Our Random, Fun Life!

Hi, it's Payton! I'm in Brownie Troop 5403 and I'm selling Girl Scout Cookies! My favorite is the Thin Mints. My brother and I are each donating a box of cookies this year. My mom says that it makes her heart happy. Donated cookies go to the USO, VA Hospitals in Topeka and Kansas City, and Harvesters (food bank). It’s on the website under Cookie Share, the first cookie.  My selling goal is 2,000 boxes of cookies. Our troop fun goal is to go to Worlds of Fun. Our troop community service goal is to donate to a children's hospital.  Online cookie sales end March 15! Cookies are $4 a box, but the gluten-free cookies (the Trios) are $5 a box.  https://www.abcsmartcookies.com/#/shopify-landing/651ab8b7-60a4-4375-b786-56b988997b85 Thank you!! ❤️ 🍪 🎉 😘 🦄 🎠 💎 💚 💙 Payton's Girl Scout Network Episode 1: Girl Scout Cookies! Payton's Girl Scout Network Episode 2: About the Donations  

After two years as Girl Scout Daisies (Kindergarten and First Grade), it's time for our girls to become Brownies! For their Bridging requirements, they had to do complete two steps. The first requirement was for the Girls to 'Pass It On.' We decided to take this step into the modern era of computers and technology and share our love of Daisies with you through a blog. The second, in case you were wondering, was to 'Look Ahead.' After we finished our blog, the girls got a taste of some of the activities they will do as Girl Scout Brownies over the next two years. During their time as Daisies, the girls worked on their Petals, Leaves, Journeys, and Fun Patches. Some girls were with us for two years and some just three months. They met every other week to do crafts, play games, work on service projects and so much more. It has been a fun adventure as you will see from their varied answers. Just like we had flower friends that we followed during Daisies, like Rosie ...

It has been so long since I've written anything, but something inspired me to write tonight. I was in my bed, about to go to sleep and I felt compelled to just write. We sometimes wonder why God puts the people in our lives that he does. But, I have realized that those people really are here for a real purpose. This past week has not been the easiest, to say the least, but God has put certain people in my life for a specific reason. My mom is there to unconditionally take my side and say she's going to kick the butt of anyone who does me wrong, my friends are there to allow me to vent and pump me up, and my husband is there to offer me a shoulder to cry on when life gets too tough. I would be nowhere without my family. But when I speak of my family, it doesn't just include those I am related to by blood. My family extends beyond my immediate family. My sister once said of me that my family is the most important thing to me and I am extremely loyal. I can't argue wit...

I started this as a Facebook post, but then it got long so I changed it up to be a blog post. I apologize for the length, but there are many things I want to say and would never be able to get them out of my mouth. As those who know me the best know, conveying my thoughts and feelings in spoken word is not my strong suit, hence my writing it down to tell you. Please know that I probably will not be able to say any of these things to you in person as I will get choked up immediately upon opening my mouth, but will stick to the standards of "congratulations," "very exciting day for you all," and "I'm super happy for you!" Please know that there is so much more behind the typical catch phrases. First and foremost, to the United States Military Academy at West Point Class of 2015, CONGRATULATIONS!!! Congratulations on graduating and on commissioning as 2LTs in the US Army! We are so extremely excited to celebrate with you this Saturday as you receive you...

Well, we are at it again! Two years ago, dad had Gretchen and me sign up for the Across the Bay 10K with him. Last year, together with family and friends, I ran the 10K one month out from the day of my dad's passing. This year, I am proud to say that mom, Payton, Gretchen, Ben, Josh, Ashley, and I (with Austin on my back) are running it. The race is November 8, so we have plenty of time to train and raise funds. Last year I worked to raise funds for the American Cancer Society (a great organization to donate to). This year, I am working to raise funds for the scholarship fund we started in my dad's memory. The goal is to get the scholarship fund up to $50,000 (the endowment level) so that we can begin awarding scholarships. The race has changed the way that they are doing their fundraising (you can only raise funds for 3 organizations) so I decided to do a personal donation page through my blog.  I don't run because I particularly like running; I run because of my da...

It has been a long time since I have written a blog post, but today I felt compelled to share a little of my story. I wrote a blog a while back ( Time for a Change ... ). In that blog, I wrote about my decision to make a lifestyle change. In that blog, I stated that I wasn't advocating a product. Needless to say, my mindset has changed a little. I will say this though, at the end of the day, while AdvoCare spurred my lifestyle change and has helped me out tremendously along the way, there have been other programs and people who have helped to keep me accountable, including the workouts posted on a community workout page that I can do from my home, a fabulous Team BeachBody coach Shanda Bandi, and, of course, my family and friends. I chose AdvoCare and I continue to choose it, but I'm forever grateful for all the help and encouragement along the way. 2014 was a tough year. We found out on December 30, 2013 that my dad had Stage 4 Esophageal Cancer. The feelings and emotions ...

There are those times when you are talking with a friend and you get home, and an idea for a blog just instantly pops into your head. This is one such occasion, and I thank my friend for being able to joke with me about Army life. As my friends and family know, I am incredibly proud to be an Army spouse. But, as many of you Army/military spouses know, there are those times when those slight nuances can just get to you. All you can do is laugh, because otherwise, you may go crazy! I wanted to share a little insight into those things that can just make you go crazy if you don't just have a good laugh about them. As you read these, please do so with laughter in mind. I don't lose any sleep at night over these and hopefully you don't either. 1. The dang velcro issue! Have you ever just thrown everything in the washer together because you are exhausted at the end of the day only to find that your delicates are securely velcroed to your spouse's uniform? I cannot tell...

Back on July 8, I wrote about how it was time for a change . Adam and I are now 11 days in to the program and it is going great! So far, I have lost 10 pounds! But more so than that, I've lost 3 inches from my chest, 2.5 inches at my waist, 2.5 inches from my hips, and 2 inches from my thigh. I can also do 5 more push ups in 24 seconds! Adam has also had really great results which is awesome given his work schedule. I'm still adjusting and figuring things out along the way. For example, I know now that I need to drink the Spark drink first thing in the morning. I typically only drink a can of Dr. Pepper at lunchtime every day as a pick me up, so I thought that I should do the same with the Spark. As it turns out, Spark has more caffeine in it than Dr. Pepper so I was wired well into the night. I've since learned that I need to drink my Spark early. I'm also learning which Spark drinks are okay for me. I am an occasional heartburn sufferer  depending on what I eat, a...

It's time for a change, and I'm finally ready to make that change. Time for a change in attitude and time for a change in habits. I try to eat healthy and get a workout in on a daily basis, but for the past couple of months, I've been on a downward spiral. I haven't completely felt like myself for the past few months, and I think that's why I've been doing poorly with food and exercise. It started out simple enough; I'd just grab a bag of chips to go with the salsa that we had leftover from our meal. Or I would buy a tub of ice cream, "for the kids." If you know our family, then you know that we don't normally have junk food around the house. I don't buy chips or cookies. They are a special occasion treat. Our fridge is usually stocked with fruits and veggies, not cheese and dips. And then there's the exercise. I was doing pretty good with working out, either at the gym or at home. I would try to get a workout in at least 4 times ...

My daughter turned 4 years old today! It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. It's true what they say, time flies when you're having fun. All ready for school on her 4th Birthday! When I look back over the 4 years though, and even the 9 months prior, there are definitely things that people don't tell you. Either that, or you just don't really listen. Here's what I have learned as a parent....and am still learning! 1. At some point, you will physically hurt your child. This will NOT be on purpose. If it is on purpose, then please seek some help. My first experience with this was cutting my brand-new baby girl's fingernails for the first time ever. I cut her finger, she started crying, I started crying, she started bleeding, I started crying more. The bleeding stopped and she stopped crying, but I was distraught and called my husband in tears that I had cut our baby and that I was a terrible mom. I eventually gathered myself and finished cut...

A year or so ago, I was faced with a tough decision. My husband and I came to a decision that we needed to trade in my Nissan Murano, a car that I loved dearly. But with 2 kids and with constantly living away from parents/grandparents, we needed a vehicle that fit our family of 4 as well as any visitors. I narrowed my decision down to the Honda Odyssey and the Buick Enclave. I took each car for a test drive and was immediately in love with both cars, surprisingly. If I had no kids, I would absolutely have gone with the Enclave. It was such a crazy smooth ride and I loved the feel of the car. But, I did have kids and kids make big messes. So, I packed away my pride and went with the minivan. I never thought I'd be a minivan mom. The mere thought of driving a "mom" car just made me cringe. But in all honesty, I made a terrific decision for our family. I went with the Honda Odyssey and I haven't thought twice about it. For those contemplating a minivan, let me te...

My husband and I celebrated 5 years of wedded bliss yesterday! It has not always been sunshine and rainbows, but it has been a beautiful 5 years of marriage. In our 5 years, we have had 2 beautiful children, we adopted 1 dog (although that was the week before we got married), we've PCS'ed 3 times and lived in 4 different houses, and Adam has had 6 different jobs to include 2 commands. I remember our wedding day as if it were yesterday. I don't know how most people feel on their wedding day, but I was calm and just ready. When the makeup lady was an hour late, I could have easily freaked, but it didn't bother me. I had planned enough time into the day that I could sit and wait to be pampered. For those who don't know, I pretty much never do my hair or makeup for an event. I was just ready to marry Adam. I could sit and hang out with my sister while we waited for the lady to arrive. When we got back to mom and dad's house, the bridesmaids were hanging out an...

When you read the title, you probably thought that I was talking about cursing. Well, I'm sorry to tell you that you would be wrong. I, admittedly, am a bit of a potty mouth from time to time. And that potty mouth gets worse when I get all worked up about an issue, just ask my hubby. No, the 'F' word that I am referring to is 'fat.' I am not perfect and I do sometimes say that I am fat when I get down on myself. However, I only say that to my dear, sweet husband who always has the same whacked out response that makes me feel better about myself. But when I am in the presence of my kids, I never say that I am fat or that I need to lose weight. I definitely have weight that I could lose and there are parts of me that are a bit thicker than they used to be, but those are things that I keep to myself or share with my husband when I need a pick-me-up. I would be heartbroken if I ever heard my daughter or son tell me that they thought that they were fat. And since my ...

The community where we live recently had our speed limit changed from 15 mph in the neighborhoods to 10 mph in the neighborhoods. A ridiculous change, in my own opinion, as runners and kids on bikes speed past me but that is not the point of this blog. We have a community Facebook page and the notice of the change was posted to that page so that people were aware. This started an immediate, and heated, debate last week on why the change was or was not warranted. There were opinions flying every which way and a lot of blaming of everyone else. The argument turned into who is responsible if a child runs out into the street in front of a moving car and gets hit? Is the driver at fault or is the child at fault? That I read (and no, I did not read all the comments because I like my drama on sitcoms and not in real life), there was no one saying that there were multiple people at fault: parent, child, and driver. Why are we so quick to blame other people instead of looking at our own f...

Adam and I love taking our kids to sporting events. That is one reason why we are loving being here at West Point. We can take our kids to a variety of events from football and lacrosse to women's basketball and men's gymnastics to hockey and sprint football. We get to expose them to so many things that we may not have been able to elsewhere. With some of the sports, we can teach them about the game while we are there. For other sports, we get to learn about them together. Payton and Adam with Mr. Fulton at the West Point Open From a very young age (3 and 1), we are getting the opportunity to expose our kids to sports and competition. And sometimes, there is a moment where everything comes together. Yesterday, we went as a family to the Patriot League Women's Basketball Championship where Army played Holy Cross. We left the house very early to grab a quick bite to eat, and then headed for the game about an hour early. We had amazing seats in the second row behind the...