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.