Veteran's Day

I hate to admit it, but growing up (despite the fact that I had veterans in my family), I never truly paid much attention to Veteran's Day other than the fact that it was a day off from school. I can remember discussions of my grandfather attending Veteran's Day festivities in town and stories of reunions with his fellow comrades from WWII at various points in his life, but I honestly never understood the magnitude of it all and what a blessing veterans are to this nation until I started dating Sayre and got a tiny glimpse of what the military life is like.

I'll never know what it's truly like to go through the trials and tribulations of military training. I'll never understand the bond shared by the men and women who serve this country together. I'll never know what it's like to be deployed on land or at sea thousands and thousands of miles away from everything you've ever known all while trying to stay out of harm's way. I'll never experience the heartache of loosing a best friend fighting beside me on the front lines. All I do know is that I am forever and eternally grateful for not only my husband, but all the men and women who have answered that call to serve... who have left behind families that love them... who have selflessly given up many of the things we take for granted here... who have given it their all even when their tired and worn out boots don't want to carry them any further... who have given it all so that we can be free.

If you know a veteran or meet one on the street, just remember to say "thanks." They don't do it for the glory. They don't do it for the attention. They do it selflessly for the love of their country. A simple "thank you" and a smile will go a long way. So here's a humble "thank you" from me to all of my friends, family members, neighbors, and strangers who have served and are serving and to those that have gone before us. God bless you all.

What we've been up to lately:

1) Shared snowballs after a fun morning adventure.

2) That early morning adventure began with tubing down the Ichetucknee Springs.

3) Watched a little LSU football with some good friends - first time all 6 of us were together in one place this year.

4) Waited for the Brad Paisley concert to begin on base after battling our through the crowds to get a seat.

5) Brad Paisley put on an awesome concert at Mayport.

6) Made fondant covered, wedding cake flavored cupcakes for Katharine's birthday and realized although it's a lot of fun, fondant is also a lot of work :)

7) Painted pottery with some lovely ladies for Katharine's bday.

8) Went kayaking for a very windy, but fun date.

Back into the swing of things

Gosh, it's so hard to believe Sayre's only been back for only 3 weeks now! Never in my life did I think I'd say this, but it doesn't even feel like he ever left. Those 7 long months just seemed to vanish as soon as he set foot back on the pier. Don't get me wrong, that in NO WAY means I'm ready for him to leave again (please oh please go away hurricane, Irene!) but I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm very happy to report that we just stepped right back into life together without even skipping a beat :)


Since his return, we've had a little bit of time to do some fun things around Jacksonville - the first of which was a very nice dinner date at The Chart House to begin to make up for 7 months of missed dates, anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays followed by a lovely little Segway ride on Amelia Island, 4 movie dates, cooking meals together at home, and a little bit of beach time. We've managed to stay busy since his return, but we've also allotted for plenty of time for relaxing too - afterall, the poor guy did just spend a little over half the year chasing pirates and keeping the seas safe ;) he deserves a little rest and relaxation too!

We made it... 7 months of growth, wisdom, and connection

On January 2, 2011 I stood pier-side in Mayport, Florida as I watched my husband set sail for his very first deployment. I don't think words can really do justice to describe the wave of emotions I felt. When I returned home after watching his ship disappear into the horizon, I let myself completely fall apart - but only for that day. I made a promise to myself that the very next day I would get ready for work and step out into the world with a constant and deliberate forward motion. The idea of spending the next seven months in my own realm of self-pity was so completely unappealing to me and I knew it would serve no purpose. I needed to be strong not only for myself, but also for my husband who needed to focus upon his mission at hand and rest soundly in the knowledge that I was safe, happy, and supporting him with all my heart. Now, don't get me wrong... I am human afterall, and I did have days where I wanted nothing more than to shut the rest of the world out and feel sorry for myself, but I never let that be my focus. Instead, I set goals and activities for myself each month as distractions - for me, it was the only way to survive.

Reflecting back upon the first seven months of 2011, I cannot believe how quickly it all seemed to go by! I never ever imagined I'd feel that way, but I have so many things and people to thank for that... but most of all I know with all of my heart that God was behind it all. Because of Him I was able to not only make it through Sayre's deployment, but also use it as a time to grow in wisdom and in relationship with Him. When you strip away the rules, the religion, the human nature of things and just focus on our Creator and sit in awe of Him and the incredible life He has laid before us all, it's hard not to want to grow deeper in relationship with Him and I know that He used this time to draw me closer. It's no question that God is the reason why Sayre and I are even together in the first place and He is what has made our relationship so incredible. I just can't wait to see what He has in store for us next and to see how He used Sayre's deployment to help us grow individually so that we can be even stronger together.

Returning to that pier on August 3rd to anxiously await the return of the ship to its home port brought about another full range of emotions - pride, love, joy, a sense of accomplishment, and complete thankfulness. My friends and I joked about how we might just start attending random homecomings in the future, but honestly if you ever have an opportunity to experience one (even if you don't know any of the servicemembers returning home) I highly highly recommend it. I'll never ever forget my first homecoming experience watching their husbands come home last year either - I left that day with such a new-found respect, love, and admiration for our country and yesterday was certainly no different. I am SO proud to be Sayre's wife and so proud to be a part of this military community. A simple "thank you" to Katharine & Brittany and everyone else that supported us both near and far doesn't seem like enough, but I hope you all know how much all of your love and support has meant to us. We love you all so much and are happy to report that HE'S HOME!!!

It's the Final Countdown!!

Time-lapse video of the final 30 day countdown I made at work to mark Sayre's return! Just a few more hours left!! (And, in case you've been living under a rock for the past 20+ years, that cute little green guy eating all of those coins is Yoshi from the Super Mario Brothers series)

Happy Independence Day!

Totally Groovy

This is yet another reason why I love my job. Some of the girls and I made tie-dye tshirts during lunch time on Thursday and then wore them on Friday :) Yep... pretty much the best job ever!

Daddy-daughter time

Dad came to visit last weekend for Father's Day while mom went off with some of her friends to a wedding up north. It was so great to have some daddy-daughter time together! He arrived Thursday evening, so I picked him up after work and he hung out at the apartment most of the day on Friday while I was working. He did get to meet me for lunch that day though, which was great because it gave him an opportunity to finally see my office! Needless to say, I think his favorite part (understandably) was our awesome Super Mario Brothers themed wall in our design area ;)

On Saturday we ventured down to Cape Canaveral to check out the Kennedy Space Center. We got up bright and early for our 2 & 1/2 hour drive, got there around 9:30, and spent the entire day absorbing the sights & sounds of NASA. Cool factor of the day: the Space Shuttle Atlantis was sitting on the launch pad in preparation for its July 8th launch so we were able to view it from the observation tower and snap some awesome photos (thanks to our new 28mm-300mm zoom lens)! What a neat experience! I'd absolutely love to see a shuttle launch someday, but actually seeing it on the launch pad was pretty neat too!! Anyway, we had a great day! We were pretty tired by the time we got home though!

On Sunday, Father's Day, we enjoyed some time relaxing for a bit before heading out to Mayport to see the next ship Sayre will report to in the fall. Yes, for those that haven't heard already, we will be staying in Mayport for Sayre's next sea tour!! Anyway, it was pretty exciting to see his new ship. Granted, it's not like it's new to Mayport or anything... I mean heck, I'm sure I've unknowingly laid my eyes upon it many times before, but the fact that Sayre will soon be on it kind of shed a new light on that old chunk of metal ;) Anyway, later on we celebrated Father's Day with a delicious meal at PF Chang's and perused Barnes & Noble for a little while - another great day!

Unfortunately his time here came & went too quickly, just as it always does, but hopefully he & mom will be back to visit soon! Sayre and I always enjoy having company around!! (hint, hint to anyone thinking of coming to Jacksonville ;) )

Just keep swimming...

Guess who's a brand new Open Water NAUI Certified Diver?

Yep, that's me!!!

I had a fantastic time up at a lake in Bloomingdale, GA over the weekend getting certified through Atlantic Pro Divers here in Jacksonville. Their instructor was phenomenal - so patient and thorough in his teaching style. He made everyone feel so comfortable in the water and our entire class of 12 passed with flying colors! It was such a neat set-up too. They had one platform sunk in the lake at 10' for the pool phase of the certification and another one sunk in the lake at 20' for the open water phase, which enabled us to complete the course in just one weekend. We all had to complete the classroom material and take the test prior to showing up Saturday morning. Now I just can't wait for Sayre and I to be able to dive all over the place together! (He's already certified) And who knows, maybe we'll work on some more advanced certifications together in the future! 

By the way...

THIS made me really happy over the weekend:

Isn't the world wide web amazing? :) Yay for a long-overdue video chat with a very cute hubby!

Bayou Country Superfest

I took a trip back to Baton Rouge over the Memorial Day weekend to visit with family and check out the Bayou Country Superfest. I had a blast but, as always, the time flew by way too quickly!

Highlights from the BCS included performances by Josh Thompson, Luke Bryan, & Trace Adkins to start with followed by an awesomely fun performance by Sugarland and then Time McGraw. The event itself was held in Tiger Stadium on Saturday afternoon - needless to say it was a tad bit hot out there, but fortunately our seats were on the west side of the stadium so we were in the shade. I went with my mom, Aunt Debra, cousin Jill, & my aunt's neighbor and had a chance to make some rounds to see some friends.


On Sunday mom & dad had a little bar-b-que to get the family together while I was in town. Because it's summertime, it's hard to round up the whole gang, but it was still really nice to see everyone that was able to come. Unfortunately, time really did fly on by too quickly and before I knew it, it was time to head on back to Jacksonville. It sure was a nice little getaway though!

First 5k - Done!

I'm a little behind on my posts these days because I've been a bit busy, but I'm going to try to play catch-up!

On May 21st I ran in and completed my first 5k race! My timing was horrible and it was hotter than ever that day, but I finished and that's all that matters :)  It really was such a great experience... over 6,000 people participated! The only downside to having over 6,000 people packed at the starting line of a race on the beach in 90+ degree weather is that the body heat combined with the scorching sun made for a rather unpleasantly sweltering start, but once the race did actually start and we all fanned out, it was great to feel that ocean breeze.

When the race was over, participants were treated to free smoothies, chocolate covered strawberries, & some other tasty treats as well as some really cute sea turtle necklaces for the girls and nice running watching for the guys. They also had a big beach fest to accompany the race, which made for a really fun day.

One of the neatest things about it though, in my opinion, was that since the race was called the "Never Quit Beach Fest" you could write on your runner's bib who you would never quit for :) No real surprise here, but I happily scrawled Sayre's name across my bib before I took off to achieve my goal of finishing and "never quitting."

Military Spouse Appreciation Day

In honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Day, I wanted to share a piece of my heart and discuss something I rarely mention here on my little piece of the world wide web.

Growing up, I always felt a special sense of patriotism instilled in me at a young age from my family. My grandfather was a World War II Veteran whose home was always adorned with flags both in the front yard and in the back yard waving proudly in the breeze perched atop its pole nestled on the pier that he built by hand. He had such an infectious personality - it was impossible to be around him without being touched in some way by his wonderful spirit, which I'm sure played a key role in the sense of American pride our entire family always felt. In every memory I have of him, he always had a flag pin attached to the lapel of whatever it was he was wearing - whether he was in his coveralls working in his garden or he was dressed up in a suit. The love he had for the nation he fought so bravely for wasn't dependent upon who was in office at the time, the current state of worldly affairs, or whether or not it was even "popular" to be a proud American - his love for America was rooted in the principals that this nation was founded upon and it didn't matter whether those flags he so proudly displayed were visible or not... his patriotism always shone through.

Now that I, myself, am a military wife and proudly and humbly stand among the thousands upon thousands of other military wives and husbands out there, I have a much deeper understanding of those emotions my grandfather felt regarding this great nation and the people that serve it as well as their families. Although I was young when he passed away, I wish that I had discussed his experiences with him and asked him questions about his time serving in the Navy during World War II... and more than anything, I wish that my husband had been given the opportunity to meet him, but I know that Granddad is smiling down upon both of us as we experience the trials of military life that he and NaNa experienced way-back-when. I have been truly blessed to be able to have these discussions with NaNa, though, and she has offered me such incredible insight to their lives as young newlyweds who faced the uncertainties of war and distance. So many of these stories that she has shared with me I can now relate to, but so many make me marvel at how brave they were back then! When we take a step back and realize the blessings of technology and communication now, I am just in awe of their relentless spirit and courage back then when all they relied upon was the postal service to deliver their letters to one another. Weeks may have gone by without a single letter, and then all of a sudden a whole bundle would arrive - but they never lost hope. NaNa always knew that he would return to her... and a year later he did. What an incredible story of love, hope, and endurance!

So today, on Military Spouse Appreciation Day, I just want to take a moment to honor all of the brave men and women before us who have patiently waited for their loved ones to return - always keeping a smile on their faces, hope in their hearts, and courage to carry on. They, and their servicemembers, are such an inspiration to me and make it possible for me to "keep calm and carry on." I am so incredibly honored to walk among them and now call myself a military spouse as well. And to my incredible husband that God so graciously blessed me with: thank you for everything that you do not only for me, but for this country. I am so proud of you and honored to be your wife. Thank you for choosing me :) I love you.

My First Craft Fair!

As I mentioned in some previous posts, I set up my very first booth ever for my HeartAdrift products at the Naval Officers Spouse Association Craft Fair on Saturday. The set up time was from 6:30am-8:30am and then the fair began at 9. Since this was my first one, I really wasn't sure how much time it would take me to set up my booth, so I arrived promptly at 6:30 and began unloading my car. Ultimately it only took about an hour to set up, but that left me with plenty of time to check out some of the other vendors and chat with some incredibly sweet ladies who were running the show. 

I think my favorite part of this whole experience was getting to talk to the shoppers who came by and hear their stories. Since the craft fair itself took place very close to the gates of the Mayport Naval Station, most of the shoppers who came by were military families and spouses. It was so interesting getting to chat with them and find out how long they've been in the military, where they've lived, and what their experiences have been. It just encourages me so much to hear about their lives :) Anyway, this experience also honestly filled me with so much confidence. Growing up I always absolutely loved going to craft shows with my mom... heck, I still love going to them now too! I never really imagined I'd ever have a booth of my own at one some day, and although this was a relatively small craft show, I felt such a sense of accomplishment just simply from setting a goal to participate, preparing for it weeks in advance, and ultimately finding success in the end. 

When it was all said and done, I was exhausted! I was really thankful that it was only for a day ;) I think that was a great way to "get my feet wet" in the world of craft shows... I can't imagine how truly exhausted I would have been if it had lasted for two days! Heck, I went home and was completely crashed in bed by 6:30pm that night!! It was completely worth it though and I do hope to do it again in the future!

Guest Post

Howdy there! Just wanted to pop in and say hello and let y'all know that I have a guest blog post up! Check it out over at the Homefront Team Blog!

Stay tuned for a re-cap of my very experience as a vendor at the Mayport NOSA USO Craft Fair over the weekend! It was so much fun!!

"Ooooh we're halfway there!!...

Ooooh livin' on a prayer!"

Ok... now that I've gotten that out of my system :) ... The last two weeks since my last post remained gloriously busy! My parents came in town to help celebrate another year of my life on this earth and we really had a great time! We were able to head down to Disney World for the weekend and enjoy some beautiful spring weather in all the parks. Mom & Dad even braved some of the "scarier" rides with me... I was so proud ;) And we may have snapped some pictures with a character or two, because you're never too old for that! I'm really so glad they were able to come into town - they made my birthday week so much fun!

I was really truly spoiled all week. First of all, my co-workers are ridiculously awesomely sweet and, despite my best efforts to prevent them from doing so, they totally decked out my cubicle and showered me with love. Even some of my Florida Gator loving co-workers got their hands dirty with hanging purple & gold balloons for me. It was shockingly sweet ;) Then, later that evening when I got home from work, an awesome & delicious Edible Arrangement from a very sweet husband of mine was waiting for me! Also, this past weekend, as a part of an extended celebration, my favorite fellow Navy wives surprised me with an outing to "Yes You Canvas" here in Jax where we painted, sipped some wine, ate some snacks, & learned that despite what the instructor may tell you, the fine detail brush causes fewer headaches than the angled brush ;)

I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful people in my life and I'm looking forward to all the things I have going on in the weeks to come!

Spring is here!

Can you believe it's already April!? Man oh man is time flying by! I'm certainly not complaining though! I'm absolutely loving the gorgeous spring weather that finally made its appearance yesterday after hiding behind some nasty rain clouds all week. I just hope spring time sticks around for awhile before the summer heat really settles in.

Life has been nice & busy as usual over the past few weeks. I've been crafting like crazy to get ready for a craft fair that I decided to participate in with my HeartAdrift shop at the end of April. I'm really excited about it! I've always looooved going craft fairs, but I never imagined I'd have a booth at one someday :) It should certainly be a fun experience! It's already been pretty fun throwing myself into my work and coming up with new items to make and sell. (Like those fun coffee coozies I made in the picture) This particular craft fair is a rather small one, but it'll be a great opportunity to get my feet wet and see what it's all about from a seller's perspective! Who knows were it will lead!

It's been really interesting to look back on the past 3 months and realize the personal growth I've gone through. Sometimes I feel like I'm watching someone else's life play out before my eyes. It's so strange. Do you ever feel that way? It's not necessarily a bad thing by any means - it's just a bit surreal. I guess I'm just growing up ;)

I've also met some personal goals recently that have made me pretty happy :) I finally shed some of those "newlywed" pounds that I put on after we got married haha so I'm definitely happy about that. I feel a lot better now and have a lot more energy. I'm even training for a 5k at the end of May! There's this great little "Couch to 5k" app on my iPhone that I've been using since the end of January and I'm currently running a little over 2 miles a day three to four times a week. I should be up to 3 miles in like a week and a half... yikes! ;) It's been great though!

Things I'm currently looking forward to this month: a new Bible study beginning, Disney World with mom & dad, some sort of secret plans my friends have in the works, and the craft fair!

Getting a little preachy...

Have you ever been in a room full of people and felt completely alone? Have you ever experienced something that you felt was so awfully wrong, only to realize that no one else around you seemed phased by the circumstances surrounding them? Maybe I'm just getting old, maybe some would consider me to be a "prude," or maybe some would consider my thoughts to be "close-minded," but is it so bad to want so much more for myself than worldly notions of "happiness"?  Doesn't anyone else realize that the idea of experiencing things in the moment that "feel good," regardless of their long-term consequences, can ultimately change your life forever - usually for the worse?

I'm not really sure when people stopped respecting and loving themselves enough to want more from life than just a temporary high through selfish gain and immoral acts, but I'm just so sick of seeing my generation self-destruct. We can continue to feed ourselves the falsehoods that sex, drugs, and alcohol are out there for the taking - meant to be experienced as a part of life's wonders - or we can open our eyes, take a good look around, and see the devastation it sets in motion for the future. Very few people are willing to admit how being casually physically intimate with someone can cause some serious emotional turmoil later down the line because, quite frankly, people just don't want to hear it and it's not a popular things to say. If you've somehow managed to find a way to separate sex from any feelings whatsoever then, by all means, please share that secret with the rest of the world, but I'm here to tell you that you're telling yourself a bold-faced-lie and you know it. Who are you even trying to kid!? I've seen one too many friends get too physically intimate in relationships, the relationship fails, and then they're left to pick up the pieces. Yes, an end to a relationship will always be difficult, but I guarantee you that it's probably at least 10 times harder when physical intimacy was involved.

My heart is just so broken for my generation. I'm so tired of seeing people wind up so messed up and hurting and wondering what went wrong. Well I can tell you what went wrong - this whole WORLD has gone wrong!! If we ever needed God's loving hand on the world, it's now... but even that is an unpopular statement to make in today's society! Goodness gracious... when did we become so self-righteous that it became "politically-incorrect" to even mention God's name??? I've finally gotten to the point where I'm tired of keeping my mouth shut. I'm tired of just watching people crumble. I'm tired of being silent, because within that silence some may find acceptance - and I certainly do not accept people just settling for these crazy messed up paths that they've found themselves on. I'm happy to go against the grain and I'm on fire now! I want everything from my life that God has in store for me, but I know that I cannot obtain that if I let myself or these worldly things get in my way... and I want everyone else to see and experience what God has in store for them too! So how do I go about tearing down these destructive paths that they have set themselves on? By allowing this fire that God has set ablaze in my heart to burn down those paths and light the way for them towards true happiness - pure happiness - complete happiness in God our Father.

Monday Meetups

Time for another Monday Meetup via the Homefront Team! These occur the 2nd and 4th Monday of each month :) This week's questions are from the owner of the Etsy shop called Florida Scarf.

(New Navy Reversible Purse in my HeartAdrift shop!)

1. What song is your personal anthem? If you don't have an anthem a favorite song will do.

Currently, I'd say it would be "Paris (Oh la la)" by Grace Potter & The Nocturnals. That catchy little tune gets stuck in my head all the time these days!

2. What is your favorite ride at an amusement park?

I looooove the Everest roller coaster in Disney World... oh and also the Rockin' Roller Coaster!

3. What was your favorite restaurant at any of your past/present duty stations?

The Chart House in Annapolis, MD and Gumbo Ya Ya's in Jacksonville, FL (near Mayport).

4. Where is your favorite place to go for supplies?
I love pretty much any and every craft store I stumble upon haha. They all make me happy!

March Get-Together

Once again I find myself feeling very thankful for this unique community that Sayre's job has placed us in. Although it seems like new friends are constantly coming and going due to the nature of the military, one thing remains constant: support. I know that in some cases it can be rare for a wardroom to be so active, so I am especially thankful for these ladies for making a sincere effort to get together at least once a month. It's just one more wonderful thing that seems to help the time go by faster :)

Surprise, Surprise!

Although President's Day weekend didn't quite go according to plan, it was still a weekend to remember! The original plan was to fly to Dallas Saturday morning to attend a friend's wedding and then fly out that night, but due to a flight cancellation Saturday morning I completely missed the wedding. The second part of my weekend still went off without a hitch though, and proved to be exciting for all involved!

Mom's birthday was February 22nd, so dad and I concocted a plan to take her by surprise! Had the Dallas part of my trip worked out, I would have flown out after the wedding and headed to Baton Rouge that evening but, since it didn't, I ended up in Baton Rouge a little earlier than expected on Saturday. Anyway, my aunt & uncle picked me up and brought me back to their house where my mom was lured over and quite shocked when she discovered me there too! Honestly, I thought I had blown my cover earlier in the day, but fortunately my mom is a very trusting person and believed my lies haha. 

Because it was President's Day weekend, I already had Monday off of work and decided to take an additional day to stay through Tuesday. Although I had a few extra days than normal, time still seemed to fly by, but we crammed in as much as we could! Hikes through a new park, crawfish, king cake, birthday celebrations, time with friends I haven't seen in far too long, and good times all around! 

Monday Meetups - Valentine's Additon

Time for another Monday Meetup via the Homefront Team! This week is, appropriately enough, a Valentine's addition and the questions were actually submitted to the blog by me :) so yay!! Ok... here goes...

1. Do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day or do you cringe at the thought of Cupid? 
Well, I think we should express our love to each other on a daily basis, but I tend to enjoy and participate in all holidays :) so Valentine's Day is usually pretty fun - especially this year with super sweet co-workers and a super sweet hubby :)

2. Are you a flowers or candy kind of person? Or do you prefer something handmade?It really doesn't take much to make me happy... honestly the simplest things make me smile!

3. What's your most memorable Valentine's Day story?
Although years past have been very memorable & sweet, I was shocked by the events that unfolded this year. I got several incredibly sweet surprises from Sayre that were completely unexpected but very much appreciated. I also had lots of fun making cupcakes for the office. Mid-morning I was surprised once again with beautiful flowers from Sayre as well as from some really sweet co-workers.

Girl Time

I absolutely love spending time with my dear-sweet-husband, but this past month and a half has offered quite a few opportunities for lots of fun times with girl friends. It's reminded me how important it is to have good female companions around to share giggles, tears, and stories with. I've been so blessed to have found some pretty awesome girls here in Jacksonville without whom I couldn't have made it this far. Being away from friends and family back home is rough, but these women have made life so much fun!

Last weekend, Katharine, Brittany, and I had quite-possibly the girliest Super Bowl party ever complete with yummy pigs in a blanket, scrumptious wontons, pasta salad, very addicting bread & cucumbers with deliciousness sandwiched in between, and a super moist yummy cake! We each supported our favorite respective NFL teams despite the fact that neither team was in the Super Bowl ;) What a fun night!



I mentioned previously one awesome co-worker who I experienced my very first (and rather interesting) Renaissance fair with. My job is full of awesome people! I've had the opportunity to spend some time outside of work recently with two other great girls as well. Their shenanigans definitely had me laughing my head off :) I am a very lucky girl who has stumbled upon some pretty awesome people in my lifetime.

January Wrap Up - 1 Month Down!

 I've been so busy since my last little post on here that it's hard to know where to begin! January 20th through the 26th, mom and NaNa were in town visiting which was tons of fun! On the days that I had work, I'd come home to a yummy meal that they prepared and then we'd enjoy the evening spending time together - NaNa even learned to do bowling on the Wii and beat me twice! (She's 90 years old!!) On the weekend we spent some time showing NaNa around Jacksonville and Mayport... she even got to see some of St. Augustine too! Speaking of St. Augustine, we actually met up with Aunt Gayle & Uncle Wayne one evening down there as well because they were also in town visiting some dear friends. What perfect timing!

Certainly one of the highlights of their visit here was getting to take them to the Barry Manilow concert one evening :) Mom always was a "Fanilow," so when I heard that he was going to be in town while they were here I just knew we'd have a blast going to see him! He really put on a great show - complete with a full orchestra and everything.

Friday night after they left, I went to another concert with my co-worker and her sister. We went to see George Strait & Reba McEntire! Once again, another fantastic show!! Those two are such country super-stars... I really am so glad we went. I had seen Reba in concert twice when I was around 10 years old and even back then I can remember her performance bringing tears to my eyes. 14 years later, and she is still just as incredible, if not even more so, than she was before! George did a fantastic job too - in fact, they both played and performed for so long that we actually just couldn't sit in the arena any longer so we left after about 4 hours... I think George still had 2 or 3 songs left! It was amazing!

Saturday night I had a lovely dinner with some of the fellow officers' wives whose husbands are also on Sayre's ship at a restaurant in town before meeting up with my other two awesome Navy wife friends whom I had really been looking forward to spending some time with. A night at the Wine Bar down by the beach was just what the three of us needed :) I wrapped up that epic week with a trip to the Renaissance Fair down in Gainesville with another co-worker. The weather was absolutely perfect - clear blue skies and crisp, cool air. It was great! People-watching at a Renaissance Fair is awesome haha. You see all sorts of sights & sounds! We really had a great time :)

Monday Meetups

Since venturing out on my new adventures in the world of Etsy, I've joined a wonderful team called the Homefront team - a group of lovely ladies who also have military ties.

The 2nd and 4th (sometimes 5th) Monday of every month, watch the Homefront Team Blog for a few questions that you can take, post, and answer on your own blog & then link back to them so that everyone can take a peak & visit! Even if you aren't a member of the Homefront Team Blog you can still participate - just be sure that your post truly pertains to the set of questions.

It's... Where You Are Deployment Clock

Alright, here goes nothing...

1 -     Are you a night owl or early bird?

I tend to be a night owl, unless Sayre is around reminding me that sleep is a necessary part of life ;) I can't help it though... especially when I'm crafting! If I get an idea in my head of something I want to create, I just have to get it done, even if that means staying up too late!

2 -  Share one thing on your bucket list.

I've alwaaaaaays wanted to travel to Italy to fulfill my desires to experience its historical architecture and culture. The hardest part of planning a trip like that would be narrowing down everything I want to see into a feasible list. 

3 -  What’s your favorite thing about yourself?

Hmm... Favorite thing about myself??... I guess I like the fact that I don't really mind embarrassing myself (or sometimes, my husband) :) I find great joy in being a complete and total goofball!

Winter Jam

Since I last wrote, I have been pretty busy and this past week seemed to fly by (which is always a good thing). Last weekend the ladies of the wardroom got together for a little potluck dinner at the Captain's wife's house. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up a bit because it's been awhile since we've all gotten together. I'm realizing more & more each day just how lucky I am to be a part of an active and sincere wardroom. They're all very sweet women who have really been very supportive of each other.

I've also realized in the past two weeks how blessed I am to have so many other support systems looking out for me both near and far. This may sound canned or corny, but it truly does continue to amaze me how God seems to put people in your life who are exactly what you need. It's almost dumbfounding how they seem to swoop in and pick you up exactly when you need it the most without even realizing that even just a smile or sweet gesture can completely save your day when it seems to be falling down. It's pretty awesome and I'm a pretty lucky girl... just sayin'. :)

Anyway, Friday night I actually went to a concert called Winter Jam with one of my co-workers. It featured 10 Christian bands like Newsboys, David Crowder Band, Newsong, Kutless, Chris Sligh, etc. The tickets were only $10 and it was general admission seating, so we figured we'd be up in the arena since we headed over there after work, but we really didn't mind. We were, however, very wrong haha because somehow or another we ended up in the front row! It was so much fun!

Next up on the concert list: Reba McEntire & George Strait at the end of the month! Also, I just have to mention the fact that I got tickets this weekend to see New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys in Orlando this summer! It's gonna be awesoooome! I know... I know... It's not *NSYNC... but I'm pretty sure this is the closest I will ever get to an *NSYNC reunion lol so I'll take it! Plus, who am I kidding here? We all know that even if I refused to admit it in highschool because I was so loyal to my beloved *NSYNC, I was still totally a closet BSB fan :) Ooh if you could have seen Katharine and I as we waited for 10am to roll around on Saturday morning to buy our tickets. We were so nervous haha and then we we finally got them we squealed like we were 16 all over again! I absolutely cannot wait for that concert!

Heart Adrift

I'm not sure if you noticed or not, but I added a new little bar to the right side of the blog. It's a link to my brand new Etsy store called Heart Adrift! If you haven't heard of Etsy before, it's basically an online community of crafters selling their handmade goods. I decided to pursue this new little hobby of mine after I made a necklace for myself with an anchor charm, heart charm, and hand-beaded charm. That little necklace inspired the name Heart Adrift, and thus my new store was born :) Who knows if I will make any sales or not, but I already consider it to be a success because it has served its one true purpose for me as something to focus on and pass the time :) Check it out if you're interested at heartadrift.etsy.com

New Kitchen Toys

In addition to getting some time off before Christmas to go to Alaska, my office was also closed between Christmas Eve and New Year's, so once we got home from our trip I had an entire week off to run errands, get things done that I had been putting off, and play with some of my new fun kitchen gadgets that I got for Christmas like my new Crockpot and my new Cricut Cake :) I also had a chance to cook up some meals that usually are too time-consuming to make when I get home from work. It was really nice to have that week to spend some time with Sayre and take care of all of those little things that had accumulated on my to-do list.

  

Happy New Year

I've started writing this post several times, only to wind up getting frustrated with my words and ultimately deleting the post altogether. Now that I've had some time to let the "new car scent" of a new year full of uncertainties fade a bit, I think I can finally publish this post.

The second day of 2011 left me feeling as though my world was crumbling around me. My eyes burned from tears shed, my throat ached from gasps of air, and my head yearned to seek the comfort of my pillow. When I finally laid down to take a nap, I prayed that I wouldn't wake up until the year was almost over. Just two days into the new year, I had already given up on 2011. The afternoon passed and turned into evening. I laid down once again to sleep and vowed to wake up on Monday morning with a better outlook and renewed confidence.

Although I still felt the waves of aftershock in the morning, I forced a smile upon my face and stepped back out into the world. Slowly, as the hours passed, I realized that life was going to move at the same speed as it always had before despite my heart's wishes for time to bend to my own terms. Focusing on each day and remaining in the present moment is the only way to survive - if I look too far ahead to the future, I'll just continue to stumble and fall from blindly running along. I am a strong, confident, and very blessed woman. My new year's resolution is to simply remember those three truths. With God, my family, and friends by my side, I'll be just fine. I can now say I welcome the new year with joy.