Parent/Teacher Conference

First, I'm just gonna start off by saying...

This has become the PCS from hell...so far...

I'll share more about our headaches at a later time.

Right now, I really need to blog about something happy, so I figured I'd write about our first Kindergarten parent/teacher conference with Dannika's teacher.

Since we are moving next week, we figured it was a good time to sit down with her teacher, and just see how she is at school with the upcoming move and all the transitions she is about to make.

I couldn't be more proud to be Dannika's parent after today's conference.

When Dannika started Kindergarten, I had so many fears in regards to her age.

She's a "July baby", and for parents out there who have July/August babies know just how different a 5 years and 3 months old child is compared to a 5 years and 8 months old child (developmentally speaking).

I thought about holding her back a year, but her preschool teacher reassured us over and over again that Dannika, was indeed, MORE than ready for Kindergarten.

Dannika started Kindergarten as a young Kindergartener, and my fears were amplified when I saw how HUGE the kids in her class were compared to her.

Some of them were already 6 years old or turning 6 very soon!

After speaking to her teacher this afternoon, however, I am SO glad we didn't hold her back.

Her teacher told us that she is "leaps and bounds" ahead in development than most of her peers.

She's already sounding out words and writing sentences in her journal. 

To be honest, I had no idea that she was writing sentences until today when her teacher showed us her journal. 

Nick and I were both in shock

She is also considered the "quiet" one in her class which also came as a huge shock to us.

Lord knows we can't get that child the be quiet for a minute at home!

She doesn't like to "tattle tell" which is also her worst enemy in terms of her personality.

She tends to let things fester, and the teacher notices by her facial expression that she's upset.

Her teacher will ask her what's wrong, and THEN she will tell her, "so and so took my book" or "so and so pushed me off the slide".

I don't know where she gets the passive aggressiveness from, but it's definitely not from me!

Her teacher asked her today if it was OK if she stood in front of the class and answer some questions about Texas.

Apparently, our typically "shy" little girl, owned it.

She told her classmates that she was "never ever coming back here", "Texas is hot and doesn't snow", and "Texas has lots of beaches".

I'm super proud (and feeling braggy) about how great our conference went.

Her teacher had no qualms or worries about her transitioning to a new school.

She said she makes friends fast and easily, and said that she is a "perfect child to have for the lifestyle that you guys live."

My heart is full :)

She went on her first Kindergarten field trip this week to the apple orchard, and came home with a bag of McIntosh apples and a pumpkin that she picked herself!

Leaps and bounds ahead of her peers....lol.

On the way to the bus stop this morning.

New England Apple Picking

A popular New England fall time tradition is apple picking.

Yes, there are apple orchards in California, and yes, there are apple orchards in Texas...

There are probably apple orchards all over the country, but it's more of a "New England" thing.

In fact, I've never been apple picking in my life until I moved here. 

The first time I ever went was last Fall, and it was at that moment that I became an "apple snob".

After tasting a delicious, crisp, sweet, and crunchy apple straight off the tree, you'll never look at or eat a regular "grocery store" apple ever again.

In fact, for several months after apple picking season was over, I refused to buy apples from the store, because "they just didn't taste the same".

It's seriously just amazing.

This weekend (since it's our second to last weekend here), we figured we would go one last time to Belkin Family Lookout Farm in Natick to go apple picking.

Lookout farm is slightly overpriced, and we paid 65 dollars total for 3 people (Mattis was free thank God), and a medium sized bag to hold our apples that cost like 20 bucks.

Honestly, there are a TON of better orchards that charge a LOT less to pick apples than Lookout Farm, but we went there out of convenience.

We picked golden delicous, shizuka, honey crisp, and asian pears.

I've never had a shizuka until yesterday, and they were DELICIOUS (well they're ALL delicious straight off the tree).

Mattis ate an entire apple by himself....

nom nom nom

You can't leave the apple orchard without purchasing some good old New England Apple Cider Donuts!!!

They're serious SOOOOOO good!

We bought just 3 (one for each of us minus the baby of course), and had them with coffee (juice for Dannika) for breakfast this morning.

I probably won't buy another apple for a few months until I forget how delicious a freshly picked apple tastes from the tree.

8 Days and a Wake Up

That's how much longer we have here in New England!!

I feel like I've been the worst blogger ever lately.

I went from posting almost daily to posting every few days.
Truth is, I have a LOT to talk about and blog about, but the excitement of our upcoming move to Texas has totally taken over me.

Today is our last Sunday at our wonderful church.

We'll have movers at our house all day next Sunday, so we won't get to go to church.

It's a little bittersweet.

I've mentioned before on my blog about how awesome our church is, and it's one of the very few things our family will truly miss about New England.

However, our last Sunday with our church family here in Massachusetts also means we're one day closer to getting back to "the promised land"....TEXAS!

I know y'all know we are excited, but I don't think I could ever quite put into words just how excited we actually are. 

We are almost closed on a GORGEOUS home, and I am so excited to redecorate and make it our home.

Can I also just shamelessly add that I am ridiculously excited to be missing the horrific winter that New England is anticipating this year?!

I've already made sure to tell my friends here that I will send them lots of pictures of our "snowless driveway" in Texas.

Looking at the home that we live in now, I realize all the color schemes and decor I choose to put up is conducive to how I felt when I first moved here.

The colors I picked out to paint our walls are dark.

When I moved here, it was so cold already, I wanted colors that would make me "feel warm", but now that I think about it, it was all about my mood....dark and depressed.

I'm sort of "not in love" anymore with this home that we are renting here in Massachusetts.

I picture our new home in Texas to be light, airy, and just full of life....exactly how my mood is as we prepare to leave New England.

As I mentioned before, this last year is when Nick and I finally "chose" to be happy and take advantage of the time that we have living here, and we've been a better couple and happier ever since.

This weekend, we spent time with our neighbors and had a garage sale to get rid of unnecessary "stuff" that I was hanging on to for no reason at all.

When it comes time to move, I always find myself wanting to throw away, get rid of, or donate EVERYTHING.

Friday night, we went over to our neighbor's house to have homemade pizza, wine, and s'mores night.

It's become a bit of a tradition every Friday, and it's something we look forward to every week.

Saturday, we had a garage sale, and managed to get rid of a lot of big items!

We got one last use out of Dannika's "ice cream stand" from her birthday party, and used it as a lemonade stand.

We grilled some ribs, and sat outside in the gorgeous weather to eat.

Like father, like son...

I hope everyone had a great weekend, and I'm looking forward to taking some down time and catching up on y'alls blogs!

Semper Fi Society

The "Semper Fi Society" is a group of Navy ROTC midshipmen who are under Marine option contracts.

(There is no such thing as Marine Corps ROTC since we are a department of the Navy)

Most colleges with an NROTC program have a Semper Fi Society.

The best way I can describe it is comparing it to a fraternity...with slightly more mature college kids with (in my humble opinion) their sights set on a selfless career after college.

The biggest thing that Nick had a hard time adjusting to when he took this assignment is the lack of junior Marines.

Junior Marines give Marine leaders purpose.

It gives leaders someone to mentor and mold.

The closest we got to adopting a group of junior Marines was the Semper Fi society.

Honestly, for the most part, they remind me of junior Marines.

The difference between a LCpl and a regular "civilian" college kid is the level of discipline and maturity that they possess.

However, LCpls are still young, impressionable, slightly less than smart, and have a level of immaturity compared to more senior Marines.

I've always said, however, I'd rather trust my life with a group of 17-19 year old LCpls than with 21-23 year old college kids.

However, the college students that are a part of the NROTC program, and specifically the Semper Fi Society, tend to have a grasp on life moreso than their peers that sit next to them in their classes.

They're just like LCpls....still young and impressionable...but with a slightly higher level of discipline than the average "Joe".

I know Nick enjoyed aspects of working closely with the Semper Fi Society, because to him, it was like mentoring his junior Marines. 

So today, a few of the members from the society threw Nick a small "hail and farewell" at a small pub right next to Boston University called Cornwall's.

We enjoyed food and drinks.

I got to meet Nick's replacement Gy and his wife.

It was a great time, and we were so appreciative that they took time out of their classes and busy schedules to come see us off.

On our way!

The gift from the SFS.

We have an insane amount of challenge coins that Nick and I have collected over the years, and our little challenge coin holder had overflowed, and we had coins just sitting on top of our bookshelf.

Emilee knew this issue we had with our coin storage, and they came up with this awesome challenge coin holder for Nick!

We also got matching BU work out shirts!

All of our coins fit and we have room for more!

The inscription on it.

We're not sad to be leaving Boston, but we are sad to say goodbye to all the wonderful people that have been a part of our lives here!

I'm sure we will run into these guys (and gals) someday in the fleet, so until next time!!!

5 Things I'll Miss About New England

We're just a couple short weeks of saying farewell to Massachusetts!!!!

I've been doing a lot of reflecting on our time here with "the end" being upon us.

I'm sure if you follow by blog, you remember all the "hate" posts and "I'm so depressed" posts that I wrote about Massachusetts when we first moved here.

To be honest, this place has grown on me slowly and steadily through all the hate and discontent I had for this place.

(It doesn't mean I can't think of about a gazillion other places I'd rather live than here.)

While, I don't foresee our family ever moving back here (unless God has a sense of humor and decides to station us here again one day), I can at least say that I am thankful for the opportunity to live here for 2 short years (and 2 looooooong winters).

I am also thankful to be leaving and moving back home to Texas for a few years.

With our time winding down here, I figured I'd write a post on the top 5 things I'm going to miss about this place...yes...there are things I will miss....(shocking, right?)

1. Our church, Connect Community Church in Ashland, MA.

Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente, CA will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the church that I was saved at, BUT Connect is a close second.

I found Connect through a Google search one evening (while having insomnia) after weeks and weeks of trying out different churches in our area and not finding one that "felt like home" to us.

We went THAT Sunday, and literally, it was "love at first sight" when we walked in.

The worship, the service, and most importantly the over abundance of such genuinely and warm people made this church absolutely amazing.

Another blessing this church has brought us is Nick's spiritual journey.

He made the decision this summer (all on his own) that he wanted to get baptized at this church before we moved.

This church had a profound impact on Nick's walk with Christ, and last Sunday evening, he "took the plunge"!

I couldn't think of a more fitting way to end our journey here in New England. 

After constantly questioning why God sent us to this frozen tundra of all the other places we could have gone. 

After some very difficult trials...through prayer, it became clear to us this year that it was for the spiritual journey.

So proud of my husband, and I'm so glad that we made it to this point in our journey together with Christ.

2. Our Neighbors

Have I ever mentioned how absolutely AMAZING our neighbors are here?!

We seriously could not have asked for better neighbors, and I feel bad for people who will never get to experience a friendship like we have with people that live around us.

They've become like family to us, and I'm honestly prepared to shed a LOT of tears when we have to say goodbye to them!

I have the type of neighbors that are a close second to our military family friends.

This Summer, I was have a particularly rough day with Nick being gone.

I walked across the street at 8 in the evening (on a weeknight) to cry, and my awesome neighbor Linda sat there and just listened to me complain and poured me a glass of wine.

Nick has become better friends with the guys around us than anywhere else in Massachusetts.

I remember last year, he literally just sat outside with our neighbor, sharing a 6 pack with him, and staring at his garden....no words were spoken....but they were just bonding.

I really could go on and on about how amazing our neighbors are, but I'll spare you the details.

3. Nick's students

For the most part, young college kids bother me.

They're entitled brats who have never done anything outside of high school, and have opinions that aren't valid.

I think that opinion comes from the fact that I've spent 10 years working with 18-19 year olds who have gone to combat and have had the responsibility of another life. 

But, these "kids" that are involved with ROTC seem to have a slightly different outlook on life in general...a teeeeeeeeeennnnyy tiiinnnnnyyy bit more mature than the average college kid (teeny tiny).

I still laugh sometimes at the stories I hear about them from Nick, and there's no doubt that they're young and are making the same poor decisions I made at that age.

 But for the most part, I've taken a liking to a few of them, and I'm gonna miss them.

4. Spring Time

Spring time in New England is my favorite time of year, hands down.

I'm used to an EXTREMELY short spring in Texas (that leads straight into 'hell like' weather in the summer).

California doesn't really have a "true spring" since it's so nice there all year long.

Living in a place with an actual 4 seasons let me experience the beauty of spring.

After a torturous winter, I absolutely love it when I hear the birds chirping, the squirrels running around, and the gorgeous mild and sunny weather.

I was "unofficially" diagnosed by the VA today as having "seasonal affective disorder"...aka...I get super sad in the winter.

So for me, after being depressed, moody, and unpleasant for 5 months, when spring time comes, it's like a rebirth of myself.

A happy "me" emerges, and it's the greatest feeling ever. 

5. Lobster Rolls and Clam Chowder

I told Nick the other night at dinner that New England has made me a "clam chowder" snob.

After eating delicious and authentic clam chowder for the last 2 1/2 years, I don't think anything else will ever compare.

I totally picture myself turning my head in disgust at Texans who try and serve me clam chowder...lol.

Same with lobster rolls....one of my favorite native New England foods.

 

So there y'all have it!

 

I was gonna do a post on things I won't miss about New England, but I realized that it would turn into a novel.

I'm grateful for our experience here, but I don't want to come back....remember, I've been unofficially clinically diagnosed with being "anti winter"...

 

And some awesome photos of my family....just cause I can...

Watching HGTV with me with his legs crossed and eating his puffs.

We went on a date night......with both kids....womp womp...

This photo is fantastic...
Just so much wrong with it...
Nick totally ignoring our son because he's busy looking at toys...
The fact that our 1 year old is standing backwards in the car unsupervised...
Or the fact that I decided to snap a photo of it instead of fix the situation...haha.

 

Thoughts From the Bus Stop

Nick and I live in a neighborhood full of million dollar homes, and we're just the little military family renting someone else's half million dollar home.

We're like little fish in a sea of sharks...at least that's what it feels like sometimes when I look out my backyard and see the giant house that was just built and sold for almost 2 million dollars.

Nick and I always joke that we live in the "poor" part of the neighborhood, when in reality, no one in this entire neighborhood is "poor".

Dannika's bus stop is one street over on a street lined with giant multimillion dollar homes.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little intimidated walking her to her bus stop on the first day.

I pictured a bunch of rich, snobby moms turning their noses up at me in disgust...especially after they would find out we're just a "lowly" military family (maybe I was exaggerating the situation a little in my head).

And the reality....

There's maybe one mom and one dad who kind of make me feel uncomfortable...like they don't "socialize" with me.

I can't help but feel like they think I'm not on "their level"...at least that's how they make me feel.

I think I'm a pretty good judge of character and can read people's facial expressions pretty well, so that's the vibe I'm getting.

As for the rest of the "bus stop parents" (as I call them), they're the nicest group of people I've ever met.

This one lady in particular started crying when she found out Nick and I were both Marines, and profusely thanked us for our service....not gonna lie...when people thank us for our service...its suuuuper awkward.

We chose to be Marines because it's what we wanted to do, and we both enjoyed it (or still enjoying it in Nick's case)...but ANYWAY....that's a whole another post.

Back to the bus stop.

This morning, this lady (the same one that cried), told me how she wished she could be 30 again.

She said, "You're all so beautiful, and you have your perfect little family with your son in his stroller every morning, and your handsome husband! Forty's gonna sneak up on ya!"

I've been thinking about that comment all day.

She's an extremely kind and beautiful lady with 3 beautiful children. 

I envy her life (not in a bad way), but she's in her 40's and lives in a gorgeous home with her husband and 3 beautiful children (between the ages of 8-13).

Her children are the sweetest kids ever, too!

When I'm 40, I don't want to wish I was 30 again.

I plan on being one of those women who will proudly tell you I'm 40, while swiftly running ahead of the 20 year olds.

I plan on being 40, and in better shape than I've ever been.

Frankly, at 30, I'm in better shape than I was between the ages of 15-25.

At 40, I'm still going to be jammin' to Iggy Azalea way too loud in my car (or whoever the next big thing is then). 

Most importantly, at 40, I hope to be living a life God intended for me with my cute little family.

I feel like at 29, something just "registered" in my brain, and I suddenly had a whole different outlook on life, and it made turning 30 FABULOUS!

I have friends that are under the age of 25, and there are times when I look at the things they are doing or saying and just smile...even though sometimes they frustrate me.

I smile because I know that one day, they'll have that same "aha" moment that I did, and it's actually kind of neat to watch them navigate through life the way I did at their age.

So to the kind lady at the bus stop...

Thank you for complimenting my family, and boosting my ego by telling me I was beautiful this morning (with my no make up face, hat, and workout gear on).

But honestly, I envy you, and I hope that 10 years from now, I'll have grown children as beautiful and kind as yours and a life in a beautiful home just like yours.

Fingers crossed that Nick decides to retire within the next 10 years, of course...

On the way to the bus stop this morning...

I LOVE this outfit! Everything from H&M, shoes Sperry Topsider, & flower headband from "Tarjais"

And because I can't let you go without a few photos of my son...

When he wakes up from his nap, I like to talk to him through the baby monitor and confuse him.

It's pretty hilarious to watch him try and figure out where my voice is coming from! haha!

Sequence of events...

"Can you open this bag of coffee beans for me, mom?"

 "No, son. put it back."

 "You're the worst mom ever!"

Oh, you know...just unloading the dishwasher for me...

Just Another Day...

As I sit here in front of my computer today, I reflect on our family's last 13 years.

Obviously, Nick and I have not been together 13 years, but 13 years ago was a moment the redefined our lives until today.

I spent 10 years in the Marine Corps never knowing what a "peace time Marine Corps" is like.

I pray that, at the least, Nick gets to experience a "peace time Marine Corps" before he retires.

Can you imagine spending 20+ years in an organization that has constantly been at war?

I can't imagine it, but watching the news, it seems like it could very possibly be a reality for our family.

For some families, like my "soul sister" London, September 11th is the reason her brother Vincent went to war in Afghanistan one year, and came home in a flag draped casket.

Almost a decade after the initial attacks...

I can't imagine how a day like today must feel like for her and her family.

I know it's taken several years for Nick to finally be able to grieve and mourn the loss of his friend and brother.

So today, I lived my day like I would any other day.

I packed my daughter's lunch, dropped her off at the bus stop, came home, and played with my son.

I went to the gym, and when I felt like my knees were going to give out on me, I thought about Vince, and I kept going.

I posted on my Instagram this photo today...

With this quote...

"We Marines are truly blessed. We get to enjoy the sweet taste of freedom because we know its' price." -Marine veteran and NY fireman John Chipura

And really, it's not just Marines...it's every service member.

 It was a quote by a Marine, and I thought it was fitting for us because we're a Marine family.

Honestly, I talk to London pretty regularly and we always end up talking about Vince.

Every time Mattis does something crazy, I text her to ask her, "is this something Vince would do?! I'm pretty sure Vince is channeling himself through our son!!! poor me!"

So today was no different than any other day.

I thought about London, her family, and Vince...just like I do every day....every day when I look at my son....

I hope that one day, we can sit down and talk about the tragic events of 9/11 with Mattis.

I hope that one day, Nick will take Mattis hunting and tell him happy stories about Vince.

And I hope that we can raise our son to be just as brave and courageous as Vince was...

Home Buying...again.

 When we moved to Massachusetts, we chose against buying a house because most of the houses out here are SO OLD, and the newer ones are like a million dollars...(totally not joking or exaggerating!).

We chose to rent, and although we have been blessed to have a home in an AMAZING neighborhood (that we could never afford to BUY in)....

Renting a home sucks....bottom line.

I just feel like I'm throwing my money away every month, and it sucks not to be able to really make the house feel like a home.

I feel like anything I want to do to make it MY home, I have to get permission from the landlord, or I'm tip toeing around our rental agreement.

I also realized that we don't take as great care of the home as we would if it were our own.

Not saying we are treating the house like crap, but little things that we would pay special attention to in a home that we own don't get much love in our rental.

When we found out we were moving to Texas for a few years, there was no doubt in our minds that we would be purchasing our second home there.

With our PCS coming up in the next month, we've been house hunting via Facetime with our realtor (and a little help from some friends!).

I forgot how stressful house hunting can be...especially not being able to see the house in person and having 100% faith in your realtor.

People think we're crazy for buying a house "site unseen".

For some reason, I'm not really freaked out.

I guess being a military family, I've know many families who buy homes before they PCS somewhere new without actually SEEING the home in person.

But then again, when has military life seemed normal to ANY civilian?!

 

Currently, we have an offer in on a home that we are moving forward on.

It's actually the third time we've put in an offer on two different homes.

The first time, our offer wasn't accepted, so we moved onto another house.

Our offer was accepted on the second house, but I had my heart really set on the first one.

I had already fallen in love with it, and even though we were moving forward on another home, I kept hoping the first one would become available again.

Lo and behold!! Our realtor called us to let us know that the original house we wanted was back on the market.

We backed out of our second contract, and went back to the first one.

So here we are...just hoping everything moves smoothly until closing, and keeping our fingers crossed for nothing crazy to happen.

 

I just can't wait to move, and be in our own home again!

And neither can this girl!

 

Have you ever bought a home "site unseen"?

 

 

Meet Me In St. Louie, Louie...

I realized when I logged into the blog that I haven't blogged since Tuesday!

Unheard of...for me at least...

I have no excuses!

Sorry.

This last weekend, Nick and I attended a wedding in St. Louis, MO...SANS KIDDOS!!

Yep...we left the kids to fend for themselves with Lt. Brown (who drove up from CT) and Miss Emiliee (our house guest from the beginning of the summer) at our home.

They were in excellent hands, and it gave Nick and I peace of mind knowing that we could relax and enjoy our weekend without worrying about our kids...too much.

One of my best friends, Becca and her husband (who was stationed with Nick and deployed to Afghanistan together twice), is from St. Louis originally, and through them, we met the bride and groom, Jen and Charlie (who was also stationed on Camp Pendleton when we all met).

Charlie eventually finished active duty and joined the reserves, and moved out to South Carolina where he found a job, and Jen followed him across the country.

Obviously, they eventually got engaged which brought us to our weekend in St. Louis.

I'll sum up our weekend in photos...

Of course, Becca picked us up from the airport!

And of course she came bearing fresh homemade "Sarah's Brownies" (as we named them).

These caramel filled brownies became a famous and popular staple at all of our BBQ's when we all lived in California.

They're named "Sarah's Brownies", because she was the first to make them and bring them to a BBQ.

Rehearsal Dinner pics.

It's seriously been like 3 years since we've seen each other in person, but it was like we had never been separated!

We're not drunk in this photo either!!!!!!! 

We seriously can laugh for days together!

Nick, the groom, and the groom's friend whom Nick and I decided to nickname "the Wolverine".

Leaving the hotel for the wedding...gorgeous day!

Nick was asked to be part of the sword arch.

Of course being the only drill instructor of the bunch, he dusted off the old drill manual to execute a flawless sword arch detail.

Here's the video of the official sword arch.

Absolutely gorgeous church.

Nick and Becca's husband drinking a beer before the wedding outside the church...

yep...check that one off the bucket list...drink beer outside of catholic church...CHECK!

They were so happy to be able to hang out again together after being apart for so long.

(Becca and Steve are now stationed in Alabama)

The boys in the limo on the way to church.

The gorgeous bride and her dad walking down the aisle.

The happy groom waiting on his bride :)

So after the wedding, the bride and groom had a trolley (in true St. Louis fashion) drive the wedding party around St. Louis to take photos in front of some of the famous landmarks around town.

I was actually hoping that I'd get to see the famous Arch before leaving St. Louis, so I'm SO glad that we got to see it!

It's bigger in person!

Trolley ride.

And because we're in St. Louis, we had to drink their native beer...

I absolutely love this photo!

It's St. Louis' 250th birthday, and to commemorate the occasion, the city put out 250 of these these giant random cakes throughout the city!

And of course the wedding reception...

I don't know why Charlie looks so disgusted to have two beautiful women kissing him on the cheeks!

Always so serious, these two...

So we got to our table at the reception, and I was thinking, "why isn't anyone sitting down?"

And in true gentlemen fashion, these fine Marines told me that they were waiting on the ladies to sit down first...I forgot that we had left Massachusetts and were in the friendly midwest :)

Post wedding fun and dancing.

The gorgeous bride and I.

I sure do miss our wine nights at Becca's house in San Diego, and hanging out with all of our friends!

And this lovely gal...

I sure do miss wine nights at YOUR house when our guys were deployed, and ALL the BBQ's you used to host.

I miss your comfy guest room bed, and home made cinnamon rolls for breakfast in the mornings at your house! 

Maybe we'll be stationed together again one day and resume our regular BBQ's!

The wedding was beautiful, St. Louis was a blast, and Nick and I soaked up every minute of being "kid free" for an entire weekend.

By Sunday morning, I was exhausted beyond words, but I couldn't get to the airport fast enough to be home with my babies again.