Thanksgiving Again with the Kims

I've been a horrible, horrible blogger.

Sorry y'all!

Classes have been kicking my butt, and if you have ever taken macro econ, you understand my level of pain this semester.

Seriously...I don't get why ANYONE would want to major in econ?!

I am done with finals, turned in my last research paper, and finally have a chance to breathe.

I figured I'd catch up on my blog, and update y'all on life.

If you follow me on Instagram (@domesticatedcombatboots), I pretty much overshare my life on there, so you don't need too much of an update on my crazy life. 

I figured I'd update y'all on my Thanksgiving!

I say it all the time, but Nick and I are so GRATEFUL to be stationed here in my hometown because of things like the holidays. 

Being a short drive away from my parent's house and extended family has been a blessing.

When we were stationed in California and Massachusetts, we rarely came home for the holidays. Flights were ridiculously expensive, and holiday travel is hectic and stressful with kids.

It's so nice to be able to wake up, go to the gym, shower, pack a few outfits, and drive on over to mom and dad's house for a few days.

We can leave whenever we want, and we get to see all our family!

WIN WIN!

We kicked off Thanksgiving week with Dannika's school's annual "Grandparent's Day".

My dad was working, but my mom got to come up and spend the day with Dannika at her school.

Dannika's Principal and my mama! My little sister and her daughter were best friends in high school and were cheerleaders together! She even went on a trip to South Korea with us the year I graduated from high school!

Me and my little pilgrim

Reading to her Gigi

Reciting a Thanksgiving skit!

Mattis always finds a way to make himself right at home in his sister's classroom. He got her teacher to give him a juice from her fridge, and conned some of the kids to read books to him.

Now onto Thanksgiving in Houston with the Kim Family!

Nick shot a buck a few weeks ago, and we decided to smoke the backstrap for Thanksgiving with my family!

My mom marinated it with Korean bulgogi marinade. It was heavenly!

On our way to Papa and GiGi's house! Cowgirl boots and all!

Dinner with the fam at our favorite Thai restaurant in Houston, Thai Gourmet!

Visited Grandma Kim

Mattis and his Papa. The turkey must have got to him.

My "baby cousin" Sophie

My Aunt Sharon

We typically do a Korean/American Thanksgiving....traditional turkey with all the fixings, and of course a ton of Korean side dishes!

Nick's friend from the Marine Corps, Tom. They served in Iraq together, and whenever we come down to Houston, we always get together with him.

Hanging out at GiGi's

My pretty cousins and me.

My mama has a little mini tree that she lets Dannika decorate!

It's Dannika's favorite thing to do!

I hope y'all had an amazing Thanksgiving and got to spend it with people you love and care about!

We are truly grateful to get to spend time with our family, as we know that most military family's are rarely afforded an opportunity to be stationed near "home".

American Museum of the G.I.

It's a chilly Saturday here in Texas.

I use the word "chilly" lightly.

My New England friends would probably laugh at what I am considering "chilly".

Saturdays are usually pretty busy for our family during Aggie football season.

Between games, tailgates, and hunting season, we never have any down time.

Today was a pretty low key day, and we decided to take the kids to our local military museum here in College Station.

As a Marine Corps family, it's really important for us to instill patriotism and the value of service to  country to our kids.

This museum was just another perfect way for our kids to see "up close and person" what the military is really all about. 

Funny story...

We told Dannika we were gonna go look at "tanks".

She thought we meant "fish tanks", and asked us what kind of fish we would see....lol.

You know when we see a Marine poster, it becomes a photo op.

If y'all didn't know, Nick is an artilleryman by trade in the Marine Corps.

When he saw the display of this 105mm Howitzer (M2A1), he was OVER THE MOON.

He showed/taught Dannika how it worked.

Afterwards, I asked him if he missed the gun line, to which he promptly responded, "yes".

A WW2 era replica pistol

You know you have two Marine parents when the first thing you're taught about guns is weapons safety...

"Keep your finger straight and off the trigger until you are ready the fire."

General Vandegrift's great nephew (Lt Vandegrift) and me. 

For those who aren't familiar with Marine history, General Vandegrift was the 18th Commandant of the Marine Corps.

He even has a big street named after him on Camp Pendleton!

*Side note...Doesn't he look like Christopher Walken?!?!*

They had a book signing there today, and I HAD to get Nick this book for Christmas.

The author is an former Aggie named Colonel Woodall....

From tamupress.com...

"Every Medal of Honor represents a story of gallantry, courage, and sacrifice. Conceived in the early 1860s, the Medal of Honor, awarded “in the name of the Congress of the United States,” has been presented to more than 3,000 members of the United States armed forces. Seven of the 464 Medals of Honor awarded during World War II went to Texas Aggies.

Author James R. Woodall, a 1950 graduate of Texas A&M University and a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, carried out a dedicated search of archives, family collections, and scores of other resources to gather, for the first time, the complete stories of these seven courageous men.

 Texas Aggie Medals of Honor will undoubtedly be of great interest to former students of Texas A&M University, members of the Corps of Cadets, and others associated with the university and its distinguished tradition of military training and service. But the book will also hold great appeal, in the words of one advance reader, “to those interested in the nation’s highest award for valor and the individual stories of ordinary men who did extraordinary things when confronted by life-threatening situations in combat.”

 “ . . . a fast moving narrative of short, thoughtful portraits of the lives of seven World War II Texas Aggie Medal of Honor recipients. . . has meaning for readers both inside and outside the Texas Aggie Nation, and they will certainly grasp Woodall’s admiration for these seven men and appreciate his tenacious research into their histories.”—Southwestern Historical Quarterly

JAMES R. WOODALL ’50 holds, among other awards, the Silver Star and three Bronze Stars. Following his tenure as commandant of cadets at Texas A&M University, Colonel Woodall retired from the U.S. Army and presently makes his home in College Station."

 

Hope everyone's weekend is amazing so far!

We are ending our Saturday watching the Aggues  BTHO Vanderbilt!

Friday Thoughts

It's the last weekend before Thanksgiving.

Seriously...

Where did November go?

\\They say time flies when you're having fun//

I can't complain about how much I have been loving life in Texas.

This is definitely going to be one of the hardest duty stations to leave when it is time to move.

Southern California was tough to leave, but after being separated from Nick for a year, it made it easier knowing that we would finally be together under one roof again...even if it had to be Massachusetts.

So here are some Friday Thoughts...

Some deep thoughts and some "not so deep" thoughts...

****It was tough being a Christian in Massachusetts where it's not "popular", but finding an amazing home church (Connect Community Church) made it easy.

It's way easier being a Christian in Texas where there is a church on every corner, and EVERYONE literally goes to church on Sundays.

BUT....

The toughest place ever to be a Christian is the internet...Facebook to be exact. 

I find it harder and harder every day to bite my tongue as people bash my God and make a mockery of Him and Christianity.***

It was never supposed to be easy to be Christian.

John 15:18-19 

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

 ****I can't believe that I have a 6 year old who reads chapter books. I'm pretty sure I was still trying to figure out Chicka Chicka Boom Boom in 1st grade.****

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body." -Joseph Addison 

 ****This awesome .50 cal round is a bottle opener made by a company called "Bottle Breacher". If you ever watch Shark Tank on ABC, they were featured on the show and made a deal with Kevin O'Leary. I love this company because 1) Their product is absolutely amazing, high quality, and just plain cool 2) They employ veterans, reservists, and active duty service members and 3) The CEO is a former Navy Seal himself!

A a short story about how awesome this company is...

I posted this photo of me holding Nick's bottle breacher on Instagram and complained that it was unfair that Nick had his own, and I did not. The company contacted me via IG that day and offered one to me "on the house" to thank me for my service and to thank me for being such a supportive Marine wife to my active duty husband. I kindly refused, to which Eli (the CEO) insisted it was "on them". I asked if they would personalize one for a Gold Star mom (SSgt Vincent Bell's mom),and of course they obliged. They literally had it shipped to her home within a week!

Go get you one....go get two, three!!! THEY'RE AMAZING!

 

So there are my Friday thoughts!

I hope y'all have an amazing weekend, and if you're in Central Texas, enjoy the little "cold front" we're getting.

And if you're in Massachusetts, you can laugh at our "cold front"....the high is in the 50's and people here in good ole Texas will probably be busting out their Uggs.  

Fall Photos

There are a few times throughout the year that put a lot of stress on our marriage.

Hanging new stuff on the wall...

It's usually poor Nick on a ladder with a hammer and nail while I change my mind a million times how I want one dang picture frame to be hung.

Look behind anything hanging on our wall in our home, and there is guaranteed to be at least 3 holes behind it.

It usually ends up in an argument.

Hanging up Christmas lights...

Again...

Nick on a ladder, but this time much higher in the air with a string of lights while I impatiently yell at him from the ground on how he is hanging them up ALL WRONG.

BTW, I am usually enjoying a glass of wine while my poor husband is sweating profusely (in 40 degree weather) trying to hang Christmas lights on our super slanted roof.

Argument ensues...

Annual family photos...

I am a teeny tiny bit of a control freak.

I start stressing about what we're all going to wear, if it matches, if it's TOO "matchy matchy", is Nick gonna gel his hair, what bow is going in Dannika's hair, and how the hell are we gonna get Mattis to freaking smile for once?!

This year was no different...

However, thanks to Michelle of Michelle Voigt Photography, she made the whole photoshoot smooth, quick, and painless.

Just how we like it.

Here are a few of the amazing shots she got!

I am keeping the one I chose for our Christmas cards a secret until after Thanksgiving.

So y'all will just have to wait!

And lastly...

Who doesn't love an awkward school yearbook photo????

Here she is, folks!

Dannika Jane's 1st grade yearbook photo.

"Isn't she lovely...." 

I surely can not be the only person who struggles with things like Christmas lights in a marriage?!

Right?!?!

Is It Friday?

Oh, you mean to tell me it's only Monday?

I have a big research paper due for my English lit class, but because the future of my children's teeth are more important than my education, I am putting off English lit today for blogging.

D & M both had dental appointments this morning, and it screwed up my brain for school.

It was Mattis' very first dentist appointment, and the chair freaked him out, so the sweet dentist ended up doing his check up with him sitting on my lap.

I must say how impressed I was with Brazos Valley Pediatric Dentistry!

Cartoons on the ceiling at every chair, video games and toys around every corner, toy dispensing machines....

Why can't adult dental practices do that?!

I'd definitely be a little more excited about going to see the devil dentist.

So let's do a little weekend recap, shall we?

Do you own a Yeti tumbler, yet?

If no, WHY NOT?!

Quick story:

On the morning of Dannika's field trip, I put ice and Diet Dr. Pepper into my Yeti tumbler at 8am.

2 hour drive to the zoo...ice still in tact and drink still nice and cold.

Left the cup in my friend's car from 10 until 1...ice STILL in tact and drink still nice and cold...after sitting in a car on a warm sunny day for almost 3 hours!

Drove home, got home around 330, and the ice was JUST beginning the melt, and my drink was STILL cold.

That SEVEN hours that my ice did not melt in this cup!

It is truly an amazing cup, and totally worth every penny!

I decided to get mine personalized, and had my friend Melissa at Expressivecuts.com make me a glittery pink version of the decal I have on my car.  

 On Friday night, Nick, some Marines, and some veterans from the Marine Corps League were invited to the opening ceremony of our local Christmas light park, Santa's Wonderland.

We hit up College Station's locally famous Layne's for dinner afterwards!

Do you have a significant other who hunts?

I do.

You know what that means?

From October until winter is pretty much over, early mornings and afternoons are spent alone while my husband sits in a tree stand for hours at a time.

Dannika has been DYING to go with Nick, so this weekend, he got her all "real tree'ed" out and took her out for a little bit.

She was over the moon.

Nick finally shot his first buck of the season late yesterday afternoon.

I was hoping this meant I'd have him home for a little while the next few weekends.

But nope.

It has just fed into his habit, and he has been wanting to kill this 12 pt buck he has spotted on his trail cam. 

So until he gets that 12pt, I will continue to spend many lonely mornings and afternoons.

Our neighborhood at its' annual Fall Festival on Saturday afternoon, so we took the kids.

They had an absolute blast, and even better, it was walking distance from our house!

Dannika rock climbing (still in her hunting boots!).

Insert turtle emoji here....

Our weekend was a blast, and it was also the last Aggie home game!

Thank goodness they won!!!!!!

As much as I love me some Aggie football, by this time in the season, I'm pretty exhausted from all the tailgates and games!

I need me a break!

Hope y'all had an amazing weekend!

Here's to another 5 days until the weekend!