Communication Breakdown

When we went to puppy class, if our trainer said it once, she said it 100 times, “Dogs do not understand English.” Yeah, right. Tell that to Chet. Chet, who immediately goes to the freezer if you even mention the word “popsicle”. Chet, who immediately starts digging around in his toy box until he finds his sewn-up three times, very much loved dragon when you say, “Chet, where’s your dragon?’ He’s definitely a dog who understands English.

Sadly, though, this is not always a two way street.

It took a little while but I’ve come to recognize the whine that means the ball or the bone is stuck under the bed. I’ve come to understand the bark that means it’s time to go outside to play. Once, I heard the unmistakeable bark that clearly meant something was amiss and he was protecting his mama from some unforeseen, grave danger. Granted, the danger turned out to be our across-the-street neighbor’s front porch light playing tricks through the beveled glass of our front door but that’s beside the point.

I thought we had an understanding. I thought we were on the same page. Apparently, I was wrong.

For the past three nights, our precious puppymonster has been more monster than puppy. He barks over nothing; he barks over everything. And let me just tell you, the concept of “inside voice” means NOTHING to this little guy. He barks like the house is being invaded by aliens. He barks like whatever critter is after him has caught him and is ripping his toenails out through his ears. Keep in mind, he has these fits without moving! He doesn't even get up to investigate; he's just laying there on the floor looking around. It seems he tunes it up about the moment we find the perfect depth of sleep. So, startled out of a great sleep, we jump up, check on him, check on the house, and come to the conclusion that the only thing amiss is our precious puppy. And we go back to bed (but not back to sleep, of course, because we'd just prepared to fight off the demons of the apocalypse). And an hour later, when we finally feel ourselves returning to a state of normal adrenaline, we start to drift back off to neverland and it begins again.

I’m hoping this is just a temporary phase or that we figure out the cause of the mystery barking soon. I’m pretty sure my sanity depends on it. Until then, we love the little monster so we’ll just stock up on the earplugs…

I hope that all of the noises in your home are happy; and that all of your days (and nights) are filled with something curious, something mysterious, something MORE.  

2013 day 1

Welcome to 2013! I'm so glad you're here! I hope you spent your day starting the year off right. I, for one, am already behind on those resolutions I set just a few days ago. Shocking, I know!

Save money? Nope. We went to Robert's home away from home, Lowes home improvement warehouse. I don't have to say any more, do I?

Work out? Nope. I spent most of my day being lazy on the couch, reading and watching random marathons on tv. I figured if Robert was in the garage working on a project, I'd make the most of my absolute control of the remote. And after being off work since the 21st, I decided to savor my last vacation day.

Eat better? Check that one off today! I made pork tenderloin, black eyed peas, broccoli, potatoes, and corn bread. I think some of those are supposed to bring us health or wealth or some other good blessings in the new year. We'll see how that turns out. :)

Random act of kindness? The jury is still out on that one. When I mentioned to Robert that we hadn't done a RAK for today, he quickly pointed out that we hadn't run over the very annoying guy strolling right down the middle of the traffic aisle in the Lowes parking lot. I suppose that counts but I'm hoping tomorrow will hold something a little more clearly defined as kindness.

Until next time, friends, I hope your 2013 is off to a wonderful start and that tomorrow will be more of the same. Happy New Year, everyone!

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

Staycation, Day 1 & 2: Walking Through History

On the heels of the 352 day deployment (not that I was counting days or anything!), Robert gets block leave, a chunk of vacation that’s supposed to give him time to catch up with family and work on that honey-do list that grew around the house while he was away.

Lucky for me, I have bosses that understand that even though I didn’t deploy, I needed the block leave too.  

We’d kicked around going somewhere tropical but the last thing Robert wanted was to get on yet another plane (can’t say I blame him there!) so we decided a staycation would be perfect. We’d stay home, go on a few little adventures, and just use the time to catch up. Our two weeks of fun began yesterday, at 4 a.m. because we have a puppy who doesn’t understand “sleeping in”. I suppose he was just helping us to make good use of our time. J

I needed new tires on the car and an oil change so we hopped in the car and took Chet on a visit to my parents’ house, out in the country where he could romp and play. Robert hadn’t seen my grandparents since our wedding so we swung by their house too; Gus  and Robert took a walk down history lane in my grandfather’s tobacco museum. As much as Gus loves telling those stories, Robert loved hearing them; it was like watching two kids in a candy store and a great way to start our staycation.

This morning we continued our walk down history lane with a trip to the Titanic exhibit at the Museum of Natural Science in downtown Raleigh. As soon as we stepped out of the car, the bottom fell out and by the time we got to the museum door, we were drenched! We laughed and decided that maybe it was fitting that we were soaking wet while we learned about the ill-fated “unsinkable” ship.

If you’re even the slightest bit interested in the RMS Titanic or history in general, this exhibit is a must see! Each ‘passenger’ is given a boarding pass that details an actual passenger on the ship. I was a second class passenger who was transferred to the Titanic after a coal strike caused my original voyage to be cancelled (wouldn’t that be just my luck!?!). Robert was a wealthy landowner who had actually medaled in fencing in the 1908 Olympics. At the end of the exhibit, we were pleased to learn that we were both listed in the survivors of that tragic night. I’ve always found the mysteries of the Titanic’s demise interesting, but having the personal details of actual passengers made it that much more so.

I’d say our staycation is off to a great start… stay tuned for what adventure we have in store for tomorrow. In the meantime, I hope your week has been something you’ll want to look back on when you’re walking down history lane. I hope it was something epic, something remarkable, something MORE.

Weekend Top 10

Without a doubt, some of my favorite blog posts are the Weekend Top 10 features. They are ways to quickly recap all of our adventures and when we look back on them months later, it feels like a speed skating roll down memory lane.

So, here we go… this weekend’s Top 10.

10- After a year’s hiatus, the grill finally made a comeback. Steak… it’s how Friday night should be.

9- When your puppy doesn’t understand that Saturday means sleeping in, you can get a lot done before the sun comes up.

8- Although working out at 5am isn’t fun, at least you get it over with early.

7- “This is the best lasagna I’ve ever eaten” is a pretty fantastic compliment. Feeling like Betty Crocker sure puts a girl in a good mood.

6- Did you know that college football hash marks are wider than NFL hash marks? If you’re ever on Jeopardy, you can thank me. J

5- After eating a week old brownie, I have a new appreciation for Robert always telling me they were still good when they got to the other side of the world. When your motto is “when you don’t know what to do, throw a brownie at it”, a little white lie is what a girl needs to hear to make her believe all’s quiet on the western front.

4- When you leave the puppy out in the house while you go to church, be prepared that he’ll probably “read” the paper and “thumb through” the coupons… all over the house… by the time you get home. (It’s a good darn thing he’s cute!)

3- Staying up until midnight is worth it when it means two weeks of vacation starts at 12:01.

2- Half a fence is better than no fence… and by this time tomorrow, a whole fence will make for two very happy puppy parents.

And the number 1 best part of the weekend was…

1-  that this place is once again filled with the sounds of football, the smell of fresh brewed coffee, and the love that makes a house a home.

And then there were three

Off and on for the last several months, Robert and I have been talking about expanding our family. And by expanding, I don’t mean my waistline. I’m talking about a four legged, floppy eared, wiggly tailed, bundle of fluff. Robert’s wanted a puppy for as long as I’ve known him but the deployment put those plans on hold. Or so I thought.

In April of this year, I got an email that Robert had found the perfect puppy. What?? You’re not coming home until September! I can’t raise a puppy from now until September by myself! Yep, that’s me- Little Miss Panic Attack.

The good news was that the world’s most perfect puppy hadn’t been born yet so I had time to research food, register for puppy class, puppy proof the house, and generally wrap my head around the idea of being a puppy parent. Isn’t it funny how quickly Little Miss Panic Attack can turn into Little Miss Masterplanner?

With the puppy plans settled, all we had left to decide on was the name. Robert chose the first name- Chet- and I convinced him to let me choose the middle. As a joke, I told him it should be Ercheze so that his full name would sound like Cheddar Cheese. Robert didn’t find that too funny but somehow it stuck and more days than not, our baby is referred to as “Chetter” or “The Cheese”.

Chet came to our home in July and despite a few growing pains and one chewed up cell phone charger, it’s been a fun couple of months.

I'm sure The Cheese will make regular appearances here; after all, he's a member of the family... our family of three.





The Boys of Fall

If you’ve known me for at least two minutes, you know that I love, love, love football. Well, I take that back. If you knew me in high school, you know I performed with the drill team for every football game but that I couldn’t tell a hash mark from a Hail Mary. We went to socialize, not watch the game, and I couldn’t even tell you the final score by the time I got home. But somewhere between high school and now, I actually started learning what was happening on the field and I fell in love with the game. I’m not an expert by any means but I know enough these days not to ask stupid questions when I’m in mixed company. I actually even impress myself sometimes (but not very often!)

I’m a supremely lucky gal because Robert loves football as much as I do. He’s a lot more vocal about it, mind you, but if there’s a game on, we’re pretty happy campers. If I could only get him to pull for my teams… but I know that’s a lost cause; he remarked Sunday that “there’s nothing like loyalty” so I guess we’ll just agree to disagree.

But the one thing we do agree on is that there’s not anything much better than a game on a perfect fall afternoon so we headed out on Saturday to watch the Carolina Tarheels host the Pirates from East Carolina University.

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. The weather was picture perfect- not a cloud in the sky but a moderate 75ish with a slight breeze. The seats were fantastic- 50 yard line, of course! The company was amazing as always; there’s nothing that isn’t fun when Robert’s around.

Carolina won but I guess some things never change; it occurs to me right now that after spending an entire afternoon actually watching the game, I still can’t tell you the final score. J

Sometimes Behind is Right in Front

When I decided to start this blog again, I said I'd put the deployment behind us and was ready to move full steam ahead toward the future. As it turns out, I was, as we like to say at our house, "less than right".

Yesterday, after Robert received a standing ovation from the congregation at church welcoming him home, I looked at the bulletin and noticed it was September 23. September 23? Last September 23, I was dropping him off to get on that plane bound for lands I never want to think about. I remember the foggy drive down to the base, the tearful goodbye, the miserable ride home, and the endless string of sleepless nights that followed. As I sat there, it dawned on me that deployment is not something you put behind you; it's one of those things that you carry with you always. It's not in your central line of vision but it's always there, blurry in the corner of your peripheral view. From time to time, it'll remind you that it's there, sort of like a sore muscle or that bruise you'd almost forgotten... until you touch it.  So I guess the memories associated with deployment and the year we spent apart will raise their little noggins from time to time; it's to be expected I suppose. I just hope that when they lift their little eyes to mine, I'll smile and be reminded to appreciate what I have and to not take any moment for granted. After all, it's soldiers like Robert who are protecting our liberties and our freedoms, those things we so often take for granted, that gave me those memories in the first place. Even though they aren't always pleasant little jaunts down memory lane, to honor him, I will honor them.

I know that the new memories created over the coming days will far outweigh the old memories of the past year. Case in point- we had a FANTASTIC weekend and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow...

In the meantime, I hope your weekend was worthy of a scrapbook page and that your week will be something special, something fantastic, something MORE.

Remember me?

After much consideration and some gentle nudging from Robert, I've decided it's time to blow the dust off this blog and get back to doing what I love with people I love and sharing it all with you.

Where have I been the past 9 months? If you followed the blog the last time around, you know that Robert left in September 2011 for a year long deployment to somewhere most folks can't pronounce. Having been married only a short six weeks, it goes without saying that a marriage built on love but held together by skype and email is a special sort of challenge but one that we accepted and, I think, mastered. To be honest, being apart sorta took the creative wind out of my blogging sails (Either that or all of my creative energies were directed to care packages and daily snail mail) so at the end of the year, I let the blog lapse. It just wasn't fun to do things without Robert and when I did do something fun, I felt guilty that he was stuck somewhere having anything but fun so I didn't really want to publish my good times to the world or to my 16 blog followers, as the case may be.

But September 9, 2012, all of that changed. It's funny what happens when a plane lands on the flight line and you finally see your husband after 352 days of being apart. In the same moment that you're beyond thrilled to hold him, you realize that you've been holding your breath for a solid year. You allow yourself that first breath and all of the fear and worry you couldn't acknowledge while he was away bubbles up from the place where it's been pushed down all year. In the same instant that you're overwhelmed with gratitude that he's home safe, you wonder if you have the stamina to do another year of this should he have to go somewhere else. At the same time that you're feeling all of this heavy stuff, you feel like a huge weight has been lifted. It's a confusing mix of thrilled and terrified; elated and exhausted; anticipation and anxiety but at the same time, it's amazing to know that he's home where he belongs and that things are going to be just fine.

And in a day or two, when all of that emotion settles back down and life begins to return to "normal", you realize that things are more than just fine; they're fantastic! The past is in the past, today is a gift, and tomorrow holds the promise of something wonderful. There are lots of adventures on our calendar to be shared and I hope that you'll hop on, buckle up, and enjoy the ride on our crazy roller coaster life.

Thanks for stopping by the blog. I hope to see you again soon! In the meantime, as always, make today something special, something memorable, something MORE.

Happy Birthday, Blog!

One year ago, I had a simple little life. It wasn’t necessarily boring; it just wasn’t as fulfilled as I knew it could be. I was stuck, as they say back home, right square in the middle of a rut; I needed a push to get me out of it. I took an encourager’s advice and started this blog as a way to create some accountability for trying new things and seeing what I could learn along the way.

So, one year later, did it work? Let’s see…

I plunged into a swimming pool of freezing cold water and learned that there is such a thing as “too cold to eat ice cream”.

I rappelled down a 32 story building and decided to leave the tall buildings to Spiderman from now on.

I participated in a Zumba marathon and took a few dance classes; I learned, again, that I dance like a frog in a blender.

I went to my first major league baseball game and after 13 long innings, remembered why I like football better.

I ziplined through a forest and decided that was as close to skydiving as I want to get.

I parasailed the Florida Keys and learned that anything done with my best friend makes for a great adventure.

I went behind the scenes with the band and almost made it to the tour bus. I was reminded that being a friend is more fun than being a fan.

I met a few MMA superstars and realized that you really can’t judge a book by its cover.

By all accounts, I had a lot of fun adventures in 2011 but as it turns out, the one thing to make my life all it was meant to be wasn’t a thing after all. It was, and is, and always will be, a person.

In March, I had my very last first date and found out that there are men out there who will talk to you even though there’s a game on the big screen.

In May, he asked me to love him forever and I finally understood what they mean when they say 'when you know, you know'.

In August, we had a perfect-for-us wedding by the lake and I was reminded that if you get to spend Happily Ever After with your best friend, nothing else matters.

And in September, I stood semi-bravely by as the man of my dreams got on a plane for unmentionable places. I’m still learning what I’m learning from this…

My 2011 was beyond my wildest imagination and more than anything I could have dreamed. I do believe it was my Best. Year. Yet. As you look back over your 2011, I hope you find amazing adventures outside of your comfort zone and special memories somewhere outside of your box. I hope that your 2011 was something new, something different, Something More.

Cheesy Chaos

Hi! Remember me? Apparently, I’ve been gone so long that I could write my name in the dust that’s been collecting on this blog. I partially blame it on Pinterest J

In the past few weeks, I’ve spent all my extra time making a dry erase calendar for our kitchen and Christmas gifts for friends and family. There’s no doubt in my mind that Pinterest is a phenomenal thing. And until recently, I thought the only danger in the site would be that it would take up too much of my already limited time. I was wrong.

Last week, I learned on Pinterest that if you turn a standard pop-up toaster on its side and insert a cheese sandwich, in no time flat, you’ll have “grilled cheese perfection”.

Since my toaster slots weren’t wide enough for a sandwich, I opted for a piece of cheese toast instead. I put my bread topped with cheese in, hit the button, and waited in delicious anticipation.

And that’s when it happened.

Out of nowhere, that bread sized disk of hot, sticky, gooey, cheesy goodness shot out of that toaster. I don’t mean it just slid half way out of the toaster slot. I mean it catapulted across the kitchen, scaring me half to death in the process as it flew by me. In slow motion, I saw the flying mass of hot mess flip over in mid-air and land cheese side down on my favorite rug. And let me just say, there were no mama-pleasing words uttered as I burned my fingers trying to get volcanic cheese sauce out of the rug.

And sadly, it did not end there.

I was dumb enough (or tired enough; in my defense, I had worked a lot of hours that week) to think that perhaps turning down the toast setting and sliding the toaster all the way back on the counter would give me the grilled cheese perfection result I’d been promised.

Let me assure you, it did not.

And it was in that moment, on my hands and knees picking bits of a second piece of imbedded cheese toast out of the rug, that I realized that the next time I want a grilled cheese, I’m calling my dad. He makes the best ones on the planet and there are some things you just can’t replicate no matter how hard you try.

One Clever Cookie

Last night was the Thanksgiving service and dessert fellowship at church. As I baked a batch of pumpkin spice cookies, the standard covered dish question ran through my head:

“What can I put these cookies on? I’d love to use a paper plate so I can just throw it away when it’s empty but a paper plate is soooooo boring. I’m a lot of things but boring is not one of them. There has to be a better way!”

Enter Pinterest, the web-based bulletin board that gives you ideas on everything from crafts to clothes and from home decorating to home cooking… AND it includes links to originating websites so you can get the step by step on how to do it. You simply “pin” the great ideas on your board and come back to them when you need them or when you have time. Pinterest is budget-friendly and includes about a zillion ideas that are low-cost replicas of high-end treasures. I’ve already tried a few Pinterest projects and have no doubt that there are more in my future. (Sorry, Robert, it looks like craft night just became a regular household event!)

So, I’m standing in our kitchen, running out of time and staring almost hopelessly at my cookie sheet of tasty morsels. I flip through the card catalog of ideas that I store in the far reaches of my noggin… and it hits me! An image I pinned a few weeks ago…

And so with a paper plate, a hole punch, and some ribbon… I went from this:

To THIS:

And that, my friends, is one Clever Cookie!

(And thanks Pinterest for showing crafters that low budget and high style are completely compatible!)  

Thank you, Veterans.

They didn’t apply for it, they volunteered for it. It’s not a job, it’s a calling. They signed on the dotted line and now stand on the thin line that separates the ability to live in freedom from the oppression of living in fear.

They run toward danger and serve as human shields for strangers. They take on impossible missions and find a way to complete the task. When they can’t find a way, they make a way. They won’t let you down. They won’t leave you behind.

They do jobs most people would never consider in places most people have never heard of. They seek out danger and put themselves in harm's way so that we can enjoy the liberties we so often take for granted. They don't ask for a 'thank you'; they usually don't know how to react when they get one because credit and accolades are the last things on their minds.

They live out of backpacks and rucksacks. They sleep but they do not rest. They are never comfortable, almost always cold or hot or wet. They don’t get days off; they are always focused and on guard. Yet they do not complain.

They come home bruised and broken but they find a way to move forward and to soldier on. They see things we can’t imagine and see them again in their dreams. They don’t have the words to explain it; we probably couldn’t understand anyway.

They appreciate the value of a two minute phone call, treasure a piece of mail from home, and savor a care package of stale brownies. They take nothing for granted and make use of every resource. They can fix anything with nothing and are the masters of the Plan B, or C, or D.

They miss birthdays and anniversaries, holidays and special events. They don’t get to go to ballgames or dance recitals. They often don’t get to carve the Thanksgiving turkey or trim the Christmas tree. But when they get to enjoy those things, they don’t take one moment for granted.

They are dedicated and sacrificing and dependable and honorable and a thousand more good things. They are Veterans.

And I’m proud today, and every day, to be the wife, granddaughter, sister-in-law, daughter-in-law, and friend of so many wonderful members of military service. 'Thank you' isn’t enough to tell you how grateful I am for each of you for your service and your sacrifice. Happy Veteran’s Day.

Blame it on the Jet Lag

I was cleaning off my computer desktop tonight and ran across a blog I wrote in August but apparently failed to post... I'm blaming it on the honeymoon jet lag. :)

“In six months, you’ll meet someone, fall in love, get married, and be kicking back on a beach in Key West with a tropical drink….”

If someone had said that to me, I would have laughed at them. I certainly wouldn’t have believed them…but they would have been right. It just proves the point that life is sometimes stranger (in a good way) than fiction and you just never know when your dream come true might be around the next corner.

Robert and I got married last Sunday, in a beautiful lakeside service under a picture perfect blue sky. Well, mostly picture perfect. We’d been worried about August heat and had a heat-stroke prevention plan that included handheld fans and water bottles for the guests. The possibility of downpours didn’t occur to me until about Tuesday when the weather personalities started using the R word (and friends, they weren’t saying Robert!).  I bought a few umbrellas just in case and although rain clouds flitted around the sky most of the day, the ceremony was spared a soggy fate (unless you count the people who shed a few happy tears during the event). On the way home from the ceremony, the bottom fell out and we got several emails and text messages of rainbows and even a double rainbow, signs we were happy to claim as our own personal messages from heaven.

We planned a wedding in ten weeks, which by most standards is warp speed. We couldn’t have done it without the love and support of our very patient families and friends. I know I’ll leave someone out but when a thank-you note doesn’t seem like enough, blogging to the entire internet (or the 17 or so followers who read this blog) seems a little more fitting J

To Robert- Thank you for loving me, for putting up with the Bridezilla moments, and for always knowing two things: how to make me laugh, and when I need a hug… even if it’s in the middle of a crowded aisle in a store full of strangers. Marrying you was, is, and always will be the best thing I’ve ever done. And, I’d do it again today, tomorrow, and any day after that…

To Mom & Dad- There will never never never be words big enough to say how much I love you both and how much I appreciate all the sacrifices you made and continue to make to support my dreams. You guys are my loudest cheerleaders, biggest encouragers, and best friends. I am the luckiest daughter in the world. Thank you for listening, laughing, and for loving me (and Robert too!)

To Beth & Steve- I couldn’t ask for more wonderful in-laws than you guys! You accepted me into your lives and into your hearts and that means more than you’ll ever know. I promise to love Robert as much as you do J Thank you for raising such a phenomenal son and for sharing him with me.

Jaime & Tim- For as long as I can remember, you guys have been extra parents (when I was pretty sure I already had parents!) but as it turns out, you can never have too many people loving you and I’m so very grateful for your encouragement, support, and willingness to stop what you’re doing anytime I said “I need….” Even when it was warranted, you never said “I told you so”. Thank you for sharing in our special day and for welcoming Robert into our family.

Karen & Israel- What do you say to the people who made Happily Ever After possible? “Thank you” just doesn’t seem like enough. For introducing us, for sharing in our lives, and for playing such important roles in our wedding, we are truly grateful.

Mary Kelly- You simply rock. From nail polish and shoes to ink and fonts, you are indeed my Girl Friday in the decisions big and small. I would be lost (and completely out of fashion and out of my mind) without you!

Tish- I hereby bestow upon you my water wings J I know you’ll use them wisely and well. I will always be grateful for you telling me what I already knew when you helped me to believe that swimming doesn’t always mean drowning. I love you to pieces.

Cassie & Herb- Thank you for photographing our engagement and wedding! You guys are phenomenal!

Adella & Debbie- Thanks for helping behind the scenes on the wedding day! You were there to celebrate with us but you pitched in and lent helping hands and we so very much appreciate you both! 

I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone or lots of someones and for that, deepest apologies… For our friends and family at the wedding- we love you and we thank you for sharing in our special day. For those who couldn’t attend or who couldn’t be invited due to space constraints, we love you too and we hope you understand that a small ceremony just seemed to fit with where we are in our lives.

And…  I’ll post some funny pre-wedding stories and some photos soon… as soon as I pick out which ones I love best…. For now, blog buddies, I hope your days are filled with some love, some laughter, and best of all, someone to share your Happily Ever After with…