Loving the Baby Bump

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our maternity shoot done by the wonderful Nikki at Love and a Lens!

Crib Bumpers

So, I have been diligently working on the many projects I need to get done to complete the nursery and I feel like I have over 100 projects in the works but not many things complete.  Ahhh, so much to do before this little man gets here.....

Well, did I mention our theme?  We are doing the nursery based off the Pixar movie Up :)  This is one of our favorite Pixar movies and I love the characters, colors, and story line.  Because this is not a popular nursery theme we are having to make all the nursery things ourselves including redoing furniture, making bedding, wall art, and all the little accessories that will make the room complete. 

I don't want to post pictures of most of the projects until they are done but I did finish the crib bumpers yesterday. 

This isn't the best picture but I will post better ones once they are on the crib (which still needs to be completed...).  So my goal for the crib bedding was bold colors and prints.  I did the orange chevron on the outside, green stripes for the inside, and yellow polk-a-dots for the ties. 

I used the Nu-Foam crib bumper pads and the pattern that came with.  It made it really simple because the pads were already cut to size.  The ties were time consuming to make and next time I might just buy ribbon, and I would cut the panels a half inch wider just to give some wiggle room.  All in all I was really happy with then and cant wait to get them on the crib!

Our Family Keeps Growing!

So yes.  We have added a new member to our family. 

 His name is Lux and we adopted him this past weekend.  He is around seven months old and is a lab/golden mix.  He is absolutely adorable and has way more energy that one puppy should. 

 

Marley loves having a playmate and I don't think they ever stop playing!

 

I think we are going to have many great adventures together :)

Happiness

Could life be better than this?

Aloha!

I can't believe Michael and I have been in Hawaii for almost eight months!  I didn't fully appreciate how much this place has become home until I visited Oregon last week.  I love going back to the place where I grew up, the place Michael and I fell in love, and the place where so many of my friends and family live.  While I was there though I had time to think about my life now.  How blessed I feel to have my little family together, living in this beautiful place!

I'm Home

The past thirteen months has been a time of celebration, love, joy, heartache, and moments of uncertainty.  Just over a year ago I was blessed to marry my best friend, move across the country, and get a sample of what newly wed life could be like.  The time was wonderful but short. 

I am amazed to think of all that has happened in the past year.  I finished my last year of school and was able to participate in an eye-opening research project.  Michael has thrived under his new leadership responsibilities and nearly completed a second deployment.  So much has happened I am just overwelmed to think of it all.

This year has been a long journey but today I can say that I feel at home.  I don't feel like I am traveling any more, just trying to get through the next hurdle.  I am excited to be setting up our new home and eagerly waiting a phone call telling me when my love will be home.  After thirteen months we will finally be able to be newly weds.  After thirteen months we will be able to be a couple. 



I am so thankful for the support of all those who have encouraged us through this trying journey.  I am excited to celebrate the end of this chapter with you all!

Two weeks of Bliss

What can I say?  R&R is suppose to be amazing and it was.  I felt so blessed to have Michael here for my graduation and also to spend time with family and friends.  The cherry on top of the trip was being surprised with an extra day on the end!  I love my man and can't wait for him to be permanently home in the fall!

Ma Vie

Lacey over at Guinn and Bare It is a fellow army wife who I have met through this wonderful world of blogging.  She is hosting a get to know each other so here are a few things about me!

1.What chore do you absolutely hate doing?

The one chore that I avoid doing if at all possible is cleaning the bathroom!  I think I have all my years working at city pools to thank for this one!

2.What is your favorite body part?

My butt most definitely.  It took me a while but I have learned to embrace my curvyness and appreciate how good it can look in a little black dress :)

3. Which celebrity do you get mistaken for?

The only celeb I have been mistaken for is Zeva from NCIS.  Not sure how much of a look-a-like I am but I guess I will leave that one up to you!

4.What was the last movie, TV show or book that made you cry or tear up?

I watched Black Hawk Down yesterday.  Always cry during that one.

5. What story does your family always tell about you?

Only one?!  Probably how I hated hiking when I was growing up and would always walk ten steps behind the rest of the family.  What can I say?  I wasn't a super athletic girl...

6. What do you love about blogging?

I am enjoying meeting new people and finding a support group online!

7. What are your passions?

Oh I have so many right now.  I am passionate about helping people in my own community.  I am currently working with homeless youth and see more case management and therapy work in my future.  One thing that really gets to me is human trafficking especially within my own country.  I would love to continue to work with victims to help them reintegrate into mainstream society.

These are a few of my favorite things...

I think it is good to every once in a while to make a list of some of my favorite things in life.  It is fun to look back at these and see what I enjoyed so much during a time in my life :)  It is kinda like putting in an old mix tape and I can totally tell what faze in life I was in at the time...  Anyway, my list for today!

1. Regular phone calls from the love of my life.
2. A warm cup of coffee.
3. Cupcakes
4. Friends that I can stay up all night talking to.
5. Pandora
6. The new Thompson Square CD.
7. Current technology. AKA Laptops which save me from hand-written papers!
8. Sunshine
9. Flowers
10. Calm in the midst of the storm.

What is your favorite thing today?

Hannah's 8th Birthday

Yesterday Hannah helped me make her birthday cake!  It is fun to get back into the cake decorating a little bit.  Hannah was having a great time mixing colors and sneaking licks of frosting.  Hopefully it will taste as good as it looks!

My ACU Quilt

I finished my quilt this weekend.  It has been keeping my warm all day.  I like feeling like I have a piece of my husband close by me during this long deployment.  

encouragement for the wives

To all those military wives out there looking for some daily encouragement while your husband, fiancé, or boyfriend is deployed here is a boy I have really enjoyed.  In the short chapters it discuses some of the challenges we face and how to keep your chin up during the hard times.

The First Six

Yesterday was our six month anniversary.  I feel so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man!  Unfortunately this special day was celebrated by us on opposite sides of the world.  I wish I could fast-forward the next four months just so I could kiss him again.  The countdown is on!

In the meantime I am running around like a crazy person trying to keep up with my life.  I have been doing good with my working out even if it means getting up early on my days off!  I shall persevere, I shall achieve my goals!

I have decided that good motivation for me would be new running shoes :)  I do love these shoes.

Maybe, just maybe.  First I should get through this crazy weekend of homework!  Three midterms this next week and over 30 pages to write.  Praying for motivation and drive these next few days!

the little things

One of the things that has kept me going through these deployments is setting goals and prizes for myself :)  These help the time go by faster and keep me motivated in school and life.  Last night I told Michael that I was probably just going to stay here and not do much over spring break.  He promptly told me that would not be a good idea and that I should plan a get-away weekend with the girls.  Needless to say, today I woke up on a mission.  Spent a few hours on the internet and decided that the best solution was to plan a snowboarding trip to central Oregon. I am so excited for this little outing that now I have the motivation to plow through this term and spend three days in warm cabin, on the slopes, shopping, and what ever trouble might befall us :)  Prizes to celebrate another term down are good!

On a side note.  I invested in some new shorts today :)  Texas is a hot place in the summer and this time I shall be prepared for the heat!  Thank you Lucky Brand for your end of the year sale!

A week of love

Few words can express the feelings and emotions that one experiences the few days before a loved one is sent off to war.  This feeling is not new to me, however, I still do not know how to process it.  Michael and I have learned to live the days before saying goodbye, spending time with each other, enjoying the moment, and not dwelling on the upcoming sadness. 
Last Saturday Michael took me on a road trip down to Austin to spend a day with each other.  We went to all my favorite stores including Lucky Brand, Calvin Klein, Fossil, and Oakley...  Michael spoiled me :)  We drove around the big city talking about what life would be like if we moved down there in a year to pursue our career. It was so nice to get away.

This week we started to pack up the house, rented a storage unit, found a place to leave the truck, and Michael started packing his bags.  It has a sad few days but it is exciting to think that a year from now I will be moving down here permanently, I will have my BA in Cultural Anthropology, and Michael will have completed his second combat tour.  How can so much happen in such a small amount of time?
Yesterday Michael took me out to my favorite restaurant, The Olive Garden, then we went and saw The Switch, and ended the evening by driving out to the training grounds and watching the shooting stars.  The past few weeks have been amazing and I would not change anything.  Deployments can be good for a couple.  They teach us to lean on the Lord for our strength and cherish every moment, every e-mail, every phone call.  We will covet your prayers as my husband heads out soon and I finish packing up the house.  Love you all and Oregonians...  See ya soon!

I love this summer!

So my dearest blog, I started you barely and then forgot about you.  I don't have anything inspirational or motivational to share with you tonight but simply wanted to share with you some of the events of this wonderful summer.  The past five and a half weeks have been amazing and Michael and I are loving married life.  We are living in a small duplex right off post which is amazing because I get to see Michael all the time during the day :)  We are savoring every moment we have together seeing that Michael is suppose to deploy at the end of the month.
What have I been doing to stay busy while Michael is working?  I have discovered that I have a passion for baking.  I have been trying new recipes and I must say I think they are turning out well :)  At least Michael is enjoying the home cooked food before he heads back to the sand box.  I also have been catching up on my scrap booking.  I have finished Michaels last deployment, our honeymoon pictures, and now working on our engagement photo shoot. 
Well this is probably a boring overview of the last few weeks but I will try to be better about writing.  Michael has a four day weekend coming up and he has hinted a trip to Austin.  I'll write after :)

Loves