Our Random, Fun Life!

My husband might be the one person who knows all of my secrets. Even those I consider to be my closest of friends and family have some gaps in their information. Some might say that I am a secretive person or guarded person. But today is one day where I would like to share some information, some information that I did not share earlier until I got the word from my mom that it would be ok. We had known for a couple of weeks that my dad was going to the doctor’s this morning to find out why he was having so much difficulty eating. I had done some research, but didn’t really think much of it. At 11:47 am today, I got the call from my dad. I started out the conversation as usual with the, “hey, how are you?” The reply was not one I was prepared to hear. He told me that he wasn’t good and that the doctor’s said that he had esophageal cancer. He and my mom were headed to get more tests and information. My sister, living in Maryland, joined my parents and kept me in the

Second visit with Santa didn't go so well  When you grow up, you follow the traditions of your family. But what about when you get married? When Adam and I were first married (2009), we spent Christmas with my parents in Annapolis. I was just pregnant with our oldest. We didn't have any traditions of our own, so we followed my parents' traditions. In the summer of the next year, our daughter was born. But once again at Christmas time (2010), we ventured to Annapolis. We once again followed the traditions of my family. Now before I get too much further, let me just say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my family's traditions. I loved them growing up and I still do. We've incorporated a lot into our Christmas this year in fact. The next year (2011) was our first year of spending Christmas at our house. We didn't go to my parents' house until after Christmas. It was a departure from the norm and something we weren't at all used to. We'

Don't jump to conclusions, this isn't about what you probably think it's about. When you are in the military, one of the easiest things to decide every day is what to wear. That's probably in part because what you wear is decided for you. You start the morning in your PTs (physical training) with reflective belt and they change into the uniform of the day. Most days, your uniform is ACUs . Other times, you wear ASUs . The military has everything all laid out for you. They tell you what to wear to work out in, down to the length of the sock and the color of reflective belt. With ACUs, they tell you where to put patches, which arm unit insignia goes on, and which cover (patrol cap or beret) to wear. With ASUs, they tell you which neck wear to put on depending on time of day, where to put medals, what neck wear for time of day, and which cover (beret or service cap) to wear. And if you ever forget where something goes, they have a book with a ruler to help you put

When I woke up this morning, I thought that today was going to be a regular Tuesday. I got up and got dressed, got the kids dressed, packed Payton's snack in her backpack, poured Payton some milk and got her breakfast, and then got in the car to take Payton to preschool. I went to the gym to work my co-op shift and then worked out while Austin remained in the room to play. We then went to the PX to get a Go Army! Beat Navy! flag for my dad for his office, and then we went to get Payton from preschool. On the way home, Adam calls. The day took a turn that I wasn't expecting. Adam heard from the vet today and found out that Chance's mast cell tumor was Stage 2 and that he needs to see the oncologist to figure out what to do next. The cancer cells have spread to his lymph nodes so he will either need to undergo chemotherapy or radiation. Well, at least we hope those are the only two options. Chance after his mast cell tumor removal surgery Having a 1 year old and a 3 y

God of healing, please comfort and strengthen Chance during his illness. Ease his fear and pain, and guide the vet and all caring for him, that he may recover fully. Comfort us, too, God, that we may better care for Chance and make decisions that are best for him.  -From www.daybydaypetsupport.com Adam and I got Chance the week before we were married. We had gone to look at dogs before, but had never left with one. We almost did once when we were at the ASPCA in Savannah. We saw two dogs who were absolutely adorable, but we knew we only wanted one dog. You see, the shelter had named them Ziva and DiNozzo, and in spite of what the show says, we knew that they should be together. A couple days after we went to the ASPCA, I convinced Adam to go look at this cute golden retriever who I'd seen on PetFinder who was at a local rescue shelter. When we got there, that dog had already been adopted. We saw two dogs that we liked, one was a skinny, nervous girl and the other was

One of the worst things about being a military spouse is having to find a new hairdresser every couple of years. Once you finally find that one hairdresser who you love, you move or the hairdresser moves. It never fails. And then you have to start from square one with searching for that perfect hairdresser. Well, we recently moved, and so I've been avoiding getting a haircut. It typically takes at least 3 times to find the hairdresser I will keep. From there, it takes a couple more times as we adjust to one another until I finally come home from the salon a happy camper. I'm not super picky about my hair, but I don't put any product in it, which for some reason, hairdressers love to do. Cue my hair inspiration. My niece, Ashley, is my current inspiration. She is donating her hair to Locks of Love and so has been growing her hair out and only getting it trimmed. Well, I decided to follow in her footsteps and donate my hair as well. This gives me a little more time to fin

So I recently read a blog where a man defended his wife for being a stay-at-home mom. As I was reading it, I kept thinking to myself, good for him! Then, as I thought more about it, I started to think about the blog itself. Sure, this blog and others talk about how we stay-at-home moms are raising our children and bringing them up to be productive members of society, but they never really seem to answer the question of what we do all day. Before I had kids, I never thought I'd be a stay-at-home mom. I often worked well in excess of 40 hours per week and worked on most weekends. I often wondered what it is I would do all day as a stay-at-home mom and if I'd get bored. Shortly after my daughter was born, I was laid off due to downsizing so I got the chance to prove myself wrong. I was now going to be a stay-at-home mom, and as my mom always used to tell my sister and me, "You are my job. And I always do my jobs well." I now have two kids and couldn't imagin

I am an introvert. I am shy. I get extremely nervous in social situations when I don't know anyone. I'm not good at small talk. These are not really good things when you are a military spouse. I recently read an article in the Huffington Post online (from August 2013), and I really liked how it discussed being an introvert. I've seen several articles before and I don't know that any hit home as much as this one did. I have struggled with being an introvert my whole life. I grew up as an Army brat, meaning we moved every two to three years. I loved my childhood and wouldn't change much about it, but it was difficult. Most of my friends were made through gymnastics. I was always jealous of my older sister as it seemed effortless for her to make friends while I often struggled just to get up the courage to talk to people. I'm not a kid anymore, but I still struggle with my introverted ways. I try to get involved around post as much as possible so I can ge

I detest running. I always have and probably always will. Growing up, my running goals were to run 60 feet down the vault runway, and no more. I considered myself athletic growing up, but my sports were limited to gymnastics, cheerleading, indoor soccer (one season), track (one season), and diving. (Please save the cheerleading is not a sport discussion for another day.) You could argue that I liked running because I mentioned I did one season of track, but let me clarify that I did one season of running the 100m dash and 4x100m, so basically just a little bit farther than in gymnastics. I know that running is good for me as it is a good cardiovascular workout, and I concede to that. I even went out and bought a BOB Duallie jogging stroller, used for a steal and definitely not new. My husband would have some serious words if I spent $450+ on a new BOB Duallie , whether it was on sale or not. And I will even say that this new to me jogging stroller is leaps and bounds better than ou

About 2 months before we PCS'd (moved), we decided it was time to try to eat up as much of the food in the pantry as we could. This led to our realization of how much we were wasting, food and money, at the grocery store each month. I would go to the commissary (military grocery store) and grab random things off the shelf, buy random meat products, and impulse buy fruit and vegetables. By the time I'd get around to making dinner, I'd use maybe half of the things I'd buy. That was when we decided to make a change. We decided it was time to meal plan, and stick to it. Or at least stick to it so long as I remember to thaw the meat in enough time. Now, we sit down with those cookbooks that you impulse buy at the checkout stand and mark which recipes we would actually think about eating, pick out a week's worth of meals, and make a grocery list. I am very deliberate with our grocery shopping list too. I write down everything the recipe calls for and then go to our

I love and adore my husband. We have been married for almost 5 years and have 2 beautiful children. Since being married, we’ve had 4 different addresses in 3 different states. I wouldn’t trade my life or my husband for anything. From the outside looking in, however, you may not think we are so in love. We don’t hold hands, and we rarely go on dates. If you catch us kissing in public, you are one of the very few who has done so. I have two issues that prevent my husband and me from holding hands. First, my hands have a tendency to get clammy. And second, my fingers are pretty bony. My husband always jokes with me about my sweaty hands. If we do hold hands, it’s only for a couple minutes because he can’t stand the pain much more than that. But my husband also has his own issues with handholding. His aren’t physical, but stem from the regulations at West Point and in the military. His Bugle Notes from 2002 mention only offering your arm when needed for assistance or at

Let me begin by saying, I am no Emily Post. On occasion, I have been known to break a rule or two of etiquette. The one rule that I try not to break, however, is to RSVP to an invitation. My mother may have had the biggest influence on me when it comes to RSVPing. She insisted on sending in the reply and doing so within the first few days of receiving an invitation. While at times I may send in my response the day before the recipient is asking for it; I usually try to send in my RSVP within the first few days. I am surprised though at the number of people who never send in a response, wait until the very last minute to send in a response, or send a response in late (sometimes even a day or two later). The first time I really had anything to do with RSVPing wasn’t until college friends started getting married. Prior to that, the only real commitment I had to make well in advance was for spring break. I can still remember getting my first wedding invitation. It was