Everything.

My family is my everything.

Through thick and thin.

Through heartache and heartbreak.

Through tears and laughter.

I can't think of spending my life otherwise...

Marriage and Friendships

I mainly blog about our everyday life and Dannika, but this one's a little different.
So bear with me.
There are no cutesy pictures I took of the baby or of our family.

I had a really trying time this weekend.

It was emotionally exhausting for both Nick and I.

While I won't go into details to respect my family's privacy, I do have some important lessons I learned.

Friends

Friends are few and far between for me.

Until this last deployment that Nick went on, I really didn't have any good friends...especially girlfriends.

Being a Marine makes it really hard to find good girlfriends.

The girlfriends I thought I had did some pretty kiniving things to me.

It made the deployment really hard being a new mom, working a full time job, and no friends to come home and cry to.

I met these amazing group of women through Nick's unit toward the end of the deployment(other spouses) whom I've become pretty close to.
I've also become really close to a spouse of a Marine who worked temporarily in my recruiting office when he came back in the Marine Corps after getting out...
I think the next deployment will be easier thanks to them =)

I've always believed that whatever happens between Nick and I in marriage, is something that should never be discussed with anyone but "US".

I learned this weekend that the statement above couldn't be more farther than the truth.

I'm so lucky that I have people in my life that I feel comfortable being able to tell anything to without passing judgment.

I don't think I could have made it through this weekend without those friendships.

The whole reason why this weekend was so emotionally draining for Nick and I was due to a friendship.

I won't name any names, but it just came down to figuring out who your true friends were.

It was about me trying to decide for Nick who he should and shouldn't be friends with.

Was I right? no.

But was my reasoning justified? In regards to "the friend" in question...in my opinion yes (but I won't go into all the details about why...that's petty

I ended up ruining what was supposed to be a fun night out for Nick and the guys because of a friendship I disagreed with (and no, that friend was not at the bachelor party).

In the end, I am going to be a "grown-up" and ignore the friendship that Nick wants to continue to "just acknowledge".

Kind of puts into perspective how much friends and friendships can affect our daily lives and relationships with eachother.

Now Marriage...
I think it's safe to say that I am not wrong when I say that every marriage has it's "skeletons" in the closet.

What I mean by skeletons is that there are things that happen and go on within your marriage that only the two of you as husband and wife know.

This weekends drama with "the friendship" brought up things in the past.

Nick and I hardly ever argue.
But when we do, boy do we.
I'm not afraid to admit that because anyone who says they never argue with their spouse is either lying or heading toward the "D" word.
I have a tendency to hold things in until one moment...then all of a sudden, everything gets laid out on the table at once.

It's a work in progress...our marriage that is.
Someone once told me that a marriage will be a work in progress until the day you die.
I truly believe that.
So until that day, we just gotta take it one day at a time.
I'm not perfect and I have my faults (by default...haha), and there are days that Nick probably wants to strangle me (not in a literal sense...he would never lay a hand on a woman).
Nick's not an angel either (insert gasp here), and he's made his share of mistakes in marriage.
There are days that I struggle with myself and ongoing issues that aren't resolved yet between him and I.
But every day is a new day that we're blessed with.
Every day is a step closer to resolving our problems.

Emotionally exhausted? yes
Still in Love? most definitely

Life was easier single, but man...Life wasn't this exciting or fulfilling either!

It's BRITNEY....

I think it's safe to say that I have a slight obsession with Britney...

I don't refer to her as Britney Spears...just Britney...

Cause I feel like I know her.

We're practically BFF's.

I mean HELLOO...

I have loved her since I was in 8th grade and Hit Me Baby One More Time debuted.

I am now 14 years older than I was in 8th grade, and she is still rockin' on my IPod.

Britney,

You have been music to my ears from CD's, to Sony Minidiscs (who remembers those?!), to the days of Napster and Limewire, and now through every generation of IPod I have ever owned. 

I have loved EVERY single one of her CD's, and I own every single one of them.

I loved her through her highs, lows, K-Fed, JT, and whatever else the paparazzi did to make her even more famous than she already is. 

I remember my drill instructors in MARINE CORPS BOOT CAMP blaring her in the duty hut. 

Funny that out of those 13 weeks of hell, the one thing I choose to remember is the day I heard Britney after not hearing any sort of music for what seemed like ages.

With all that said, can you believe that I have NEVER been to a Britney concert?!?!?!?!

that is....

until....

LAST NIGHT!!!! (SEE BELOW!)

I went with my friend Lindsey, her cousin and her mom from Illinois!

Can I just say...

O-M-G!

O--M--G!!

O***M***G!!!

Her show was absolutely AMAZING!

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

I can't wait till Dannika is old enough so that I can take her to a Britney concert!

She sang some songs from her old albums, and they brought instant memories of my life at that point when that song was a hit.

It was like deja vu!

I couldn't stop singing, screaming, dancing....

Dear Britney,

Your concert was worth the 80 dollars I paid for the ticket. It was worth the 60 dollars I paid for 3 cocktails, and the 40 dollars I paid for a tshirt.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend 180 bucks on a Friday night!

I LOVE YOU!

Mullets and Father's Day

What a weekend it has been!

I didn't want to take away from my Father's Day post for my dad so I decided to wait a day to post about my exciting fun-filled weekend!

You're also probably wondering what Mullets and Father's Day have in common :-)

So the Tango Battery Wives {past and present minus Sarah :-( } and [1] 3/5 Wife (Miss Kari) decided we were long overdue for a "Girls Night In".

Lindsey's husband has been in the field so her house seemed like the perfect place.

Nick and Becca's husband were "volunTOLD" to be on baby duty (aka Call of Duty, grilling, and watching the kids play).

Needless to say, we are quite a cOLoRfUL group of "Ladies". 

I'll let you be the judge.

So here we are from [L] to [R]:

Kari, Me, Becca, and Lindsey (not pictured: Victoria and Sarah)

 Oh Lindsey....crazy Lindsey. She and I are going to see Britney in concert together!

We busted out the wigs....and decided to talk like rednecks while taking shots of Tequila and Sprite.

Oh yes...I believe they were singing "Tequila Makes her Clothes Fall Off"

Don't act like you've never seen an asian blonde before.

 She told me to pose...so I posed.

 Beautiful girls

These two...would you believe Kari is the most wonderful mom to a precious 6 month old? 

 Self portraits with photobooth

 I had to do the asian "Peace" sign

 Too Funny

Every girl needs a little girl time

This is what Becca and I came home too.

Like Father Like Daughter.

So the next day was Father's Day.

I was so worried I was going to wake up feeling like poo poo, but thank God I didn't!

Our family started our day with church, and listened to the most awesome sermon about being a father.

Afterwards, I sent think on his way to Burke Williams Spa to get his first massage and spa treatment EVER!

I also wanted to give him a break from Dannika and I.

It was a nice change.

Dannika and I went shopping, bought Nick a couple things from the mall, and headed home to cook a fabulous dinner for him.

The Menu?

Chicken Breast stuffed with ricotta and spinach baked on a bed of whole wheat noodles topped with tomato sauce.

Baked artichoke stuffed with a homemade gorgonzola cheese cream seasoned with breadcrumbs

and

a homemade garlic soy mayonaisse dipping sauce for the artichokes.

Thanks for being such a wonderful Father to Dannika.

Thanks for not being afraid to be "Mr. Mom" (like all the other wives call you).

Thanks for loving us unconditionally.

Thanks for being you.

I think I pretty much summed up in my card to you what I think...but as always...

"We have our secrets." :-)

Happy Father's Day, Nick! 

You really are a "Super Dad"!

My Apa

Nick and I have been thinking all week about what to get my dad for Father's Day.

What do you buy a guy who seems to have everything he needs and wants?

After contemplating for a while, I decided to write him a message on my blog.

So...this is kind of long, and you don't have to read it if you don't want to...

It's really meant for the man I call my "Apa".

Dear Apa,

It's impossible to think of gifts to buy you. I know you don't care what we get you, but I still have such a hard time finding that "perfect" gift for you. So this year, I decided to do something different. If I could describe you in one word, it would be "hardworking". There is no other word that sticks out in my mind like that word. It took me 27 years to figure it out, but I just realized the other day how hard your life has been so that your daughters (Lydia and I) could have everything we could ever want and more. There were so many other "easier" routes you could have taken in your life, but Lydia and I would have never lived the privileged life that we did. I thank God every single day that I had a father like you. In my eyes, you are a true success story of the "American Dream". You struggled, you worked hard, you triumphed, you fell, you picked yourself back up...you did all of this without ever skipping a beat or letting it show on your face. You have always been the strong face of our family, even when times were tough. You woke up every day, went to work, rain or shine, problems or no problems. Your main priority in life was to make sure that we (Lydia and I) had the absolute best in everything. I hated piano, but you paid for the best piano teachers money had to offer...I hated violin, and you bought me the best violin money could buy (even though my technical skills didn't even match up to the quality of instrument you bought me)...and I hated Kumon, but at 27 years old, I still go back to what I learned in those Kumon classes when it comes to a simple math problem. I am SO grateful that I have those talents...because YOU pushed me to my potential. I plan on raising my own child like that....with firmness, discipline, and I will demand of her nothing but excellence. I refuse to raise a mediocre child, and I thank you for giving me that outlook on parenthood. Despite your insane working hours, and the tireless efforts you put into our family business to make it successful, you never missed a dance recital, a piano recital, violin recital, or an orchestra concert. You were there smiling and proud...even when I felt I didn't do my best. You're not an affectionate person, but I know now that you showed your love through your actions and hard work to provide for me. 

With all of that said, the thing that I MOST admire about you, is your selflessness and devotion to God and family. If you were down to your last penny in your bank account, but a stranger would starve, you'd give your last penny to that stranger to buy a meal. You think about yourself last...always. I've never in my entire life met anyone that selfless. I wish more people were like you.

I know our relationship has had its ups and DOWNS, but in the end, you've stuck around. You've always supported me, even when you didn't agree with my decisions, and you have let me grow on my own. You let me fall and learn from my own mistakes. You have never left me, when I'm sure there were times you didn't want to ever speak to me again. That's how I know you love me.

Thank you for being the father that you are and a father that I admire. I learned in church today that the biggest compliment you can give your father is to tell them you want to be like them. I want to be like you. I want to love God like you do, and I want to work hard like you did to make sure my family is successful. Thank you for being a father to Nick and stepping in as his "dad". Thank you for treating him like your son, and never thinking twice about it. You're the father he never had, and you're the father I hope he will be to Dannika.

Happy Father's Day, Apa!

We love you! 

A Simple Text

A simple text message my husband got today from his old "4th hat" from the drill field meant the world to him, and made him realize it was Marines like him that got him to where he was today....

"It was real good seeing you today Chief. It really made me remember why I became a Drill Instructor & how you trained me to realize it's more to it than just yelling. you taught me to have passion and heart in everything I do from IT to cadence and that's why I'm where I'm at today. I owe it all to you & (you) damn well deserve GySgt and 1Sgt. You never know we could be back here as 1Sgts destroying bodies like old times. in my eyes, you will always be "The Chief Drill Instructor" thanks GySgt...." (Nick is not even a GySgt yet) 

GySgt Collins was a SSgt when Nick was on the drill field. 

When Nick saw him today, he stood at parade rest for Nick (who is now a rank lower than him), and called him Chief.

That's the kind of Marine Nick is.

He demands respect wherever he goes and gets it.

He's hard yet fair to his Marines.

He doesn't play favorites.

He is ALWAYS professional...

and most importantly...

He genuinely loves his job and every single one of his Marines and the Marines that take care of him.

It's OFFICIAL

NOW PRESENTING....

GUNNERY SERGEANT {SELECT}

NICHOLAS MARK ROMER

WOW!

I am soo proud of him

He was not even supposed to be LOOKED at for promotion this year.

The average SSgt picks up Gunny at 12-16 years. 

Nick hasn't even been in 10 yet.

Hard work pays off.

He has a few haters right now...

but talk to God about it.

He makes everything possible.

I LOVE YOU, Nick!

And I am so proud of you!!!

Car Obsession?

My worst fault...no...ONE of my worst faults is my slight obsession with new cars.

It doesn't help that my dad has the same obsession. 

In my 11 years of driving, I have never owned a car for longer than 2 years.

Thanks to my upbringing though, I am a pretty financially savvy person.

People think I'm completely broke with all these vehicle swaps I do, but I'm FAR from it.

I recently was called by the Mercedes dealership asking me if I wanted to turn my car in.

See...apparently, my car was in high demand as a used vehicle, and the dealership was running LOW.

They offered me ANOTHER brand new car and a better deal.

I told them I didn't want a 2011 in the same model (the one I had was a 2010).

I wanted a sedan...with lower payments and better gas mileage.

I had a GLK 350 (see below)

 I got this car right before Dannika was born cause I thought I needed a "family" car.

But I was wrong.

All this car did was suck up gas and drain my bank account with payments.

and...

This is the new one~!

The 2011 C300!

I <3 it!

 

And here are my two favorite people washing it for me and making it all puurdy!

The Wardrobe Queen

I wish I had my daughter's wardrobe.

She has more outfits, outfit combinations, shoes, and bows than I can imagine.

She has clothes with tags on them.

She has bows she hasn't worn yet.

She has shoes that I threw away cause she never got a chance to wear them.

This is what she wore today...

Bow: Mac & Madi Boutique (my absolute FAVORITE boutique)

Jean Vest: H&M Kids

Tank: Shipped to us from a boutique in Seoul, South Korea

Skirt: Gymboree

Shoes: Nordstrom's Ecco brand

AND Lastly...

We had a dRAmA QUeeN DIvaLiCiOUs moment today...

June Gloom and bUbbLeS!

June Gloom has officially hit Southern California.

It's quite depressing.

Nick and I were both "BLAH" today.

We didn't want to waste our weekend with Dannika though, so we went outside to play with her new OooOoO bubble machine oOooO

As soon as we got outside to play, the sun came out! 

Gorgeous day!

Kisses for mommy <3

WOD'ing and Fashion

Crossfit is fun.

The difference in my body since I have been doing crossfit is INCREDIBLE!

I get better abs and better toned arms doing 10-20 minutes of Crossfit a day than I did running 6-10 miles per day....on top of spin classes....and ridiculous amounts of cardio.

I wish I woulda known about Crossfit sooner in my career as a Marine. 

I probably wouldn't have this degenerative knee issue, and I could probably finish my time in the Corps and EAS on schedule (EAS=End of Active Service).

Nick has been working on his handstand...eventually wanting to be able to do a proper Crossfit handstand push up.

 SO Strong

 Look at this handsome guy :-)

Another awesome thing I love about Crossfit is that Dannika can join us...

Well...she plays outside while we work out....

Right in the comfort of our cozy home.

And she likes to help daddy make his workouts more challenging...

And of course...

Our FASHIONISTA is at it again...

This time she chose mismatched crazy socks and a diaper...