My Favorite Things

A lot going on in my mind lately, and lots of reflecting on life.

Last week, two Marine helicopters were in involved in an accident with 12 Marines aboard.

After a week of intense searching in choppy waters, the search was suspended with none of our 12 Marine brothers recovered. 

I am an empath.

Especially when it comes to matters of my fellow Marines being injured or killed, my heart literally breaks.

I have been praying so hard lately for the families, and just asking God to give their families comfort in their heart.

I know it's easier said than done, but I've been praying that they put all their grief on Him.

One of the Marines is an Aggie...in fact, him and his wife are both Aggies, and they have four children.

His family lives here in College Station and attend a local church that we have many friends that attend and are affiliated with.

When something hits so close to home, it feels like my own family member...and actually, since once you become a Marine, you adopt several hundred thousand brothers and sisters....they are family.

Major Campbell was one of the pilots of the helicopters in the accident.

I have been replaying what might have...could have...happened during his flight.

I keep thinking about his wife and kids, and what their last words were to each other.

Did they tell each other "I love you" before he left for work that day?

Or were they so overwhelmed with life and raising kids that they just assumed he'd be home the next day....and never said I love you or goodbye...

Maybe when he left for work, they were irritated with each other, and didn't say anything....

Lord knows that there have been many days when I have sent Nick off to work or class without saying anything because I was irritated, in a bad mood, or just in a hurry.

All these thoughts have been flooding my mind....

I've made it a point these last few days to say "I love you" to Nick and the kids more than usual.

I've tried to hug them more and love on them more.

I've given "nuggles" to my babies...even when they seem annoyed with my over affection

If God calls me home today, I just want the last memory that my husband and kids have of me is of love, positivity, and laughter.

So today...

I decided to post a few photos that make me happy...

Some things that make me smile...

At 31 years old, my dream of attending Texas A&M is a reality.

I pinch myself, because I figured with Nick's career, there'd be no way in hell I'd ever get to come here.

But here I am....

In my Hunter rainboots on a rainy day on campus....

Even with the drizzle, and millions of miles I have to walk around campus...

I am so grateful for the opportunity to come here, and have a shot at my own Aggie bling!

My sister got me these adorable soap dish and measuring spoons for Christmas.

She knows my taste so well...

I LOVE technology.

I love my iPhone.

But I HATE digital calendars.

I like a good old fashioned planner.

I found this gem at Target for a few bucks, and it's been a lifesaver.

I've got all my assignments and papers that are due written in it from my syllabi, and all my "mom duties" written in it.

I love looking at a snapshot of my month.

This little boy is officially in his "terrible twos".

Some days, Nick and I want to scratch our eyes out.

But when he wants "nuggles" and when he asks us to pray for him...

We can't help but fall in love with him more and more each day.

I love his curiosity of the world around him, and his eagerness to explore it.

Celebratory drink after completing my first week as a full time Aggie!

Cause sometimes...Nick and I can be cheesy....

I do 95% of the cooking.

I love you, Nick, but your cooking is less than.....

BUT...

He can BBQ and smoke some meat like no other...

AND...

He makes a mean homemade pizza!

Just call him Chef Nick....

This is a deer sausage pizza with bell peppers and jalapeño pizza. 

DIVINE...

This sweet daughter of mine.

Birthday party shenanigans this weekend.

I got together with some ladies last night at Painting with a Twist.

It's one of those places where you get step by step instructions with an actual artist to paint a canvas masterpiece.

And you get to drink wine while doing it!

I actually won a free wine glass because I got to most "likes" on Facebook for my painting with a twist selfie!

Thanks to all of y'all who liked my photo!

Here we are with our masterpieces!

 My handy husband found a new hobby!

He hand makes these rustic wooden flags, and sells them!

He donates 10% of the proceeds to the Semper fi fund in his buddy SSgt Vincent Bell's name.

(Vince gave his life heroically in Iraq)

And of course...a photo of my love and me...in our natural state.

Hug your loved ones today...

Hug them every day...

Tell them you love them, and like the cliché goes...

"Live every day as if it were your last....full of love, laughter, and positivity."

Happy Sunday y'all!

Last Weeks as a Family of 3

I am really enjoying the Summer weather here in New England.

As a Texas girl, I'm used to scorching hot Summers with ridiculous humidity.

Of course I was spoiled rotten the last 10 years living in Southern California with gorgeous temperatures all year round!

But New England has a different kind of Summer.

The afternoons and evenings provide a nice cool Summer breeze, and even when it's "really hot", it doesn't really feel like it.

Our neighbor's cherry tomato garden :)
Just a happy reminder of nice weather.

I am thankful for this nice Summer weather seeing as how I am in the last few weeks of my pregnancy.

I'm at the totally miserable stage.

Little man is really cramped in my tummy, and he is making sure to use every single bit of space my body has to be comfortable.

In turn, I feel like my insides are bruised!

My 37 week baby bump pic, and yes, I am still rocking my heels! 

I don't have any swelling this pregnancy, so my feet still fit in my regular shoes!

As we anticipate the arrival of our son, we've just been trying to spend as much quality time together as a family of 3.

My sweet baby girl will only be an only child for just a few more weeks, so we want to give her our undivided attention!
Even if it means playing XBox together on a Saturday morning with daddy :-)

She's been enjoying the summer playing outside and playing "princesses" with her best friend (our next door neighbor).

My outdoors loving husband has been enjoying being outside and finding random odd jobs to do around the house.
He cut down two HUMONGOUS bushes last weekend that had grown uncontrollably since we had moved in.
I can finally see out the window now without a huge bush blocking the entire thing, and I can finally get some good natural sunlight into the house!

Cute little bird's nest that fell out of the giant bushes hubby cut down.

Speaking of nests, I also have no sort of "nesting instinct" like I did with D.

I really just want to lay around all day with my feet up, or playing with D.

The baby's nursery is still not complete, and I'm really not stressin'.

I did end up buying some canvases from Michael's this last weekend to start some last minute art projects for his nursery.

Here's a sneak peek...

I can't wait to post pics when the nursery is finally complete!

It'll probably be another few months before it's completely finished...

And another reminder that Summer is nearing an end...
Back to school shopping.
We took D to the mall to get some school shoes for preschool.
Little Nikes :-)

 Little Sperrys :-)
I seriously want a sparkly pair JUST like hers!

I'm a little sad Summer is coming to end soon, and I am definitely not looking forward to another New England winter.
But I'm excited about Fall, all things pumpkin, and of course meeting our new little man :-)

Acts of Kindness

Surprise!

The "Mayan Apocalypse" failed to happen.

I thought it was funny how people were getting all freaked out about it.

I'm not gonna lie, all the hype with 12-21-12 sometimes had ME second guessing myself...just bein' honest!

We all know that only HE knows when the REAL "apocalypse" will happen.

Now that D is old enough to comprehend general concepts, I really wanted to emphasize what CHRISTmas is REALLY about.

She has plenty of gifts under our Christmas tree from "Santa", us, family, and friends, but I want her to understand that it's not about the gifts.

I've been doing a lot of talking about Christmas, and how it is a time to celebrate Jesus' birthday by showing others love, compassion, and humility.

For the last few weeks, there has been a ton of ruckus and noise during the day behind my house.

There is a new house being built, and it's been quite a pain to start hearing construction at "zero dark thirty" in the morning.

This morning, we woke up to a freezing and hailing New England day.

It was one of those days that we decided we wanted to just sit at home in our jammies and not go outside.

I looked outside my backyard in my cozy home, in my cozy jammies, and my hot cup of coffee.

There they were.

The construction guys.

In the freezing, raining, hailing weather working so hard.

I looked over at Nick and suggested we go to Dunkin Donuts and get them a "box of joe".

I'm sure on his first day off of work, the last thing he wanted to do on a cold and rainy day was leave the comfort of our home.

He gave me a funny look and asked, "Why?"

I reminded him about Christmas, and how I was teaching Dannika random acts of kindness.

It didn't take much convincing, and we were out the door to go to DD to get some "joe" for the construction workers.

I know at first, Nick felt inconvenienced to do this random act of kindness on a crappy weather day, AND it was his first day off of work.

His attitude totally changed when I made him take the coffee to the guys.

He came back in with a smile, and told me how thankful they were and how surprised they looked that a stranger would do something for them.

Last year, D and I bought a 20 dollar gift card for our favorite grocery checker at Von's, and ever since that day, she became one of our friends.

Random acts of kindness.

Who knows what can come out of it?

A new friend?

Maybe just a good feeling that you made someone's day?

In the end, that's what Jesus was about.

Doing good things for other people without judgment or hesitation.

What a wonderful world we would live in if EVERYONE lived as He did.

And here is D's annual Santa picture :-)

 

"I Love Unpacking..."

Said no one ever...(except a certain military wife who told me she actually enjoys it...weirdo!)

Our house is slowly starting to feel more "homey".

The process has taken a lot longer than I had anticipated due to the amount of painting that we needed to do.

It doesn't help that I am deathly ill...I'm seriously not exaggerating this either!
I feel like a 7-ton is sitting on my face (I know you appreciate the military jargon), and I am getting the most killer ab work out from all this coughing I've been doing (my abs seriously hurt when I laugh).

I think the stress of painting our old house in California, moving, going to Texas, coming to Boston, climate changes, and everything in between finally caught up to me.
My body is screaming at me to just rest.
It's been so weird sending Nick off to work every morning, and I'm staying home.
I'm not used to it.
I've been a working career mom for the last 3 1/2 years, and for the last 10 years, I have not had a chance to even slow down and take a break!
I honestly don't know what to do with all this time I have during the day.
I had all these aspirations and visions of doing fun crafty things all day with Dannika and spending copious amounts of time with her, but it's been far from that.
With being sick and having so much to do around the house, my poor toddler has been stuck in front of the TV most of the day....go ahead....judge me! 
I feel bad for her, but I barely have the strength or energy to make sure she is fed!
*No worries though. Before you decide to call CPS on me, my daughter has been fed healthy and nutritious meals* :-D
I can say that I have thoroughly enjoyed having dinner on the stove every night before my hubs gets home.
Even in the unhealthy state that I am in right now, I honestly just love seeing my husband's hungry face when he gets home from a long day at work.
It's probably not a big deal to most people, but to me, it is a huge sense of duty as a wife to feed my man a real home cooked meal every night.
Call me old-fashioned.
I call myself a loving wife who has an awesome husband that works hard so that I don't HAVE to work.

Other than that, New England life is something I am still adjusting to, and I am sure it will not happen overnight.
I'm lonely most days because I don't know anyone, and since I'm not totally familiar with the area yet, I don't feel comfortable venturing out yet.
I'm sure things will change once I start feeling better.
My skin and my body are going through weather shock, and it has actually snowed already.
Our family is struggling to find a church to call home, and it's just another added stress.
I was hoping that we would get plugged in right away so that I could start making friends, but it hasn't happened.
Please pray for us that we find a church soon!

This is the rock sitting outside of Nick's office.

Dozer's first day home. D was so excited.

Our neighborhood! God has truly blessed us an amazing home in an area that we would normally never be able to afford!!

Gettin' ready to go outside and play!

Christmas lights

I have managed to do a few fun crafty things with Dannika....like this felt Christmas tree!

Snow!

Painting.

Playing with the falling snow flurries!

My hubby is the best. 

the view from my back porch this morning. 

THREE, TRES, SAM, TROIS!

Well...we are at week THREE!

Again....

The weeks are FLYING.

Work has been insane with stupid Marines doing stupid things...like drinking and driving...drugs...and domestic violence.

It's just been really bad lately, so I've spent the week sitting in briefs and formations about these things.

I got to have my FIRST skype date last sunday with Nick!!!

I was so excited!

Check him out...

What a handsome guy, huh?

And Dannika and I went on our 4TH SUNDRIED TOMATO DATE!!!

I love how the staff ALL know us now, and everytime we leave, they always tell us, "See you next weekend!"

The weekly "table note" for Nick...it actually hasn't been a month yet, but we've been there 4 times since he's left, and to me...that's a month!!!!

This is the infamous "silly face" or "funny face" (whichever she feels like calling it)

I'm so glad that Nick joined us today. I was really starting to miss him.

I've kept up with my weekly care packages.

I've been working out the way I did before last November hit....crossfit, weights, elliptical...6 times a week, and on my rest day, I put Dannika in the jogging stroller and walk 6 miles.

I have not had any red meat since the boys left.

I had chicken once (at my friend's Scentsy party).

I feel great!

I have started inquiring about a custom closet makeover.

And Dannika has only had ONE accident in her big girl panties (she was potty trained the day before Nick left).

Next weekend, I am painting a wall in my house and doing this cool thing to my hallway that I saw on pinterest. 

I get sad every once in a while cause I feel like I don't get to talk to Nick as much as some of the other wives (except for Becca...she's heard from her man the least out of everyone), but Dannika has been keeping me so busy, I don't have time to go into depression about it....lol.

I have yet to spend time with my girlfriends like I planned on. 

Work has just been tiring me out.

Work, the Marine Corps, single motherhood, and everything else that comes with that.

Either way,

I am blessed beyond belief, and I never stop counting my blessings.

Hope everyone had a blessed week...

"If you don't love a Marine....Raise your standards!"

(a funny bumper sticker I saw)

Week 2 Down

The days are LITERALLY flying by.

It's totally strange because the last deployment, one day seemed like eternity!

I think it has to do with how busy work has been keeping me and how busy my toddler has kept me.

We went on our THIRD Sundried Tomato brunch.

I look forward to it every week.

I look forward to it so much in fact that I decline invitations from friends to do lunch on Saturday.

I am determined to keep this tradition up until Nick comes home...rain or shine!

Nick finally received his first care package I sent him!

I can finally post a pic of a "Romer" care package.

I actually do a lot more to it than the picture deceives....but I have to have a couple secrets that I get to keep to myself.

Afterall, Nick was the envied Marine of his last deployment because of my few little care package tricks :-)

Maybe I'll share some of those later into the deployment. 

I'm gonna be a little selfish though and let Nick bask in "envyness" from his fellow teufels...lol.

I also found this adorable poem:
Dear Lord,
Give me greatness of heart to see,
The difference between duty and his love for me.
Give me understanding so that i may know,
When duty calls him, he must go.
Give me a task to do each day,
To fill the time when he's away.
When he's in a foreign land,
Keep him safe in your loving hand.
And lord, when duty is in the field,
Please protect him and be his shield.
And Lord, when deployment is so long,
Please stay with me and keep me strong.
Amen.

Message #3 at the Sundried Tomato

 My bangs were all in my face in this pic. Shoulda had the host retake the photo. Oh well!

My Valentine's Day care package. I'll post more pics of my other ones as my husband receives them!