To resolve or not to resolve, that is the question

Ahh, resolutions. Those pesky promises we make to ourselves at the start of a new year- to lose weight, to spend less, to call home a little more often. You know the drill and you also know that by March, your new treadmill is serving more as a laundry rack and your attempts to budget are on hold until the Christmas bills are paid.

So why do we make resolutions in the first place?

The answer to that became very clear to me today. We resolve to do better, to be better, because even if we fail, we're still a little better than we were before. And a little better is still better, right?

If I resolve to save $1000 but I only manage to bank $500, I'm still 500 better off than I was before. If I resolve to lose 10 pound but I only lose 5, I'm still a little more healthy and a little more happy than I was before. I guess it all boils down to this: whether you move a step, a jump, or a leap, you're still moving toward something better.

I think a large part of keeping resolutions is accountability and tracking. That's where you come in! I'm hoping that if I publish my resolutions here and talk about them from time to time, I'll be more likely to keep them. So, here they are... my 2013 resolutions.

I resolve to do a random act of kindness each day. Yesterday, I left coupons on products at Wal-Mart. (There's nothing wrong with a little head start, right?) Today,  I rented the movie Robert wanted instead of the chick flick I wanted. I'm not sure if that really counts as a RAK but given that his movie picking privileges were revoked after the last movie he chose, I think it should.

I resolve to save more money. I'm sure I need a concrete value on this one but I haven't gotten that quite figured out yet.

I resolve to move more and eat less junk. Since Robert got home, I've put on a few pounds and it's time to get the jiggle out of my middle. I can't say I'll work out every day or that I'll get back on the P90X or Insanity bandwagons but I'm going to do something, even if it's just chasing Chet around in the yard. And eat less junk? Yeah, we'll see how well the posterchild for 'I love cold pizza and brownies for breakfast' does with that one! :)

Again this year, I resolve to try new things. I am such a creature of habit- I park on the same row every time I go to the store, I order the same thing when I eat out, I wear the same outfits every week. I am starting to think maybe I'm boring! I resolve to branch out, spend a little more time outside the box, and to see what I'm missing.

And finally, I resolve to think a little longer before I respond, to be a little more open-minded, and to be a little more patient. I am usually running around in a hurry, trying to multi-task and do too many things at once. I tend to want everyone to move at the same speed of blur that I do. I think it's high time that I stop to smell the roses and that I let everyone else enjoy them too. 

I hope you'll make some resolutions and that they will propel you toward a little better version of the wonderful you that you already are. I hope your 2013 will be something amazing, something memorable... something MORE. See you in the new year! :)

Looking Back on 2012

In just a few days, the clock will strike midnight, the ball will drop, people will kiss, and the fireworks (and shotgun rounds, if you live in the sticks like we do) will ring out as people all around the world ring in the new year.

In no time at all, 2012 will be just a memory but before I place it permanently in my rear view, I think I'll take a quick stroll down memory lane. Walk with me, won't you?

Since Robert was deployed last New Year's, I got to ring in 2012 in two different time zones. That might sound exotic and romantic but I can pretty much guarantee you that watching this year's ball fall from the same couch will be better by far. In March, he came home for a much-needed R&R. It's still up for debate who needed the R&R more!

July took us from a couple to a family with the addition of our fur baby, Chet, a sweet (and very rambunctious) chocolate lab. I was on my own for the first few weeks, potty training him and teaching him NOT to get on the furniture. His 67 pound body now regularly occupies a spot on Robert's favorite chair and at the foot of our bed.

September 9 was without a doubt the best day of 2012! After 353 very long days (and nights!), a huge plane landed on the flight line and a sea of camouflaged bodies streamed out. After a brief speech that no one heard, we navigated the maze of reuniting families to find each other. Next to the moment we said "I do" and "I do too", seeing hime home safe and sound was the happiest moment of my entire life.

October brought a two-week staycation which allowed us to reconnect and rekindle. The old adage proved true, time does fly when you're having fun!

Thanksgiving and Christmas 2012 were fantastic, full of family, fellowship, and food! (Lots of food; I'm pretty sure there will be diets in 2013!) and now, we're 48ish tiny hours from the start of a brand new year!

I hope your wishes came true in 2012; I hope that your dreams will be fulfilled in 2013. I know that wherever our 2013 takes us, we'll enjoy the journey because this year, we'll be able to take the journey TOGETHER. If there's one thing that 2012 taught me, it's that EVERYTHING is better when you're side by side with your best friend.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Staycation, Day 12: Special Forces, special indeed

Staycation is flying by! I can’t believe it’s almost over but if this is what retirement is like (a million years from now), sign me up!

Day 12 found us in Fayetteville so we decided to spend our afternoon at the Special Forces Museum. It was well worth the drive down and I highly recommend it (and it’s free, so that’s good too!)

I’ve spent the last few days trying to find the words to describe this museum that’s dedicated to those elite special groups who make it their life’s work to willingly put themselves in harm’s way to protect the lives and liberties of people they’ve never met. It’s fascinating to read about the missions, but more so, it’s humbling to read actual quotes from the people who completed them. My appreciation for our military is never far from my thoughts but this museum renewed my gratitude and left me searching yet again for how to say Thank You for all they do.

My loss for words was never more profound than when I stepped into the POW exhibit at the museum. I can’t imagine what those soldiers endured, what some may still be enduring today, and what their families must be enduring as they trudge along day after day not knowing the fate of their loved one. As I stood there, in awe of the determination and fortitude displayed by generations of our men and women in uniform, it occurred to me that any soldier, anywhere in the world, may be one breath away from becoming a POW. Truth be told, that sobering thought scared me more than most of the terrifying thoughts I had while Robert was away.

I hope today you’ll take a moment to thank a soldier or pray for one who isn’t home yet. And, the next time you find yourself near Fayetteville, I encourage you to stop by the museum. You’ll be glad you did. Until next time, friends, I hope your day is something historic, something life-changing (in a good way), something MORE.

Staycation, Day 11: On a Stick...

I’ve looked forward to this day of staycation since, well, since last October when we were not far enough into the deployment to even think about a staycation.

Last October, I decided that since Robert couldn’t go the fair, I’d take the fair to him. I carefully packaged up the most portable fair foods I could think of, cotton candy and candy apples, and crossed my fingers that they’d make it across the world without too much damage.

A few weeks later, I received what was perhaps the saddest letter I’ve ever read. Robert’s bright, shiny, red candy apple had fallen off the stick and had landed in the dirt.  As I read his heartbreaking account of accepting that his dirt-covered treasure couldn’t be recovered, I could almost see him staring at it, wheels turning, trying to figure out a way to salvage even a morsel of the cherry-flavored goodness. It was devastating; there may have been tears (mine, not his!).

I knew that we’d have to find a way to remedy his candy apple upset… and we did.

Thursday, we headed toward the State Fair for a new candy apple. Along the way, we also had cheese steak, a ham biscuit, honey cotton candy, and some deep fried Oreos. I love to say that the Fair is all about “fried things on sticks” but truth be told, other than the candy apple (that we brought home to eat later), we actually didn’t eat anything on a stick.

Day 11 of the staycation was fantastic and there’s still one more adventure to be had… I know you can’t wait until tomorrow. Until then, I hope your day was as rich as a deep fried Oreo, as sweet as cotton candy, and as simple as a candy apple… one that stays on the stick J. 

Staycation Days 7-9: Westward Bound

Since day 5 of our staycation took us eastward, it was only fitting that days 7 through 9 should take us west.

After dropping Chet off to spend a few days with my parents, we hopped in the car and headed to Asheville to spend a little time at Biltmore Estate.

Despite temperatures lower than I find pleasurable (read- it was COLD!), we had a great time! We toured the “house” even though calling it a house does it a huge disservice. Did you know that there are 43 bathrooms inside the Biltmore Estate? I mean INSIDE the house, for the family’s use, not the ones that were added outside the house for the public!

I apologize that there are no indoor photos for you to enjoy; there are rules and enough security cameras that breaking the rules wasn’t an option J.

After touring the immaculate and massive mansion, we wandered the gardens, and took a tour of the winery. We had a quick lunch at Cedric’s (which, by the way, is named for one of the Vanderbilt family dogs and has fantastic cheeseburgers), we toured one more exhibit where we saw Mrs. Vanderbilt’s Harley and learned that the Vanderbilts were originally scheduled to be passengers on the Titanic but changed their tickets at the last minute to travel with some friends who were traveling on the Olympic. Given that we just visited that exhibit in Raleigh, we found that interesting.

From the Biltmore, we took a very curvy road (and I do mean VERY!) to Chimney Rock State Park where we hopped on the elevator and flew up 26 stories to the top. We spent some time enjoying the scenic overlook.

We had a great time in Asheville; if you haven’t been to Biltmore Estate, you owe it to yourself to make the easy drive west on Hwy 40. The tickets are a little pricey but the house, gardens, winery, and parking are included with your purchase.

Our staycation isn’t over yet! We have at least 2 more adventures planned so stay tuned for what’s next... until then, I hope your week has been something majestic, something magnanimous, something MORE.

Staycation, Day 6: An A-MAZE-ING Day

A corn maze has been on my bucket list for as long as I’ve had the list but there was never anyone I wanted to get lost among the stalks with until now. Last fall season, Robert was away so I knew it would have to wait. Staycation day 6 seemed like a perfect fall day to mark the maze off the list.

Under a bright blue Carolina sky, we headed out to Ken’s Krazy Corn Maze in Garner. The primary objective of the corn maze is to find the 12 stations which are hidden among the twists and turns. Sounds simple, right? Yeah, it might be, if you had a map. But oh, yeah, they don’t give you that. You’re armed only with your keen sense of direction, your formidable powers of navigation, and a flag to wave if you find yourself hopelessly lost or just hopeless.

The good news is that we did not wave our flag. We also did not find all 12 stations.

It started out simple, until we took the first right turn. From there, we went down rabbit trails. We hit dead ends. We declared ourselves lost. We declared ourselves un-lost. We went in circles. We backed up and started again. We laughed. We went in more circles. We backtracked again. We laughed some more. And occasionally, we found a station and we cheered like we’d hit some sort of Mother Lode.

But as it is the journey and not the destination that matters, we had a great time laughing and getting lost and doing it together. And isn’t that what this staycation has been about all along?

Staycation, Day 5: What's for Lunch?

Perhaps the best part of a staycation is that there is absolutely nothing stopping you when someone says (at 9a.m.) “let’s have lunch… at the beach.”

We hopped on the bike and took a back road down to Wilmington where we enjoyed shrimp burgers and lemon pepper fries by the water.

Then we drove a little farther to the ocean and put our toes in the sand just long enough to take a fun photo (forgive the helmet hair; I haven’t quite mastered that yet!).

Heading home, we just enjoyed the scenic route of the open road.

Since Robert got home, I have been waiting for the moment that would finally, officially reset my internal compass from the off-kilter, perpetually anxious mindset that accompanies having a deployed husband to the steady, as-relaxed-as-any-military-wife-can-be mindset of “normal”, non-deployed life. Other military wives told me it would happen in time but in all honesty, I was starting to think that moment was lost on me. I’m thrilled to report that somewhere between the ocean and home, with the wind in my hair, the sun on my face, and my arms wrapped around my most favorite person in the entire world, I heard the distinct click of the direction arrows line up to relocate my true North. It was a beautiful sound, not one even the distinct rumble of a Harley engine could drown out. J