Thankful Thursday

I'm so thankful, for SO many things. Life is a precious gift, and so are the people in it.

Thank a Service Member...they fight so we don't have to :)

Wherever my husband is, I know he's reading my blog and probably laughing at times. It's his way of keeping up on life back home when he has no way to communicate. Just know that all your hard work, dedication, and sacrifice isn't forgotten, and you're missed dearly each and every day. I love you always :) Thank all those serving and their families for what they do!

Love in a Box

Shopping for others is one of my favorite things to do, and when you pair that with decorating, I'm in heaven! I worked at Hobby Lobby when I wasn't skipping classes in college and would dream up of all the things I was going to design and create...I think I only made one thing I dreamt up (I contribute that to my chronic procrastination problem).

Earlier this week I had a plan to go to the store after work to get 3 things: toilet paper, tissues, and bananas. I walked out of the store with an entire cart full of stuff, and I'm proud to say I still got what I went in for (write that down in the history book). Every time I go to the store I see stuff I want to send overseas to my husband and his buddies, and the cart slowly starts to fill. I feel like I should slap my own hand every time I grab something from the shelf (like my mom used to do with us as kids when we would try to sneak stuff in the cart without her seeing us...rarely a success).

Last night I decorated a box for Valentines Day and filled it with all my husbands favorite things. I bought candy and cookies from Walt Disney World when my family and I went down to run the marathon, so I added some of that stuff in there too. Here's what the finished box looked like:

I even decorated the outside of the box in pink and red, and pasted literally every heart sticker I could find on the top (the lady at the post office laughed when she saw the box...I wasn't sure how to take that but I'm sure she's seen worse). My sweet decorating skills will be sure to earn my husband a few laughs when mail is called :)

Thanksgiving 2012 in OBX...a favorite memory :)

If you were to get a box filled with all your favorite things, what would you wish for?
-I would wish for rainbows and unicorns...but I would settle for rice cakes and snicker bars.

Back to School I Go...MBA Style

As soon as I graduated from college with my Bachelors Degree, I knew I wanted to get my MBA. I wasn't sure what I would do with it, and I'm still not sure, but I can figure that out as I go. My husband and I talked before he left, and we decided it was the perfect time for me to get it. I have no distractions, and can focus all my attention on school.

I wanted so badly to get my MBA from the same school I got my undergrad from, but there was no way it would work with trying to still work a full time job. I chose a local Christian school that's known for their MBA program, and the best thing is they work with military families and offer great discounts on tuition. Not many schools offer anything like that...close to none to be exact. I didn't qualify for any grant money from the military because we make too much as a household, and I wouldn't be done by the time he got home. You can find out if you qualify to get grant money as a military spouse here.

I'm so excited to get started, and even more excited to finish and have another piece of paper to frame (hear that mom...you already know what to get me for Christmas). So many ask why the heck I want to go back, but its a personal decision not many will understand and nor do I care if they understand. I don't ask if they changed their underpants in the morning for the same reason...I just don't care. If they want to wear dirty underpants fine by me! Anyways...I'm not sure if I will teach one day to share my useless knowledge or what I will do, but once I have my MBA its mine (something my dad always told us about a college education...aren't you proud I remembered that dad?!). My dad engrained in our minds how important education is, and as much as I don't like saying he was right...he's no dummy. Education is one thing nobody can take from you...regardless what you decide to do with it. I feel so very blessed to have been given the life I have, and the many opportunities that have come my way. I'm looking forward to finishing my MBA, graduating, and getting to see my proud family watch me walk the stage again...and maybe shed a tear or two!

There are three things I know for sure that I want to do now and always:
1. Be a good wife (not the hardest job in the military, but still a tough one)
2. Be a daughter that my parents are proud to call their own (1of 3) :)
3. Be a great big sister and role model

Oh, and take time to enjoy life and all the wonderful treasures it gives us :)

Gym Etiquette...Get Some

Tonight I went to the gym after work and ran what I felt to be a solid 3.2 miles. I ran at a 2% incline and finished in 32 minutes, which isn't too shabby given that I've not been running as much as I would like to be. The marathon killed my motivation to run along with my running spirit...temporarily. Work has been extremely stressful this week, so I'm glad it's almost over.

While at the gym, I again waited for a treadmill to free up. I snagged the first free one, and shortly after I started there was a guy that got on the one beside me. I see him every time I'm at the gym, and he always runs like he's being chased...literally at like 20mph. His legs look like a blur when he runs. I nearly fell off the treadmill the first time I watched him run. Anyways, he seems to be a seasoned runner, but his gym etiquette is by far the worst I've seen. I sweat like it's cool, but this guy looks like he just went for a swim by the time he hits mile 1. Everyone sweats...it's just fact (unless you're like my baby sister and dad who don't break a sweat...wish I had that gene). This guy not only sweats all over everyone, but he flings...yes he FLINGS his sweat on those lucky souls that run on either side of him. The first time he did it I was like whatever, he didn't see me there (even though I know he did), but the second time I was just disgusted. The treadmills are literally inches apart, so how could he not see me there?! Just plain rude if you ask me. Sweat and other people's bodily fluids are not things you share at the gym...no exceptions! 

Moving on to much more important things...lets reminisce on Florida and my wonderful family shall we?! :) My middle sister Alyssa couldn't go to Florida because of work, and the hubby was/is deployed so he wasn't able to attend for obvious reasons. 

Picture on LEFT: Me, Mom, and Baby Sister Brooke after the WDW Marathon 1.13.13

Picture on RIGHT: Mom and Dad after going for a run around the Disney Resort (aren't they cute)

Ohhhhh, how I miss The Sunshine State. Indiana just doesn't compare!

Crockpot Taco Soup

Easy, simple, and tasty meals are my favorite...aka crockpot dinners.

Before meeting my mom, sister, and aunt for lunch this past Sunday, I put together a crockpot meal that would last me all week. Since its been absolutely freezing here in Indiana this week, the soup I made Sunday has been fantastic. After a long day at work it's nice to be able to come home and just heat up dinner...3 minutes and its ready to eat. I made my moms recipe for taco soup which includes the following items:

Can of corn, tomato soup, petite tomatoes, black beans, taco seasoning, and 1lb ground venison (not shown). I added two of everything to make enough for me to eat the entire week.

I don't EVER buy meat at the store since we my dad hunts all the meat we eat. Venison is delicious, and way better than any kind of meat I've ever eaten. You never know where the meat comes from at the store, or what's in it. I watched the movie Food Inc. and was absolutely disgusted by what I saw. I contemplated becoming a vegetarian after watching it. Anyways, all you have to do to make taco soup is put all of the above ingredients in a crockpot (without draining anything and be sure to brown the venison) for a few hours and you get this:

Top with shredded cheese and chili flavored Fritos...spicy yet delicious!

What are your favorite crockpot meals?

The Wait is Over :)

My husband told me over a week ago he was going to be sending me something from the land far away, and I've been looking everyday since. Well...yesterday was the big day! When I turned the corner onto our street, I saw a package sitting on the front porch, so I immediately got excited! I floored it to the driveway, ran to the front porch, grabbed the box, and ran into the house. It felt like it took me forever to get the box opened, but once I did this is what I found...

First thing I noticed was my husbands awesome packaging job. He obviously had nothing to wrap the bottle of wine and shot glass in so he used plastic grocery bags...and left all the receipts from things he's bought in them. Now I really know all the crap he's eating and buying...gotcha! Haha :) 

After opening my box, I went to body pump then dinner with my momma. Tuesdays and Thursdays are our gym days, and then we go eat all the calories we burned off at McAlisters Deli. Delicious!

Sadly, I start grad school next week so our gym/dinner days will be cut down to one day/week. I'm excited/anxious/nervous/etc. to go back to school and have no idea what I will do with my MBA, but can't wait to finish and get that piece of paper to hang on the wall!

5 Miles Down

Weekend runs are my favorite. I can sleep in, take my time getting ready, let the dog out, and talk myself into running more than a mile (which sounded pretty good to me). Rather than run outside, I opted for the gym. I'm not a big fan of the treadmill, but it's a heck of a lot better than freezing my butt off and fighting the arctic wind. Kali wanted to run, but I wasn't in the mood to freeze or have my arm snap off with her pulling me (I have yet to make a trip to the pet store to get a gentle leader).

 

After waiting for a treadmill that was in front of the TV I wanted to watch, I stood there contemplating how far I wanted to run. I decided on 5 miles and got it done in an hour, not fast, but better than nothing (LOVE my Brooks running shoes...I won't ever go back to any other brand). And I have a fancy Road ID in case I die while running and someone can identify my body.

When I got home I had my favorite recovery meal, a wheat and gluten free blueberry waffle and chocolate milk (Kali was silently begging for a bite, isn't she adorable). Feeding her people food is one thing I've never budged on, like ever. Dog puke is one thing I don't enjoy cleaning, and since the hubby isn't here it's all me.

I decided to get caught up on some work stuff while uploading WDW Marathon pictures. As they say, work never ends...even if it is the weekend (lucky lucky me). I also got to Face Time with the hubby, which always makes my day! Oh, and if I haven't said it enough, I have the most adorable pets.

How was your weekend? What fun things did you do?

Best Meal Ever...Like Ever

My husband was home for New Years, so we decided to get all dressed up and have the most amazing meal we've ever had. We have a world famous restaurant just down the street from us, and I've always envied the people that get to eat there. Joseph Decuis is an experience like non-other, especially on New Years Eve!

The cost was $100 per plate, and was a 6 course meal. In addition to our meal we shared 2 bottles of Moscato (not included in the cost)...our new favorite wine :) For the main course, I had the Wagyu Beef and the hubby had salmon. Joseph Decuis is the only restaurant in the US raising Wagyu Beef on their farm, which you can take a tour of if you like. The experience was that of a lifetime, and the food was absolutely amazing!

Not sure we will be back anytime soon, especially now that we have to live in a cardboard box because we spent our life savings on one meal. I guess for now I will have to go back to peeking in the windows of the restaurant as I run by. Can't wait till the hubby gets home and we can celebrate his homecoming with another fancy meal at Joseph Decuis.  

Unpack the Crap

I procrastinate at literally everything...especially unpacking from the marathon. I've been home from FL for almost a week, and my suitcase is still laying on the floor (right where I dropped it). When I got home from visiting my husband in NC over Thanksgiving, I left my suitcase on the floor until I knew my husband would be on his way home (nearly a month later...yes that's right, it laid on the floor half unpacked for over a month). I'm sure my husband is laughing as he reads this half-way around the world :)

Good thing I didn't buy a new Harley Davidson...as much as my husband would have loved that. Besides, I'm not sure it would have fit in my carry on. After getting stopped at the gate to be told I had one too many bags...since when do they count your purse as a "bag?" It's not like it was the size of a small child.

Harley Davidson in Downtown Disney (with my purse...not big at all!)

As my bags lay on the floor, I take what I need and leave the rest just lying there until I get sick of looking at it and finally put everything away. Usually this happens much faster because my husband is telling me its a tripping hazard, the cat is making her bed on top of my clean clothes, or the dog is licking everything she can (she's a serial licker...highly annoying). If only I had helpers to put it all away for me. Instead, I have two fur balls that lay around being lazy...rough life they live!

What do you do when you get home from trips? 

-I'm lazy as noted above :)

My Husband is Famous...Almost

As I've talked about before, my husband was stationed in NC since May, and deployed overseas shortly after Christmas. In all the training he went through, the class he attended, and the many adventures he took while there, he was also quoted in an article. I would LOVE to post it, but it has way too much information to post. For the safety of my husband and his unit, I keep everything OPSEC Safe! If you don't know what that means or want more info check out the OPSEC tab up top. You can also find an abundant amount of information by searching the web. Just remember to abide by the following when posting information online, and more information can be found here.

OPSEC Rules for (forum, blog, chatroom name): 

1. Do not post exact deployment dates or redeployment dates
2. Do not reveal camp locations, including nearby cities. After the deployment is officially announced by Military officials, you may discuss locations that have been released, normally on the Country level.
3. Do not discuss convoy routes (“we travelled through Takrit on our way to X”)
4. Detailed information on the mission, capabilities or morale of a unit
5. Specific names or actual nicknames
6. Personnel transactions that occur in large numbers (Example: pay information, powers of attorney, wills, etc)
7. Details concerning security procedures, response times, tactics
8. Don’t discuss equipment or lack thereof, to include training equipment
9. Don’t speculate about future operations
10. If posting pictures, don’t post anything that could be misconstrued or used for propaganda purposes. A good rule of thumb is to look at your picture without your caption or explanation and consider if it could be re-captioned to reflect poorly on coalition forces. For example, your image might show your Soldier rescuing a child from a blast site, but could be re-captioned to insinuate that the child being captured or harmed. (it’s happened!)
11. Avoid the use of count-up or count-down tickers for the same reason as rule #1
12. be very careful if posting pictures of your loved one. Avoid images that show significant landmarks near their base of operations, and black out last names and unit affiliations
13. Do not, ever, post information about casualties (coalition or enemy) before the official release of the information.
14. Do not pass on rumors (“I heard they’re coming home early”, etc)

If you have any questions, contact your (or your sponsor’s) unit OPSEC manager.

Regardless of how proud we are of our loved ones, we all play a part in protecting their safety. 

Think Thin Thursday's

Today started like any other day...get up and ready for work, pack my bag for the gym, let the dog out, pack my breakfast and lunch, and out the door for the day. BUT...half way through the day I got a call from my hubby that's half way around the world! What a wonderful surprise :)

My breakfast usually consists of a glass of milk that I drink on my drive to work, a protein bar, and sometimes a banana when I get to the store which I eat after my morning meetings. I like these bars because that aren't too filling, but they hold me over until lunch. I never eat at lunch at the same time (and sometimes not at all), so I look for protein bars that are filling enough to make me not want to nibble on my arm. I buy these at Kroger in the organic food section, and if you plan it right you can get 10 for $10!

Today, my lunch was leftover pizza I made last night and was just as good today as it was last night. I made a flat-bread type crust with olive oil, chicken, artichoke, parmesan cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes...mmm, delicious!

After work, I went to the gym and ran a few miles around the track before coming home to the fur balls. I was dreading the run, but surprisingly I felt much better than I thought I would. Tomorrow I plan to run further than today, and get back in training mode for some 1/2 marathons we have coming up.

Tonight, dinner started with this...gluten free spaghetti, gluten free bread, green beans, and pasta sauce.

And ended with this...

And because I planned to make enough to have left-overs, I have enough for dinner tomorrow. 

Since I'm only cooking for myself, I try to make meals that are easy and make enough for me to not have to cook for a couple days. Any recipe ideas to recommend? I will try and review!  

Got 5 Minutes? It Can Save Your Life

Life is busy, especially as a military wife.

Between work, laundry, kids, food prep, house maintenance—you get the drift—the days are packed. There’s certainly no room on our list of things to do. But in the time it takes you to post that status update to Facebook, grab a latte, or commiserate with another mother about the kids’ crazy sports schedules, you could save your own life.

A Routine Pap Test—Make it Part of Your Routine

A routine Pap test (or Pap smear) will identify pre-cancers, cell changes on the cervix that may become cervical cancer if they are not treated appropriately. Pap tests also allow doctors to diagnose human papilloma virus (HPV), a common cause of cervical cancer. If a five-minute test could save your life, why wouldn’t you make the time? Five minutes is nothing. Fighting cancer is a whole different time commitment.

A Commitment that’s Not Much of a Commitment

The good news about Pap tests: They aren’t required very often. In fact, here’s the American Cancer Society’s recommended screening schedule:

Cervical cancer screening (testing) should begin at age 21. Women under age 21 should not be tested. Women between ages 21 and 29 should have a Pap test every three years. There is also an HPV screening test. HPV testing should not be done in this age group unless it is needed after an abnormal Pap test result. Women between the ages of 30 and 65 should have a Pap test plus an HPV test (called “co-testing”) every five years. This is the preferred approach, but it is also OK to have a Pap test alone every three years. Women over age 65 who have had regular cervical cancer testing with normal results should not be tested for cervical cancer. Once testing is stopped, it should not be started again. Women with a history of a serious cervical pre-cancer should continue to be tested for at least 20 years after that diagnosis, even if testing continues past age 65.

A woman who has had her uterus removed (and also her cervix) for reasons not related to cervical cancer and who has no history of cervical cancer or serious pre-cancer should not be tested. A woman who has been vaccinated against HPV should still follow the screening recommendations for her age group. Some women—because of their history—may need to have a different screening schedule for cervical cancer and should discuss this with their physician.

TRICARE Covers the Screening at No Cost to You

So not only is it just a few minutes of your time, but for those with TRICARE Standard/Extra or who are enrolled in TRICARE Prime, you will have no copays, cost shares or deductibles for this preventive screening. Talk with your Primary Care Manager (PCM) about scheduling this test. TRICARE covers pelvic examinations in conjunction with Pap testing for women 18 years of age or older. The frequency of Pap testing may be at the discretion of the patient and clinician but not less frequently than every three years.

Don’t Be in Doubt—Rule it Out

Five minutes now could mean peace of mind for you and your loved ones. Check the routine Pap test off your list so you can get back to the other things that really matter.

For more information about cervical cancer screenings visit the CDCs website at CDC.gov/cancer/cervical/pdf/guidelines.pdf

For more information about cancer prevention and overall health and wellness, visit TriWest.com/Prevention

Race Friends :)

While running the WDW Marathon, and thinking I was going to die I met a new friend. LA is from New York, and works in the big world of HR just like myself. In the thousands of runners, not many wanted to chat, let alone say hi (and I thought Disney World was supposed to be the happiest place on earth...I guess race day is the exception). When I hit mile 17 I was constantly looking over my shoulder for the "sweeper" and fearing the ride on the "bus of shame" to the finish. Not only did my fear nearly come true, but I met a new friend. LA runs for Team in Training to help fight Blood Cancer. You can find her here. I've looked into running for Team in Training, and after hearing more about it and everything it does, I'm convinced it's for me. I have a cancer-prone family, so I'm committed to helping to find a cure. LA and I stayed together until the finish, and I can honestly say there's no way I would have finished without her! We talked about everything under the sun...our jobs, running, our dogs, my husband's deployment, where we live, the races we've run, future races we would like to run (Chicago Rock and Roll), etc. You name it, we talked about it! I met some of her friends that were cheering for her along the course, and so jealous of all the amazing support Team in Training runners, supporters, and coaches have for each other. It didn't matter what chapter you were from, people cheered for you and continued to motivate you along the course. It was just absolutely amazing! Overall, I'm proud to say I finished a marathon, got to do it with my mom and sister, my dad got to see us all finish (he was the best cheerleader!!), and I met a new friend that has inspired me to do so much more with my running than just race and get pretty shiny medals :)

What motivates you to run?

Running a Marathon...Check

This past weekend I ran my first FULL Marathon at Walt Disney World with my mom and younger sister, and let me just say WOW! We've ran several 1/2 marathons before and I thought some of those were tough.

We went to the expo and there were more vendors than you knew what to do with. A couple years ago I ran the Disney Princess 1/2 Marathon (my first 1/2) and loved it. Disney races are by far the best to do...the race support is amazing, the expos are outstanding, and best part is you can make a mini-vacation out of the race trip.

 The Expo

We attempted to dress in character, but not so sure we accomplished that. It was over 100 degrees when we ran so the black shirt was a bad idea...and I got some killer burn lines from the race.

I was Minnie Mouse, Mom was Ariel, and my Sister Brooke was Cinderella

Overall I'm happy to say I've run a marathon, but not so sure there will be anymore in my near running future. How do you recover from running a marathon and have any desire to run another?

I will have more to post on the marathon, but for now I need to nurse my legs of jello. Congrats to all the marathon runners out there...there were thousands! :)

Running Buddy

Happy Happy Tuesday!!

Our dog is one of my best running pals...she always wants to run, never complains, and pushes me to run further. Although she may look like the loving dog she is, she is a bear to run with! She pulls the leash to the point my hand feels like its bleeding, my shoulder is sore from her pulling, my hand feels like its going to snap off, and its a rare occasion if she let's me stop to catch a breath. Now if my husband takes her running, she's on her best behavior...too bad she's stuck running with me for the next year. Maybe I can get her trained to my liking (highly doubt it, but its worth a try).

(She loves her new Christmas Reindeer)

My husband keeps telling me to get a leash designed to run with dogs, but I keep putting it off thinking I can train her with the one we have (a Harley Davidson leash). The leash I've been thinking of:

Ha, ya right! I doubt I would even make it to the sidewalk with my dog if I attempted running with this leash. I've tried a harness with her and she pulls so hard it rubs her skin raw under her belly. I feel like I look every time I go to the pet store, but don't find anything I like. 

Those of you dog runners...what kind of leash do you use to run with your furry friend?

A Year of New Adventures

This year will the year of many new adventures...lets run down the list shall we?!

• My husband is deployed for the first year of our marriage (his second deployment)
• My husband has been gone more than he's been home since we got married
• I'm running my first FULL marathon 
• My husband and I will celebrate our 1st Wedding Anniversary alone 
• There's half a world between my husband and I 
• I'm starting Grad School...yikes!!
• Getting the new Brooks Running Shoes...they're sweet (check them out here)

Well I can't think of anything else at the moment, and now that I look at it I'm way lame! Oh we'll...I will continue to add to the list as life throws us new challenges (I'm sure there will be plenty!!).

Running Again

Before my husband, whenever I heard someone was deployed my heart immediately felt heavy for the children of the deployed parent. Very rarely did I ever think about those single spouses, fiances, or girlfriends...but that's all changed. From the day my husband left for Camp Lejeune, I've felt an emptiness in my life where he should be.

My husband has two other brothers that serve (one in the Marines and one in the Army) so needles to say, it's a military family. I've talked about running as my go-to stress reliever and what helps to keep my mind off my husband being gone, but recently I've not been keeping up on it as I should...especially with the Walt Disney Marathon coming up next Sunday.

http://www.rundisney.com/disneyworld-marathon/#marathon

My husband was able to come home for Christmas, but was only home for a short time. He's now back in NC, and awaiting his flight overseas, so I've started running again. Unfortunately for us living in the great mid-west, winters are not much fun to run in.

(View from our front porch)

Yesterday it was surprisingly nice out (a whopping 18 degrees) so I decided to go for a short run around town. I had only run a few times since our race in the Outer Banks, so I wasn't expecting to feel as good as I did, and ended up running further than I thought I would. I has to cut my run short since I was meeting a few girlfriends of fellow Marines, but overall I mark it as a success. 

I miss my husband everyday, but knowing he's serving our country makes me proud. Running is what I enjoy, and something my husband and I did together, so time to get my butt back in gear!

What motivates you to run?