It's beginning to look a lot like....Halloween?

So you are all getting oh so close to the big secret reveal. :) Next hint? It shines through when looking at me. :)

On another note, I'm so over the whole "Certain rules for Certain people" thing. Lemme explain something to you. My family IS certain people! GRR. I really really really wanna scream over some of this stuff. You don't get to pick and choose who gets what rules and who gets what privileges and the rest of us just suck it up. Unfortunately for you, you haven't met me....yet. :)

There is a certain firey whirlwind coming your way and you don't even know it yet. And this whirlwind does not take kindly to not getting her way. Just ask my husband.

hehe. :)

Stress is overrated

In anticipation of B's EAS (End of Active Service) date and our impending move, I have been remarkably overwhelmed with all the things we have to get done! All the planning, budgeting, packing, cleaning, repainting, ALL of it!! I have since given up sleeping in anticipation. (And this is still with a couple of months left!)

The Marine Corps has been such a part of our lives for so long. It's scary to step out on faith and try something new. But this is what is best for us. A lot of people have asked us, "Why doesn't B just reenlist?" Well, he at one time, planned on it. Things have changed, we have changed, and that isn't what is best for us anymore. Sure, it would be easier to just re-up. But we can't make life altering decisions on what's easiest. We can't settle because we have become complacent. We deserve more than that. We have great plans and great things we want to achieve and as great as the USMC can be, this just isn't the right road for us anymore.

I've been doing some reading and praying and attempting to trust that the Lord has a plan for us and everything will work out. And as He says,  

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

And I know that He will. And that is enough.

Image Credit

Secrets, secrets are so fun....

Ok, so next hint....


I changed something about myself. <3

On another note, This Saturday is the ball. It's at the Sheraton Waikiki and I have the most beautiful dress. I tried to not get to swept up in the ball because it was never that big of a deal to me, but once I got this dress and this jewelry I'm just so excited to dress up so much. :) I am a true girl at heart. haha.

This will be our last ball before Brandon is done in the Corps so we got a hotel in the Keys. (For those not in Hawaii this is what Waikiki is fondly callled, haha). We're making a mini-vacation out of this. I love it, and I love my husband. He will go above and beyond to make me happy. He even scheduled me a hair appointment cause I was going to be too cheap to do so. haha. :)

I has a secret!!

"Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave"

hehe. It's not a BIG secret. Well, to me it is, but to the rest of you it won't be. I'll drop hints this week and on Halloween I'll tell you what it is!!!

First Hint:
I am NOT preggo. 

The END!!!

A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

Yeah, I'm going to be lame. I don't want to do this. Haha. I love myself and that is enough. I love my husband, my family, my life!

And mosty, I love that this 30 days is over!! hahaha. :) Hope you've enjoyed the peek into my life, regular blogging to resume immediately!

Day 29

Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

Today I see the light at the end of the tunnel!! Yay! haha. This has been interesting but I'll be glad to click Publish Post tomorrow and be done with it. :)

So let's see, something I hope to change about myself. I would like to be more active. Right now as it is, I walk 3.5-4 miles a night with a girlfriend of mine (and we get credit for walking unruly pulling doggies, haha). But other than that and just normal activity, I don't feel like I do enough. But I'm working on it and that's all that matters!

Day 28

What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?

Oh Lord. Don't get me wrong, B and I do very very much want children. Just not yet. We're about to be moving, without jobs, without a home, with only one car, to a place we've never even visited. HAHA! Does this seem like the best time to find out we're expecting?? Not hardly. Now, there's a conversion scale for military. You know how your dog has 7 years to every 1 of yours?? On base it's like that in childbearing. So to be 24/25 without kids is like being 45 without kids here. You may laugh, but all you milspouses know what I mean.

It occured to Brandon the other day that the new "boots" (fresh to the fleet, no experience) can be up to 8 years younger than him. ha. ha. ha. Most of the wives (and some husbands) aren't legally old enough to drink. Oh yeah, I even know one wife who isn't legally old enough to buy cigarettes. Just sayin'.

So for us to say that we're going to wait even a few more years to have kids is blowing some minds. But we want some time together. We want to travel a little bit, buy a home, get jobs post-USMC. So we're waiting. Happily.

Day 27

What’s the best thing going for you right now?

Well, Let's tick them off shall we?? I have the most wonderful husband in the entire world. I have a great family (in-laws too!!) who love and support me and B. I have a beautiful kitty cat and energetic loving doggy. I have a roof over my head (even if it's just til we move!!) that isn't too shabby with it's 4 bd/2.5 ba. And I have an ever present, ever loving Heavenly Father that keeps the stress at bay.

So how could I ever pick just one???

Day 26

Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

I think that every high schooler thinks about this at one point or another. Life is so terrible in those years. And the worst part is that it's impossible to accept that high school isn't forever. Every heartbreak is not the end of the world. There is a future.

Day 25

 The reason you believe you’re still alive today.

This one's easy. If it weren't for my Savior and His amazing Grace I wouldn't be. It's hard sometimes, ok, a lot of the time, but in the end, it's so comforting to know I am never alone.

Temptation comes our way but I always try to remember...

1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version)
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

 On a Second Note. Happy First Anniversary to my lovely sister, Stephanie and her husband Matthew!!

Pumpkin Carving!!!

So the other night, Prince Charming and I decided to carve pumpkins! Since the only "pumpkin patch" that we could find close by was in Waimanalo and only open on weekends (more activity than patch) we decided to cheat and just buy them at our Handy Dandy Commissary. Here is how things went:

My Big Pumpkin

 Our Little Pumpkins!!

 Prince Charming Cleaning his out.

 Me and My Pumpkin

 Memphis apparently angry at his pumpkin

 Me Cleaning mine out. EWW

 The Finished Product

 Our 3 Little Pumpkins. (Take special notice of the one on the right)

 Because he's business in the front, and party in the back! :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Day 24

Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.

So I'm going to be terrible. I hate doing these things when they come in forwards or on facebook or anything, so I'm not doing this one either. Instead I'm going to make a list of some of my favorite songs for everyone to enjoy!!!

Draw Me A Map. Dierks Bentley
Anything Like Me. Brad Paisley
Why Wait. Rascal Flatts
If I Die Young. The Band Perry
Carolina. Eric Church
Real. James Wesley
Jackson Hole. James Wesley
The Shape I'm In. Joe Nichols
My Kinda Party. Jason Aldean

This is my current favorites. They change regularly. I love many more as well, but I'm trying to condense the overwhelmingly country-ness for you. haha. Also, Please enjoy my East Tennessee Country. :)

 

Day 23

Something you wish you had done in your life.

For this one I have nothing. Anytime I think about something I wish I had done, I realize I still plan on doing it. So ask me this question again in 50 years or so.

Day 22

Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.

There is one specific relationship that I miss more than most. And sadly, my wish is that we hadn't lived together. I love my cousin. Still to this day I love her dearly. But being roommates in the dorm our freshman year seemed like the perfect idea. But instead we didn't get along and our relationship fell apart.

I wish I would have known. It was a price not worth paying.

Day 21

(scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?

This wouldn't happen. Kindle and I don't fight. Therefore this point is moot. Either way I love Kindle too much for her to ever die. She has to live forever. Or at least longer than me.

Day 20

Your views on drugs and alcohol.

Neither my husband, nor myself have ever done a drug in our lives that wasn't rightfully prescribed. And sometimes we don't even take them then. haha. I find no purpose in drugs that are "recreational". I think that they take away from who you are. They take control from you. Why would I ever want anyone or anything else to have control over me??

Day 19

What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

I'm a right wing, gun toting, Southern Baptist, conservative, Republican woman. Liberals hate me.

Haha. That is a paraphrase of a quote I heard one time. And that's all I'll say about that. :)

Day 18

Your views on gay marriage.

I'm not here to start political debates. That being said I'm not answering this one. You don't come here to fight with me and I don't write this to anger you. So. What will I write about today??

Spelling and Grammar. Mine's not perfect, no one's is. In fact, I'm sure several of you will find multiple mistakes in this post alone! But my issue isn't with the occasional beacuse instead of because. My issue is with Homophones. (Oh and some people just mis-hearing some things). So without furthur ado, here are my main peeves.

"Taking something for granite"--You are not taking something for a piece of stone. It's granted.

They're, their, there-- I must have missed the memo where this was so hard.

Sense, since, cents?--No comment on who used cents.

Affect, Effect--This one I find frequently on signs posted on gasoline pumps.


The list could go on and on but I think you get the idea. haha.

Day 17

A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.

I read a lot. I mean, a lot. So I don't think there is any ONE book that has changed my views on anything. More like a collection of similar books has enhanced my views.

Those views are simple. England is greedy and has always wanted lands and people to control. haha. Seriously though, they wanted to control Ireland, Scotland, France, Spain, the Americas, Africa (Heart of Darkness anyone??) and I'm sure much much more.

Why couldn't they just leave people alone? haha. Just sayin'.

Day 16

Someone or something you definitely could live without.

Easy. Seafood.

My hatred of all things seafoody has never been a problem until I moved to Hawaii. Can you guess why I run into difficulty here? I mean we have a freakin' fish counter in the grocery store. Every restaurant can fry it, saute it, bake it, grill it, serve it raw, whatever you want. Except throw it away, which is what I want. :)

Day 15

Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.

This is obvious and cliche. But that would be my husband. He is wonderful and can always make me smile when I'm down. He and I have spent the first 2 (almost) years of our marriage differently than those outside the military. We've spent them completely dependent on one another without our families. Most newlyweds have their parents close by to go and talk to or to come over and help fix things, etc. We have been just us. We had our first Christmas 5000 miles away from our families.

As far as tried living without it, that would be deployment (and workups, and school) I've spent months without him and I can honestly say I much prefer him here.

It's like that movie The Wedding Date. I'd rather fight with him than make love with anyone else. :)

Rest In Peace

This is supposed to be
Day 14- A hero that has let you down. (letter)
But in light of recent events I cannot write this one. I choose instead to write of a hero that let no one down.

Senior Airman Dan Johnson.
A member of Vandenberg's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team, the military equivalent of a bomb squad.
The first Airman assigned to Vandenberg to lose his life in either Iraq or Afghanistan.
But to our small piece of the world, he was Best Friend and Best Man to Gerald G. He was the new husband to Kristen as of June and friend to many. He will be greatly missed and will stand as a testament to those who follow. His job was to protect our men from IED's and more, now he will watch over them from above as a guardian angel.

Thank you for your service Dan Johnson. You will never be forgotten.

Day 13

A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days. (write a letter.)

First off, I'm not writing a letter. Because I already wrote one forever ago attempting to get them to come to Hawaii. Oh, well, I'll keep dreaming.

Dear Rascal Flatts,
We live on a very small Marine Corps base located on the very small island of Oahu in the middle of the very large Pacific ocean. It's lonely here as we have no family near or no friends we haven't met here. Why do we live here? Because we gave up our lives and our families to move here to spend a few months a year with the men we love.

Battalions stationed here at Kaneohe Bay, for the most part, are on a rotation schedule. Each one replaces another in Afghanistan and formerly Iraq. So we all know and are prepared for the fact that our men will deploy every year. Some people compare our deployments to those of the Army and say we are lucky. We do 7 month deployments while they do a year or more. But you must consider, we do 9 month long work-ups where our husbands are gone for training NOT on island in preparation of that deployment. Our Battalion deployed to OIF February through August/September of 2008, returned home and began the workup for the following deployment. They deployed again to OEF starting the first week of May 2009, returning home in November. Only to prepare and to begin the next workup for a second deployment to OEF later this year.

There are few things in life that can keep a spouse sane during all this change and danger. Your music is one of those few things. Your lyrics inspire and your tunes keep us occupied. When we get together for dinner or movies we can crank up your songs and jam all night long forgetting for even just a few moments that our husbands might not return to us. And then in turn, when we have a day where we want to wallow in our sadness, there is a song for that as well, that we can turn on and cry to and no one ever needs to know.

Please come to our very small base on our very small island and share your music with us and our husbands. I can guarantee it would be something never forgotten in the lives of those you shared with.

Sincerely,

2/3 Echo Wives,
Semper Fi is how we live our Lives.

Day 12

Something you never get compliments on.

My taste in music. I like country, with a little bit of country, and every once in awhile some country. Yeah, so maybe there is a song or two not country I like, but they are rare. But I'm ok with that, beucase when I'm driving in my car I'm usually driving alone.

This way I can jam all I want to. So there. :)

Day 11

Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

My decorating taste. :) I never thought I had a knack for it. I just thought I put stuff up and it looked pretty. But everyone who ever comes into my house tells me how beautiful it is. (And sometimes people are just talking but most of the time they go buy the same thing for there house which reaffirms what they are saying). Maybe later tonight I'll put up some pictures for ya'll to enjoy. :)

Day 10

Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

I honestly don't know. I honestly put people from my life who I need to let go. I don't let those hang around who make my life difficult or upset me. I'm too old for that.

:)

Day 7, 8, 9

I'm terrible I know. But in my defense, we are having a yard sale this weekend which started today and I've been so swamped I haven't had a moment to spare. So here's 3 days in one. It's like a sale, right??

Day 7-Someone who has made your life worth living for.
This would of course be my husband, but as I write so much on him, my second is my darling cat, Gracie. He is sweet, loyal, loving, soft, and sometimes, when he feels like it, cuddly. I got Gracie in a very transitional time in my college years and he came to form my life. He came from my apartment parking lot. He was a few weeks old, and a TINY malnourished little fur ball. His gray and white hair stuck straight out all over and he had sharp claws and an even sharper meow. But he wormed his way into my heart and gave my confusing always changing world some meaning. He gave me someone to take care of and in turn, took care of me. He is our resident fat cat now and I love him more each and every day.

Skinny and Tiny                                                                           Fat and Lovely










Day 08-Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.
We'll call her A.F. Although, why I protect her privacy I do not know. She started ruining my life in the 4th grade and finally ended when I graduated high school. She called me names, shoved me, pushed me, turned people against me, and oh yeah, kicked a dent in my first car. Her reason? In the 4th grade there was a boy named Dylan, she liked him, he liked me, and that is how the story goes. For real.

Day 09- Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
 Amanda Edwards. She is such a beautiful person and I love her so much. She was my best friend. And one day we just kinda called less, and one day we hung out less, and one day we didn't talk at all. She recently got engaged as Facebook informed me. I miss her much. I wish her all the best cause she totally deserves it.