rest of the long weekend we rode bikes along the ocean, had movie nights, shopped and enjoyed each other's company.


This was right after she crashed into a ditch! She's smiling because she survived! Always laughs around this one :)



It was worth the rain!
Then finally on her last day here, the sun came out, so we ran to the beach. I'm so happy she at least had one good beach day before she left!



Go Pokes!



Felt confident enough for a close up bikini shot! Baby steps!




Sun burnt but incredibly happy, we headed to dinner on the beach to one of my favorite seaside places, Uncle Ernie's.








We both had an awesome weekend, and it meant so much to me that she visited me during this time. Love you girl and see you in OK next time!