Sunny Skies and Dog Drama

Dear New England...

Thank you for teaching me to appreciate nice weather so much!

I seriously feel like I've spent more time outside these past two weeks than I have in my entire 10 years of living in Southern California!

I think after being cooped up inside all winter long and turning into a winter hermit had me going a little stir crazy.

So when the first ray of sunshine came out, I wanted to soak up as much of it as possible!

I've never just wanted to sit around outside in the sun with no agenda in my life until now!

I grew up in a pretty hot and humid climate with mild winters (TEXAS, BABY!), and then spending 10 years in southern California where the weather is mild ALL year long made me take nice weather for granted.

We spent one of the afternoons playing some mini golf :-)

Even daddy rushed home from work a little early to meet us for a round.

I love a fresh and crisp salad with all my favorite veggies when the weather gets warm.

Also, I am a huge fan of ranch dressing (What Texan doesn't like ranch?!), but it's so high in fat and calories that I rarely buy it. However, I found an organic ranch dressing made out of yogurt that tastes SOOOOO good with hardly any unhealthy fats or calories.

Almost 23 weeks, and I'm feeling great! (minus the occasional nagging back pain)

We had some crazy "Dozer drama" this weekend. 

We normally keep him off his leash when we are out front playing with him, and for the most part we're pretty good about controlling him when joggers and other dog walkers stroll by. 

Dozer has a hard time controlling himself when people walk by our house. 

A little boy came skateboarding down our street yesterday being pulled by his little dog, and before we knew it, Dozer had darted out onto the street, scared the crap out of the poor little dog, and the little boy came flying off his skateboard.

Nick came to the rescue, calmed the boy down, and drove him and his dog down the road to his parent's house.

It just so happened that his dad was a doctor, and he knew right away his wrist was broken!

I FELT HORRIBLE!

The family was SO sweet though (hallelujah!).

They texted us a picture of their smiling son in his cast from the ER last night, and told us he would be ok.

They also kept thanking Nick for acting so quickly and bringing him home!

I was SO mad at Dozer!

He's beginning to be such a handful a lot more than I can handle at times on my own.

This dog is driving me crazy!!!!!

Pic of the happy couple enjoying the weather (pre Dozer drama)

I am STILL loving my pinterest project...the chalkboard painted pantry door! 

This week, I put a memory verse on it for Nick and I to memorize by the end of the week!

Kisses from mama :-)

I made the hubby take a pic of me this morning before church because...

Today was the first time since moving here that I've worn open toe shoes!!!!!!!!!

Oh...the little things we appreciate with nice weather....

For those who don't know, I was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps 5 months earlier than my original EAS (end of active service).

I spent the last 2 years of my career in the Marine Corps being treated for osteoarthritis, osteochondral knee defects, severe cartilage damage, meniscus tears, PCL tears, and a myriad of other things wrong with my knee and hip joints. 

Finally, after surgery, it was determined that continued service in the Corps was too great of a risk of further damage, and a bunch of important people in Washington D.C. decided it was best to medically discharge me.

The majority of my injuries came from years and years of long distance running.

I used to run an average of 6-10 miles, 6 days a week......that is no bueno!

My days of running ridiculously are over, but you can't tell a runner to stop running cold turkey.

While I've found other fun ways to stay fit (crossfit and cycling), I still like to throw on my running shoes every once in a while and go for a long run.

My body hates it, but it makes my mind feel so good!

Today, I ran a little over 3 miles...5 1/2 months prego...and yes...it felt great mentally.

However, my knees and my hips are now in pain!! 

 It'll take a few days for my body to recover, hence the reason why my days of running everyday are long gone!

Excuse the blurred out face. I didn't get permission from our neighbor to put her daughter on my blog!

Nick pulled his crotch rocket out of the garage for the first time since moving here and cleaned it up!

He's really excited to get on it now that the weather is nice!

And a beautiful weekend would not be complete without a picnic day at the park!

I hope y'all had an amazing weekend!

It's My Blog, and I'll Cry If I Want To

 I love to Crossfit.

 Not so much when I'm pregnant and my bladder control is non existent (TMI?...Nah) .

#pregnantgirlprobs

My daughter is 3 1/2.

Hubby has been deployed, in the field, in training, or stationed cross country for more than 50% of her life.

For only being 3 1/2, 50% of her life is a LOT!

The first two years of our marriage, my hubs was on the drill field, and I was on recruiting duty.

Basically, we slept in the same bed and never saw each other awake.

I got up at 3am some mornings to go to work while he got home at midnight.

The next 3 years of our marriage was spent with him deployed to Afghan twice, gone for a month here and there for the field, and gone here and there for schools, training evolutions, etc....you know...military stuff.

So when he requested to come on this duty to be an AMOI (google it if you don't know), he assured me that this would be the most "normal" 3 years of our lives.

He would work normal hours, have most weekends off, wouldn't deploy, and wouldn't go to the field.

He told me it would be like being married to a civilian!

Boy, what was I thinking?!

SERIOUSLY!

I should know better seeing as how I spent 10 years of my life in this gun club.

In 10 years, I don't think I've ever had a job with "normalness".

Why did I think it would miraculously change when I took off my combat boots and became just a MilSo?

GAH.

I'm thankful he's not deployed in Afghanistan in danger.

But seriously...there really is no such thing as a "normal" duty in this gun club...

At least for my family, I feel like.

I guess he'll have "normal" hours when he retires...

The count down has begun...

8 more years...

Back From Blog Vacay

First...something to make you chuckle (if you have kids...lol)

RIGHT?!?!?!

Last week was a little crazy in our neck of the woods with the tragedy that happened in Boston.

I didn't have much motivation to blog about something happy when such tragedy was happening all around me.

I woke up in a crabby mood on Friday, so when I got a text from hubby saying he was coming home from work at 0800, I seriously thought he was coming home from work cause I was in a crabby mood! lol.

After turning on the news, my crabby mood turned more somber, and I was just thankful that my husband was being sent home where we could all be together.

So...

I love Pinterest.

My problem is that I pin EVERYTHING, and never do ANY of the things I pin.

I KNOW, I am not the only person guilty of this. 

I actually followed through with a "pinterest pin" that I have seen pop up a few times.

I painted my pantry door with chalkboard paint!

I LOVE it!

Right now, it serves as my "prayer door" on various things that I need to pray more about.

Another project that hubby did for D was make her a costume out of some boxes.

Not something I picked up from pinterest, but it's "pinworthy"!

 I would say it was pretty creative!

He just taped up some boxes with white duct tape, and voila...instant costume!

D loved it, and a week later, she still puts it on and pretends she's a robot.

Last week, we had some GORGEOUS Spring weather.

(Today, it's blah)

Anyway, I decided to get out of the house and take D to go play some mini golf...just the two of us.

I really enjoyed the day because it really made me be thankful for the opportunity to be a stay at home mom.

These are things I've always wanted to do when working, and was always envious of my friends who got to do all these fun things...on a Wednesday afternoon.

Future Tiger Woods?

 Not so much...

The few times I taught her out to properly hold a club were the only good pics I go of her with "good form". The rest of the time, she held the club more like a croquet stick (see below).

And lastly...

My 22 week "Baby Bump" pic.

 People tell me I'm carrying high. I can't tell. I felt like my daughter carried the same way.

So far, everything is good, and baby Mattis is still a boy!

I still work out 5 times a week and I jog on the weekends.

I feel a little silly jogging around my neighborhood with a belly all out there...lol.

Oh well. 

Hope everyone had a good week to look back and just reflect.

Tomorrow is never promised.

And a message from my church this past Sunday that I feel is important to share.

First of all...

Forgiveness is something we ALL need as humans, but NEVER deserve.

and...

"If God intervened and prevented bad things from happening, he'd be taking away one of the most powerful gifts he gave humans....choice and/or freedom....free will."

Slow Down and Pray

It hits a little too close to home for comfort.

My husband was in the field all weekend with his midshipmen, and I was so excited that he was getting today off for Patriot's Day and the Boston Marathon.

His office is walking distance to the finish line.

The thought crossed my mind to even go down to Boston to watch the race, but I figured with a tired hubby right out of the field, it'd be best to sleep in and stay at home.

As I'm watching the details unfold on TV, my stomach is in knots.

Watching the footage makes me sick.

Those are streets I drive every time I've been to the city to visit Nick, and those are streets that my husband drives every day.

I want to be angry and want those who did this to be avenged. 

I guess those are natural emotions and the emotions that satan wants us to feel.

So instead of anger, I'm praying for compassion because I refuse to let satan win.

Whoever did this will answer to the only man that can pass judgment one day.

#PrayforBoston

My Life is a Comedy

It was brought to my attention recently that people loved following me on Facebook because I'm always posting funny "stuff" that happens to me.

I guess I never realized how comedic my life with a 3 year old and a dog (that my husband loves more than I do) would be.

Or just how comedic my life would turn into after getting out of the Marine Corps.

 I'm not ready to explain to my 3 year where babies REALLY come from...

I was in the middle of cutting vegetables for dinner when my dog did something to really upset me. Before I knew it, I was chasing him around the house waving a steak knife in the air. 

After doing a lap around the house, I had to stop and think how ridiculous I must have looked chasing my giant white dog around the house waving a knife in the air...and pregnant on top of all of that. 

I'm glad my daughter said a prayer for him, cause God is about the only person that is gonna show that dog any sympathy at this point!

This actually happened to me at Whole Foods.

I was so confused and annoyed!

I understand kids can get rowdy at the grocery store.

This kid's mom was NOWHERE in sight!

When she finally appeared out of thin air, she didn't do anything.

I guess things like this keep me on my toes and smiling when I am feeling down.

Thank God for laughter and humor!

Tolerance

Yesterday, I felt super "stay at home momish". 

Since moving here, I have only taken D to story time once.

I do 90% of my grocery shopping at Whole Foods, and on Wednesdays, they host a story time and a healthy snack for kids.

It was...eh....

There were like 5 kids and it was noisy...

They didn't read any really good books.

I guess the positive thing we got out of it was that D got to eat some free cuties!

So today, I Googled a local public library (hilariously called the "Bacon Free Library") and saw they were having a story time this morning at 10.

So off we went.

We pulled up in downtown Natick (never been here).

Cutest little downtown ever!

Very old buildings.

Lots of history.

Adorable library.

The story time would have been great, but I forgot that I don't have a typical 3 year old.

D is very attentive, girly, can sit still, and well behaved in public.

I get that this is not typical 3 year old behavior.

She didn't really go through terrible 2's or 3's. 

I do feel that my husband and I are pretty strong disciplinarians, and rarely let her get away with anything...I blame that on the "Marine" in BOTH of us.

I sometimes have to stop my husband and remind him that she is our child and not one of his recruits or his Marines.

I feel like I haven't built up a tolerance or patience for typical toddlers because I'm so used to my own. 

I never spent much time on play dates or story times with other people's children because I was a working mama.

When I got off work, I picked up my kid, and it was just us two (since Nick was deployed/gone most of the time)!

I honestly wanted to discipline every single kid there.

I'll be the first the admit, I was judging....

I know...so bad....so bad....

I tried really hard not to give dirty looks to the other moms there.

And TRUST ME...

I am NOT one to judge anyone's style of parenting (unless they're like completely neglecting their children).

I was really more frustrated because my daughter was getting frustrated with the little boy (about her age) that kept kicking her seat, and bothering her when she was trying to hear the story.

I wanted to tell his mother to control her son because he was bothering my child. 

I wanted to "knife hand" her...lmao. 

(If you don't know what a "knife hand" is...just google "Marine Corps knife hand")

People have told Nick and me that we are too hard on our child, and that we need to loosen up.

Those same people compliment us all the time on how well behaved and polite she is.

  Please, thank you, yes sir, no sir, yes ma'am, and no ma'am...she uses all of those at 3 years old...I know grown adults who can't use those simple phrases!

It's like a double edged sword.

 I think once I spend a little more time with other moms on play dates and story times, I'll learn to be a little more tolerant.

I know I'm being a teeny tiny bit irrational...??

I hope this post doesn't offend or upset anyone because that is NOT my intention.

I'm just writing about my lack of patience and my flaws as a new stay at home mom (who is a former Marine who never had to be tolerant or patient with Marines) who's never really been around other people's children.

Give me a break here!

I get ultrasounds every two weeks because I am a medium risk pregnancy. I had a procedure called the LEEP after I had Dannika on my cervix. It puts me at risk for a thinning cervix with future pregnancies, so lucky me...I get to see my baby every 2 weeks! HE is still a HE!

My pinterest project is complete! My chalkboard pantry door. I love it!

Transitioning Out of the USMC

Another gorgeous day in New England...

 People always told me before I moved out here that I would grow to really appreciate the Spring and Summer.

I didn't realize how much truth that would hold until now!

I have never wanted to bask outside in the sun so much in my entire life until I went without it for five miserable months!

Yesterday, my hubby came home from work early to enjoy a little of the afternoon with D.

We live walking distance to a gorgeous lake, and he's been itching to get his canoe out on the water.

 It was a gorgeous afternoon. Even though there were no ducks out to feed like D had hoped (they took some bread out on the canoe to feed them), I think she really enjoyed just being on the peaceful water with the only man in her life :-)

 I am obsessed with the panorama feature on my iPhone5 :-) I'm actually just obsessed with my iPhone5 in general.

With all the gorgeous weather we've been having, it's finally boosted my mood.

I finally feel calm and at peace about living here instead of resentful and depressed.

With all the negativity I have been experiencing about being in New England, I realized yesterday how much more bearable this Winter could have been if I would have been a little more positive (this may be just the Vitamin D boost speaking).

Just to clarify...I would NEVER EVER EVER want to live here permanently. :-)

Transitioning out of the military for anyone is tough.

I have several friends who are in the process of doing this right now as we speak, and I'm sure all of them can tell you, it's no cake walk.

No amount of transitioning classes or preparation can really truly prepare you for the "real world".

I am EXTREMELY EXTREMELY blessed that I got out without having to worry about how I was going to support my family.

I'm one of the few Marines who are married with a family that did not have to think about finding a job, health insurance, and a new place to live after getting out.

I was lucky enough to be married to an amazing and hardworking man with a steady career in the Marine Corps, and is headed towards retirement.

Without him, my new life as a stay at home mom wouldn't be possible, and I am thankful everyday for this blessing.

So for me, it was never the financial issue of getting out.

For me, it was going from being a full blown career woman in a "not so average" career to being a stay at home mom.

The change is so ridiculously drastic!

Sometimes, I sit back and wonder what the hell I am doing?!

I question if this is really the life I wanted.

How did I go from being in charge of millions of dollars worth of government equipment and young Marines to being bossed around by a 3 year old all day?

It's times like this I truly have to sit back and reflect on all those times I had to force my child to be up at zero dark thirty to get her ready for daycare, so that I could make it to work at a decent time.

I have to remember the times I used to sit in the hangar at work in sweaty cammies and combat boots, wishing I was outside enjoying the gorgeous California sun with my daughter at the playground.

I have to remember the days I used to be jealous of all my friends who got to stay at home with their children all day, while I was forced to go to a job that I was beginning to hate.

Beautiful days like today truly make me realize that this IS the life I wanted, and I am thankful and blessed every single day that I have a hardworking man in my life who affords me this opportunity.

Stay At Home Mom Life

Happy Monday!

We had 3 gorgeous days in a row (Thurs, Fri, and Sat).

Yesterday (Sunday) was cold and windy.

Once again, today (Monday) is ABSOLUTELY gorgeous.

I think it's the prettiest day I've experienced so far since moving here to New England!

It was a sunny 64 degrees today!

Praise the Lord for such a beautiful Monday before the rain that is supposed to come this week (insert sad face).

Just a year ago, I would have been depressed that I was sitting at work wearing extremely hot cammies instead of outside enjoying a day like today with my princess!

I would have been secretly "hating" on all my friends who were stay at home moms.

so....

I'm gonna count my blessings and enjoy this new life that God has afforded the opportunity to live!

We have a lovely neighbor across the street from us who owns horses. With the weather being so nice, we've been seeing them out a lot, so D and I took some carrots and ran across the street to hang out a little. 

Seriously the sweetest horse ever. He realized D couldn't quite reach his head to pet, so he would lower himself to her level so that she could reach him.

Hubby took out the kayak this weekend and had it cleaned and prepped to take out on the water!

Filtering My Thoughts on Social Media

 It's no secret, I'm on social media (Facebook and Twitter) a lot.

Being in the Marine Corps, it's tough to keep up with everyone back home.

With friends moving to and from all over the place (thanks to military life), it's nice to have one place on the web where I can have ALL my people in one place!

I am a sucker for cute baby pics, pics of my friends kids, pics of my friends, pics of my friends doing random things, and I even enjoy looking at pics of food that some of my friends love to post.

I also love reading the daily ramblings, doings, and thoughts of my friends.

I am also pretty vocal on there.

While I TRY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to stay away from politics and controversial topics, sometimes, I throw in a little opinion from time to time (usually starts a heated debate, and I either delete the post altogether or ignore it).

I have a tendency to blurt things out on social media without thinking, and sometimes most of the time it doesn't come out as intended.

You can't exactly type your emotions onto the computer screen.

example:

Wow! Thanks a lot for inviting me!

One person can read and interpret it as me showing gratitude to someone for inviting me to "whatever".

Another person can read that and interpret it as sarcasm towards someone who did not invite me to "whatever".

I also tend to overgeneralize a lot of things on social media, and a lot of people take it really personal. 

Fact: I never post anything that is specific to anyone without either tagging them or mentioning them by name. If I don't mention a name, it's a generalization.

 I posted this yesterday on facebook, and it "irked" a few people (thankfully just a few and not a lot!).

This offended a few people (the ones that like to post their motivational work out and crossfit memes).

Maybe I shouldn't have posted it at all, and quietly "hid" those people's posts from my newsfeed.

Actually, yeah...that's what I should have done, but I didn't...too late.

I don't want to "unfriend" all my friends who post these things! 

That is ridiculous because A LOT of my friends actually post these "memes".

I love all my friends for different reasons...their quirkiness, kindness, humility, sense of humor, etc. etc. etc.

I was just noticing a LOT more of those "workout inspiration" posts on my newsfeed with a bunch of ripped, fit people....not what a pregnant girl who feels fat wants to look at.

I'd rather just see actual photos of my awesome and fit friends doing their WOD's, 5K's, half marathons, and marathons.

I want to see posts about the 18 mile run one of my friends went on this weekend, and her encounter with a rattlesnake while training :-)

So I said my piece.

Not intended towards anyone in particular...

 it was just in general.

My intentions are normally not mean spirited, arrogant, ignorant, or annoyed, but I can see how sometimes it came be perceived as such.

It's just so hard to put your emotions into your posts, and some things need to be said with a certain tone of voice for it to really get a point across.

For people who know me in person know that I am really talkative and vocal in real life...just like I am on social media.

I love social media, and I'm very proud of my family.

I like letting people know about the awesome things my 3 year old does, and I like posting pictures of my family...because I truly am proud and totally blessed.

I just want to share a little of my joy with the world.

I just as much love it when my friends on social media invite me into their little world and share their families, friends, thoughts, and ramblings to me...even things I don't agree with.

I feel privileged to have such a diverse group of friends from all walks of life.

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Check out D and her wild hair!

D is quite the fashionista. She picked this entire outfit out herself...hat and Easter basket included!

The sad sad pup.

My weekend pinterest project. I painted my pantry door with chalkboard paint! I can't wait to start writing on it!

Before church this morning

Man and his dog

Seasonal Depression

In my entire life, I've never lived in a place with such a miserable and depressing Winter!

I grew up in the hot, humid Summers and the mild Winters of Texas.

Not only that, but I spent 10 years (minus my deployments to Iraq and Japan) in sunny southern California!

That's my ENTIRE career that I was lucky enough to be stationed up and down the coast of SoCal (from San Diego to Orange County).

You can imagine that New England was going to be quite an adjustment for me (to put it mildly). 

I got out here in November at the dead end of Fall.

Fall was gorgeous....cold...but gorgeous.
I've never seen leaves turn colors so vibrant like the pic below in my entire life!

 

Coming from Orange County (CA), anything below 50 degrees is considered cold to me.

Then came Winter....

WHAT THE HECK?!?

It was cold, miserable, snowy, rainy, slushy...did I mention MISERABLE?!

I totally became a "Winter hermit", and refused to leave my house. 

I didn't want to drive in the snow, walk in the snow, see the snow, or be cold.

Internet shopping became second nature to me because even driving to Target for basic necessities (like toilet paper) was not going to happen...yes...I order toilet paper online.

I was depressed all the time, and I grew to totally resent New England.

I realized I was suffering from seasonal depression (totally serious!) when I talked to my friend Jen.

She is a Missouri girl who packed up, with no job, no plan, and moved to San Diego (where we met and became friends) simply because of the Winters in Missouri!

She explained to me she had seasonal depression, and that there was no way in hell that she could ever live in a place with Winters like Missouri ever again.

I contemplated on more than one occasion about going back to my parent's house in Texas for the Winter.

The only thing that stopped me was the fact that Nick and I have spent SO MUCH time apart in our marriage between deployments, training, and separate duty stations.

 I just couldn't do that to him...or our little D.

Yesterday, we finally got some AH-MAZING weather!

We are talking high 50's, and the sun was shining all day long!

D and I spent 3 hours outside just hanging out, and Nick even came home early from work to enjoy the weather with us.

Just that little bit of sunshine for a few hours put me in the best mood I've been in since moving out here!

I couldn't believe how much a little sun just boosted my mood and energy!

D and I even cooked dinner wearing 6 inch esparadilles that I bought for Spring!

I really hope the weather stays like this, because I don't think my mental state can handle any more dreariness.

After the mood boost yesterday, I told Nick that now that I know that it was the weather making me so depressed out here, I may just have to move back home Texas every Winter :-)

 I've got this lovely bed to work with for my Spring garden. I'm thinking tomatoes...and anything else that's easy that I can't kill.